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John Pappas urges General Assembly to enact Pennsylvania iGaming legislation19 October 2016(PRESS RELEASE) -- John Pappas, Executive Director of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), testified before the Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee to urge the General Assembly to enact iGaming legislation this year. The Poker Players Alliance is the leading poker grassroots advocacy group and touts over 1.2 million enthusiasts nationwide, more than 25,000 of whom are in Pennsylvania. "There is no policy or political justification for delaying regulation of Internet gaming in Pennsylvania," Pappas stated in his testimony. "Each and every day that the Commonwealth goes without regulation is another day that consumers are left unprotected and revenue is left on the table. Doing nothing is simply not an option; Pennsylvania consumers and taxpayers have waited long enough." In June, the House of Representatives passed AB 2150, a comprehensive iGaming bill that would provide much needed regulation and consumer protections for Internet gaming. The legislation is currently awaiting action by the Pennsylvania Senate. "That is why AB 2150 is good public policy. It allows the Commonwealth to corral the current unregulated marketplace and turn it into a system that is safe for consumers and accountable to regulators. iGaming regulation means that known, trusted and already regulated gaming companies will be providing this entertainment. This is exactly what your constituents want and deserve." Pennsylvania's budget for 2016-2017 includes revenue from online gaming licenses, yet no legislation exists authorizing online gaming or the collection of license fees. The collection of these fees is especially critical now that Pennsylvania's Department of Revenue reports that tax collection is $218.5 million, or 3.2 percent, below estimate. "While we are encouraged that the Assembly, Senate and Governor all agreed on a budget that relies on $100 million new revenue from regulated iGaming, we are puzzled as to why it has never been authorized. Given the severe budget issues currently facing the Commonwealth and the complete lack of appetite from the public for more tax increases, iGaming and its already approved $100 million revenue stream seem like a no-brainer." |