Sports betting in Keystone State has been moving forward at a rather steady pace despite the fact that the extremely high licensing fees and exorbitant tax rates threatening to slow the pace. This week, it has been announced that a fourth casino has ventured into the state’s sports betting market – this will be at the Boy Gaming Corp.-owned Valley Forge Casino Resort.
The new in-person sports betting facility is a direct result of a recent partnership agreement between the casino and FanDuel which is known for being a leading daily fantasy sports provider. FanDuel’s expertise has since grown to include sports betting and it has grown immensely since the federal ban on sports betting was lifted in May last year.
Valley Forge secured its gaming license from the state’s gaming control board late last year as it got ready to establish an in-person sports betting solution to the Pennsylvanian gaming market that was just beginning to take shape. The first casino to go live with a sports betting offering was SugarHouse casino and it was followed by Parx Casino after which Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack also launched its own offering – the two formers ones launched their sportsbooks in January while SugarHouse casino’s sports book officially began operations in December.
Action-Packed from Day 1
The brand-new Valley Forge sportsbook officially went live on Wednesday, March 13 in an inauguration that involved the performance of a number of well-known figures including retired NFL star and Super Bowl LII champion Brent Celek who made the very first ceremonial wager at the casino
Now, when it comes to the available gambling options, sports betting fans will be treated to a wide range of sporting events to place bets on. Some of the most popular options include baseball, collegiate football, soccer, professional and collegiate football as well as boxing. The sportsbook will also feature 29 video display, seven teller windows, two sports tickers as well as seating for a little over 30 customers. FanDuel will be responsible for running the location a well as providing the risk and trading platform with the help of Valley Forge Casino Resorts and Boyd Gaming.
In the future (hopefully when online and mobile betting services go live in the Keystone State) Boyd Gaming might choose to expand on its agreement with FanDuel in order to offer online and mobile sports betting to the Pennsylvania gaming market. As it stands, there are a few issues that still need to be ironed out and these include the recent reinterpretation of the Wire Act of 1961 – this move by the US Department of Justice has been so controversial that it is now being challenged in court.