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Regulated Casino, Poker and Gambling Sites in Pennsylvania
PA online casinos are flourishing in 2021. Pennsylvania recently overtook New Jersey in terms of casino revenue – taking second place behind Nevada.
This guide covers everything you need to about online casinos in PA, gambling online and PA poker sites.
2020 is shaping up to be a busy year in the Keystone state, with close to a dozen gambling sites available. There are multiple sites to choose from in Pennsylvania, including, poker, casino and sports betting.
- In addition to free money sign up offers, many PA casino sites offer match bonuses for first time depositors. These incentives are quite a bit larger than sign up awards and can range from $100 all the way up to $10,000 in bonus cash.
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Pennsylvania online casinos are expected mid-2019, but it is safe to assume at least some of the operators will offer industry-standard bonuses of both the deposit and no-deposit variety. Keep in mind, though, that PA online casinos aren’t handing you “free” cash once they start offering bonuses.
This guide walks you through the best PA casino apps, including bonus offers available and how to choose a site that works for you.
Best Online Casinos in PA
Here is what you’ll find in this detailed Pennsylvania online gambling guide:
- Legal Overview: Recent law changes and current news
- Online Casinos in PA: The partnerships we know about so far
- Sports Betting Sites in PA: Betting on sports online
- PA Poker Sites: Partnerships and the possibility of shared player pools
- What to Look for: What makes one online casino better than another?
- Gaming Options: Slots, table games, live dealer options and online poker are all covered here.
- PA Online Gambling FAQ: Everything players need to know before heading online
- The Road to Regulation in PA: History and timeline of the legislative efforts
PA Gambling Sites Overview: What’s New?
2021 will be a busy year for Pennsylvania. With both real money PA casinos and poker sites already online, you can expect new games, new promotions and new operators to expand in the Keystone State.
The initial licenses are awarded to holders of existing gaming licenses (brick and mortar casinos). A second batch awarded to ‘qualifying gaming organizations’ bringing increased choice for players further down the line.
Many big brand names including Scientific Games and PokerStars have already found partners – and have launched. While some live casinos declined to move online (for example Sands Bethlehem), other big names including Harrah’s Casino and Mohegan Sun are all posed to make this move.
Sports betting is live in PA live casinos, following New Jersey’s victory at the Supreme Court. Licenses have since been issued for a number of sites and many have launched in 2019 with more expected come 2020.
Slots are taxed differently to table games and poker in PA. With a 54% tax on gross gaming revenues, these games will not be as profitable for the casinos as in other states. This high tax rate also applies to slots at existing B&M casinos – and help make PA the state with the highest tax take from casinos, even beating out Nevada.
PA Online Casinos
Most of the license holders have formed technology partnerships already. Big international brands and equivalents gave some clues as to what players could expect with Pennsylvania online gambling sites. The first casino to go online was Sugarhouse, followed by Parx, BetRivers and Hollywood Casino.
Here is a list of online casinos in PA and known partnerships to date:
- BetAmerica – Presque Isle Downs
- BetRivers – Rivers Philadelphia
- BetMGM – Hollywood Casino
- Caesars Online Casino – Harrah’s Philadelphia
- DraftKings Casino – Hollywood Casino
- FanDuel Casino – Valley Forge
- PokerStars Casino – Mount Airy
- Unibet – Mohegan Sun Pocono
- SugarHouse Online Casino – SugarHouse
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Pennsylvania Online Casino Bonus Guide
With the online casinos in PA open, players have a unique opportunity. The brands (and their partner land-based casinos) are keen to get a great start. This means bonuses and promotions for new players should be both generous and easy to come by.
You’ll find the best PA online casino bonus codes here along with some pointers of the types of bonus and promo deals to expect – and how to take advantage of each one.
- Free Play Bonuses: Over in New Jersey, all NJ online casinos offer new players free play on real money games without the need to deposit. This is money is placed in a bonus account – and can’t simply be withdrawn. You can keep what you win with it, subject to a play-through requirement (and at some casinos a deposit). PA internet casinos are also offering no deposit offers, however, its few and far between.
- Matched Welcome Bonuses: As well as showcasing games with free-play, Pennsylvania online casinos will be keen to encourage deposits. To do this, matched bonuses are on offer. A typical casino deal is 100% matched to your first deposit, up to $500 (sometimes more). You’ll then need to wager this bonus money a number of times before it can be withdrawn.
- Other Deposit Deals: Some casinos in Pennsylvania offer extras along with your deposit. This can be entry into a slot tournament, a free chip for live-dealer casino games or free slot spins.
- Reload Bonuses: You might need to top up your account at times, and casinos are keen that you stay with them instead of seeking a fresh welcome bonus elsewhere. You’ll find reload bonuses similar to your matched welcome offers, with a percentage match and play-through requirement. Remember to check for these if you decide to reload, that simple casino bonus code can make a big difference to your bankroll!
- Comp / Loyalty Schemes: These work in a similar way to schemes at live casinos. You get points based on your play. Instead of swapping them for drinks, you’ll get extra bonuses online instead.
One significant type of casino bonus you can expect from PA gambling sites is one-off and special promos. These can be tied to holidays, sporting events like the Super Bowl or sometimes just new slot games. A solid number of one-off promos shows that a casino is serious about looking after their regular players, and not just attracting new ones.
PA Sportsbooks & Online Betting Sites
At the time of writing, over half a dozen live casinos have applied for online sports betting licenses. Mid 2019 saw Sugar House become the first PA sports betting site, albeit with a soft-launch. Since then, Fanduel, FoxBet Bet Rivers and Unibet PA have launched.
