Pa Online Poker Launch Date

On Monday, the long-awaited launch of online / mobile casino gambling finally arrived for players in Pennsylvania. But as the July 15 date designated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) back in April came and went, it became clear that Pennsylvania online poker would be late to the party.

1. Pa Online Poker Launch Date 2019
2. Pa Online Poker Launch Date
3. Pa Online Poker Launch Dates Schedule Today
4. Online Poker In Pa Launch Date

Pennsylvania Online Poker Late To Party

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course and Parx Casino went live with their respective HollywoodCasino.com and ParxOnline.com sites as scheduled Monday afternoon. And while both operators are also licensed to offer online / mobile poker tournaments and cash games, neither site launched with poker capability at the onset.

In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette timed to coincide with Monday’s launch, PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach told the newspaper that his agency was excited to finally integrate online / mobile casino games within Pennsylvania’s regulated iGaming industry:

“I think most people believe moving these games online is certainly something that fits very well into a younger demographic, who does so much of their business and hobbies online.”

Poker Players in PA Still Waiting for Online / Mobile

Pennsylvania’s first legal real-money poker website made $2.5 million in December, according to the latest figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. PokerStars PA launched in November. What NJ online poker wants and needs PA. Over the last six years, real money online poker in New Jersey has been treading water. PA was the state closest to a potential online poker launch. As such, NJ has been waiting patiently for poker in PA to come online and join the compact to boost the player pool.

Pennsylvania legalized the iGaming industry, including online / mobile casino, sportsbooks, and poker wagering, in October of 2017.

More than a year and a half later, however, and only online / mobile sportsbooks (May 31) and casinos (July 15) have made their debut. Harbach told the newspaper that online / mobile poker’s “peer to peer” nature has created complications ahead of the expected Pennsylvania online poker launch date:

“There’s still some issues to be worked out. It’s a totally different game, because it’s player to player – or peer to peer, as we call it – rather than the player [competing against] the house.”

All told, of the 10 land-based casinos licensed to offer iGaming services, six applied for and received online / mobile poker licenses:

Pennsylvania Casinos Licensed to Offer Online Poker

PokerStars Still Has Big Plans for Pennsylvania Market

The most prominent online / mobile poker operator planning to enter the Pennsylvania online poker market is PokerStars, which announced its partnership with Mount Airy Casino Resort last August.

PokerStars parent company The Stars Group was approved by the PGCB last November, and at the time, senior vice president of strategy and operations Matt Primeaux issued a statement on the company’s plans for PokerStars PA:

“We’re excited to take this next step as The Stars Group looks to broaden its presence in the United States. In partnership with Mount Airy Casino Resort, we believe we’re well positioned to capitalize on opportunities in the Commonwealth by bringing our world leading offerings to Pennsylvania players.”

In March of 2016, PokerStars launched its first regulated American-facing platform in New Jersey.

The Mount Airy partnership promised a second statewide market for PokerStars in the U.S.. But while most iGaming industry media outlets predicted a July 15 launch to gain first mover advantage, PokerStars has pumped the proverbial brakes.

Speaking to PokerFuse, a representative for The Stars Group offered a vague explanation regarding the site’s conspicuous absence on Monday:

“We’re working with our partners and the authorities to finalize plans and bring our leading brands to PA’s players as soon as possible. There’s a lot to look forward to, so rest assured we’ll be in touch with more details as soon as they’re available.”

And when a local player took to Twitter and asked the PokerStars account about its Pennsylvania launch plans, “Ben Long” received the following reply:

“We will get back to you with a response regarding this subject very soon. Thanks for your patience in the meantime.”

There is a mystery in Pennsylvania.

On Monday, July 15, regulated online gaming launched in the state by way of a law that was passed in October 2017. And though online poker was a part of that gaming expansion and is now legal in Pennsylvania, no online poker sites were a part of that launch.

According to state officials, poker operators were not ready for the launch.

However, several of said operators have launched online poker in at least one other state – and have done so successfully with much less time to prepare – and have offered ring-fenced online poker in other parts of the world.

