Online gambling in PA is all set to launch. On April 17, PA Gaming Control Board (PGCB) Executive Director Kevin O’Toole revealed the official launch date for legalized gambling for July 15, 2019. The previous deadline was reportedly set for June, but it had been pushed back.
In any event, the Keystone State has already legalized and more importantly – launched – its online gambling industry, becoming the fourth state in the US to offer legal poker and casino games.
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The Real Money Online Casinos Launching in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is on the verge of introducing an overwhelming variety of iGaming and online poker options. With over 12 million residents, the state is brimming with potential, all courtesy of H 271, the piece of legislation that was approved by Pennsylvania legislature and has tasked the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) with beginning to issue licenses to businesses that meet the legal prerequisites.
Real money casinos in Pennsylvania are on their way Pennsylvania is readying up to launch its real money online casinos.
As many as 13 real money online casinos are expected to arrive on the market with a handful of other properties debating whether they should join.
Passed in 2017, H 271 has made it possible for land-based properties to team up established online suppliers of gaming options, including Scientific Games, William Hills, 888, PokerStars, Kambi, GAN, and many others.
We have put together a table that better displays the real money online casinos in Pennsylvania that are pending launch:
| Business | Online Casino | Online Poker | Gaming Partner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Nugget | Yes | No | None |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | Yes | Yes | 888, SG |
| Hollywood Penn National | Yes | Yes | IGT |
| Lady Luck Nemacolin | No | No | None |
| Meadows | No | No | None |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Yes | No | SG |
| Mount Airy Casino | Yes | Yes | PokerStars |
| Parx Casino | Yes | Yes | Kambi, GAN |
| Presque Isle | Yes | No | SBTech |
| Rivers Casino | Unconfirmed | Unconfirmed | *Rush Street Interactive (rumors) |
| Sands Bethlehem | Yes | Yes | TBD |
| SugarHouse | Yes | Yes | Rush Street Interactive |
| Valley Forge | Yes | Yes | partypoker, IGT, GAN, GVC |
| Stadium Casino | Yes | No | *Currently under constructions |
Pennsylvania will mostly rely on online casinos by introducing a number of suppliers and gaming options. You will be able to choose from a variety of products, including:
- Online Slots
- Online Poker
- Online Lottery
- Sports Betting
- Daily Fantasy Sports
All real money online casinos in PA will have to meet a rather hefty 54% tax rate for their online slot games, but this hasn’t scared the state’s land-based properties away. Quite on the contrary, casino licenses have been even more popular than poker, and operators have readily coughed up the $4 million per license.
Pennsylvania has a total of 13 licenses for each main gaming vertical with 10 casino licenses already bought. Rivers Casino has reportedly teamed up with Rush Street Interactive, although there hasn’t been an official confirmation yet.
Poker comes up second with 7 poker licenses acquired, even if Pennsylvania’s properties are still unsure if they will be able to participate in the gambling compact signed between Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
Licenses and Taxation
Not all casinos are opting into the online options, though and Lady Luck and Meadows still haven’t announced plans to transition into the online segment. Rivers was also one of the properties to keep away from the online segment at first, but the property decided to apply for an interactive license in October, 2018.
There are still 6 poker licenses and 3 casino licenses up for the taking and a handful of brick-and-mortar properties that have kept their distance. Pennsylvania is well poised to reap great benefits from pushing ahead with the legalization of multiple gaming and betting segments. Presently, the state will charge activities according to the following rates:
- Online slots 54%
- Online table games 16%
- Online poker 16%
The online slot levy is the highest across the Unite States but even then, the state’s real money online casinos believe they can stay competitive. On the flipside, poker and table games have got a little more in the way of leeway. PA also stands to reap solid rewards from the segment, including:
- Licensing fees (over $120 million so far)
- Tax revenue
- Renewal fees
Pennsylvania is off to a great start indeed and despite the legal headwinds that the recent Department of Justice Wire Act Opinion caused, PA is not backing out of legalizing online casinos.
What Games Are Available?
You will find a wide range of available gaming options in Pennsylvania. The fairly laxed taxation rate and the determination of the top real money casinos in PA to offer online slots have given all the indications that the Keystone State will have lot to offer to gamers.
