Pennsylvania casinos say new lottery violates law
The casinos told the governor’s administration that they will take action if the new iLottery games are not stopped.
US.- The 13 licensed casinos in Pennsylvania wrote a letter to Revenue Secretary Daniel Hassell last week to argue that the new iLottery online games violate state law. They warned that they would take action if the games continue operating.
The casinos say that some of the games resemble slot machines and violate the law that authorises them, and warned that if they’re not stopped by Tuesday they will consider all actions available to them. A Revenue Department spokesman said that the agency would review the letter and comment on it in due time.
“In virtually every way imaginable, Lottery’s iLottery program mimics a casino operation offering simulated casino-style games in direct contravention of (the law’s) express prohibition on Lottery offering ‘interactive lottery games which simulate casino-style games,” said the casinos in the letter, and argued that 18-year-olds are allowed to play, while in order to bet in a casino in Pennsylvania people must be at least 21.
They also said that the games are competing with their own possibility to operate online games, which requires casinos to pay a US$10 million licensing fee. The current law establishes that the state lottery can’t offer games that simulate casino-style lottery games.
“Overall, the games essentially have the same backbone as a slot machine; an outcome that is determined by a random number generator with animated graphics and computer operations used to provide a visual depiction of that outcome,” the casinos argued.