The mystery surrounding online poker in Pennsylvania continues.

It's encouraging to see all the interest in online poker, but we're still a few months away from that launch in Pennsylvania. Sorry. pic.twitter.com/roOPzQjpdr

— OnlinePokerReport (@OPRupdate) July 17, 2019

Online Casino Games Available

Pa Online Poker Launch Date 2019

Two online casino sites went live on Monday, July 15. Online Poker Report monitored the launches and reported on what Pennsylvania players could see and do on the first days of action.

The first site to launch was Hollywood Casino. Within the first hour of availability, players could sign up for new accounts via all desktops and Android devices, though there were initial problems with iPhone and iPad offerings.

Hollywood Casino offered 40 online slot games, video poker, and baccarat, though it is likely that more games will soon be added as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) approves individual games.

Hours later, Parx Casino launched its online casino, and it was also available to players on desktops and Android devices but no iOS operations yet.

Parx showed up with 191 online slot games, video poker, a poker variation called PokerBet, and some slot tournaments. There were also a number of table games, such as blackjack and roulette.

Two days later, SugarHouse Casino made its online casino available to the public with 22 slot games online but no video poker or table games.

Where is Online Poker?

Pa Online Poker Launch Date

There are no direct answers.

Pa Online Poker Launch Dates Schedule Today

Before the July 15 launch, when it remained unclear as to whether online poker would be available with casino games online, Pokerfuse obtained a vague answer. “We’re working with our partners and the authorities to finalize plans and bring our leading brands to PA’s players as soon as possible,” said a Stars Group representative. “There’s a lot to look forward to, so rest assured we’ll be in touch with more details as soon as they’re available.”

Hi Keith — We are not live in PA yet as we are still working with our partners and the authorities to finalize plans to bring our leading brands to PA’s players and will do so as soon as possible. We will be in touch with more details as soon as they’re available.

Online Poker In Pa Launch Date

— PokerStars (@PokerStars) July 20, 2019

When it was clear that poker was not part of the Monday launches, Pokerfuse reached out to the PGCB for answers. As it turns out, they had none.

PGCB Communications Director Doug Harbach was asked about online poker availability and commented, “We cannot predict a timeline on that right now.”

Harbach added, “Poker will be rolled out when operators are prepared to do so.” He also said that online poker sites will be able to launch individually when ready instead of waiting for any type of coordinated launch date.

Hi, unfortunately we don't have an exact date yet

— partypoker (@partypoker) July 20, 2019

Online Casinos in Court

An interesting side note to the online casino part of the new Pennsylvania market is that several sites were available to launch despite being engaged in a legal battle with the state’s lottery operator.

In May 2018, the Pennsylvania Lottery launched scratch-off lottery games available for purchase on the internet. The iLottery was immediately met with anger from casinos, though.

In August 2018, a group of seven Pennsylvania casinos headed to court to stop the iLottery program in its entirety, alleging that casinos have exclusive rights to offer any type of slot machine-style games of chance. The list of casinos included Parx, Hollywood, Harrah’s, Stadium, Valley Forge, and Mohegan Sun, all of which have been approved for online gambling.

A coalition of Pennsylvania casinos has filed suit in Commonwealth Court, seeking to stop the Pa. Lottery from offering casino-style online games. The casinos had warned in late June that they would take action if the games weren't stopped https://t.co/ZQkQL5bgvL

— Jon Harris (@ByJonHarris) August 22, 2018

Less than one week before the online casino launch date of July 15, Commonwealth Court Judge Renee Cohn Jubelirer ruled against those casinos, denying their preliminary injunction request to shut down the iLottery. In essence, online lottery games and online casinos are now competing for gambling dollars.

The lawsuit continues despite the lack of an injunction, as the group of casinos continue to pursue remedies in the court system.

'Friday's decision in Commonwealth Court is a victory for the state lottery, although the casino owners' 9-month-old lawsuit will continue.' https://t.co/bKaU9h42vK

— Ashley Cafaro (@WENYAshleyC) July 13, 2019

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