US Senate bill would allow casinos in Massachusetts to expand into online gambling

There are fourteen states that already allow gambling over the Internet

US.- Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester filled a bill that would allow casinos licensed in the state of Massachusetts only to engage in Internet gambling.

Massachusetts casinos, including Plainridge Park Casino, could benefit from the bill filed by the Republican leader in the Senate. The state Gaming Commission would determine the form of the gambling to be allowed.

Sen. Tarr explained: “Our state has chosen to pursue casino gaming, and is licensing operators to enter a fiercely competitive national market that is much more fully developed in other states.” Currently, in the United States there are fourteen states that are already allowed to gamble over the Internet, therefore Massachusetts casinos are concerned that they may be left at a competitive disadvantage.

“Allowing those we are counting on to produce revenue for Massachusetts and our cities and towns to conduct online gaming will give them a competitive advantage, and increase their chances of success,” the Republican leader said. “That success, in turn, can deliver substantial benefits through funding for our spending priorities and our budgets.”

At this moment it is still unknown whether Tarr’s bill will move forward in the Senate. But the owners of Plainridge, Penn National Gaming, expressed it might be interested in online gambling. The facility is Massachusetts only operating gambling facility at present, with 1,250 slot machines and harness horse racing.

“We support the authorization of Internet gaming to the extent it protects the economic investment the brick-and-mortar casinos have made in the state and the jobs we’ve created,” Penn National spokesman Eric Schippers considered. “Other states have addressed this through legislation that would restrict Internet gaming to only those existing licensed casino operators in the state,” he added.