The PA online gambling market is now firing on all cylinders. Even online poker is up and running, with a huge turnout on the first day of testing.
You have multiple online casinos and PA sports betting sites to choose from, with even more on the way.
If you want to get playing right now, there are plenty of great regulated PA gambling sites you can get started on in a matter of minutes. Take a look at the best options available to Pennsylvania customers:
Top online casinos in Pennsylvania
These PA online casino apps are regulated, totally legal, and offer several of your favorite online slots and table games:
Top PA sports betting sites
There are plenty of online sports betting options to choose from in Pennsylvania, be it if you are a football fan, a basketball fan, or even into minor betting markets like tennis and golf. Here are the top regulated PA sports betting sites.
PA online casinos launch dates
If you’re wondering what else is in the pipeline, take a look at the latest news on what sites, deals, and launches are in the pipeline as well:
| Casino | Existing online partners | Launch | Android app? | iOS access? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SugarHouse | Rush Street Interactive / Kambi | July 17 2019 | Yes | Yes |
| Hollywood (Penn National) | IGT | July 15, 2019 | Yes | Yes |
| Mount Airy | 888 / PokerStars | Nov. 4, 2019 | Yes | Yes |
| Parx | GAN | July 15, 2019 | Yes | No |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Kindred / Unibet | Nov. 12, 2019 | Yes | No |
| Harrah's | 888 | 2019 | - | - |
| Valley Forge | IGT / GAN | 2019 | - | - |
| Presque Isle Downs | Golden Nugget | 2019 | - | - |
| Wind Creek | N/A | N/A | - | - |
| Stadium Park Philly Live! Casino | GAN | N/A | - | - |
| MGM Resorts | bwin.party | N/A | - | - |
| Golden Nugget NJ | NYX | N/A | - | - |
Read more on PA online casinos
Timeline for online gambling in PA
Take a look at which online casinos and sports betting apps are already up and running in Pennsylvania:
What online casino options are in PA?
Per the PA Gaming Control Board (PGCB), Pennsylvania online casinos rolled out on July 15.
Initially, the thought was that everyone would launch on or around this day, only two, Parx Casino and Hollywood Casino, were ready. SugarHouse Casino rolled out PlaySugarHouse.com on July 17.
Mount Airy joined the online casino market with the launch of PokerStars Casino on Nov. 4. The casino and poker site launched with both an iOS and an Android app ready for download.
Two properties we know are ways off are Wind Creek and the still-under-construction Stadium Casino project. One only recently transferred its gaming license to new owners, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The other is busy trying to build both a casino and a mini-casino. As such, expect online gambling from these properties later on down the line.
While you can expect online casinos in a massive rollout, you might not get too excited about online poker sites. Sure, PokerStars PA is live and partypoker and WSOP.com are in the works, but others will probably take their time with the more low-margin product.
PA online sportsbooks launch
Football season is underway, which means sportsbook operators are pushing to launch during sports bettings most lucrative season. Here is a look at where each operator is in the process:
| Casino | Online Sportsbook | Retail Sportsbook |
|---|---|---|
| PlaySugarHouse Sportsbook PA | Live as of May 31, 2019 | Yes |
| FanDuel Sportsbook PA (Valley Forge) | Live as of July 22, 2019 | Yes |
| BetRivers Online Sportsbook | Live as of June 27, 2019 | Yes |
| Parx Casino Sportsbook | Live as of June 27, 2019 | Yes |
| FOX Bet (Mount Airy) | Live as of Sept. 4, 2019 | Yes |
| DraftKings (The Meadows) | Live as of Nov. 4, 2019 | Yes |
| Unibet (Mohegan Sun Pocono) | Launching Nov. 12 | Yes |
| Harrah's Philadelphia (Casesars Sport) | 2019 | Yes |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National | Fall 2019 | Yes |
| BetAmerica (Presque Isle Downs) | Fall 2019 | Yes |
| Live! Hotel & Casino | 2020 | No |
Read more on PA online sports betting
How many sports betting sites operate in PA?
