Online Poker Vote in Pennsylvania Postponed

The House of Representatives in the US state of Pennsylvania was set to vote on a bill to legalise online gaming and poker on Wednesday. Unfortunately for those on the pro-poker lobby, the much anticipated vote was postponed at the last minute due to running budget negotiations between state politicians.

Although the postponement further delays the decision on whether to regulate online poker in the state or not, the politician who introduced the bill has remained optimistic that the state will vote on the issue sooner rather than later.

John Payne, who penned the bill that was set to be voted on yesterday, has said that online gaming and poker is still high on the state’s priority list. However, it may be likely that a future bill including online poker may also include other forms of gaming, such as sports betting and slots. It is currently unclear when a vote on an online gaming regulation will take place, although with barely two months left in 2015, it will likely not take place this year.

With a population of 12.7 million people, Pennsylvania would be the largest US state to have a regulated online poker market should the bill eventually be passed. New Jersey is the largest out of the three states to currently have a regulated online poker market, and it attracted total online gaming revenue of $US12 million in September alone.

Such numbers are inspiring to many of those who wish to see online poker in Pennsylvania, as the state has nearly four million more people than New Jersey. As such, US$12 million would likely be on the lower end of the monthly revenue spectrum in a regulated Pennsylvanian online gaming industry.

Regulation would mean potential extra tax money for the state government, who are currently involved in budget talks. It also means that there is strong interest from online gaming companies and existing state casinos who could see some of the most popular networks in the US should an online poker market ever come to fruition.