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A 14-page white paper produced by Play Pennsylvania and onlinepokerreport.com concludes that the state can rake in more than $400 million by 2022 should lawmakers legalize online gambling.
Legislators will soon open hearings to determine how expanded gambling statewide could help fill a multibillion gap in the state budget for 2017-2018.
Lawmakers will view the report with a skeptical eye because it was produced by Play Pennsylvania and onlinepokerreport.com — two online gambling industry organizations that stand to gain by the legalization of Internet gambling in Pennsylvania, the Morning Call suggests.
"I view every piece of information about this skeptically because everyone has a bias in some way," said Rep. Scott Petri, R-Bucks, who chairs the House Gaming Oversight Committee, which will begin hearings March 7. "But I'm still interested in the report. We'll take everything into account."
"Of any state that has already legalized some form of online gambling or is actively exploring the idea, Pennsylvania represents the biggest economic upside," onlinepokerreport.com analyst Robert DellaFave.
There's no telling how much lawmakers will rely on the latest report, but there's little question they're counting on internet gambling to bolster state revenues, the Morning Call writes.
- Ace King, Gambling911.com
