On April 4, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approved Temporary Rules and Regulations 125-215 that will allow online gaming license holders to “to deploy interactive gaming skins or interactive gaming websites to facilitate the conduct of interact gaming activities.” This decision will offer gambling operators that are not based in the state to get into Pennsylvania’s online gambling sector. The announcement was summed up by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s Executive Director, Kevin O’Toole.
“What the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board did at its public meeting of April 4, 2018, was to approve temporary regulations that enable a very open and competitive market for internet gaming while at the same time assuring transparency and accountability for the consumers. Under these temporary regulations there is no limitation on the number of skins that a slot machine licensee may employ to deliver games, but every ‘skin’ that a casino offers must be branded in a manner that makes it clear that it is offered on behalf of the slot machine licensee consistent with language of the act.” it read.
The PCGB further confirmed that the rules were mainly geared towards ensuring a safe and intact interactive gaming atmosphere. Also, the timing could not be better – later this month, Pennsylvania will begin accepting interactive gaming certificate applications from operators that currently have valid gaming licenses. Pennsylvania’s model, in essence, borrows a lot from the one used for New Jersey online casinos. New Jersey allows its licensed land-based casinos to launch up to five different online gaming platforms with each the platforms having the liberty of launching as many skins as they desire.
More Requirements to Note
Perhaps one of the other most notable aspects of the regulations is the PGCB’s take on double dipping by online gamblers. The board made it clear that players will be limited to a single account for each operating platform. This means that players will only be able to have one account with an operator that has multiple skins running on the same software.
“A player shall have only one interactive gaming account for each interactive gaming certificate holder or interactive gaming operator licensee. Each interactive gaming account shall be non-transferable; unique to the player who establishes the account, and distinct from any other account number that the player may have established with the interactive gaming certificate holder or interactive gaming operator licensee for non-interactive gaming activity.”