Last week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives voted on two gambling amendments and passed neither, meaning that the progress of a possible regulated online poker industry in the Commonwealth was slowed. Cross our fingers, but hopefully the slowdown is brief as the House is scheduled to reconvene next Monday, June 6th, and hold a re-vote on the gaming bills.
It is a little confusing, but listed on the House Calendar is a “Second Consideration” for both HB 649 and HB 1925. HB 649 is the online gambling bill introduced by Rep. John Payne last February, the one that he has been working hard to get passed over the course of the past year and half. HB 1925, though, was the bill that was the focus of the votes last week.
More specifically, it was two amendments to HB 1925 – A7622 and A7619 – that saw the failed votes. Both amendments are nearly the same except for how they treat the expansion of video gaming terminals (VGTs). Payne is rallying for A7619, which he says is essentially a twin of HB 649. Rep. Marc Mustio penned A7622, which is more liberal with VGT expansion than A7619. A7622 allows for VGTs (read: video slots and the like) in a wider array of establishments, like taverns, while A7619 only permits certain off-track betting venues and airports to have the machines.
As one might guess, nearly all of the dozen casinos in Pennsylvania favor A7619, as they want to limit the expansion of gambling machines as much as possible in order to protect their businesses. It is thought that A7619 has a solid chance to pass both the House and Senate. So why did it fail last Tuesday?
The reason for the failure was a clerical error and the resulting confusion. Both A7619 and A7622 were printed to list Rep. Payne as the sponsor, though it was Mustio who was the sponsor of A7622. Because of this, many legislators ended up voting for the wrong amendment. When people realized what happened, they basically just voted both amendments down and requested a re-vote at a later date. In essence, the vote got all messed up, so the lawmakers opted for a do-over.
Thus, it is a do-over they will get. If any of the amendments/bills pass through the House, they will then move on to the Senate and hopefully make headway there. Pennsylvania is an important online gambling battleground state, at is the sixth most populous state in the country with an estimated 12.8 million residents. That is about 4 million more than neighboring New Jersey, which is seeing the success of its online gambling industry continue to grow, even if the results have been a bit disappointing compared to expectations. If large states like Pennsylvania, California, and New York (the latter two are also considering online gambling) can eventually legalize and regulate online gambling or poker, it could serve as a catalyst for other states who decide they don’t want to be left behind.