Things seem to be moving fairly swiftly and in a positive direction for the state of Pennsylvania. Only recently we reported that the state is set to start accepting online gaming licences within the next few weeks. However, further steps have been taken by Pennsylvania to move forward with online gambling.
Several groups of temporary regulations relating to both online poker and casino gameplay have been approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). These approvals all took place during Wednesday’s public meeting, additionally giving a positive response to regulations that aim to regulate the introduction of daily fantasy sports within the state. However, one thing that didn’t come to fruition in the meeting on Wednesday was whether or not independent brands will be able to operate under each of the gambling licences in Pennsylvania. These brands, more commonly known as ‘skins’, may be debated on within the next two weeks by the PGCB.
Everything else is still on target for the regulatory body to allow current land-based casinos to apply for an online gaming licence by the middle of April. A launch of such platforms is expected to take place later on in the year.
What Moves Did the PGCB Undertaker?
During the meeting on Wednesday, the PGCB looked into and considered various different regulations relating to online gambling within the state. The provisions that were given the thumbs up by the Control Board include the following:
- Game testing and controls
- Security and integrity of interactive gaming. This includes both physical and environmental controls relating to equipment, system requirements, access limitations in terms of equipment, shutdown and recovery standards, and software disclosures.
- Live dealer interactive gaming rules
- Advertising, tournaments and promotions
While the Board has not made the details of these regulations available to the public yet, the same is true for the DFS regulations at the moment.
The applications for Pennsylvania’s casinos to start the process of online gambling are not yet available. These will only come into effect once another set of regulations is debated on and received approval from the PGCB, according to Kevin O’ Toole, Executive Director. However, he expects and hopes that these will be ready for the April 2 Board meeting.
Nobody is aware of what these final regulations will relate to, however some have speculated that it will have a big focal point on the aforementioned skins. Regulators have been discussing on the down low as to whether or not the state wants to limit the amount of skins each casino has the ability to deploy. Alternatively, Pennsylvania could follow in the line of New Jersey, with numerous branded casinos operating under a single licence.
However, the application process for online gambling is expected to take place once this Board meeting is complete and everything is approved. Therefore, Pennsylvania casinos should be looking toward the date of April 16 for this.
