When Will Online Gambling Be Legal In Pa

admin  4/2/2022
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Can You Play Online Poker in Pennsylvania?

  • The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board told gaming operators this week that the state’s 12 licensed internet operators should be ready to go live with online gambling the week of July 15.
  • October 30, 2017 marked a historic victory for online gambling proponents. It was on that day that Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed an omnibus gaming expansion bill, HB 271, into law.

Yes, it is legal to play online poker in Pennsylvania. Online poker in Pennsylvania has been in demand for a long time, with Pennsylvanians finally getting access to the action that they craved after the passage of legislation to expand gambling throughout the state in 2017. The result of that legislation has been a combination of in-person and online poker that most states in America simply cannot replicate.

PA online casino sites were legalized in 2017, and in July 2019, the first commercial casinos in the state launched online platforms. PA residents can now play real money casino games legally online. We have created a guide to Pennsylvania online casinos, covering everything from games and bonuses to laws and regulations.

In thisguide to online poker in Pennsylvania, find out where it is legal to play poker online, as well as what poker sites will be coming to the state in the future. Additionally, bettors can find out what other online gambling options exist throughout the Keystone State and what regulatory body is in place to oversee it all.

History of Poker and Online Poker in Pennsylvania

The history of PA online poker is an interesting one, as it took until 2017 for legal online poker to emerge after the game was made illegal in the United States. In 2017, H 271 was passed in Pennsylvania, which served as a piece of legislation to legalize several forms of online gambling. This included online casino action, sports betting and poker as well.

Casinos were given the option to pay one licensing fee to operate online poker, online slots and table games online. They typically chose that option over the option to pay separate amounts to license those forms of gambling individually. These casinos have begun licensing PA online poker operators to offer online poker in this state, allowing bettors the ability to begin playing as of November of 2019 when PokerStars and Mount Airy Casino teamed up for the first legal online poker room in Pennsylvania.

Summary of Pennsylvania Gambling & Poker Laws

  • Online Poker/Gambling - There are currently seven casinos permitted to offer online poker in PA. So far, Mount Airy and PokerStars are the only one to go to market.
  • Live Poker - There are 10 total casinos that offer live poker in Pennsylvania.
  • Casinos - There are many casinos in Pennsylvania, offering slots, table games, poker and sports betting.
  • Sports Betting - Sports bettors can wager on events in-person at a number of casinos or online on their mobile devices.
  • Fantasy Sports - Pennsylvania has offered legal daily fantasy sports since 2018.
  • Esports - Pennsylvania gambling laws currently prohibit esports wagering.
  • Other Gambling Options - Bettors can also wager on horse racing, take part in the PA lottery and partake in bingo in Pennsylvania.

Online Poker in Pennsylvania

Online poker is up and running in Pennsylvania, with the first PA online poker operator in the state launching in November of 2019. Fortunately, there are several other online poker operators that are set to launch their online poker offerings in the near future, which will give Pennsylvania poker players a number of options to choose from going forward.

In this look at online poker in Pennsylvania, find out more about the legal standing of online poker in the Keystone State. Players can also learn more about what poker sites are available to them, what poker sites may be coming to Pennsylvania in the future and what kinds of poker games they can take part in at those sites.

Is Online Poker Legal in Pennsylvania?

Online poker is in fact legal in Pennsylvania and has been since 2017. In that year, state lawmakers passed H 271 into law, which allowed for the expansion of a number of gambling activities. This law paved the way for legal sports betting to take place in the state, as well as online poker and casino action.

Interestingly, online poker was the last of the newly permitted gambling activities to launch in the state of Pennsylvania. Online sports betting and online casino gaming were first made available to players in July of 2019. Poker players had to wait another four months before they could start playing, with online poker being launched in November of 2019.

Where Can I Play Online Poker Legally In Pennsylvania?

As of now, there is only one place where players can take part in online poker legally. That would be PokerStars PA, which is working with Mount Airy Casino to offer legal online poker in this state. This will not be the only online poker option in Pennsylvania for long, but poker players in Pennsylvania will be content with the options at PokerStars as they wait for competitors to arrive.

