Harrah’s PA Casino Review

One of the first and most notable movers in the Keystone State’s gambling expansion was Harrah’s Philadelphia – this renowned Caesars Entertainment property applied for all forms of interactive gaming licenses and was even one of the first ones to part with the $10 million for a sports betting license. That said, it is easy to see just how invested the gaming powerhouse is in the Pennsylvania gaming market as a whole.

Already, the operator’s online casino is thriving in the neighboring state of New Jersey and hopefully, it will be able to replicate its success in the Keystone State’s gaming market. From the looks of it, this might actually be the case. Here is a summary of the casino’s details:

Caesars Entertainment, the parent company of Harrah’s Philadelphia was the first gaming operator in Pennsylvania to be awarded an Interactive Gaming Certificate by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). It will, therefore, come as no surprise if it also becomes the first operator to unveil its online gaming offering later this summer.

Powered By 888 Holdings’ and Dragonfish Software

To support its upcoming online gaming platform, Harrah’s Philadelphia chose to partner with 888 Holdings and Dragonfish who will be providing the gaming software. In addition to the two, the operator went further to ink a deal with William Interactive which will be providing some of its online slot games. All of these online software and platform providers are popular for offering world-class products which make them the ideal partners for any online casino operator out there. In fact, Mount Airy, one of the other licensed online casino operators in Pennsylvania, has also inked a partnership deal with 888 Holdings – this is without a doubt a nod to the outstanding gaming products that 888 offers.

Leveraging Caesars’ Massive Network

Caesars Entertainment has already been running interactive gaming operations in New Jersey and Nevada. As such, Pennsylvania’s humongous betting market will certainly be a welcome addition to the company’s very impressive portfolio of gaming operations.

Now, even though the Caesars-operated online gaming platforms operate independently from one another, the network of online casinos will create a bunch of possibilities that are worth exploring once Pennsylvania’s online gaming industry finally goes live. To begin with, multistate poker agreements may still be a possibility, and this would facilitate shared liquidity in the not so distant future. A WSOP-branded poker product, for instance, will allow players from a number of states to compete against each other on a regulated platform for the very first time since 2011’s Black Friday.

The WSOP initiative seems to be a very plausible idea since Harrah’s Philadelphia has already been making preparations for the same. On April 26, for instance, the casino operator unveiled a brand-new WSOP-branded poker room. Moreover, Caesars Entertainment owns both the WSOP brand and Harrah’s Philadelphia which implies that the idea of bringing the two operations together for the Pennsylvanian market is definitely part of its plans.

Harrah’s Philadelphia Online Casino Bonuses

Needless to say, Harrah’s online casino in New Jersey has been performing exceptionally, and it is very likely that the operator’s upcoming offering in Pennsylvania will follow pretty much the same model especially when it comes to such things as bonuses and promotions. In New Jersey, the online gambling platform’s new customers are treated to:

• A $10 bonus for registering an account on the platform
• A 100% match up to $300 on their first real-money deposits

There will, of course, be conditions that will govern the way players are awarded these welcome bonuses and thus Pennsylvanian players need to make sure that they read and understand the fine print before delving in.

Welcome bonuses aside, Harrah’s has earned a reputation for being a fan-favorite gaming spot since it offers players a plethora of ways to get free money so as to keep them as loyal and regular customers. In fact, all of Caesars affiliated casino operations are known to offer arguably some of the most popular casino rewards in the industry. By integrating the reward programs into Harrah’s Philadelphia online casino, Caesars will give players the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits that accompany the rewards program.

Moreover, we can’t talk about bonuses without mentioning promotions which are nowadays part and parcel of the gambling experience. Harrah’s online casino in Philadelphia is set to offer some very high-value promotions, some of which will manifest as a tie-in to the casino’s land-based operation – not many operators can do this.

Harrah’s Philadelphia Online Casino Games

The allure of online casinos lies in their ability to offer players with a wider variety of gaming options as compared to brick-and-mortar casinos and access to games from the comfort of wherever they may be. As such, players can expect Harrah’s Philadelphia online casino to be packed with lots of popular online gaming titles as well as new and unique twists of the existing games. The total number of games will depend on the software provider that the casino opts for – 888, for instance, is known for its rather small but robust online game portfolio that is packed with a number of exclusive titles and more jackpot slots.

Slots & Table Games

It is anticipated that slots are going to be the most represented game title on the Harrah’s Philadelphia online casino site. Slot machines are a big part of the Pennsylvanian gaming industry but there has been declining interest in them for quite some time now, and this is perhaps because not many people are willing to leave the comfort of their homes to head to places with physical slot machines. Online slots are therefore set to turn things around and most of the providers offering them are promising some good value to the players depending on how selective they are about the slot titles they prefer to play.

As mentioned earlier, the online casino is likely going to use 888’s Dragonfish online casino software platform, but there is a possibility that it may also integrate the NYX Open Platform System that Caesars Entertainment switched to back in 2016. With either of these platforms, players will be treated to both the traditional online table games as well as a wide variety of online slots.

Other Offerings

In addition to Scratchers, Bingo, Keno, and Slingo titles, there is a good chance that player will also be able to enjoy at least one variant of video poker as a well as a decent number of live dealer games. Live dealer games are becoming increasingly popular among online gamblers and Harrah’s PA’s gaming partners are certainly very capable of supporting it.

Also, for fans of virtual sports, we might finally get to see it arrive in the Keystone State through the Caesars Entertainment-owned online casino. It helps that Caesars already has experience in that area with its Virtual Sports offering in New Jersey.

More on Harrah’s Philadelphia Land-Based Operation

The Chester-based Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack which sits on the bank of Delaware River officially opened as a racetrack in 2006. A year later, the property unveiled a 100,000 square-foot casino that was filled with slot machines before it eventually added tables games in 2010. Now, the entertainment and gambling property boasts of over 2,450 slot machines, a total of 90 table games as well as a poker room with 28 tables. Furthermore, its 5/8-mile limestone racetrack also boasts of hosting approximately 150 harness racing days annually.

Previously known as Harrah’s Chester, the casino officially changed its name in 2012 in a bid to appeal to Philadelphia’s broader customer base. This strategy seemingly paid off for the property as it currently generates about $21 million monthly which makes it the fifth highest-grossing casinos in the state.

While Harrah’s Philadelphia has no hotel on the premises, the people who have visited the venue have praised it for its friendly environment, especially with regards to the hospitality and the very friendly staff members. Besides, the casino is strategically located in an area where the guests are able to find accommodation facilities in such place as the airport hotels.

What Is in Store for Harrah’s Philadelphia Online Casino?

At this point in time, there is absolutely no doubt that Harrah’s will enter the Pennsylvania online gambling market. That said, the only mysteries that remain are the partnerships that it will use for the Pennsylvanian online gaming operation. This will affect a number of things including the speed at which the online gambling product is released. Even though all of the gaming operators that are interested in the online gambling industry are set to offer appealing gaming products, the earliest to launch is likely to get a large share of the market. Fortunately for Harrah’s Philadelphia online casino, the fact that Caesars Entertainment’s products are already up and running in other states will allow it to quickly launch.

Obviously, the launch period might be very shaky but Caesars certainly has the capability of navigating through this storm. This is likely going to be through heavy marketing to online gamers in the state. Naturally, it will not end there. To maintain and build upon its early market position, Caesars will have to work hard to improve various aspects of its offerings including the banking options, the game library as well as its promotions.