Prediction by Pennsylvania Lawmaker : Online Gambling Will Be Legal by July

Pennsylvania State Rep. John Payne believes that online gambling will be available to Keystone State residents sometime during the summer, while the lawmakers and the governor battle on ways to generate new funds to cover the higher expenditures.

Rep. John Payne believes that the odds for online gambling being approved in state are in his favor. Rep. Payne (R-District 106) also recently announced that he will retire when seventh two-year term in November of 2016 ends, but before his departure from Harrisburg, he feels sure that he has the support to finally end the Internet gambling prohibition in the Keystone State.

Speaking to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Mr. Payne said that an ongoing budget stand-off amongst the Republican controlled legislature and Governor Tom Wolf (first-term) has created the perfect timing for passing of online gambling legislation. Mr. Wolf has been at odds with other state legislators for about 200 days on ways to generate additional revenue in order to cover the governor's plans of increase education funding.

State needs Revenue

Rep. Payne said that the state needed revenue and that they would not find votes for higher taxes during an election year, which makes him think that gaming would be a component.

Mr. Payne's online gambling bill (HB 649) has passed the committee in November, and is next to be considered by the State House. He believes it could becom

Pennsylvania iPoker Impact

Should the Keystone State approve Rep. Payne's proposition of legalizing online casinos means that the impact on Internet poker could be quite substantial. Internet poker is currently only legal in Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey. Pennsylvania has a 12.8 million population which is more than the three states combined.

Gambling analysts are mainly in agreement for a prosperous online poker market during 2016 will largely depend on interstate compacts as well as the sharing of player pools across the state borders.

Nevada and Delaware are already doing that, however, the larger Garden State has remained independent. A year ago, David Rebuck. who is the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director, said that interstate and international compacts were an important area when looking forward, and that cooperation between the jurisdictions is vitally important towards building liquidity within peer-to-peer games such as poker.

Mr. Payne last year write that they can help preparing Pennsylvania's gaming industry move forward to the future, as well as protecting consumers and seizing the opportunity to safely meet consumer demands at the same time generate new revenue for the Commonwealth.