Online poker is closer to coming to Pennsylvania. Allegedly.
No official date has been set for the action to start, so hold the celebration.
We asked Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) spokesperson Douglas Harbach for insight about Pennsylvania online poker making its debut. He said:
“We believe that one of the operators should be in the position in the very near future to begin offering poker but we still do not have a definitive timeline at this point.”
PA poker players are eager tweeters
PlayPennsylvania sees (and tries to reply) to the number of tweets asking about online poker. The PGCB says they also receive questions from eager PA online poker players.
“There is no doubt there is a market out there for Pennsylvania poker players,” said Harbach. “There is an excitement about it getting unveiled but, at this point, we are still waiting for the operators to be in a position to launch the poker games.”
No movement on other PA poker sites either
July 15 was the official start date for Pennsylvania online casinos. Three online casinos launched within a couple of days of that date:
The three online casinos debuted with a limited library of games. Getting three poker organizations already have partnerships with PA casinos. They are:
- Poker Stars and Mount Airy Casino
- PartyPoker and Valley Forge Casino Resort
- 888/WSOP.com and Caesars
Online poker is not the most profitable
Pennsylvania poker players are chomping at the keyboard for online poker to launch. But it’s not a priority. Why?
Take a look at New Jersey’s August online revenue numbers:
- Casinos: $39.4 million
- Sports betting: $19.2 million
- Poker sites: $1.7 million
Not only do online poker’s profits pale in comparison, but it’s also suffering from a slow decline since launch in New Jersey.
PokerStars launch rumors still going strong
Professional poker player Michael “Gags30” Gagliano tweeted about the rumor that PokerStars would be live for beta testing on Aug. 27 and go fully live on Aug. 30. PGCB struck down the rumor.
Online Poker Report speculated that September might be poker’s magic month. The rumor mill said it “won’t be long before PokerStars unveils the state’s first online poker site.”
In Pennsylvania, the summer weather has yet to depart. Fall and online poker have yet to make their anticipated arrival.
