Some in Pennsylvania have been pondering the idea of legalizing online gaming that would be offered from state-sanctioned sites, while at least one elected official now wants the act of playing online poker to be criminalized, according to an article on Philly.com.
A state lawmaker is pushing a proposal that would make the “first violation a summary offense that carries a possible $300 fine and up to 90 days in jail”, while “a second violation would be a misdemeanor bringing a chance of a $2,500 fine and up to a year in jail.”
Those penalties apparently wouldn’t be for running an illegal gambling website in or from the state, but simply for logging on and wagering on an existing site, presumably offshore as the law would make sites domestic to Pennsylvania impossible.
“I believe that if you hit people in their wallets, we can start to crack down on the lawbreakers,” state Rep. Mario Scavello reportedly said.
The lawmaker’s efforts have the blessing of the Coalition to Stop Internet Gambling, a group which billionaire casino boss Sheldon Adelson has pledged to fund endlessly. Las Vegas Sands has a casino in Pennsylvania, so it has some skin in the game there.
The state has the second largest commercial casino industry in the nation.
A year ago to the day, the state of Washington decided to delay fixing its law that says playing online poker is criminal. Even though no one has ever been prosecuted for playing online poker there, many poker supporters view that statute as draconian.
Neighboring Pennsylvania is New Jersey, which has legal and operational web gambling.
The major offshore poker sites left American cyberspace after Black Friday in 2011, but many smaller sites still take action from those within the Unite States.
