Boscola Aims to Amend Laws Against Betting Pools

Have you picked a square in your office Super Bowl pool yet? If not, you might want to consider not participating.

Under current state law, bookmaking and pool selling is illegal. This crime is a first degree misdemeanor under Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. While pools in offices are illegal, pools in social clubs, volunteer organizations and other non-profits were legalized by legislation passed last year, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

State Senator Lisa Boscola, however, aims to make all such pools legal in Pennsylvania.

Boscola is co-sponsoring a bill that would amend Title 18 and allow for small office gaming pools. According to Boscola’s website, under her pending legislation, small office gaming pools would be legal provided there are no more than 100 participants, the wagering amount is no more than $20 per participant, and all wagers collected are paid as prizes to one or more participants or a non-profit. The pool operator is not allowed to retain any of the wagers paid by participants.

Boscola’s legislation would extend the decriminalization to “friends, loved ones, office colleagues and others who offer these small betting pools,” the Tribune-Review reported.

Despite pools for the Super Bowl or March Madness being almost as popular as the sporting events themselves and having been made legal for non-profits in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Police has taken the position that these types of pools are illegal under federal law, TribLive.com reported.

Last weekend, state liquor enforcement officers raided three Northampton County fire departments that were offering Super Bowl pools, motivating Boscola to speak out, the Tribune-Review said.

“The department is doing more than just thumbing their nose at us and the governor,” Boscola said according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “The department’s draconian stance on this issue is a senseless attack on volunteer organizations such as volunteer fire departments, veterans’ clubs and religious civic groups,” she said according to the Tribune-Review.

For more information regarding this story, visit TribLive.com.

Should Super Bowl and March Madness pools be illegal? Do you agree or disagree with Boscola’s pending legislation? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.