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Pennsylvania Online Gambling Is Finally Launching–Get The Dates Here

The day Pennsylvania gaming enthusiasts have been waiting for is officially on the horizon — the start of legal online gaming is upon us.

Last week, Kevin O’Toole, executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), announced iGaming would begin on July 15.

Here is more from O’Toole:

“Staff has reviewed the estimated time that it would take for us and the industry to complete all necessary steps, and it is our view that 90 days would be adequate. Accordingly, I have advised the 10 iGaming certificate holders and three iGaming operators that a coordinated go-live period for interactive gaming will commence on July 15, 2019.”

As far as mobile sports betting, launch dates will come much sooner than July.  Rivers and Sugarhouse are likely just days away from starting testing periods, making them the first to launch mobile sports betting within one week. Many more will unroll throughout the month of May.

Should everything go according to plan, Pennsylvania will become the fourth state with mobile sports betting and fourth state with legal online poker.

Pennsylvania will join Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada with legal online gambling.

The long road to PA online gaming

Eighteen months ago, Gov. Tom Wolf signed H 271, an expansive gaming package.

Ten of the state’s 13 casinos have secured permits to offer table games and slot machines online. Seven of the 10 will also have online poker.

Licenses to offer all three (slot machines, table games and poker) had an initial price point of $10 million.

Other provisions in the bill allow for:

  • Satellite casinos
  • Video gaming terminals at truck stops
  • Tablet games at airports
  • Online lottery

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Pennsylvania mobile sports betting joins retail sportsbooks

Land-based PA sports betting began in November 2018 when Hollywood Casino launched its retail sportsbook.

Retail sports betting in the Keystone State took in more than $44 million in wagers in March. Toss mobile wagering into the mix, which has dominated in nearby New Jersey, and Pennsylvania instantly becomes a major player in the sports betting market.

Sports betting licenses were $10 million each, and there are nine sportsbooks patiently waiting to begin online operations.

Doug Harbach, communications director for the PGCB, told Legal Sports Report, any one of the above operators would begin testing soon.

“We expect to begin live testing of the online sports betting app for at least one of the approved casino vendors within the next two-three weeks,” Harbach said.

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