New Pennsylvania Bill Might End Truck Stop Gambling

It looks like the State Senator, Scott Martin, one of Pennsylvania’s lawmakers, actually wants to put an end to truck stop gambling. Back in January of this year, the PA Senator introduced a Senate Bill (SB) 87 that would give local communities of this state more control over gambling activities.

Details on the Bill

SB 87 has already gained five co-sponsors, as it is mentioned on the official website of the Pennsylvania government…

…and currently, the bill is waiting for the hearing from the Senate committee.

If this bill gets accepted and the lawmakers turn it into law, a municipality will be able to inform the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) of its desire to prohibit video gaming.

The municipality will also get the opportunity to reverse that decision whenever they want to and to get a new resolution to the PGCB.

So, if the municipality decides to ban truck stop gambling after a license gets issued, then the PGCB would be able to get a refund.

A Word from the Senator

“The applications now are popping up everywhere, and convenience stores, these rest stops are making requests to change things on their property to accommodate that. Our local governments, our citizens have been upset that all of these applications for video gaming terminals are popping up,” Martin explained.

A Letter to the Lawmakers

In order to acquire more from other PA lawmakers, Senator Martin sent an official letter to his colleagues, the other state lawmakers, back in December 2018.

“In October 2017, Governor Wolf signed Act 42, an omnibus gaming bill, into law. One of the key components of this legislation allowed local governments to opt-out of having a category 4 ‘mini-casino’ in their municipality. By December 31, 2017, over 1,000 municipalities across the Commonwealth adopted resolutions to opt-out.

“In addition to many other types of gaming expansion, Act 42 also created the opportunity for truck stop establishments who meet certain criteria to host up to 5 video game terminals (VGTs). An opt-out was available, but only for counties who had a Category 1, 2 or 3 casino already in their county. Ultimately 10 of the 12 counties with casinos adopted resolutions to opt-out.

“Municipalities that do not want to see gaming expand into their communities should have the right to say no. The people should have the ability to maintain and protect their individual culture and that is why we are introducing legislation that will allow all municipalities, by resolution, to prohibit the use of VGTs at local truck stops.”

The Bill Progression:

The Senate Bill (SB) 87 is at the moment in the possession of the Community, Economic and Recreational Development committee in the PA Senate.

It is still unclear whether the committee will schedule some meetings regarding this bill in the near future…

…as it has still not been officially announced what date the bill might finally be heard.

Source:

“New bill could pull gambling from Pennsylvania truck stops”, Erik Gibbs, calvinayre.com, March 22, 2019.