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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.
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Latest Casino & Sports Betting News in Pennsylvania
Part of our mission is to consistently provide up-to-date Pennsylvania gambling news and developments. We do that both with stories and through social media. As new betting sites launch and new issues and legislation emerge, we will have the latest details for you.
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 Type | Legalized |
|---|---|
| PA Lottery | August 1971 |
| Retail Casinos | January 2007 |
| Daily Fantasy Sports | May 2018 |
| PA Online Lottery | May 2018 |
| Retail sports betting | November 2018 |
| Online sports betting | June 2019 |
| Online Casinos | July 2019 |
| Online Poker | November 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.
| Site | Online Casino | Online Sports | Online 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 | Yes | Yes | 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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