Fortunately for online poker players in Pennsylvania, PokerStars has been well-received thanks to its diverse array of game and tournament formats. Highlighted by their Sunday tournaments that offer lucrative prize pools, PokerStars offers tournament play and fast-paced sit and go action to go along with their more traditional cash game offerings.

In the near future, there are sure to be other online poker operators joining PokerStars in this state. The first of which could be Party Poker, which is being licensed by Valley Forge Casino in Pennsylvania. Another popular global poker brand, PartyPoker offers a fast forward option that moves players to a new hand as soon as they fold their existing hand. This feature has become one of the most popular in the online poker world at multiple sites.

Also set to join PokerStars in the near future is the WSOP poker platform. Licensed through Harrah’s in Pennsylvania, the World Series of Poker app will offer software through 888poker in this state. They will also offer a brand name that is synonymous with the biggest poker tournaments in the world, with satellite tournaments to get into live WSOP events being one of the main draws of this poker operator when it launches in PA.

There are four additional casinos that have been permitted to offer online poker in Pennsylvania. Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course, Parx Casino, Rivers Casino and Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino have all been deemed able to provide online poker. However, these casinos have yet to partner with an online poker provider in order to launch online poker products of their own in the state.

If and when these four casinos do find a dance partner, so to speak, to offer online poker, it would create one of the strongest lineups of online poker options of any American state. For now, though, poker players in Pennsylvania can enjoy everything that PokerStars has to offer while waiting for launches from Party Poker and WSOP.

Where Does Pennsylvania Offer Legal Online Gambling?

There are plenty of outlets for legal online gambling in Pennsylvania at this time, though the number of options available does depend on the form of gambling that a bettor wants to do. When it comes to online poker, PokerStars PA is the only option that is available at this time, though that list is set to grow in the future with the arrival of Party Poker and WSOP. But the online casino and sports betting industries in Pennsylvania offer bettors many additional online gambling choices.

As it pertains to online casino gambling, Pennsylvania has a dozen options already live, and could see more enter the state in the near future. Online casino gaming first launched in Pennsylvania in July of 2019 with Sugarhouse Casino.

Here is a full list of the online casino options that have come to Pennsylvania since then:

  • Sugarhouse Casino
  • Hollywood Casino
  • Parx Casino
  • PokerStars Casino
  • Unibet
  • FanDuel Casino
  • BetAmerica
  • BetRivers
  • Caesars Online Casino
  • DraftKings Casino
  • Wind Creek Casino
  • PlayLive!

In addition to these 12 active brands in the Pennsylvania online casino market, Golden Nugget and MGM are set to launch in the future as well. Those are both big names in the casino gaming industry, and will continue to make Pennsylvania a premier online gambling destination as bettors are able to take on online slots and table games so long as they can verify their location is based in Pennsylvania while playing.

From an online sports betting perspective, Pennsylvania has plenty of options to choose from as well. Several of the biggest names in the sportsbook industry already reside in PA, with more set to join them soon. BetRivers was the first to launch in June of 2019, with the number of available sports betting sites in the state up to a half-dozen today. Here is a list of the sportsbooks that are currently available to bettors in Pennsylvania.

  • DraftKings Sportsbook
  • Fox Bet
  • BetRivers Sportsbook
  • FanDuel Sportsbook
  • Unibet Sportsbook
  • Caesar’s Sportsbook

Also set to join the list of online sports betting operators in Pennsylvania is BetMGM, whose sportsbook product has been a prominent sponsor of the 2020 NHL postseason that has featured Pennsylvania’s own Philadelphia Flyers.

Will Pennsylvania Regulate Legal Online Poker?

Pennsylvania has decided to regulate legal online poker in the state. When H 271 was passed to expand gambling throughout the state, online poker was put under the purview of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The PGCB was to be responsible for granting licenses to casinos, who could then partner with online poker operators to offer online poker within state lines.

