A powerful group is pushing to set high tax rates to online gambling activities in order to make it non-viable in the state.US.- A group within the Pennsylvania State Senate is attempting to trample down the intent of regulating online gambling in the region. Online Poker Report (OPR) reported that the small but powerful group is demanding ridiculously high tax rates in order to divert the interest in the online gambling activity.

The state budget has already included over US$100 million worth of license fees but, in case that said intentions succeed, another US$300 million would be lost in additional tax revenue that wouldn’t be perceived over the next five years as the high levy would kill online gambling in Pennsylvania.

According to OPR’s sources, the anti-gambling group is led by Senator Tommy Tomlinson, who is apparently gaining endorsement from his colleagues, wants to set tax rates for online gaming at the same rate as land based casinos. Pennsylvania’s land-based slots pay a 54 percent rate and table games a 16 percent one. Previous propositions were aiming to set its tax rate somewhere between 15 and 25 percent.

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