The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has released an online gambling FAQ document designed to help people better understand the forthcoming online gaming industry.

There’s nothing new or groundbreaking in the two-page document, but one aspect of the law that has been underreported is a prohibition on online casino and online poker at any of the 12 land-based casinos in Pennsylvania.

The reason for this ban is protectionist. A false narrative was pushed during the gaming debate in the state that led to not only this strange prohibition, but also the exorbitant tax rate on online slots.

The fear was that if Pennsylvania online gambling has any advantage over land-based gaming, casinos would try to push all of their customers to online games.

Parx Casino CEO Anthony Ricci was one of the people making this claim. During a March 2017 hearing Ricci said: “I find it impossible to assume that a brick-and-mortar casino paying 59 percent in taxes will not lose significant business to an online operator paying 15 percent in an open, unprotected market.”

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