This move was a necessity, given the proximity of Pennsylvania to New Jersey. New Jersey is one of the most progressive states in America when it comes to gambling, with online gaming laws that allow for sports betting, online casino and online poker action. A failure to regulate the industry in Pennsylvania would have caused many Pennsylvania residents to play in New Jersey instead, causing Pennsylvania to lose out on the tax revenue those players would have generated in-state in a regulated market.

The need for Pennsylvania to act defensively against the advances that New Jersey makes in the gambling industry is an encouraging sign for bettors in Pennsylvania. Even if state lawmakers are acting with the primary intention of protecting tax revenue from being cannibalized by a neighboring state, that mentality means that Pennsylvania will continue to offer more and more legal gambling options to keep up with New Jersey.

US Poker Laws 2020 – Pennsylvania FAQ

Is online poker legal in Pennsylvania?

Yes, online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2017 when a gambling expansion bill was signed into law. The first legal online poker site in this state launched in 2019, when PokerStars PA entered the market.

Which poker sites can I use in Pennsylvania?

Right now, PokerStars PA is the only online poker site that can be used legally in this state. However, Party Poker and WSOP’s poker platform are also going to be offered in PA. There are four additional casinos that are permitted to offer licenses to poker sites as well.

Which poker games can I play online in Pennsylvania?

The main game types that are available for online poker consumption in Pennsylvania are No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em and Omaha. Pennsylvania is a state that does not pool its online poker players with other states, which means that the availability of games in the state depends entirely on the demand from players within state lines.

There are other game types available when the demand is great enough. Pot Limit Hold ‘Em, Seven-Card Stud, Razz, 2-7 Triple Draw and H.O.R.S.E. are all games that are available within the PokerStars platform when there are enough other players present to get a game together.

Are there online poker tournaments in Pennsylvania?

Yes, PokerStars offers a number of online poker tournaments in Pennsylvania. These are highlighted by the site’s Sunday competitions that offer the biggest prize pools. But there are smaller tournaments that take place on a regular basis as well, with PokerStars’ software showing players a schedule of tournaments for their preferred game types.

Can I play sit and go tournaments in Pennsylvania?

The sit and go tournament has become a popular game format, allowing players to take part in tournament play without having to wait for a scheduled start time. Sit and go tournaments are available within the PokerStars platform as well, as players can fill up and start tournaments in their preferred game types. As is the case with cash games, though, this format’s availability depends on demand from other players as a sit and go tournament needs to be filled before the tournament can begin.

Update: As of May 28, PlaySugarHouse is now live for mobile casino and sports betting. The Kambi powered app is the first online sportsbook to launch in Pennsylvania. Parx and Rivers are expected to be next. The holdup on other operators appears to be the rigor of the PGCB testing and approval process for online apps.

Apps are now expected from:

  • Parx
  • BetRivers
  • Valley Forge using FanDuel
  • Hollywood Casino
  • Harrah’s Philadelphia
  • Presque Isle Downs
  • Mount Airy–not yet approved by the PGCB, but will launch with BetStars part of The Stars Group that has just partnered with Fox Sports. They plan to introduce a “Fox Bet” sports betting product.

Pennsylvania legal sports betting is here

Everything is changing fast in the Pennsylvania casino world as sports betting and online gaming begin to roll out.

After the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA, Pennsylvania was one of the first states to pass a law authorizing sports betting. In a remarkably sensible move, it has also legalized online gaming.

First up with sports betting is the Hollywood Casino, which launched inaugural legal Pennsylvania sports betting on Nov. 17.

There was a short window when Hollywood allowed sports betting a day earlier, but this was a restricted test to signal to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) that all was ready to go.

The PGCB is in the driver’s seat as to when casinos can launch their new offerings. The new laws give it the responsibility to authorize licenses and start dates, so casinos are dependent on the speed at which the PGCB makes decisions.

