Those tired of watching the ping-pong battle over California’s online poker bill finally got a breath of fresh air when Pennsylvania recently introduced iPoker legislation. Dubbed Bill HB 649 and introduced by State Sen. John Payne, this legislation originally sought to only legalize online poker. And for those who love poker above all other gaming, this certainly wasn’t a problem. However, as it turns out, there was a huge mistake in the original bill and it required a big revision.
PA seeking to legalize more forms of iGaming
Whoever is making copies for Payne might be fearing for their job. This printer’s error changed the fact that he not only seeks to legalize iPoker, but all forms of traditional online gaming. So HB 649 has been changed to offer both online casino games and poker; here’s a quick look at the single phrase that was altered:
Old Version – “Authorized game.” Any interactive poker game approved by the board under this chapter.
New Version – “Authorized game.” Any interactive game approved by the board under this chapter.
Just this simple change now means that if Pennsylvania does indeed pass HB 649, residents of the Keystone State will have far more iGaming options to choose from than just poker.
A new poker-only bill has been introduced
Assuming this isn’t a printer’s error as well, new legislation has been introduced that would only legalize online poker in Pennsylvania. State Rep. Nick Miccarelli is behind Bill HB 695, which is interesting given that he also introduced HB 2297 last July. The full version of Miccarelli’s new legislation hasn’t been seen, however, the core language of HB 695 suggests that it will be exactly like his previous effort.
This isn’t good news either because his bill contains a bad-actor clause and doesn’t include any language that would allow PA to negotiate sharing player pools with interested states. So this would not only cut Pennsylvania players off, but also prevent PokerStars from entering the market. That said, we can only hope that Payne’s bill is the one winning favors if Pennsylvania does indeed institute online gaming.