- Pennsylvania Online Casinos - 2020 Bonus Offers & Promo Codes
- Pa Parx Casino Online
- Pennsylvania Casinos - American Casino Guide
Pennsylvania is the most populous US state with legal, regulated online gambling in 2020.
The omnibus expansion package Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law in 2017 authorized interactive gaming across multiple verticals — including lottery, casino, fantasy sports, sports betting, and poker.
PA Online Casinos See the Best Online Casinos in Pennsylvania It’s a great time to be a player and bettor in the Keystone State. Pennsylvania is now home to online casinos, online sports betting, and online poker. Online casinos first launched in Pennsylvania in July 2019. Since then, the. Wind Creek Casino.
The first PA online casinos launched in July 2019, and it didn’t take long for a variety of options to become available to gamblers in the Keystone State.
Pennsylvania online casino bonuses
PA online casinos
These 12 online casinos are licensed to operate legally in Pennsylvania:
- BetAmerica Casino
- Party Casino (coming soon)
- Wind Creek Casino
Each PA online casino features a variety of slots, table games, and video poker — with many additionally including other novelty games among their many selections.
BetAmerica
- Land-based partner: Presque Isle Downs
- Date launched: Jan. 28, 2020
Operating through a partnership with Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, BetAmerica is owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated — home of the Kentucky Derby.
BetAmerica has over 50 different types of slot games, including popular titles such as Blood Suckers, Fairy Tale Legends Hansel & Gretel, Jack Hammer, Lucky Angler, Spinata Grande, and Twin $pin. Available table games include blackjack androulette.
One drawback, though: unlike other online casinos in Pennsylvania, BetAmerica has no mobile option and is only available via a web-browser.
BetRivers Casino
- Land-based partner: Rivers Pittsburgh
- Date launched: Jan. 30, 2020
Although affiliated with Rivers Casino Pittsburgh, the BetRivers online casino technically operates under Rivers Casino Philadelphia’s gaming license. The casino is essentially a skin of PlaySugarHouse, also operated by Rivers and similarly run on a platform provided by Rush Street Interactive.
BetRivers features games from several different studios, withmore than 70 different kinds of slots from which to choose. Popular titles include Cats, Double Jackpot, Guns ‘N Roses, Jimi Hendrix, Jingle Spin, Tiger 7s, White Orchid, and Wild Life.
Table and card games include blackjack, baccarat, and multiple roulette games. There is also a variety of video poker games powered by Game King.
Caesars Casino
- Land-based partner: Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Date launched: April 23, 2020
Harrah’s Philadelphia was among the last of Pennsylvania’s casinos to launch its online products. The sports half of Caesars Sportsbook & Casino launched in March 2020, with the online casino component following in April.
At launch, the casino had just 12 slots available and no other games. The launch titles were: 88 Fortunes, Bruce Lee, Mad Mad Monkey, Raging Rhino, Starmania, Zeus (and Zeus III), Celestial King, Kronos Unleashed, Spartacus: Gladiator of Rome, Monopoly: Mega Movers, and Montezuma.
The selection of games should expand soon. The app and website both follow closely the design of Caesars Casino New Jersey, which has over 300 games available. Pennsylvania players can probably expect to have a similar array of options in time.
DraftKings Casino
- Land-based partner: Meadows
- Date launched: May 1, 2020
If there was any doubt before, there is little question now that DraftKings is a full-scale gambling company. In addition to sports betting, the once-small DFS site has now pivoted all the way into online casino gambling as a newly public corporation.
DraftKings Casino made its debut in Pennsylvania in May 2020 on the back of the Meadows license, additionally relying on an alliance with Scientific Games for the platform and content.
Fox Bet Casino
- Land-based partner: Mount Airy
- Date launched: Nov. 4, 2019
Longtime online poker giant PokerStars partnered with Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mt. Pocono to launch the first online poker room in Pennsylvania in early November 2019, also launching its online casino at the same time. A great option for poker players who also like to play other casino games, everything — along with sports betting, too — is housed in one handy standalone client.
There are around 50 different choices of slots available, with Frog of Fortune, The Imperial Kitchen, Lion Storm, Turn Your Fortune, and the exclusive Stars Classic Slot among the most popular.
