Pennsylvania Rep. Thomas Murt Introduces Anti-iGaming Bill HB1013

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Wednesday, April 29th, 2015 | Written by Charles Washington

Pennsylvania launched its very first slot machines casino in 2006, followed by table games in 2010, and by 2012 The Keystone State had overtaken neighboring New Jersey as the USA’s second largest gambling market with revenues totaling $3.16 billion. Since then, revenues have fallen to $3.07 billion in 2014, and the state is currently considering reversing the negative trend by adding online gambling to its gambling mix, a move that analysts predict will generate a minimum of $178 million revenues in its first year post-regulation. So far three online gambling bills have already been introduced to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this year alone, but now State Representative Thomas Murt is hoping to spoil the party by introducing an anti-online gambling bill (HB1013), which seeks to prohibit all forms of online gambling, including poker. As an extract from Murt’s bill reads:

“No individual or entity shall solicit, invite, collect or accept cash or any other form of currency through the Internet for the purposes of wagering or betting. No individual or entity shall organize, or cause to be organized, any type of gambling event that is held over the Internet.”

Possible Prison Sentence

The bill co-sponsored by State Rep. Thomas Murt (R-152nd District) and seven other legislators envisages severe penalties for state residents caught gambling online, with a first time offender receiving a fine of $300, increasing to $600 and a possible three-days jail sentence for a second offense, and a third offense categorized as a third degree misdemeanor and punishable by a $2,000 penalty and as much as one year behind bars.

Long Odds Of Success

Pennsylvania has 12 land-based casinos, including the Sheldon Adelson owned Sands Casino Resort in Bethlehem, which has a huge offering of 3,000 slot machines and 200 table games. The billionaire casino magnate has long opposed online gambling in the country, which he sees as a threat to society, and more specifically a danger to his brick-and-mortar casino empire, and so no doubt HB 1013 would have received the support and backing of Adelson before being introduced to the state legislature.

Unfortunately for Rep. Thomas Murt’s HB 1013, the chairman of the House Gaming Oversight committee Rep. John Payne has already introduced his own bill (HB649) which sees online gambling regulation as a favorable alternative to Pennsylvania topping up state coffers by having to hike up taxes. Therefore, it seems inconceivable that Rep. John Payne could be persuaded by Murt’s bill to change his own opinion on the issue and, besides, HB 1013 makes no case as to why members of the House Gaming Oversight committee should block online gambling, with the two-page bill simply requesting that amendments be implemented to ban iGambling from becoming legal in Pennsylvania.

Furthermore, Thomas Murt’s bill is a virtual copy of another bill presented by Representative Paul Clymer in 2013 which never advanced past the Gaming Oversight Committee, and with the push towards legislation gaining pace in Pennsylvania, Murt’s HB1013 is seen as having even less chance of succeeding as its predecessor.

The State’s 4 Competing Gambling Bills

In addition to Thomas Murt’s anti-online gambling HB1013, three pro-iGaming bills have been introduced into the Pennsylvania House of Representatives this year, including Nick Miccarelli’s (R-Delaware County) HB695, John Payne’s (R-Dauphin County) HB649, and Tina Davis’ (D-Bucks County) HB920. While Nick Miccarelli seeks to see just online poker regulated in Pennsylvania, with a provision allowing it to form an interstate poker compact with other regulated states, John Payne would prefer to see both online casinos and poker legalized throughout the state, and as he explained recently:

“Internet gaming is already here. I’m not trying to expand it. I’m trying to make it legal, and I’m trying to make sure we make sure people aren’t ripped off.”

Finally, Tina Davis takes a similar position to Payne, although her bill has further proposed that operators pay a $5 million licensing fee and be responsible for vetting any potential internet gamblers, who would be required to register for online accounts in person at their land-based casinos. Focusing on the economic benefits of online gambling, Davis explains:

“A responsible internet gaming system must be created in order to protect Pennsylvanians and the success of the established gaming industry in the Commonwealth, which has generated more than $7 billion in state tax revenue, and created more than 16,000 jobs statewide.”