June 7, 2017

House Amends, Passes Senate Gaming Bill With All-Of-The-Above Expansion

The House Wednesday amended the Senate gaming expansion bill-- House Bill 271 (Ortitay-R-Allegheny)-- with an “all-of-the-above” menu of authorizations for expanded gaming in Pennsylvania and passed the 675-page bill by a vote of 102 to 89.
The bill now returns to the Senate for concurrence.
The bill contains the fix required to the local share of the casino tax as a result of a court decision last year and expands gaming to include: Fantasy Sports, iLottery (state lottery), iGaming, Airport Gaming Tablets, VGTs (40,000 video gaming terminals in licensed liquor establishments, truck stops), Sports Betting, OTB Slots, Casino Simulcasting, individual provisions for distribution of revenue from table games and slots revenue for each local casino community (a.k.a. WAMS)  and authorizes additional table games and slots at Category 3 casinos.
The bill also removes certain restrictions on casino ownership, requires repayment of the $36.1 million loan made from the General Fund, authorizes 24/7 sale of liquor at casinos and makes other changes.
Click Here for a summary of the legislation as amended.
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