PA Bill to Regulate Online Poker, Daily Fantasy Sports Will be Voted on Wednesday
Daily Fantasy Sports sites would have to partner with the state of Pennsylvania in order to operate there as part of new legislation that will be voted on Wednesday.
State Rep. George Dunbar, R–Westmoreland County, has amended a previous version of House Bill 1197, to specifically address daily fantasy sports.
From The Sentinel of Cumberland County:
The original version of the bill aimed to give casinos the ability to host fantasy sports tournaments. With rising awareness and participation in the heavily advertised daily fantasy contests, Dunbar felt the bill needed to address them. He was also concerned about recent scandals, which allege insider cheating on the sites.
“That doesn’t mean get rid of Draft Kings and Fan Duel,” Dunbar said. “I want Draft Kings and Fan Duel in Pennsylvania. I want them operating in Pennsylvania.”
Dunbar believes that partnership with the state will provide sites like DraftKings and FanDuel to build customer and industry analysts confidence back following allegations of insider trading and collusion, something DraftKings legal counsel vehemently denied on Monday following a thorough investigation of their own.
The drawback here is that Pennsylvania seeks 14% in taxes from said companies.
Also on the agenda Wednesday, a possible vote on HB649, a comprehensive online gambling bill not limited to just poker and devoid of any “bad actor” clauses. The bill also allows for combined player pools with other states such as neighboring New Jersey.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
