Pennsylvania omnibus gaming bill includes online gambling, DFS

Pennsylvania’s online gambling hopes took on more tangible form on Wednesday via the filing of a new bill in the state’s House of Representatives.

HB 392, brought to life by Reps. George Dunbar, Rosita Youngblood and a few others, is a 209-page mammoth omnibus gaming bill addressing everything from online gambling to daily fantasy sports to mobile gambling at state airports and fixing the contentious slots tax for communities that host the state’s dozen brick-and-mortar casinos.

Our focus is on the bill’s digital components, and fortunately, they’re largely in line with the House’s 2016 gambling bill, including taxing online gambling revenue at 14%, plus an additional 2% that will go toward the casinos’ host communities.

Interactive gaming licensees – aka the state’s casinos and racetracks – would pay a one-time upfront fee of $8m for a five-year license, with renewals set at $250k. Interactive gaming operators – the licensees’ technology partners – would pay a onetime fee of $2m, while renewals will cost $100k.