The other casinos that launched PA sports betting sites in 2020 include:
- BetMGM via Penn National – Coming 2021
- Harrah’s via Caesar’s Sportsbook – Launched March of 2020
- Hollywood Casino via Barstool Sportsbook – Launched September of 2020
- Presque Isle via BetAmerica Sportsbook – Launched December of 2019
- Valley Forge via FanDuel Sportsbook – Launched July of 2019
- Meadowlands Race and Casino via DraftKings Sportsbook – Launched November of 2019
- Mohegan Sun Pocono via Unibet Sportsbook – Launched November of 2019
- Mount Airy Casino via Fox Bet Sportsbook – Launched September of 2019
- Rivers Pittsburgh via BetRivers Sportsbook – Launched June of 2019
PA Online Poker Sites
Poker relies on a larger number of players to offer bigger prize tournaments and a wider choice of games / formats. It was assumed that a link-up would happen, though the recent reassessment of the opinion on the Wire Act has now bought this into question.
PA has a big enough population (12.8 million) to make online poker viable alone – though the benefits to players of the extended player pool would be considerable.
Giant brands including 888 and Party Poker PA are preparing to enter PA, while PokerStars PA has already launched.
PokerStars was the first online poker site in Pennsylvania to go live and is partnered with Mount Airy Casino.
Here are the rest of the sites and partnerships announced so far:
- Harrah’s:888 Poker
- Hollywood: IGT
- Parx: GAN / Kambi
- Valley Forge: Party Poker
- Sugar House: Rush Street Interactive
What to Look for with PA Online Gambling?
With so many options available, choosing the best PA online gambling site might not be easy. This section draws on years of casino, poker and sportsbook experience to bring you the key things to look out for before you sign-up.
For casino fans, the software, games, bonuses and live-dealer options all come into play. Casino site software has come on a long way since the big brands left the US back in 2006. This is now responsive to your screen size, with animations and 3D effects which will blow you away.
In the past, casinos required you download a software package onto your PC. These days, your choices are mostly browser-based – with some smartphone apps.
Instead of games from a single software provider, casinos curate their own choice of slots, table games and novelty titles. You’ll find games from giants like SG and IGT alongside titles from new and innovative software houses. I recommend you try out casinos (with free no-deposit money where possible) to find the game selection and software that you like best.
Poker fans will also have some choices to make. While a lot depends on whether player pools are shared or PA-only – there are differences between the games and formats each site offers. With poker, size matters. While you might prefer software on one site, if all the opponents (particularly the recreational ones) are playing elsewhere, then it makes sense to switch. As well as welcome bonuses, ongoing offers make a big difference to your bottom line in poker games. The best PA poker site will combine a lot of players, a great selection of games and regular reward.
Finally, sports bettors will know that the lines on offer at PA sports betting sites are more important than the software client. That is not to say bad sportsbook software should be tolerated! This area is one where having a choice of site (and the ability to shop for the best lines each time you bet) is more important than a long list of features or gimmicks.
What Casino Games Are Available to PA Residents?
The choice of slots online these days will come as a pleasant surprise to many new players. You can enjoy online versions of slots from live casinos (including many movie and TV show themed games). You will find the depth of game-play in online-only slot titles has significantly improved. Increased competition from smaller software houses, combined with classics from the likes of Bally, IGT and others will give you a huge choice.
If you prefer your slot play more traditional, then you’ll be happy to know 3-reel slots – which mimic the original mechanical machines – are also widely available. Many PA online slots have huge (million+) jackpots these days too.
Table games can be played via casino software, or with live dealer via a real-time video link. Live dealer games are hugely popular – adding a social element to online casino gambling. You’ll find plenty of options including blackjack, roulette, baccarat and casino poker variants. Software based table games give you even more choices including many innovative side-bets and rules variations.
Between table games and slots, you’ll already have 1000’s of games to choose from. Add in video poker, keno, scratch-cards and novelty games – and your choices get even better.
Other states with legal online gambling
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PA Online Gambling: The Road to Regulation
Like many East coast states, Horse Racing, and the gambling associated with them, were popular as far back as the 1830’s. A lottery and limited charity gambling options were all that was available for a long stretch – until 2004.
In that year ‘Act 71’ was passed, legalizing live casinos and betting at horse racing tracks. These forms of gambling would become a big source of income for the state coffers. High tax rates (particularly on slot and casino gaming), meant that more tax revenue came from gambling in PA than in any other state in 2018. This includes Nevada, where the revenues are higher – though tax rate is significantly lower.
On Oct. 25, 2017, the Pennsylvania Senate passed a comprehensive gaming expansion package that includes online gambling in the form of online poker, online slots, as well as online table games. The next day, the PA House passed the bill as well, making Pennsylvania the fourth state in the nation to authorize online gambling.
The package then went to Gov. Tom Wolf, who signed the bill on Oct. 30, 2017, officially cementing PA’s status as the fourth US state to legalize online gaming.
The legislation, H 271, permits a variety of other gambling expansions, including daily fantasy sports, sports betting both online and off (should the federal government repeal PASPA), video gaming terminals (VGTs) in authorized truck stops, and tablet gaming at qualified airport locations.
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Now that Wolf signed the bill into law, it will likely be around nine months before the first legal online gambling sites launch in Pennsylvania. Regulations will need to be promulgated, licenses issued, sites tested, and so forth.
When legal NJ online gambling was passed, it was roughly nine months before sites went live.
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Pennsylvania has surpassed their first year of online gambling and in that year they saw half a dozen sportsbooks go online, one poker site and four casinos. More are expected to rollout over the course of 2020.