Pennsylvania's Trusted Source for Legal Betting & Online Wagering

Pennsylvania has among the most diverse betting options in the country, and PennStakes.com is your one-stop shop for everything in the Keystone State. Here you will find trusted and up-to-date Pennsylvania-specific information that helps you place safe and secure legal wagers at the best PA online casino sites.

By Michael Kates

LEGAL PENNSYLVANIA OPERATORS

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Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLERMust be 21+. PA only. Please Gamble Responsibly. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. New Customers Only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit/bonus bets unless otherwise provided in the applicable terms Rewards subject to expiry.
Promo Code
PENNBONUS
Bonus Wagering
10x
Live Casino Games
16
Casino Games
3034
Blackjack Games
21
Promo Code
PENNC10
Bonus Wagering
2x
Live Casino Games
13
Casino Games
1120
Blackjack Games
20
Promo Code
No Promo Code Required
Bonus Wagering
1x
Live Casino Games
8
Casino Games
196
Blackjack Games
13
Promo Code
No Promo Code Required
Bonus Wagering
10x
Live Casino Games
13
Casino Games
316
Blackjack Games
2
Promo Code
No Promo Code Required
Live Casino Games
2
Casino Games
321
Blackjack Games
8
Promo Code
PACASINO250
Bonus Wagering
1x
Live Casino Games
9
Casino Games
545
Blackjack Games
6
Promo Code
No Promo Code Required
Bonus Wagering
15x
Live Casino Games
10
Casino Games
1101
Blackjack Games
33
8
Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. Must be 21+. PA only. Please Gamble Responsibly. Visit BetMGM.com for Terms and Conditions. New Customers Only. All promotions are subject to qualification and eligibility requirements. Rewards issued as non-withdrawable site credit/bonus bets unless otherwise provided in the applicable terms Rewards subject to expiry.
Promo Code
PENNSTAKES
Bonus Wagering
15x
Live Casino Games
10
Casino Games
1200
Blackjack Games
8
Promo Code
PENNSTAKES
Bonus Wagering
1x
Live Casino Games
11
Casino Games
294
Blackjack Games
6

Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promotions for March Madness

An exciting Super Bowl 57 between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles has come and gone. But that means March Madness is right around the corner. While online sportsbooks have yet to release any tournament-specific promotions for "The Big Dance," you can be sure that soon there will be plenty of juicy offers to sink your teeth into. To give you an idea of what you can look forward to, here are a couple of last year's promotions:

BetMGM's “$10 Million Perfect Bracket Challenge”

This promotion allowed users to submit a free bracket. The first-place prize for this contest was $100,000 and anyone who submitted a flawless bracket would win $10 million! 

If you don't yet have an account with BetMGM you can register using this link. Enter our exclusive bonus code PENNBONUS and you can claim a 100% deposit match up to $1,000 plus get an extra $25on the house.

DraftKings' 2022 March Madness Promotions

Last year, DraftKings offered some unbelievable odds boosts. For instance, customers could bet on top seed Gonzaga at +100 for its opening-round game against 16th-seeded Georgia State. It was nearly a sure bet considering that only one 16-seed has beaten a 1-seed in the history of the tournament. The final score? Gonzaga 93, Georgia State 72.

If you need to register an account to enjoy the fun and take advantage of DraftKings' current welcome offer, you can do so using this link.

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.

Gaming TypeLegalized
PA LotteryAugust 1971
Retail CasinosJanuary 2007
Daily Fantasy SportsMay 2018
PA Online LotteryMay 2018
Retail sports bettingNovember 2018
Online sports bettingJune 2019
Online CasinosJuly 2019
Online PokerNovember 2019

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.

SiteOnline CasinoOnline SportsOnline Poker
BetAmerica Yes Yes No
BetMGM Yes Yes No
BetRivers Yes Yes No
Caesars Yes Yes No
DraftKings Yes Yes No
FanDuel Yes Yes No
Hollywood/Barstool Yes Yes No
PlayLive! Yes No No
Parx Yes Yes No
PlaySugarHouse YesYes No
PokerStars/FOX Bet Yes Yes Yes
Unibet Yes Yes No
Wind Creek Yes No No

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).

FAQ

Responsible Gambling

It is part of our mission to be a resource for gambling education and provide support information to Pennsylvania bettors who may have a gambling problem. We provide contacts for support groups such as the Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania (1-215-643-4542) and the PGCB helpline (1-800-GAMBLER). You can also ask the PGCB to instruct state-regulated casinos and sportsbooks to exclude you from playing for a period of time.

Author

More than 30 years working in online gaming and sports journalism. I hope to explain the growing US online casino market to help those new to internet gambling have a better understanding.

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