A move toward speeding up the process, the PGCB has given Executive Director Kevin O’Toole the authority to greenlight new sportsbook operations, which avoids the need to wait for decisions at the regular monthly PGCB meetings.

After all the PGCB activity, we can now make reasonably good forecasts of which casinos will launch what new games and when.

Key features of Pennsylvania’s new online gaming and sports betting

But first, a quick review of the key points about Pennsylvania’s new sports betting and online gaming laws:

  • Sports betting is now legal and subject to authorization by the PGCB and payment of a $10 million license fee.
  • Online casino games, slotsand poker are also authorized, including on mobile devices. Casinos have paid $4 million per license to offer these or $10 million for the package of three.
  • Taxes vary from game to game but can be very high. Online slots pay 54 percent and online sports betting pays 36 percent.
  • The taxes are paid by operators, not bettors, but do mean that odds and payout rates may be worse than in Nevadaor New Jersey.
  • Casinos may have multiple online gaming skins but can offer only one online sports betting brand.
  • Casinos will offer a single account from which to fund all online gaming accounts.
  • Patrons can sign up online for online accounts. There is no need to register in person.
  • The existing licensed casinos have partnered with online gaming companies to launch their online gaming products. The partnership means some of the world’s largest brands will soon be available in Pennsylvania.

Now, for all you need to know about Pennsylvania’s new sports betting and online gaming, here’s a quick guide, casino by casino.

Hollywood Penn National

Hollywood’s sports betting operation is now running from the simulcast theater on the second floor of the property.

The sportsbook is powered by William Hill US, which has substantial experience of running books in Nevada and New Jersey.

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Penn National, which owns the casino, has also applied for online gaming licenses to allow the following online offerings:

  • Casino games, including roulette and blackjack
  • Slots
  • Sports betting
  • Poker

This full set of the licenses are available under the PGCB regulations.

Hollywood is partnering with special online providers for its internet gaming offer, although William Hill will continue to power the online sports betting.

Penn National told the PGCB that IGT would be the primary online technology provider. IGT is big in online casino and slots games, but less well known for its online poker product.

IGT launched a significant update to its online poker platform at this year’s G2E conference, but it will face stiff competition from better known international brands PokerStars, 888 and PartyPoker.

The launch date for Hollywood Casino online gaming will probably be mid-June to mid-July although all the company would say to the PGCB was “sometime in 2019.”

Harrah’s Philadelphia

The PGCB has given Harrah’sconditional approval for its live sportsbook and its interactive licenses. The technology partner for the sportsbook is Scientific Games and 888 for the online games.

Harrah’s is owned by Caesars Entertainment, which has plenty of live and online sports betting experience in Nevada.

As part of the new expansion of state-regulated sports betting, Caesars has also started sportsbooks at two of its casinos in New Jersey and two in Mississippi. All are run in partnership with Scientific Games.

Caesars already offers online casino and sports betting in New Jersey, so Pennsylvanians can see what to expect.

No timeline is officially available. Best guess is Harrah’s won’t hang around and should have live sports betting up and running in January 2019 with everything else to follow in the first quarter. [Editor’s note: Harrah’s launched on Jan 24].

Mohegan Sun Pocono

Mohegan Sun’s$12 million worth of interactive license applications got the green light. The PGCB approved licenses for online slots and online table games. Mohegan decided not to follow through with its license for interactive poker.

On May 3, the Mohegan Sun finally got its act together and applied for a sports betting license.

European online gaming group, Kindred, has teamed up with the Mohegan Sun to deliver the technology and sports betting expertise for both online and casino sportsbooks. No word yet on when a sportsbook will open.

Mount Airy Casino

Mount Airy Casino has partnered with PokerStars and 888, so it might be significant in the online poker market. Under PA laws, casinos can launch several online poker and casino skins, but only one online sports betting brand.

Mount Airy has conditional approval for three interactive gaming licenses, so online gambling should launch at the beginning of 2019.

But the casino doesn’t have a sports betting license application in the works. If it does apply, it could work with either BetStars or 888.

