Pennsylvania Pushes Ahead with Addition of Esports Betting to Gambling Options

Native Pennsylvanians should not have to wait too long until they can enjoy esports betting after the proposer of the bill found enough support to pass the bill through the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

As yet, no meetings have been scheduled in the House Gaming Oversight Committee to move the bill on, but it seems only a matter of time before that meeting is arranged.

Quick Introduction of Esports Betting

After the hugely successful introduction of sports betting and other forms of gambling in Pennsylvania, State Representative Ed Nielson proposed to introduce esports betting quickly in the state back in January 2023.

He was looking for co-sponsors of the bill and in March this year, four of them joined him in introducing HB733 to the House.

They are Jose Giral (D-Philadelphia), Stephen Kinsey (D-Philadelphia), Joe Ciresi (D-Montgomery County) and Barry J.Jozwiak (R-Berks County).

The Popularity of Gambling in PA

Pennsylvania has been one of the success stories when it comes to legalizing sports betting, casino and poker gaming in the United States, with gross gaming revenue of $162.3m reported in February 2023.

However, there are some slight amendments to the usual betting regulations that will be made for those wanting to enjoy what wagers esports betting sites have to offer.

The Tax Rate for esports will be around 36% unless that is altered by the legislative process and another difference to standard betting rules will be that bettors on esports will have to be 21 or over to wager on them

Confident of Uptake from Esports Betting Specialists

State Rep. Nielsen revealed that he had not specifically contacted esports betting providers about the opportunities that would be forthcoming in Pennsylvania, but remained optimistic about how appealing entering the state would be.

“I have not consulted one gaming company as of yet on this legislation,” he said to website Bonus.com, but he added, “I’m sure once it starts moving, they’ll be here.”

He added that esports betting is a “perfect fit for Pennsylvania”.

After the failure of Vie.gg in New Jersey, which lasted just six months, it’s clear that esports betting in the USA still has some way to go to capture the imagination of punters.

But this move by Pennsylvania should be a shot in the arm for the industry across the United States.

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