Pennsylvania's Trusted Source for Legal Betting & Online Wagering

We Are Pennsylvania’s Gambling Experts

We have a veteran team with decades of experience covering Pennsylvania and gambling. We are dedicated to staying abreast of every aspect of PA gaming and have extensive knowledge of the state’s online sports betting and gambling industry. Additionally, our expert reviewers regularly evaluate and review Pennsylvania’s legal gaming sites and apps.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board - Certified Registered Gaming Service Provider - 118095

Everything You Need to Know About Gaming in PA

Pennsylvania takes a back seat to no one in terms of breadth of offerings. Sweeping legislation in 2017 (a decade after the first brick-and-mortar casino opened) laid the groundwork for explosive growth in a state with an existing gaming infrastructure already in place. The lottery debuted its online options in 2018, and retail Pennsylvania sports betting went live in November of that same year. By summer 2019, online sports wagering and online casino sites were available in the Keystone State.

Poker players are well served by four top online poker rooms: PokerStars, WSOP/888Poker, Borgata Poker and BetMGM Poker. The only weakness in the PA market is that the state has not yet joined the Multi-State Internet Gaming Association (MSIGA). Regulators have no objections but so far PA has not taken the final step to enable Pennsylvania poker players to play against competition for New Jersey, Michigan, Nevada and Delaware.
 

Launch Dates

When Gov. Tom Wolf signed bill H 271 in October 2017, Pennsylvania became a national leader in online gaming, offering more options than any other state at the time. With that stroke of a pen, Pennsylvania gamblers could enjoy online slots, table games, online poker, the lottery, video gambling terminals, keno, fantasy sports and virtual sports from the comfort of their homes or on-the-go on mobile devices. The legislation also set the stage for sports betting, which became legal less than a year later when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

PA Operators

State law allows for up to 25 licenses for permanent gaming operations, and each can have a betting platform. Because of that, the state has a wealth of operators, including some of the biggest in the nation: DraftKings, FanDuel, Unibet, Caesars and BetMGM.

PA Laws and Regulations

The legal age to play poker, bet on casino games or wager on sports in Pennsylvania is 21, whether it be online or in a retail sportsbook/casino/poker room. If you are 18, you can bet on horse racing, the lottery or Daily Fantasy Sports.

PA state law allows for up to 25 licenses, under the authority of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, for permanent gaming operations. Those are broken down into four categories: racinos (6 open; 7 allowed), stand-alone casinos (4 open; 5 allowed), resort casinos (2 open; 3 allowed) and satellite or “mini” casinos (5 planned; 10 allowed). All are eligible for online casino games as well sports betting, both retail and online, subject to state license fees and approval. Sportsbooks must be tethered to a land based casino.

Pennsylvania’s tax rates are higher than New Jersey and have been cited as one of the reasons the state has lagged its neighbor in terms of new offerings. Not only does the state charge a $10 million fee to obtain a license, but its tax rate is also 54% for slots and 16% for table games (it is 15% for each in NJ). Online sports betting revenue is taxed at 36% (13% in NJ).