Pennsylvania casinos have lost a bid to close down online lottery games that they say are too much like casino gambling, just days before the state’s first casinos launch their own online gambling portals.
The decision of Commonwealth Court is a victory for the state lottery, although the casino owners’ 9-month-old lawsuit will continue.
Lottery officials say the games are in accordance with the 2017 state law that authorised them, but the casinos argue that some online lottery games violate it because they simulate slot machines and casino-style gambling.
The state regulators will allow Parx Casino and Penn Nation’s Hollywood Casino to launch their online gambling portals to patrons statewide as part of a three-day test.
New Jersey, Delaware and Nevada are the only other states that allow online casino gambling.
