Online gambling in Pennsylvania officially kicked off as promised on July 15 albeit for a testing period that was overseen by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). While this development was highly welcomed by the state’s gambling community in the state, the absence of online poker in the newly launched online gaming operations did not go unnoticed. It has been nearly two years since lawmakers in the state gave the green light for the establishment of online poker in the state and it was anticipated that the online gaming vertical would be among the first of the online gaming offerings to go live.
Now, a lot of questions are being raised with regards to the state’s online poker industry. Unfortunately, there are currently no definite answers for some of the questions that have been raised. However, Douglas Harbach, the spokesperson for the state’s gaming control board, offered an explanation that is somewhat reasonable. According to the PGCB, setting up various elements of peer-to-peer online proved to be a little more complicated than expected, and as a result, the operators and the regulator were forced to push back the launch date. No specific date has been announced for the potential launch.
Possible Dates
Now that we have ascertained that when it comes to online poker in Pennsylvania it is not a matter of “if” but the question of “when”. This is essentially a guessing game at this point in time especially considering the fact that the licensed online gaming operators and the gaming control board are currently preoccupied with getting other forms of online gambling and sports betting off the ground. Since there have been no hints regarding online poker, it is safe to assume that we might not see it go live in the state in the next two weeks or so.
That said, August and September look very promising but this is just mere speculation since there is currently no time-sensitive target for the launch unlike in the case of sports betting whereas many online sportsbooks have to go live before the football season begins. Let’s just say that you should not hold your breath, at least not now.
What About Everything Else?
Over the past week or so, there have been a plethora of important developments in the Keystone State. Already, two the casinos that launched their online casinos last week have been given the go-ahead to offer their services 24/7. As such, online gamers can now enjoy online gaming at any time of their choosing on the Parx Casino and the Penn National Hollywood Casino online gambling sites. Finally!