Planning on placing a bet on a big-time high school game in Pennsylvania when the sports books open?

Pump the brakes.

At Monday’s meeting of the Pennsylvania Athletic Oversight Committee at the state capitol, PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi asked that the group “support our attempt to petition the Pennsylvania Gaming Board to exclude interscholastic activities.”

Committee members, Rep. Robert Matzie (D-Ambridge), Rep. Gene DiGirolamo (R-Bucks) and Senator Jay Costa, all said they would support the PIAA in that motion.

“As the author of the original sports betting legislation, I’ll tell you that was not our intent to have interscholastic athletics,” Matzie said. “If there’s something we need to do legislatively, or if it’s as simple as making our thoughts known to the gaming control board, I’d be happy to do that.”

“It’s a concern, and our only issue was to get something on the books so it’s addressed,” Lombardi said after the meeting. “I wasn’t trying to suggest to them in any way, shape or form how to do things.

“My only suggestion was that it gets considered to stay away from high school sports because it would just absolutely ruin the experience that we are supposed to have as educational-based athletics.”

And, Lombardi said, the PIAA walked away from Monday’s meeting “hopeful,” that wouldn’t be the case.

This article is a reprint from PennLive.com.  To view the original story and comment, click here.