Since the middle of 2015, Pennsylvania has been pegged as the next stated likely to regulated online poker.
If you've watched the progress on iPoker regulation in Nevada, NJ and Delaware, then you may be able to spot certain telltale signs of when iPoker is truly around the corner for a state.
One of those signs recently appeared in the form of a promotion at Mount Airy Casino Resort involving 888poker.
Players Can Now Signup for Online Gambling in PA
As reported by OnlinePokerReport.com, the Mount Airy Casino Resort has started accepting signups for 888 Casino NJ from kiosks located inside the casino.
Anyone that signs up for an account will receive a $25 no-deposit bonus into their account that can be used for casino games on the site.
We know what you're about to say. The promotion is for the NJ site. But such a promotion shows us a couple of things.
First, 888 is looking to partner NJ and PA together for an interstate network.
While 888 has yet to announce this plan, such a move only makes sense. It is also a move that this author has predicted multiple times in the past.
Next, it shows that the owners of Mount Airy Casino Resort are confident that PA lawmakers are going to regulate online gambling in the near future.
Yes, we realize that this promotion doesn't involve online poker. However, it is a strong indicator that lawmakers are close to passing the online gambling bill that includes online poker.
Not a Question of If, But When
Multiple media sources have been saying that PA iGaming is a matter of when, not if. While we normally don't make a habit of making such statements, now we feel it is time that such a statement can be made.
When stakeholders start to publicize a product and even take signups for said product, it is because they know that the product is on the horizon.
Otherwise, the casino is wasting time, money and resources on such an endeavor. In this economy, live casinos can't afford frivolous endeavors.
The question now becomes when iGaming will pass. HB 2150 is now in Senate committee and is expected to get to a floor vote sometime soon.
The latest development at Mount Airy shows that the casino industry in PA believes the bill will pass and we share that optimism.
By this time next year, we should be talking about upcoming launch dates for PA (and how California online poker needs to follow suit.)