888 has already hosted an individual page where you can register and get a preview of the games that will be launching in the state on triple-eight’s famous casino platform. The operator will provide players with a selection of curated gaming options:
- 3/5-Reel Online Slots
- 3D Slots
- Progressive Jackpots
- Blackjack
- Video Poker
- Roulette
This applies across all other casinos. PA residents will have access to rich portfolios and some of iGaming’s most generous gaming titles with the best payout rates.
With so much competition in the sector, it’s no surprise that pinpointing the best properties will take some time. Every operator has teamed up with a different software provider to bring players the most fulfilling and entertaining experience. So far, operators have signed with a number of accomplished suppliers, including:
- IGT
- Scientific Games
- Kambi
- SBTech
- TBD
- IGT
- GVC
- GAN & others
Live Gaming Options!
Of course, Philly was never planning to miss out on one of the hottest verticals in the iGaming business. Live dealers are coming to PA. Inspired by their counterparts in New Jersey and even Europe, these games allow you to mingle with other players and live dealers while on a commute, doing the groceries or just kicking back at home.
At this point, we are not entirely certain which casino properties will introduce live gaming options, but the changes are that all will want to ensure customer satisfaction and gain an extra edge over the competition by having one of the most entertaining form of gaming lined up and ready.
Make Sure You Book Your Bonus in Pennsylvania Now!
While there have been a few potholes on the road to progress, Pennsylvania’s operators are already whipping up the excitement. 888 is one of the real money online casinos to have started offering bonuses even before the official launch.
You can book your promotion right now and be rewarded a $20 no deposit bonus as soon as the industry launches officially in Philly. We have had a look through all other websites, but triple-eights seems to be the only one that offers bonus options as of this moment.
How Do I Set Up an Online Casino Account
Register at a PA casino will be no trouble at all. You will hop on the page you want to play at, locate the registration form and drop a few items of identifiable information, including:
- Legal name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Social Security Number
Why the trouble? As of July 15, 2019, Philly is a fully-regulated state in and this means that the PGCB has to enforce several criteria insofar players are concerned. Everyone should be of the legal gambling age which in Pennsylvania is 21.
Further, individuals must be identified so that the origin of their wealth can be traced in accordance with AML and KYC practices which are mandatory for every operator.
To boost security further, the PGCB will ask of each casino to verify your identity before you can proceed to depositing or even playing the demo versions of the games.
How to Pick the Best Online Casino in Pennsylvania
There are lots of criteria you can use to determine which sites make the cut and which are better left alone. Although we do believe that all PGCB-licensed properties will be worth playing at. Here are some important points which we believe make up the best real money online casinos for Pennsylvania:
- State-of-the-art gaming platforms and software
- More games than any other casino
- Great bonuses and promotions
- Reliable and highly-responsive mobile apps
- Intuitive user interface
- Large range of deposit options
- Industry-grade security systems
With experience it’s easy to pick a great reliable casino, although we’re not in a perfect world so there are very few which actually tick all the checkboxes. For example, some gambling sites in PA will come with a greater selection of games while others will offer bigger and even better promos.
Playing for High Stakes
If you are looking to enjoy a variety of high-stake gaming, real money online casinos in PA will certainly have quite a bit to offer. The most popular high rolling options are usually the table games, including:
Apart from the pure gaming options, you can benefit from various high rolling bonuses, but you will have to wait a little longer for casinos to start posting these up before we know for sure what they are.
Let’s Play Mobile
What better way to enjoy a full-blown gambling experience in Pennsylvania other than exploring mobile platforms? Pennsylvania is the fourth state that will introduce state-wide mobile gambling, which will increase accessibility for real money casino games.
Mobile casino platforms from Pennsylvania will utilize smart tracking software that checks a customer’s location while keeping their anonymity and privacy safe. The software establishes whether a player is within the state’s borders.
It’s worth trying to be a little further into the state before tuning in as the system might think you haven’t crossed the state line yet. False positives like these do happen and no one enjoys being interupted suddenly mid-game.
There are many upsides to mobile gambling. For starters, you have full access to your casino of choice on any Android and iOS device. This could be during your commute to work, during breaks and even while waiting for an appointment while you’re out of the house. Since everything is completely legal, you can download gambling apps directly from the Google Store or iOS App Store and play with peace of mind.
Omni-Channel Is King in Pennsylvania
In other states, the gaming activity registered on mobile has reached 80% and handheld devices are preferred way for customers to enjoy slots, table games, and even live games.
