Pennsylvania is one of 14 states where the PointsBet sportsbook is legal and live. So what can sports bettors in the Keystone State expect here? In this PointsBet review, we’ll look at what PointsBet offers in terms of promos, features, customer support and more.
When you open a PointsBet account, a fabulous welcome bonus lies in wait to boost your wagering power as you start enjoying Pennsylvania sports betting. You can use it to receive up to $250 in second chance bets. And there are many other ways to get extra value from playing at this elite online sportsbook.
The offer that greets you as you become a PointsBet customer is both innovative and intriguing. Place a bet of up to $50 on each of the first five days your account is live, and if you lose the bet you get a second chance. Your stake is returned to you as a second chance bet - that means if all the first wagers that you place on your initial five days are unsuccessful, you could receive up to $250 in second-chance bets.
Check out the left-hand menu on the PointsBet site, and you will find Name A Bet, one of the most unusual and inventive ways in which this operator tries to attract you as a customer. Maybe there is a particular wager you want to place on your favorite sport or team, but it is not included in the current coupon. Use this feature to request a bet you would like to see. PointsBet's oddsmakers will review that request and may offer you the chance to make a wager.
The point of placing a parlay is to generate a possible big payout with a small stake. PointsBet takes this to an extra level by enabling you to boost two of your parlay wagers each day. Place a same-game parlay with at least three legs and look for the lightning bolt logo on your bet slip; clicking it means you boost your potential payout. As well as single-game parlays, there is also a daily boost available for a traditional wager on multiple events. It's worth noting that the book also offers regular odds boosts on fixed odds markets.
If one of your friends, inspired by seeing you having fun playing at PointsBet, decides to open an account, you could both receive a bonus as a result. You have to send them a unique referral link, which you can access through the Refer A Friend feature on the website or app. Once they have opened an account, been a member for 14 days, turned over at least $250 and placed a bet of at least $20, you both will be in line for s $50 second chance bet.
Complimentary bets are one of the most popular types of welcome bonus, which makes the PointsBet promo code one of the best sports betting promo codes available.
The fact that each of your second chance bets is worth up to $50 means you can enjoy your first fixed-odds bet on each of your first five days without the fear of losing your stake completely.
This means you could use your initial wagers on your favorite sports, or even try out a new sport or a new type of bet. If you can afford to stake up to $50 on each one, and they all lose, you could end up with second chance bets worth $250.
Check out the terms and conditions carefully to make sure you get the full benefit of this offer over your first five days as a PointsBet customer. By doing so, you ensure that you meet all the wagering requirements and claim your second chance bets before they expire.
Although the minimum deposit when you open a PointsBet account is just $10, you need to stake at least $20 on at least one of your wagers in your first five days to qualify for the bonus.
You should be credited with each second chance bet within 24 hours, and you must use it within seven days. You cannot withdraw them as cash,.
There is a great deal of value in the PointsBet welcome bonus - and not just in the number of dollars and cents you might generate as a result of triggering it.
Sports bettors enjoy second chance bets because it takes away the pressure. Even if your wager loses, you will be receiving your stake back, albeit in the form of bet credit.
The value of 'second chance' bets compared to other types of promo, such as deposit boosts and deposit matches, depends on your style and regularity of betting. Shop around and check out various PA sportsbook promos to see which suits you best.
Every good online sportsbook has features that make sports betting there a pleasure rather than a chore. The PointsBet sportsbook is no exception in this respect, and indeed it boasts several features that explain its stature as one of the leading destinations for online sports betting in Pennsylvania and more than a dozen other states.
This is the type of betting that gives the brand its name and is a genuine differentiator in the sports betting landscape. As well as fixed-odds betting, PointsBet gives you a chance to try a new way of wagering that will ring a bell with anybody familiar with the financial markets, or indeed with European-style spread betting.
To put it simply, when you place a PointsBetting wager, the size of your win - or loss - depends on the degree by which it succeeds or fails.
Let's say you believe the Philadelphia Eagles will score more than the over/under total in their next NFL game. If the number put up by the book is 29 and you stake $50 on that outcome, if the Eagles score 34 points you win $250. But if they score only 24, you lose $250.
This type of betting is an exciting variation on the theme of spreads and totals bets, and you can win big - but you can lose big too.
Live betting is increasingly popular with sports bettors in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Many people love the opportunity to place bets while an event is underway.
PointsBet is breaking new ground in this respect with its exclusive Live Golf Betting Hub. This includes leaderboard updates, shot-by-shot data, and in-game visualizations to bring events to life and make placing live bets on big golf events even more enjoyable.
Single-game parlays are another increasingly popular way to get closer to your favorite sports and teams. More and more online sportsbooks are enabling customers to compile bets around outcomes within a particular game.
PointsBet is going a step further by allowing you to place same-game parlays on an NBA game after the action has started. If you're a fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, or indeed any NBA team, you may get the chance to make a wager after tip-off.
