Pennsylvania Lottery Chief Protests Against Reid’s Bill

Legalization detrimental for Pennsylvania lottery

The bill proposed by Nevada Senator Harry Reid proposing legalization of online gambling ran into another wave of criticism, when the Pennsylvania Lottery Chief Ed Trees occupied a protectionist position, claiming that such legalization of online poker could be detrimental for Pennsylvania Lottery sales, cut net profits that fund vital services for older adults and harm Lottery's 8,700 business partners.

In a note sent to lawmakers on Dec. 15, Trees said: "The draft legislation – introduced by U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and rumored to become attached to the bill extending federal tax cuts and unemployment benefits – would legalize Internet poker and create a new gaming industry, overturning a 2006 federal law that effectively prohibits online gambling."

Trees sent the note to all Pennsylvania Congressional delegates, all members of the General Assembly and each of the commonwealth's 52 Area Agencies on Aging, and as president of the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries (NASPL), he also released a statement opposing the Reid bill nationally, on behalf of all U.S. Lotteries.

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