Even poker and sports betting are now accessed mostly from smartphones and tablets. This has necessitated the creation of the so-called Omni-Channel experience, which allows you to stop and then continue playing from multiple devices, including:
- Portable computers
- Smartphones
- Tablets
Omni-Channel is all about making the gaming experience comfortable and ensuring that you can play remotely whatever the circumstances. Scientific Games (SG) Digital (now called Light & Wonder) has developed a state-o-the-art omni-channel experience that will help you enjoy all your favorite games on the spot.
Taking a brief pause is now quite possible and you can return to the games at any time from any device that supports the casino software. This is why online gambling in PA will be superior to what you have tried so far with any of the alternatives located out of state.
Download vs Instant Play
The majority of platforms will opt for instant browser play which saves you the trouble of downloading any additional software. This is the usual preferred style of play for most casual players, especially those who just want to test the waters before fully commiting to a specific casino.
However, if you want to benefit from a full-blown casino suite with access to all features then you usually have to install the casino software on your Windows or iOS PC. Although most support both types of play, you should double check with the respective operators as we have come across some that only do one or the other.
If you already know that you want an instant play casino it might be worth looking at online casinos which only support that as their software will be superior with more resources dedicated to improvements.
Want to Visit a Land-Based Property Instead? Be Our Guest!
Why should all the fun be online you wonder? Well, the short answer is it isn’t. You can visit your local land-based casino and find live versions of all the games which can be a breath of fresh air when you’ve been stuck inside playing real money casino games all day.
If you are eager to visit any gambling venues in person, we can help you with our quick map reference that pinpoints all the land-based locations for you:
PA Casinos with Poker and Sports Betting
Philly is in a unique situation as it can provide gamers with a variety of options to bet, gamble and defeat other players based on skill alone. This is why PA is very open to sports betting and online poker, approving of the segments readily.
The top casinos that are now awaiting to launch their iGaming segments are already offering sports betting or are also launching poker options. This way you can access multiple betting options via the online website.
It’s worth mentioning that the majority of brands will offer а single wallet for the sports book and the casino, but you will have to start with fresh funds in your poker account. You can already wager on the outcome of sports events at several locations in Philly, including:
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course
- Rivers Casino
- SugarHouse Casino
- Parx Casino
- South Philadelphia Turf Club
- Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Valley Forge Race and Sportsbook
- Valley Forge
Quite the handful of options wait for those of you who want to entertain themselves by exploring an alternative gaming segment. The latest sports book is the Presque Isle Downs Casino which is launching on June 1, 2019.
How to Manage Your Funds
Banking is without a doubt one of the most important aspects of a proper casino. Now, if you have been playing online, it couldn’t have been strictly ‘legal’. Besides, the offshore casino websites have often been the origin of some delays.
With legal casino gaming in Philly, all of these problems will be behind your back. While we don’t have a list of the payment options that are most likely going to be available:
- Online banking
- Bank cards: VISA, MasterCard, Discover
- E-wallets: Neteller, PayPal
- Wire Transfer
- Pay with Cash
- At Casino Cash
- Casino prepaid cards
Insofar as the pre-paid cards go, each casino can issue their own. For example, SugarHouse have their own “SugarHouse Prepaid Card,” which is always handy if you do know that you are going to play in future, but not sure exactly when.
Prepaid cards offer quite a bit of security, but to be honest, you needn’t worry about your funds being safe when the PGCB is looking over your investment. Each real money online casino in Philly is designed to take care of your financial comfort first.
Customer Support
No great casino should come without proper customer support. This is yet another area in which PA’s own casino websites excel at. Instead of going all the way down to an actual casino to troubleshoot some issues, you can just dial up the casino’s customer support or message through online chat and get all the answers on the fly. There is also usually FAQ sections which are just as helpful. You can contact the casino via:
- Phone
- Live Chat
Conclusion
Pennsylvania is one of the most vibrant states when it comes to online gambling. Even without an official launch, every business and gaming venue in Philly are preparing to launch a massive offer of gaming options that will allow players to enjoy as many different iGaming products as they want to.
You can choose whether to visit the real money online casinos in Pennsylvania or simply treat yourself to a secluded online session in the comfort of your home. Stay tuned for even more updates on the pre-launch and post-launch periods.
