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Pennsylvania Could Be among the First States to Launch Sports Betting

The state of Pennsylvania started its work on its new and improved gambling industry and the preparation for the potential removal of the sports betting ban across the states is finally ready to bring benefits to the region. The Keystone state might be one of the first gambling fields to introduce legal sports betting to its residents and the foreseeable future appears to be bright.

This Monday saw the long-anticipated ruling of the United States Supreme Court on sports wagering and as it was officially decided the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 is redundant and outdated, therefore it should no longer affect the operation of sports bookmakers within the country. The states which have taken action in advance to make the future operation easier are now going to reap the benefits of their efforts and see the positive impact on the state budget which is expected to happen.

It could be recalled that in the summer of 2017 the authorities of Pennsylvania made it clear that they are going to work towards devising a wide-ranging gambling expansion which is going to aim to improve the financial state of Pennsylvania and potentially fill the gaping hole in the state budget. Within the range of the said expansion the Legislature and Gov. Tom Wolf put in the effort to not only provide the proper regulation to the future online gambling field and the 10 new Category 4 casino venue which were planned, but also to pave the way for sports betting.

Big Plans for Sports Wagering in the State

Since everyone in the gaming industry was focusing on preparation for the potential greenlighting of the gambling activity, Pennsylvania also included a provision within the ranges of its expansion plans which is going to facilitate the process of authorizing sports wagering in the state.

However, it is all still in the very initial phases of development and there is still a lot of work to be done in order to officially welcome sports betting. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has yet to come up with the needed regulations which are going to make the entire process of operation easier. What needs to be done in order to implement the new type of gambling into the already existing casino venues across the state is to create a reliable framework meeting the expectations.

Rivers Casino is one of the casino operators which are already preparing the ground for the introduction of sports gambling in a legal manner. Pennsylvania and the neighboring New Jersey could be some of the first states to officially launch sports betting activities. Each of them will have the freedom to choose what sports to include in the sportsbook offerings, as there are no longer any federal limitations which could steer the field in one or another direction.

It is estimated that Pennsylvania is going to take some of New Jersey’s knowledge when it comes to sports betting. It could be recalled that back in 2014 the latter decided to permit single-game wagering on every professional sport and limited bets on college sports.



 Author: Hannah Wallace

Hannah Wallace has been part of our team since the website was launched. She has a master’s degree in IT.
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