http://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/ ... ts-betting
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach said the board is reviewing the court's opinion and could not provide an estimate for when sports betting might become legal in the state. He said sports wagering was a “key element” of legislation last year that helped plug a state budget hole by allowing gambling in airports, truck stops and on the internet.
The bill paved the way, but the gaming board still has to write regulations, including the types of bets that could be placed for each sport.
“Theoretically, it's already approved. There's just no regulations in place,” said state Rep. George Dunbar, R-Penn Township, who has advocated for expanded gambling.
The Legislature could still pass more rules, Dunbar said, such as a proposal that would require sports betting operations to have a physical location in Pennsylvania. That would prevent existing, legally gray betting web ites from snapping up all the new gaming in the state, Dunbar said.
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“We're very pleased with the decision of the Supreme Court and think it's been quite a while in the making,” said Troy Stremming, a spokesman for Pinnacle Entertainment, the parent company of Meadows Casino & Racetrack in Washington County.
Stremming said the company has been preparing for the decision, but he said Pennsylvania's relatively high tax on gaming revenue — 34 percent — could give the company pause as it considers where to launch sports betting.
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“There are still far too many unknowns for us to be in a position to comment on the specifics of the matter,” said Brian Warecki, the Pirates vice president of communications and broadcasting. “We echo the sentiment of the Major League Baseball Commissioner's Office in that our most important priority must be protecting the integrity of the game.”
Penn State officials also said they will watch as Pennsylvania establishes regulations for legal sports betting.
“As the largest (football bowl series) intercollegiate athletics program in Pennsylvania, we will be monitoring this issue and its process closely, and will actively engage when necessary to see that the interests of the university and its student-athletes are represented appropriately,” Jeff Nelson, Penn State associate athletic director, said in a statement.
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Basically, no regulations have been written up yet, nor has federal action been ruled out, so basically all that's certain right now is we've gone from certainty (it's illegal) to chaos (it's not illegal). IMO, keep an eye on what Penn State says and does, because that's what is most likely to drive this.