A deadline set by the thirteen land based casinos located within Pennsylvania expires tomorrow, relating to the suspension of the state’s new iLottery which launched just last month.
Banding together to oppose the new offering, which they believe infringes on their own potential online gambling sites, an appeal to the Department of Revenue, who oversee the Pennsylvania Lottery, was made.
Reaching out to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, the letter was delivered to Revenue Secretary Daniel Hassell, and has been obtained by numerous news outlets.
In it is a distinct expression that the current iLottery games must be stopped by July 3 or all actions will be considered, with it stated that “In virtually every way imaginable, Lottery’s iLottery program mimics a casino operation offering simulated casino-style games, in direct contravention of express prohibition on Lottery offering ‘interactive lottery games which simulate casino-style games.”
Amongst the specifics that the 13 casinos have raised as apart of their arguments, is the different ages that individuals within state boundaries must be to access iLottery or enter a casino.
For the former that number stands at 18, while for the latter it slips back to 21, with the united parties stating that should an individual attempt to operate games at one of their properties, that they could access online, prosecution, a place on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board‘s exclusion list and thousands of dollars in fines could follow.
The potential for iLottery to infringe on a casinos own online entity has also been expressed, but that does require payment of a $10m licensing fee – which has so far received zero applications.
Furthermore, the united parties also say that law prevents the lottery from offering casino style games, such as roulette, poker, blackjack or slots: “Moreover, Lottery has been heavily marketing its casino-style games, free play and rewards program through direct mail, email, and television advertising.
“Overall, the games essentially have the same backbone as a slot machine; an outcome that is determined by a random number generator with animated graphics and computer operations used to provide a visual depiction of that outcome.”