Every bettor knows how it feels when your wager goes west because of a genuinely rough piece of luck. Maybe a player you picked to score a certain number of points gets injured in the opening minutes or your over/under bet loses because a referee missed a crucial late foul.
The PointsBet Karma Kommittee sits at short notice to address such injustices. And occasionally, it will rule that all bettors who wagered on that outcome deserve a return of their stake in the form of 'second chance' bets. You can tweet them at #karmakommittee to bring a bad beat to their attention and appeal for a refund.
PointsBet's rapid rise to prominence in several US states has been assisted by its 2021 acquisition of Banach Technology, a leading software company. The wagering experience at PointsBet is now widely regarded as easy and smooth, both for desktop users and players who download and use the sportsbook app.
Live betting and live streaming are at the forefront of the PointsBet offering, and players enjoy the swift navigation between events that ensures you can make a bet on live action quickly.
One way in which any sportsbook can open its virtual doors to as many potential customers as possible is by offering a wide range of online banking methods. PointsBet scores highly in this regard, although its selection of ways in which you can withdraw your money is far less expansive. Ideally, it would like you to use the PointsBet Mastercard as your preferred way of depositing.
With no PointsBet retail sportsbook located in Pennsylvania, the option of depositing and withdrawing in cash at a partner casino is not currently available.
Many sportsbook customers appreciate the ease and convenience of mobile sports betting, and PointsBet provides this in style. The PointsBet sportsbook app is one of the highest rated of its kind at both the App Store and Google Play Store, and with good reason.
The mobile app is sleek in design; the layout is similar to that of the desktop and, indeed, it is more aesthetically pleasing on the mobile app than on a computer screen. All the betting markets, promos and features on the PointsBet website are also on this highly impressive sports betting app.
If you want to try mobile betting at the PointsBet sportsbook, you can click straight from the website to your appropriate app store.
You can also download the PointsBet mobile app by visiting the app store that corresponds to your device. In either case, when you search for and find the PointsBet app, you can simply click on it to download it.
🗣 "The app itself has functioned flawlessly so far. In terms of the sportsbook, the list of promotions is never ending and it seems like there is a new one every day."
🗣 "Their great customer support and unique betting options is what makes me consider them my favorite book."
🗣 "I thought customer support was great, until I was excluded from promos without warning."
🗣 "Great app, great interface, user friendly, fun to use."
🗣 "PointsBet hooks it up with plenty of free sports bets. Deposits and withdraws are quick and easy. The user interface is smooth and quick."
🗣 "Good betting site and app, stacks up well against the competition... only drawback is their selection of college games is a bit limited."
If you dedicate your online sports betting time to one particular operator, it's great to see that loyalty recognized and rewarded. Customers here have two ways in which their dedication can pay off, as PointsBet offers a couple of reward systems that add extra value for committed bettors.
The first is the PointsBet Rewards program. This is a straightforward scheme whereby you accrue points for every wager you stake, and when you have enough points they can be traded for bet credit.
You earn one point for every $5 wagered on a fixed odds bet. On parlays, it's a point for every dollar you stake, and you earn a point for every $1 won or lost on PointsBetting.
When you have collected 250 points, you can receive $2.50 bet credit; for 500 points you get a $5 wager, and so on.
The other rewards program available to PointsBet customers is the Diamond Club. This can only be accessed by invitation; but if you are lucky enough to be asked to join, you will be in line for special rewards, including personalized promotions, access to events and the chance to meet PointsBet ambassadors.
PointsBet offers its new customers a streamlined and straightforward experience when registering for an account.
This brand has risen rapidly through the ranks to become one of the nation's premier online sportsbooks in the states that have made PointsBet legal. PointsBet Illinois, PointsBet Michigan and PointsBet NJ are all recording outstanding results - and Pennsylvania is no exception, helped by the way this brand stacks up against its big rivals.
However you like to bet on sports, you will find what you are looking for at the PointsBet app and website. The bet types available include the following main categories of sports wagers.
The most straightforward way of placing a fixed-odds wager. All you have to do is predict who you believe will be the outright winner of a contest, and stake your money accordingly. As a result, the moneyline is one of the most prominently featured betting options at an online sportsbook.
One of the most popular methods of enjoying regular sports betting. Point spread bets are handicaps in which the sportsbook gives the underdog a head start so that the odds are evened up - usually -110/-110 when the "juice" is factored in. You have to decide whether or not the favorite will win by more than the handicap so that it "covers the spread."
Hugely popular with casual and regular sports bettors, a parlay dangles before your eyes the prospect of a big payout in return for a relatively minor stake. You make multiple selections and, as each wins, your winnings roll over on to the next. The catch is that if just one loses, you are left with nothing.
Totals
Within any game, there are numbers you can bet on. That could be the combined total of points, runs or goals scored by both sides in a game. The sportsbook's lines-maker suggests what that total will be and you predict whether the actual outcome will be higher or lower than that. As a result, these are also known as over/unders.
