William Hill, which operates legal sports books in five states, announced plans in August to launch partnerships in 14 others. William Hill US will run the sports book operations at Penn's Hollywood Casino in Grantville, Pa. Some gaming advocates have expressed concern that the elevated tax rates could be pushed onto customers in the form of a higher vigorish. 'I would say that we now have five applicants who want to open up sports wagering operations in their retail sites and potentially online,' Hensel said. The expansion of gambling has long been a point of contention in Pennsylvania, a state that as recent as 2016 struggled to cut a deficit that swelled beyond $2 billion. During her appearance, Hensel referenced a 55 percent tax rate on slot machine revenue to illustrate her point. Historically, Pennsylvania has gone against the grain on occasion in assessing taxes for casino games. Speaking at a Sports Betting Symposium at the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) 2018 in Las Vegas, Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Director of Licensing Susan Hensel defended the double-digit tax rates.