Unsurprisingly given the poker connection, there’s a wide range of table and card games in the PokerStars online casino. There’s blackjack, baccarat, and roulette, of course, but also many different “single hand” games like Jacks or Better, Joker Poker, Aces and Eights and more. There are multiplayer versions of these games, too, at a variety of stakes, as well as video poker.
Hollywood Casino
- Land-based partner: Hollywood Casino
- Date launched: July 15, 2019
After being the first to launch an online sportsbook in Pennsylvania, Hollywood Casino in Grantville was the technically the first to launch an online casino as well, beating Parx by a few hours.
Parent company Penn National Gaming partnered with multinational gambling company IGT to power the site which after a few small hiccups early on has become a go-to option for online casino game fans in the state.
There are more than 50 kinds of slots available, with Butterfly 2, Cash-o-Matic, Cleopatra, Da Vinci Diamonds, Double Stacks, Electric Tiger, Jumanji, and Wheel of Fortune among those featured.
Table and card games include blackjack, baccarat, and several different roulette games, plus video poker.
FanDuel Casino
- Land-based partner: Valley Forge
- Date launched: Jan. 24, 2020
Daily fantasy sports giant FanDuel jumped into the retail and online sportsbook market in a big way starting in 2018 and now has branched out to other casino games as well, starting in Pennsylvania. With Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia as its land-based partner, FanDuel has joined forces with IGT for its platform and GAN for account management.
FanDuel Casino got off to a fast start after launching a little over a week before Super Bowl LIV, using a number of promotions to hit the ground running and quickly become a leading revenue gainer among all the online casinos in the state.
The FanDuel online casino includes only a modest offering of slots, with favorites Cleopatra, Da Vinci Diamonds, Dead or Alive, Divine Fortune and others among the choices. Table games include the usual blackjack and roulette varieties.
Parx Casino
- Land-based partner: Parx
- Date launched: July 15, 2019
Parx Casino in Bensalem was one of the very first in the state to launch an online casino, partnering with industry vet GAN to provide a robust selection of casino games on its online platform from the get-go.
Like other online casinos in the state Parx offers slots, table games, and video poker, and intends to introduce live-dealer games as well. The slots selection is particularly large with around a 100 different choices, including all the Vegas classics like Atomic Meltdown, Cleopatra, Crown Egypt, DaVinci Diamonds, Pixies of the Forest, Tiger 7’s, Triple Diamond, Wheel of Fortune, Wolf Run and many more.
There are more table games at Parx than elsewhere, too, including blackjack, baccarat, several different roulette games and Jacks-or-better, as well as video poker.
PlayLive! Casino
- Land-based partner: Live! Hotel & Casino Philadelphia
- Date launched: Aug. 11, 2020
PlayLive! was the first online casino in the state to launch without an active land-based casino partner at the time. Although its owner, Cordish Companies, is an in-state licensee, its two properties in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh were still under construction when it launched its online product.
It launched with a fairly robust selection of games for a first-time operator, including a standard set of table games and video poker titles, plus nearly 100 slots. Its platform is provided by GAN.
PlaySugarHouse Casino
- Land-based partner: Rivers Philadelphia
- Date launched: July 17, 2019
Rivers Casino Philadelphia’s online casino is similar in all respects to the skin at BetRivers described above, with both run on a platforms provided by Rush Street Interactive.
Here players will find the same variety of options from several different game studios, with Dead or Alive, Divine Fortune, Double Ruby, Sparkling Roses, and Triple X Threat among the most popular slot selections. Table games (blackjack, baccarat, and roulette) and video poker are also favorites here.
Unibet Casino
- Land-based partner: Mohegan Sun Pocono
- Date launched: Nov. 13, 2019
European gaming giant Unibet partnered with Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre to bring online casino games to Pennsylvania. The platform is the result of a collaboration between Unibet parent company Kindred and Scientific Games.
More than 70 different slots games are on offer, including all the favorites and popular ones like Cleopatra, Dead or Alive, Divine Fortune, Gonzo’s Quest and Siberian Storm. Among the table games there is blackjack (including an exclusive “micro stakes” version), baccarat, and a half-dozen routlette variants.