[Editor’s Note:] They finally did it–applied for a sports betting license on May 3. It looks like the sportsbook will be powered by BetStars with products and branding also coming from Fox Sports. The Stars Group struck a nationwide deal with Fox Sports on May 8.

Lady Luck Casino

The Lady LuckCasino is part of the Eldorado Group. Eldorado agreed to sell Lady Luck to Churchill Downs, but the agreement fell through.

Nevertheless, Churchill Downs is about to take over operational control of the casino under a separate deal.

Churchill Downs also operates the Presque Isle Downs & Casino and the racetrack which it and Eldorado are buying.

Lady Luck has not filed any license applications for interactive gaming or sports betting. The window for filing license applications has now closed, so expect no change at Lady Luck.

Churchill Downs has applied for a full set of interactive licenses for Presque Isle, so the company’s online ambitions can be realized through those licenses.

One new element has entered the equation. PokerStars parent, the Stars Group, has signed a deal with Eldorado.

This will give PokerStars and its sports betting brand, BetStars, the opportunity to open online gaming skins at Eldorado properties.

Since Lady Luck has missed the deadline for license applications, this casino may not be in any of the Stars Group’s plans. Then again, the future is in the future, so who knows what might develop.

Parx Casino

Parx Casino was one of the first to get its license applications in, and eventually kicked off sports betting at Parx Sportsbook on Jan. 8 with a two-day testing period.

It has partnered with GAN and Kambi. Kambi will be providing the sports betting platform with GAN delivering a bunch of other services, which includes managing customer accounts.

Parx owner, Greenwood Gaming, also owns the South Philadelphia Turf Club where Kambi will launch a second live sportsbook.

Parx’s Kambi-powered online gaming product will launch shortly. It looks like they’ve missed the end of May, but expect an announcement in early June.

Presque Isle Downs

Presque Isle Downs is conditionally approved for interactive gaming. The casino did not apply for a peer-to-peer license that would have allowed it to offer online poker.

Churchill Downs and Eldorado have finalized their takeover of Presque Isle so their previously opaque plans are now coming clear.

In its presentation to the PGCB, Presque Isle said that it would launch online gaming early in 2019 under BetAmerica. BetAmerica is the online brand currently used by Churchill Downs for online horse race betting.

These plans are delayed, but expect some online gaming from July 2019.

Presque Isle submitted its sports betting license application on December 7. The Presque Isle sports book is due to open on June 1.

The Stars Group deal with Eldorado should not impact these existing arrangements, but could allow the launch of PokerStars online casino at Presque Isle Downs.

Rivers Casino and SugarHouse Casino

Rivers Casino applied for online gaming licenses, then pulled its application. It also applied for sports betting authorization.

Gambling

A spokesperson for Rivers told PlayPennsylvania:

“Rivers Casino Pittsburgh intends to provide iGaming to Western Pennsylvania and the Commonwealth; however, we’re taking additional time to explore the various options for doing so. Rivers is actively pursuing a sports wagering certificate to offer both land-based and mobile sports betting.”

It is partnered with Rush Street Interactive, which is the Rush Street Gaming subsidiary tasked with the company’s online gaming plans. Rush Street also owns the SugarHouse Casino.

Kambi is the Rush Street Interactive sports betting technology partner, so by default is also running sports betting at the Rivers Casino.

Live sports betting has already launched at both casinos. The first sports bets were coordinated for 2 p.m. EST on December 13.

Timings and technology may be coordinated, but style and user experience is very different.

SugarHouse did apply for the interactive licenses and planned to launch online casino and sports betting through its playSugarHouse brand. PlaySugarHouse is already live in New Jersey with sports betting and casino games on offer.

[Editor’s Note] SugarHouse managed to beat the other casinos to market and launched its PlaySugarHouse online casino and sports betting app on May 28. The app is currently only available for Android. An iOS version awaits approval from the PGCB but should be available in the first few weeks of June.

