The standards by which all states can introduce and effectively regulate online gaming are being established by Pennsylvania's groundbreaking senate proposal.
The state of Pennsylvania has introduced a bill under review in
the senate that would permit online poker, and could also pave the
way for the acceptance of online casino games across other states as
well.
Largest Jurisdiction Ever
The ambitious bill, proposed by Senator Edwin Erickson to a state
with a population of 12.5 million residents, would represent the
largest American jurisdiction of any gambling legislation to date.
Lingering Opposition
The main obstacle that the bill still faces is a bad actor clause
of the Pennsylvania Constitution forbidding “any trademark, trade
name, service mark or similar intellectual property that is used to
identify any aspect of the Internet website or the operator offering
the wagers or interactive games to its customers.” Said bad actors
are designated as the companies receiving Pennsylvania players after
December 31, 2006.
Changing Times
This clause basically nullifies the validity of any intellectual
property on the part of gaming providers, assuming that the majority
of their players were accepted after 2006. The archaic clause
designed to preempt the introduction of online gaming providers in
the state needs to be formally removed from the Pennsylvania state
Constitutional language in order for unopposed passage and
sustainable success of the current bill under review.
The State Revenue Boost
Revenue-wise, the proposal contains a provision for interstate
compacts, paving way in the near future for states to enter into
revenue sharing agreements for online gaming licensing.
Set fees for licensing of online gaming entities were set in the
bill at $5 million; and a tax of 14% gross gaming revenue was also
set within the bill, payable to the state on a weekly basis.
States' Choice
The key to this proposal is the outlining of an infrastructure by which all states can introduce online gaming into their economies. Each state will have to ameliorate with certain antiquated components of their respective Constitutional bodies to benefit from the much-needed revenue boost which online gaming can provide.
Blackjack
Slots
Roulette
Baccarat
Craps
Poker
