It is legal to play at regulated online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites in Pennsylvania. In October 2017, Pennsylvania regulated online gambling when Gov. Tom Wolf signed a gambling bill into law. The PA online gambling bill took advantage of US online gambling laws, making Pennsylvania the fourth US state with licensed online gambling. Throughout 2019, the many legalized online poker, online casinos, daily fantasy sports, and sports betting websites launched in PA.
Yes. The Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board spent most of 2018 licensing online sportsbooks. The major land-based casinos launched online sportsbooks and sports betting apps throughout the summer of 2019. A total of 8 legal and licensed online bookmakers operate in Pennsylvania.
The best offshore online sportsbook for Pennsylvania gamblers is Bovada. Bovada features a 50% match bonus up to $250 for first depositors (75% up to $750 with Bitcoin). It also features a large slate of NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NCAA bets. If you prefer live betting, Bovada has a dedicated page full of up-to-the-minute live betting odds.
Yes. An October 2017 law regulated online casinos in Pennsylvania. Any legal land-based casino or racetrack had the opportunity to buy an online casino, poker, or sportsbook license. Most took the opportunity. Casino sites cost $7.5 million, while poker sites cost another $2.5 million. A sports betting license cost $10 million.
Our recommended offshore online casino for Pennsylvania gamblers is Cafe Casino. Those who make a first deposit at Cafe Casino receive a 350% up to $2,500 welcome bonus. Those who loves progressive slots can play top games like A Night With Cleo, Dirty Martini, Fast & Sexy, and Samurai’s Path. Table game gamblers have their choice of multiple variants of blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. If you prefer novel games, try Spin The Wheel, Roll The Dice, Teen Patti, or Andar Bahar. The live dealer games at Cafe Casino feature European Roulette, American Roulette, Live Baccarat, Super 6, Live Dealer Blackjack, and Early Payout Blackjack.
Yes. Pennsylvania allows each brick-and-mortar casino to partner with an online poker operator. At the end of 2020, only PokerStars is active, though other operators have already been granted licenses. Additionally, until Pennsylvania joins an agreement with other states, online poker can only be played with other Pennsylvania residents.
Ignition Poker is the best online poker site for Pennsylvania poker players who choose the unregulated gaming market. Ignition is top 3 in terms of the number of US poker players. It has $2500 freerolls, $150K guaranteed poker tournaments, sit-and-go events, jackpot SNG’s, and monster stack poker tournaments. In all, the poker platform includes $1.5 million per week in guaranteed prize pools.
If you prefer the regulated gaming market, take a look at Mount Airy Casino’s PokerStars cardroom.
Yes. Pennsylvania players currently can bet at 8 licensed online casinos, 8 licensed online sportsbooks, or play online poker through PokerStars.
If you wish to bet at a full land-based casino, you’ll need to be 21 or older. If you wish to bet at a racetrack-casino (racino), then you’ll need to be 18 or older. This is a bit odd, since racinos offer racebook betting and casino games. Thus, if you want to play land-based casino games in Pennsylvania and you’re between the ages of 18 and 20, you’ll need to go to a racino.
Bettors who want to buy lotto tickets, pull-tabs, punch boards, or raffle tickets need to be 18 or older. Placing a pari-mutuel bet at a racetrack requires one to be 18. So does playing live and online bingo. But if you want to play at an online casino or Internet gaming terminal (in an airport), you’ll need to be 21 or older.
Pennsylvania long has been one of the leaders in brick-and-mortar gambling in the United States. Due to its high gaming taxes, in 2019 the state’s dozen casinos and racinos generated more tax revenue than any other state – even Nevada! Pennsylvania licenses, regulates, and taxes most forms of land-based and online gambling. Sports betting was added to the mix in 2019.
Pennsylvania passed legal sports betting in October 2018 at the same time it passed regulated online casinos, online poker sites, daily fantasy sports, and VLTs at truck stops. Since then, seven sportsbooks began operations, led by Parx Casino near Philadelphia. Also, six sports betting apps launched last year: SugarHouse Sportsbook PA in May 2019, Rivers Sportsbook in June 2019, FanDuel Sportsbook PA in July 2019, Fox Bet in September 2019, and both Unibet and DraftKings Sportsbook in November 2019.
SugarHouse is powered by Rush Street Interactive and Kambi. DraftKings is tied to The Meadows Racetrack & Casino, while FanDuel is licensed through Valley Forge Casino Resort. BetRivers is associated with Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, while Unibet is tied to Mohegan Sun Pocono. Parx Sportsbooks partners with a GAN and Kambi for sports betting. Hollywood Casino has partnered with Barstool Sportsbook, Caesar’s Sportsbook is operating in partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia, and William Hill is still planning to launch its own online sportsbook in Pennsylvania.
Yes, Pennsylvania has six land-based casinos and six casino-racetracks, more commonly known as racinos.
In the early stages of 2018, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board held auctions for placement of satellite casinos, also known as mini-casinos. Development continues on five more satellite casinos, which could not be within 25 miles of any other brick-and-mortar casino in the state.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. got out of the Pennsylvania market. LVS sold Bethlehem Sands Resort & Casino to a Native American tribe, the Poarch Band of Creek from Alabama (Wind Creek Hospitality). The Bethlehem casino is now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem. LVS plans a land-based casino in New York state in the coming years.
Yes, Pennsylvania has six legal betting tracks.
In 2006, the traditional racetracks convinced the legislature to approve slots parlors for all six tracks, to help the thoroughbred racing and harness racing industry remain viable.
Yes. Several of the racinos have off-track betting facilities.
Parx Racing has five “turf clubs” (OTBs) in the Philadelphia area. Northeast Turf Club, South Philadelphia Turf Club, and Valley Forge Turf Club are notable Pennsylvania OTBs.
Penn National Gaming, which owns gaming venues in Ohio, Florida, and 16 other states, turned Penn National Lancaster and Penn National York into OTBs. Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs also owns the Downs at Lehigh Valley, while the Meadows Racetrack and Casino owns the Meadows Harmar OTB.
Yes. Under the terms of the Bingo Law, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issues bingo licenses for non-profit charitable gaming organizations (“associations”).
Yes. Private poker games and other forms of social gaming are legal, so long as the host does not charge fees or otherwise making a profit off the gaming.
If you organized a social gaming event for friends, you can’t charge a door fee or collect a poker rake.
Free-play social gaming casinos like Double Down Casino, Slotomania, Zynga, and Big Fish Games can sign up players in Pennsylvania. Freeplay online casinos like PlayMGM (MGM Resorts) and Play4Fun Casino (Mohegan Sun) are available. Mohegan Sun operates a racino in Pocono and Play4Fun rewards work there. Instead of driving to Resorts Casino in Atlantic City or Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, go to Mohegan Sun at Pocono to redeem your freeplay credits.