The Rivers Casino should launch its version of the app very soon. In the past the PGCB has sequenced sports betting launches by the same casino group.

The South Philadelphia Turf Club launched a week after its sister casino, Parx because the PGCB wanted to confirm the the first roll-out worked properly. If they do the same for the Rivers, it might only be a few days before they approve the Rivers app.

Sands Bethlehem

Despite the well-known opposition of owner Sheldon Adelson, Sands has applied for interactive gaming licenses.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is buying the casino through Wind Creek Hospitality. As the sale has yet to go through, Sands could produce no business plan for sports betting or online gaming.

Nevertheless, the Sands applied for all three interactive gaming licenses to take advantage of the $2 million discount on offer. It did not apply for a sports betting license.

When online games will launch and who the Sands will partner with is currently unknown.

The Meadows Casino

The Meadows is owned by Penn National, which owns the Hollywood Casino. It has not applied for any licenses, so will not be taking advantage of the new laws.

Meadows will probably advertise Penn National’s online gaming through the Hollywood Casino.

Valley Forge Casino

Valley Forge has conditional approval for online gaming and applied for a sports betting license on Nov. 14. The casino is partnered with IGT and GAN and is expected to launch online gaming in July 2019.

Although not publicly confirmed, Valley Forge probably has a partnership with GVC.

If this partnership does bear fruit, PartyPoker should launch under the Valley Forge umbrella. If that happens, then expect PartyCasino and possibly playMGM to launch, too.

GVC and MGM have a joint venture which will see them launch online sports betting and gaming wherever the law allows.

Valley Forge has established a partnership with FanDuelfor its sports betting operations, both live and online. Sports betting went live on March 13.

Legal

FanDuel is better known to Pennsylvanians for its daily fantasy sports (DFS) business. Since Paddy Power Betfairbought FanDuel in May this year, the company has become PPB’s leading brand in establishing US sports betting.

In New Jersey, FanDuel is making the second-highest revenues from online sports betting. It also powers the live sports betting at the Meadowlands racetrack which has the highest live sports betting revenues.

If the New Jersey experience is a guide, FanDuel and Valley Forge should become major players in the new Pennsylvania market.

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Valley Forge Turf Club

The Valley Forge Turf Club is a racetrack based facility which opened sports betting on March 12.

It is part of the Greenwood Gaming run trio of Parx, South Philadelphia Turf Club and now the Valley Forge Turf Club. In other words, not to be confused with the Valley Forge Casino.

The sports betting area offers 6 teller windows and 14 sports betting kiosks. Technology is provided by Kambi which has the reputation of providing the most user-friendly kiosk technology yet deployed.

Stadium Casino

Stadium Casino is a casino without a casino. This is a bit tricky when it comes to knowing what it plans to do in regard to sports betting and online gaming.

Stadium has a site. The old Packer Avenue Holiday Inn in Philadelphia is now gone and preliminary construction work has begun on the new casino, but there’s nothing casino-like about what’s there yet.

The casino was to be a joint venture between Parx owner Greenwood Gaming and Cordish Companies. In a not very surprising move, Greenwood backed out of the deal last week leaving the whole project to Cordish.

The launch of the live casino is now projected for December 2020. Stadium has applied for interactive gaming licenses, but obviously, nothing is going to happen in the near future.

In a cost-saving move, the casino asked the PGCB to allow it to abandon its application for an online poker license. The PGCB agreed to allow Stadium to receive $2 million back in license fees.

Recently the owners have said that development plans include the creation of a sports bar and a sports betting area. Maybe… but there’s no license application in front of the PGCB yet.

Extra interactive licenses

Twelve interactive gaming licenses are up for grabs after none of the existing PA casinos applied for them—or in the case of the Rivers Casino and Stadium Casino, relinquished them.

Applications for groups outside of Pennsylvania seeking interactive licenses were due Oct. 31. We do know that the PGCB approved MGM and Golden Nugget as qualified gaming entities. The next step for these two properties is filing interactive applications

Announcements on these licenses should come soon.