Best Online Casino Apps in Pennsylvania

The launch of online and mobile gambling in Pennsylvania means you can now turn your device into a mobile casino available 24/7. The top PA online casinos all have apps ready to download to most tablets and smartphones, putting casino gambling in the palm of your hand and taking only a minute or two to set up.

This page covers how you can download and install an online casino app to your iOS and Android phone or tablet, what games you’ll be able to play, and a detailed account of the features that Pennsylvania casino apps provide.

Top real money gambling apps in Pennsylvania

Android gambling apps

The Google Play Store only recently began allowing gambling apps on the US store, so if you don’t see the app you’re looking for there, it’s just as easy to get it via the online casino’s website. You’ll see an Android download link on the casino site. Click on that, and then follow the prompts to download and install the app.

To download an app directly from the casino site, you may need to go to your device settings and enable downloads from “unknown sources,” but the download and installation process will still take just a few minutes to complete.

Best Pennsylvania casino apps for 2021

The launch of online and mobile gambling in Pennsylvania at the time made it the most populous state with online casinos. The state is home to 12.8 million people, and all residents and visitors who are 21 or older can gamble at the following online casinos, via either their websites or apps. The casino will also provide its listed bonus to new customers when they sign up via one of the links on this site.

BetMGM Casino

BetMGM is the online gambling arm of MGM Resorts, one of the world’s largest casino companies. BetMGM casino offers a wide selection of games, including over 80 online slots and the popular Divine Fortune and Mercy of the Gods progressive slots.

When you sign up using the code PLAYNJFREE, you’ll be eligible for BetMGM’s $25 join bonus and 100% deposit match up to $1,000 for new players.

Unibet Casino

A trusted European casino brand that launched in Pennsylvania through a partnership with Mohegan Sun Pocono, Unibet has a game library with over 75 online slots and the popular Jackpot Shores and Divine Fortune progressive slots, plus frequent new games becoming available.

Unibet’s online casino offers a $30 bonus when you join and a 100% matching bonus up to $750 on your first deposit when you sign up as a new customer.

Caesars Casino

There are few casino brands more famous than Caesars. Its online casino in PA has more than 40 online slots and table games. Sign up using the promo code PLAY2021 to be eligible for Caesars’ 100% first-deposit match up to $2,021.

DraftKings Casino

More than just sports betting and daily fantasy sports, DraftKings also offers an online casino in PA. In fact, it’s a full-service gambling operator with 25+ online slots and table games.

The DraftKings Casino app also offers access to the sportsbook, and you’ll be eligible for a bonus $45 in your account along with a 100% deposit match up to $1,500 when you sign up.

FanDuel Casino

Another sports betting and DFS leader turned online casino, FanDuel launched in Pennsylvania via a partnership with Valley Forge Casino Resort and offers 25+ online slots and table games.

Plus, FanDuel’s casino app also allows access to its online sportsbook. Sign up through the link above to receive a refund of up to $200 in site credit for any losses during your first 24 hours gambling on the casino.

SugarHouse Casino

Carrying the former name of the popular Philadelphia casino brand, SugarHouse Casino brings the fun and excitement online. It offers over 70 slots, including the popular Divine Fortune progressive, and a large number of roulette variants.

Sign up using the promo code PLAY250 to get Sugarhouse’ 100% deposit match bonus up to $250 for new players.

Hollywood Casino

This is the online arm of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. It boasts a library of over 80 online slots, the Divine Fortune progressive slot and a partnership with publisher NetEnt to give it access to the latest games.

New customers who use the code DOUBLETAKE are eligible for a $10 bonus and up to $502 in deposit matches after they create an account.

BetRivers Casino

BetRivers Casino is the rebranded PlaySugarHouse offering. That means over 70 online slots, the Divine Fortune progressive slot and those same roulette variants.

The app’s connection to the BetRivers sportsbook app is seamless. Signing up with the promo code PLAY250 will get you up to $250 in matching funds when you make your first deposit.

PokerStars Casino

More than just online poker, Stars is an online casino with 25+ games. For a new-customer bonus, anyone who signs up via the link above and bets $1 will get a $50 instant casino bonus.

Fox Bet Casino

Born out of a sportsbook partnership between Fox Sports and PokerStars’ parent company, Fox Bet offers casino gambling, too, with about a dozen or more games, an app and a 100% deposit match up to $1,500.

Borgata Online Casino

Atlantic City’s Borgata Casino has made the move to Pennsylvania, at least online. It’s basically a rebranded BetMGM product with an online casino app. It offers a similar $20 bonus plus a 100% first-deposit match up to $1,000 when you use the PLAYNJ promo code on sign-up.

What games are available for casino app users?

Technology has come a long way in the last 20 years or so. Casino games have come to life, growing in variety and production value. Plus, advances in gambling tech have allowed casinos to bring a similar experience to customers online. In many cases, the lines between brick-and-mortar casinos and online casinos have become quite blurry.

Slots

The most ubiquitous and basic of casino games, the slot machine is widely available in every format. Even if an online casino doesn’t offer other types of games, it will have slots. In fact, many free-to-play apps offer slot play exclusively, even without any tangible rewards available. The experience of winning on a slot machine is enough of a prize to draw attention from some players.