There is a jackpot game as well plus several video poker options, among them exclusive varieties of Deuces Wild and Jacks or Better.
Wind Creek Casino
- Land-based partner: Wind Creek Bethlehem
- Date launched: Aug. 5, 2020
Wind Creek launched Pennsylvania’s 11th online casino early in the state’s second year of iGaming. It took a little bit longer to get off the ground than others as a newcomer to the state, having only just acquired its land-based property in June last year. The casino’s former owner was Las Vegas Sands Corporation, controlled by SheldonAdelson, a noted opponent of online gambling. Sands sold the property to Wind Creek Hospitality, a tribal operator based in Alabama, who had no such qualms about launching an online product.
Wind Creek’s technology partner for the online casino is California-based PalaInteractive. The casino launched with 77 slots titles, 7 table games and 2 video poker titles. Wind Creek holds a poker license and Pala has a poker platform, but it remains to be seen whether they attempt to launch an online poker product.
PA online casino apps
While all Pennsylvania online casinos are available via web-based browsers on your laptop or desktop, nearly all are also accessible on mobile devices as an online casino app.
These Android and iOS (Apple) apps are free to download and in many respects feature the same functionality as the web-based versions of the online casino. They do, however, sometimes feature fewer games to choose from than their web-based counterparts.
Android users cannot download apps from the Google Play Store since it does not allow gambling apps. However they can download apps directly from the casino’s websites using their device’s browser.
Meanwhile iOS users face a different obstacle since Apple instituted a policy requiring gambling apps to be built on the native iOS (and not coded in HTML5). That forced new online casinos to build their own iOS apps.
As a result, some Pennsylvania online casinos offer iOS apps, some offer Android apps, some have both and one has neither. In some cases, such as BetRivers and FanDuel Casino, you access the online casino via the online sportsbook app.
Consult with your favorite site to see what options are currently available.
Like online casinos elsewhere, those in PA offer a wide variety of slots, table games, and video poker. Many also have plans to include “live-dealer” table games in which an actual dealer in a studio conducts the games.
Slots
If you like slots in retail casinos, you’ll discover slots in online casinos to be very similar.
They comprise by far the majority of games in PA online casinos and include many of the same favorites found in the brick-and-mortar realm. Even the games themselves are often identical, including classics like Cleopatra, Wheel of Fortune, and Wolf Run.
When playing slots online you can either search games by title or filter them in various ways, including by the studios that create the games such as IGT, NetEnt, Everi, and Konami. You can also often search by the number of reels, progressive jackpots, and in other ways that can’t so easily be done when playing live slots.
Table games
The most frequently found table games in PA online casinos are blackjack, baccarat, and roulette. Larger casinos feature multiple variants of each as well as different stakes.
Blackjack games often feature fun side bets, multi-hand games, and offer variants such as Blackjack Switch, Free Bet Blackjack, and Spanish 21.
Roulette almost always features either American or European roulette among other options.
Video poker
Video poker also greatly resembles what you find in a live casino, with the familiar Game King suite of games a popular option. There you’ll find all the favorite variants like Deuces Wild, Jacks or Better, and Double Bonus.
Live-dealer games
Live-dealer table games help make online casinos seem even more like the “real” thing. These involve playing games like blackjack, baccarat, roulette, three-card poker, casino hold’em, and other table and card games with a live dealer or croupier managing the action from a studio.
While you play you can chat via text with the dealers and other players, making the social component of the games even more comparable to what you’ll find in a retail casino.
No live-dealer games are available in Pennsylvania quite yet. State law requires that the studio be located within the state, and there is no such studio yet. However, Evolution Gaming has said it expects its new studio to open before the end of 2020. Live-dealer games should roll out quickly once that happens, as Evolution already has deals in place with some operators in the state.
Depositing at PA online casinos
Most online casinos in Pennsylvania provide a wide variety of depositing methods, typically including some or all of the following:
- ACH / eCheck
- credit cards (especially Visa and MasterCard)
- debit cards
- online banking / bank transfers
- PayPal
- Skrill
- Play+
- PayNearMe
- check
- cash at the casino cage
When it comes to withdrawals, there are typically fewer options available. These tend to include:
- ACH / eCheck
- PayPal
- check
- cash at the casino cage
Be sure to check with each online casinos to see which banking options are available. Also check with the sites to determine how long the different transactions take. Most are very fast (or even instantaneous), but some do take longer than others.
