Concerns over Pennsylvania gaming expansion

As the Pennsylvania House approved a bill to expand gaming in the state, concerns around lottery funds have emerged.

US.- Opponents to the bill that was approved earlier this month by the House in Pennsylvania and expands gaming in the state have expressed their concerns regarding lottery funds. Under the approved legislation, airports, bars and online platforms will be able to apply for gaming licenses in order to add casino offerings in its services.

As Lottery Post revealed, seniors in the state are worried that if the bill becomes effective, less money would be destined to funds that go directly to programs for the elderly. Moreover, some people believe that if the gaming expansion gets legalised   jobs from the local casinos would be lost. “There are casinos already in the area that they can go to. If you have slot machines in pizza shops, and the airport, and stuff like that, they got casinos to go to for that,” said local citizen Robert Montgomery of Wilkes-Barre. Co-owner of Anthracite Newsstand, lottery tickets seller, Ann Marie Bossard, is worried that customers could use bills

money to get the tickets if the budget they have gets altered.

If the new regulation gets effective, Pennsylvania would become the fourth state to legislate the iGaming sector, after Delaware, Nevada and New Jersey. The bill would allow local casino and lottery operators to offer the same services through internet platforms in order to collect additional revenues, which would be destined to counties’ public services, such as the police department.

Furthermore, current casino companies could extend their services on bars, truck terminals and state’s airports. After a previous report by the government that estimated a deficit of US$3 billion by the end of the year, legislators were pressured to present alternative solutions to reinforce economic plans.