Pennsylvania will generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenue should the state pass legislation to legalise and regulate online casino games and poker, according to the recently released white paper by Play Pennsylvania: “Pennsylvania Online Gaming Revenue: A Billion-Dollar Opportunity.”

For the five-year period from 2018 through 2022, Pennsylvania is projected to add around $426 million to state coffers from legal, regulated online casino games and poker through upfront license fees, revenue taxes, and renewal fees, according to the report, which was authored by Robert DellaFave, Senior Analyst for Play Pennsylvania.

“Pennsylvania’s casino industry is beginning to show a few chinks in the armor. Revenues are slipping,” DellaFave said. “Online gambling in New Jersey helped Atlantic City reverse course, and will prove even more effective at facilitating the growth of the Pennsylvania market.

“Going forward, online gambling will provide the state with a reliable source of recurrent tax revenue, that will scale consistently over the next five years,” Della Fave added.

The Pennsylvania legislature has been inching closer to legalising and regulating online casino games and poker. Last week, four Pennsylvania state senators introduced an online gambling and gaming reform bill, Senate Bill 524, which would legalise and regulate online gambling and daily fantasy sports.