Special interests that want to allow online gambling may be one step closer to striking it rich.
Online gambling has become one of the hottest issues in this year's General Assembly session, and unlike most stuff that happens around here, it does not fall neatly along party lines. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a Democrat, says regulating online gaming is the best way to deal with the illegal market that's already flourishing.
"The best way for us to deal with it is to license it, regulate it and tax it," Surovell says. "That way we have control over it instead of having the wild west of the internet deciding what to do."
That's not an argument that is persuading three Democrats and 14 Republicans in the Senate.
"Researchers say these products are ten times more addictive than the slot machine at a physical casino," says Republican Senator Bill Stanley of Franklin County. "The claim that legalization curbs the illegal marketplace is just not correct. Pennsylvania's illegal gambling participation grew from six to 10 percent in one year after legalization of iGaming. Legalization feeds the black market by normalizing the behavior."
Members of the General Assembly are holding their bets for now. The version that passed the Senate this week has a reenactment clause. Even if the governor signs the bill, online casinos will have to start over with new legislation next year.