Pennsylvania sports betting apps are launching on a rolling basis, with several expected to debut in the next two months. Currently, there are six betting apps to choose from.
The initial hope was to launch online betting in early May. It appears the issue holding things up was neither the operators nor the regulators. Rather, it is an issue with getting the new sports betting apps approved and in the Apple App store.
Eventually, SugarHouse decided to go forward without an iOS betting app. Instead, the operator offered only an Android app that can be downloaded directly from SugarHouse’s website.
However, there is an iOS solution for SugarHouse sports bettors. That solution is called GeoGuard, a geolocation app that allows you to play on BetRivers and PlaySugarHouse websites via your phone’s browser.
The list of options for iPhone users got even longer with the launch of FanDuel Sportsbook on July 22. The sportsbook combined the PA and New Jersey app into a single venture for both Android and iOS, with the site geolocating you to determine what you can bet on.
FOX Bet also launched with both iOS and Android options when it went live on Sept. 5. DraftKings Sportsbook did the same when it started accepting Pennsylvania bets on Nov. 4.
The big perk of this for users is the shared wallet across states. If you go back and forth between Pennsylvania and New Jersey, no more worrying about whether or not the right account is properly funded.
Now there has been a steady stream of launches throughout the summer. Given how profitable New Jersey online sports betting is, expect Pennsylvania online sportsbooks to rush to launch before football season is over.
What did the PA gambling expansion bill legalize?
The PA Senate passed a bill to legalize online poker, online casino games, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting on Oct. 26, 2017. Gov. Tom Wolf signed it into law just three days later. The bill, H 271, enacts widespread gambling expansion that extends beyond just PA online casinos.
Here is a look at exactly what the bill authorizes and why changes may be on the horizon if the tax rates on some gambling expansion is not adjusted.
After months of back and forth on tax rates, license fees, VGTs, mini-casinos, and other details, the bill the Senate passed permits:
- Online poker
- Online casino games (table games and slots)
- Daily fantasy sports
- Tablet gaming in certain areas at authorized airports
- Video gambling terminals (VGTs) at qualified truck stops
- 10 mini casinos
- Alterations to Category 3 casinos (removes membership fee, permits more slots – requires one-time fee)
- Online lottery sales
- Sports betting now that PASPA was overturned
Additionally, the changes in the laws resulted in SugarHouse Casino dropping its lawsuit blocking the Stadium Casinos LLC group from building its planned casino in Philadelphia’s Stadium Park. With legal issues gone, the group quickly ponied up the money for a Category 2 license and are moving forward with construction.
Tax rates and licensing fees
Tax rates and license fees for online gambling have been major bones of contention for months.
After a 54 percent tax rate on slots was floated earlier this year, more recently the figure settled into a more-reasonable mid-twenties range. By comparison, the effective tax rate in New Jersey on online slots is 17.5 percent.
The amended version of H 271 returns to that steep 54 percent number. PA would tax the products as follows:
- Online table games and poker: 14% + 2% local share = 16%
- Online slots: 52% + 2% local share = 54%
- Sports betting: 34% + 2% local share = 36%
- Daily fantasy sports: 15%
Distinct licenses for each product
H 271 establishes three separate licenses:
- Online slots
- House-banked games
- Online poker and other peer-to-peer online games
Operators were required to purchase a license for each vertical they intended to offer. For $10 million, PA casino operators could purchase all three in a bundle. Eight of the 13 eligible casinos chose to do that:
- Parx
- Mount Airy
- Sands Bethlehem
- Hollywood Casino
- Valley Forge
- Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Sugarhouse Casino
The pitfalls of high taxation
Industry experts, including Moody’s, have decried the lofty 54-percent tax rate on slots, and for good reason. At that rate, operators will have little left over for marketing, customer acquisition, promotions, and other business-building tools. This could hamper the growth of the industry and thus depress the amount of tax revenue the state is able to generate.
PA already taxes its land-based slots more heavily than any other state in the nation, and only recently have PA casinos managed to break a lengthy slide in slots revenue.