Thus far, only three states in the US have legalized online casino, poker and other gambling activities done over the Internet, namely – New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada (which is world-famous for its physical casino resorts, most of which are located in Las Vegas). While numerous attempts have been made to officially legalize and regulate online gambling in other states, such as Florida, nothing has come to fruition as of yet, and as of July 2016, these three states still remain the only ones that allow gambling fans to play poker, slots and place bets over the Internet. However, within only a few short months, that all might change! Currently, Pennsylvania is heavily considering legalizing online gambling within its borders. After several proposed bills were rejected, the latest one – proposed late last month – was finally approved by Pennsylvania’s House, and will move over to the Senate for further consideration this fall, according to the Associated Press.

Currently, the Senate – which did not go in recess for the summer, as planned – is in discussion about the state’s budget for the next year. Legalizing online gambling will inevitably rake in a lot of profits (as the bill that was approved by the Senate suggests taxing online casinos 15%), but the process of creating and funding the appropriate organs which would handle the various regulations necessary would be a pretty large initial investment on its own, and it could be one that has no place within the state’s budget. In addition, many (both politicians and ordinary citizens) oppose the notion of legalizing online gambling, for several reasons. People are skeptical of whether the legalization will even bring the projected $300m a year in the long run, considering how legalizing physical casinos doesn’t bring nearly as much money to the state in taxes as it once did. Another major concern is whether it’s worth risking a gambling addiction epidemic within the state (of the same kind that countries with a lot more lax gambling laws, like the UK, are having) just for money, especially when similar sums can also be gained by increasing income tax by 0.1%. Others, however, wholeheartedly support the legalization. “Here’s something opponents of these online bills forget…or don’t want to admit: Pennsylvanians are ALREADY gambling online, at off-shore sites where (a) the state gets NO tax revenue, and (b) there are NO consumer protections,” one commenter writes.

Honestly, I might be slightly biased when it comes to this, but I believe that the legalization should happen. At the end of the day, we’re all humans who have our free will and, as such, should have the freedom to make our own choices. I think it’s a bit hypocritical when certain people claim to know what’s best for others – at the end of the day, online gambling opponents aren’t our parents, and as such shouldn’t have the right to tell us what we can and can’t do. I’m not from Pennsylvania, myself, but I can certainly sympathize with wanting to gamble online and being completely unable to do so without going out of your way to sign up for potentially unsafe foreign casinos. Here’s hoping that things will turn out okay for gambling-minded Pennsylvanians!