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Former State Representative George Dunbar has joined the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) as its newest commissioner earlier this week. Dunbar is a big proponent of Pennsylvania online poker, and of networking legal sites with other states.
Pennsylvania is in the final stages of joining the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA). Dunbar proposed a bill for the state to enter the compact in March 2024.
Former state rep to serve a two-year term at PGCB
Dunbar has been a mainstay in the political landscape, serving seven terms as State Representative for the 56th Legislative District. He was also voted as chairman of the House Republican Caucus during his final two terms.
According to the PGCB, House Republican Leader Jesse Topper appointed Dunbar to serve a two-year term as commissioner. Dunbar was sworn in on Tuesday under the guidance of PGCB Chair Denise Smyler.
Dunbar has been a believer in MSIGA
The former political leader has been a big proponent of online poker in Pennsylvania. The state would join the following markets that are already part of the compact:
- Delaware
- Michigan
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- West Virginia
Dunbar shared the benefits of Pennsylvania entering MSIGA to Bonus.com in June. It’ll help the Keystone State, in terms of revenue, as well as players. He said:
“This action, also known as ‘shared liquidity,’ is critical to a healthy online poker system. Much like what we have seen with multistate lottery contests, joining MSIGA will mean more players in the overall player pool. This makes for bigger tournaments allowing operators to offer bigger guarantees.
“Since its inception, Pennsylvania has been the leader nationally in online poker revenue. Recently New Jersey, using the benefits of MSIGA, has surpassed us.”
PA close to joining MSIGA
PGCB Communications Director, Doug Harbach, told PlayPennsylvania last month that the state is targeting “sometime in April” to officially join MSIGA. If everything remains on schedule, the deal should get done this month.
Dunbar said back in June that it could be possible for the state to join the compact by the end of 2024. However, Gov. Josh Shapiro instructed the PGCB to start negotiating its way in last October.
The PGCB accepted an invitation to join in January. As the state is in the final steps, it makes sense bringing Dunbar onto the Board.
The former lawmaker was only a few months off in his prediction. Despite that, Dunbar should be credited with starting efforts for the state to join MSIGA.
