As Pennsylvania's budget season presses on, there has been
no shortage of proposals to increase state revenue without raising
taxes. Internet gaming has generated much interest lately, with
several bills introduced that would legalize and regulate Internet
gaming. The latest one, SB 900, introduced on June 9, is sponsored
by state Sens. Kim Ward, R-Westmoreland; Robert Tomlinson, R-Bucks;
Elder Vogel, R-Lawrence; Senate President Pro Tempore Joseph
Scarnati; Camera Bartolotta, R-Greene/Beaver/Washington; and
Patrick Stefano, R-Fayette. Unlike other bills that have been
introduced, the bill goes beyond Internet gaming and touches
numerous aspects of operating brick-and-mortar casinos. Is this
bill an elegant compromise among many different groups or is it a
kitchen-sink wish list? While it is impossible to predict the
ultimate outcome of the legislative process, the bill contains
intriguing provisions, some of which may be problematic from an
industry or political