May. 09, 2017
HARRISBURG – In an effort that would encourage small businesses to do business with casinos in Pennsylvania, the House has approved legislation authored by Rep. Tedd Nesbit (R-Mercer/Butler) to remove unnecessary obstacles that hinder such partnerships.
“As the gaming industry has evolved in Pennsylvania, casinos have become tourist destinations that not only operate slot machines or table games, but also host excellent restaurants or spa amenities,” Nesbit said. “However, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PGCB) forces most businesses involved in the non-gaming aspects of a casino to undergo a significant registration process. This even applies to plumbers and other facility services. This seems unnecessary and overly burdensome.”
Instead of a lengthy registration process, Nesbit authored
House Bill 782 that would allow these vendors to complete a simple notification process. Under the legislation, only those vendors who require access to the gaming floor or restricted area of a casino would need to be registered and approved by the PGCB. All other vendors would only need to provide a notification to the board through a process similar to New Jersey’s casino vendor requirements.
“As we learned during hearings of the Gaming Oversight Committee last session, so many times, these small businesses lack the expertise and staff to undergo the registration process, and as a result, they do not want to be bothered with casinos,” Nesbit said. “Essentially, this stifles business opportunity and growth and is yet another hurdle state government can remove to make them more competitive.”
Nesbit pointed out that his legislation would retain the PGCB’s authority to prohibit any vendor from contracting with a casino if the board has reason to believe that the vendor would affect the integrity of gaming.
Now that the bill has passed the House, it goes to the Senate for consideration.
Representative Tedd Nesbit
8th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Jennifer Keaton
(717) 705-2094
jkeaton@pahousegop.com
RepNesbit.com /
Facebook.com/RepNesbit