Prop bets, or propositions to give them their full title, are placed on outcomes within a game. They can relate to individual performances or a team's progress, such as the race to a particular number of points. Check out the coupon on a major event, and there could be literally hundreds of prop bets to make wagers on.
Sports bets do not have to be placed simply on upcoming games. You can look much farther down the line and place fixed-odds bets on outcomes such as the next Super Bowl, NBA Finals or World Series many months in advance. You can often find the futures bet you are looking for in the Featured section of the left-hand menu on the PointsBet website.
It's important to emphasize that PointsBet has a strong focus on fixed-odds betting on all its platforms - but at the same time, it offers the chance to try a totally new method, called PointsBetting. The size of your payout, or liability, depends on the extent to which your wager wins or loses. It's great fun, though not for the faint-hearted.
PointsBet users naturally want to be reassured that their personal data and sensitive financial details are fully protected at all times while using the website or app. This is a well-respected brand with a presence in many states and territories. It offers security measures such as SSL encryption on all transactions and has also added dual-factor authentication and Face ID recognition to increase the levels of protection enjoyed by customers who play here.
The PointsBet customer service offering is solid rather than spectacular. If you want to contact PointsBet, you have several options - although in Pennsylvania these do not include a phone number.
The best way of getting in touch is the 24/7 live chat function, while for less urgent inquiries you can try the email address service@pointsbet.com or the generous FAQ section on the website.
With PointsBet legal in several states, there is every reason to trust this operator when you are weighing your sports betting options.
Any PointsBet review simply has to conclude that this is one of the very best online sports betting options available to the people of Pennsylvania.
PointsBet has evolved in an incredibly short space of time from being a scrappy challenger to its current status as one of the top sportsbooks around. PointsBet West Virginia, PointsBet Arizona and the brand's New York operation are all thriving, as is the Pennsylvania offering.
The core reasons for this success are an excellent user experience, the ability for bettors to enjoy a range of innovative bonus bets and a wide variety of sports betting markets. There is the sense of a company at the cutting edge, happy to blaze the trail with the new possibilities PointsBet offers in the form of PointsBetting, live same-game parlays and the chance to name your own bet.
It is not easy to find drawbacks here. One area where there could be an improvement is the design of the website. Having the left-hand menu hidden as a default is not ideal, the promo area takes up too much of the homepage and the whole presentation feels too spaced out. Check out another brand that uses a black background, such as DraftKings, for an example of how the page could be designed more shrewdly.
Another small quibble is the dearth of withdrawal options. Three really isn't a large number, and the fact that FanDuel Pennsylvania has more than double that total shows where progress can be made.
Overall, these small negatives are outweighed by the hugely positive impression made by the PointsBet sportsbook. If you are considering diving into the betting markets in the Keystone State, a visit to PointsBet will be time well spent as you consider your options.
One of the factors that makes PointsBet legit is its strong commitment to responsible gambling, like all operators licensed by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). At the foot of the website and on the PointsBet app, you will find a link to an in-depth section dedicated to ensuring players are in control of their betting at all times.
There are tips to help you stay within your limits, guidance on the signs that you may be developing a gambling problem and help with self-exclusion programs. You will also find links to free resources available in Pennsylvania. These include the PGCB's Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling, Gambler's Anonymous of PA, and the Council on Compulsive Gambling of PA.
As you would expect from an up-and-coming brand, PointsBet makes good use of social media to get its message across to a digitally savvy generation of bettors. Its main Twitter account is extremely busy, with frequent video-led updates and promos, and has a following in six figures as a result.
You can also find Twitter feeds dedicated to certain states, including PointsBet Illinois and PointsBet Michigan, but Pennsylvania has yet to ascend to that status.
On Instagram, meanwhile, the main PointsBet USA feed is much less busy than its Twitter counterpart but still commands a healthy following with its visual output.
Yes, it is. PointsBet launched in Pennsylvania in February 2022 and is quickly rising up the league table for handle and revenue against more established rivals. It virtually doubled its monthly revenue in less than a year and fully deserves to be regarded as one of the leading online sports betting brands in the state.
Yes, it does. It triggers a bonus in the form of five second chance bets of up to $50 each over the first five days of your account. If any lose, your stake is refunded in the form of bet credit. The fact that the bonus is several 'second chance' bets rather than just one adds to the fun.
Yes, you can. There are many ways to fill your bet slip here including point spreads, live betting, futures and the moneyline, as well as the brand’s own PointsBetting. You will be able to track your betting history and view your pending bets and settled bets.
Yes, there is – and the PointsBet app is widely regarded as one of the very best in the mobile betting market. You can download the app to an iPhone or Android device, and it contains all the betting markets, features and promotions that website users can enjoy.
You will need to be at least 21 years old to open a sports betting account with PointsBet PA. While you do not need to be a resident of the Keystone State, you will need to be physically located within its boundaries to be able to register as a customer and to place bets on the website or app.
Author
Award-winning contributor covering sports betting and casino gaming around the world for decades, Martin Booth is one of the most trusted voices in online gambling.
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