These days, online slot play is mostly indistinguishable from live slot play. The rotation of the reels, the virtual layout of the game’s controls and the bonus features all perfectly mimic the games you find in a real casino.

The games are very often the same ones available in live casino settings, as well. Since most casino slot machines use computer programs in a large slot cabinet, game developers have had to transition their offerings to the smaller online format, but most have done so successfully, without having to create entirely new games. The only significant difference is the interface. Mobile devices and laptops do not have the same “push-button” system as live casino slot machines.

Instead, for online casino app players, there are virtual representations of the buttons, and mobile-specific finger commands such as swiping one direction or another to change the screen or a pinching motion to zoom in and out. Mobile slot machines may also be even more interactive, with some featuring group and community bonuses, which bring players from individual games into a single bonus round. It also is possible that mobile slots are faster, with the virtual aspect of placing money into a machine speeding things along.

Finally, in terms of graphics, mobile slots are limited to the restrictions of the medium itself. Several live slot machines now offer 3D-enhanced visuals, which might be a step beyond the capabilities of most phones and tablets. All that said, the slots you can play on a mobile device don’t differ too much from the ones you can play in a brick-and-mortar casino. That means you should exercise the same level of caution when playing. Casino companies have built empires out of slot machine revenue, so budget accordingly.

Video poker

Often sitting alongside slots in a casino, video poker provides a change of pace for slot players without getting them too far away from the one-armed bandits. This relationship holds true in the mobile gambling world, as well. Video poker is usually in an online casino’s list of games right next to the slots.

Video poker on a casino app is virtually indistinguishable from its real-life counterpart. Since live video poker works with a computer display, as well, the game and its simple graphics translate easily to the online space. However, in all cases, you should be mindful of the payouts for video poker games.

Ideally, the most common video poker game, Jacks or Better, would pay out full houses and flushes at 9x and 6x the buy-in, respectively. These “full pay” machines are far less common these days, but it pays to shop around a bit, as you can still sometimes find them.

Blackjack

Table games are a less-common offering on many online casino apps. Quite simply, translating table games to smaller mobile screens can be more of a challenge than it is with slots.

Of all the table games out there, real money blackjack is one of the more common to appear in online casino selections. The game’s inherent simplicity reduces the need for more complex animations and calculations. Like video poker, the game and its simple graphics translate easily to the mobile space

As a result, mobile versions of blackjack deliver something similar to the live blackjack experience. The main difference is that players press buttons to make choices, rather than using live blackjack’s hand gestures. Most versions will feature animations that show the dealing of cards, handling of chips and so forth. However, these are stylized depictions, not simulations.

Roulette

Roulette has started to appear more frequently online in recent years. Seeing its popularity rise, SugarHouse launched multiple versions of the game shortly after the site’s debut. Most video graphic depictions of roulette are going to feature top-down or slightly lower views of the gameboard. Players can use their cursors or touch to select the wagers they’d like to place.

One source of difficulty, however, is making sure that the wagers appear in the correct spots. The placement of the betting token must be precise in roulette because each area of the board represents a different wagering option. Most representations of the wheel itself will also show a top-down perspective.

Perhaps the greatest benefit of online roulette is that gameplay moves at a faster rate than live roulette. Players must be quick with their wagering, but the payouts are instantaneous, quickly moving the game along from spin to spin.

Craps

It’s rare to see online craps on a casino app. The sheer complexity of animating both a craps pit — with its many bets — and the rolling of dice constitutes a big ask for most mobile gambling developers. Craps is also a more daunting game for many patrons. Although it is popular, there is a learning curve that many mobile players won’t want to overcome.

Furthermore, the online version of craps negates one of the defining features of the live game: the camaraderie. More than any other table game, craps is social, with groups of people betting the same way against the house. While the representations that you’ll find online may get the function of the game right, they struggle to capture what makes craps great. That makes online craps less popular than the live game, giving apps another reason to ignore it.

Live dealer games

Live dealer games are a far more interactive experience than seems possible with mobile gambling, yet here they are. Players can chat and interact with actual dealers and other online players. The dealers run the games in real time from a studio, and the action is simulcast out to computers and mobile devices for players to place their bets.

There’s no real difference between land-based play and online play because the dealers are dealing live games. Naturally, that means that live dealer games don’t move at the same pace as automated versions. The dealer has to allow players time to make their decisions from around the state. However, the payouts are instantaneous.

The ability to chat with the dealers and other players mitigates some of the lonely aspects of online gambling, so extroverts who want to play on their phones have a natural reason to check out live dealer games.

Are online casino apps safe?

The ability to connect and engage in various activities online is one of the major triumphs of our time. Unfortunately, that has also opened the possibility of those with ill-intent infecting or stealing information from us. The natural question is whether online casino apps are safe. The short answer is yes, they are.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board oversees gambling activity in the state, and it maintains strict controls over the identities and behaviors of those who offer online and mobile gambling in the Keystone State. Site operators are also multinational companies with multiple properties throughout the US and the world. Much like their land-based counterparts, online casinos have a vested interest in ensuring the safety of their patrons, both in banking and in play.

There will be an occasional incident, but there is no need to feel unsafe while playing with approved and licensed casino apps in Pennsylvania.