The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to Begin Accepting Petitions from Casinos for Sports Wagering

HARRISBURG, Pa., May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced today that it has notified casino license holders that they can begin submission of petitions requesting approval to conduct sports wagering.

The announcement follows the May 14, 2018 decision by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a federal ban on sports wagering through the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, and the Board's action at its public meeting yesterday to pass the first in a series of temporary regulations for sports wagering. These temporary regulations are available on the Board web site, www.gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. The Board expects to approve additional regulations at its upcoming meetings. A schedule of those meetings is also available on the web site.

Under the provisions of the Act 42 of 2017, upon authorization by the Board, a sports wagering certificate holder may only be permitted to conduct sports wagering at a licensed facility; at a temporary facility for up to 18 months; in the case of a Category 1 racetrack casino, in a non-primary location in which it conducts pari-mutuel wagering; or, through an Internet-based system.

"The actions taken by the Board are the first in our efforts to launch sports wagering in Pennsylvania as soon as possible," said the Board's Executive Director Kevin O'Toole. "In the coming months, we expect to regularly ask the Board for approval of additional temporary regulations that will move us toward a launch of this new gaming initiative."

In order to further the development of the regulations, the Board also announced at its meeting that it is accepting comments from any interested entity or person relative to items which they believe the Board should take into consideration in promulgating the Board's temporary regulations on sports wagering.  Comments should be submitted by mail or e-mail no later than June 15, 2018 to the Board for its consideration through the Board's Secretary Pam Lewis at:

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
303 Walnut Street
Commonwealth Tower, 5th Floor
Harrisburg, PA 17101
[email protected]

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board:

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry, along with oversight of new gaming initiatives created through amendments to the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act approved by the signing of Act 42 of 2017. These include Interactive Gaming, Video Gaming Terminals (VGTs) at truck stops, gaming at qualified airports, Fantasy Sports Contests, and sports wagering.

The Commonwealth's casino industry currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ nearly 17,000 people and annually generate approximately $1.4 billion in tax revenue from slot machine and table games play. The largest portion of that money is used for property tax reduction to all Pennsylvania homeowners.

Additional information about both the PGCB's gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

CONTACTS: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey
(717) 346-8321

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board