As found in online sportsbooks across the country, Pennsylvania’s online casinos all offer bonuses of various types to encourage players to sign up and continue playing. These vary depending on the online casino, though in most cases you will find the following:
Welcome bonus
In most cases, the welcome bonus comes in the form of no-risk bets that allow first-time users a way to try out the games without having to worry about losing money.
In some cases these welcome bonuses are no deposit bonuses, meaning you are simply given a small amount of money (usually from $10 to $25) with which you can play any of the available games. These bonuses cannot be withdrawn — you must wager the entire bonus — but you can keep the winnings you earn.
Other welcome bonuses are tied to making a first deposit. These matching bonuses usually match a first deposit 100% up to a certain maximum amount. Again, the bonus money cannot be withdrawn before it is wagered, and there is usually a time limit during which the bonus money must be used (e.g., 30 or 60 days).
Loyalty / rewards programs
Some online casinos offer ongoing loyalty programs that reward players with cash or “comps” according to how much they play, much like is found in brick-and-mortar casinos. Loyalty programs are more commonly found with online casinos than with online sportsbooks, and often will be linked to the retail casinos’ programs.
Other promotions
Most PA online casinos often offer ways to earn bonuses via promotions such as reload bonuses, double-points deals, referral bonuses, and more. Keep an eye out for these as they come along.
PA online casino FAQ
Below are some common questions and answers related to PA online casinos.
How many PA online gambling sites are there?
Interactive gaming permits are limited based on the number of casino licenses issued by the state. As things currently stand, that means there are 13 interactive permits available in each of these categories:
- Slots
- Table games
- Poker
That makes room for as many as 39 brands, but the number of licenses doesn’t necessarily equate to the number of sites. Each property can partner with multiple brands under its land-based license.
Pennsylvania operators need to be partnered with a PA casino licensee and display their brand prominently.
Who can gamble online in PA?
Broadly speaking, individuals located in the state who are 21 and over can participate. You do not have to be a resident of Pennsylvania to play.
Employees of land-based licensees and key employees of platform providers are excluded, as are individuals who are barred from land-based casinos and individuals who have elected to self-exclude.
What casino games are available online in PA?
In simple terms, online casino games and online poker games are all available. But the bill gives regulators reasonable latitude to approve a wide array of games.
Due to the unique taxation structure that penalizes slot play and favors table games and poker, some new game variants may be developed for the PA market that attempt to appeal to slot players while remaining within the definition of a table game or a poker game.
What are the tax rates for PA online gambling?
There are three distinct tax rates for online games:
- Slots: 54%
- Table games: 34%
- Poker: 16%
Tax is based on gross gaming revenue, defined as “the total of all cash or cash equivalent wagers […] minus the total of cash or cash equivalents paid out to to registered players as winnings.”
How much revenue does PA make from online gambling?
Visit this PA gambling expansion revenue page for a full breakdown from PlayPennsylvania.
Who regulates PA online gambling?
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) oversees all aspects of the PA interactive gaming industry.
PO Box 69060
Harrisburg, PA 17106-9060
Phone: (717) 346-8300
Email: [email protected]
Table Of Contents
Two (or Three) Pennsylvania Online Casinos Prepared for Monday Launch
Online poker players in Pennsylvania have been eyeing next Monday on the calendar since the spring when the state's regulators announced that the 'live period for interactive gaming will commence on July 15, 2019.'
More specifically, it was mid-April when Kevin O'Toole, executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed the 10 iGaming certificate holders and three iGaming operators in the state of the July 15 commencement date when online games could go live. That news came about a year-and-a-half after the state's passage of legislation to expand gambling in the state, including online.
So... Monday is almost here. Who is ready to launch their online casino?
Penn Bets reports that 'two, possibly three casinos' are expected to launch on Monday. According to Doug Harbach of the PGCB, Parx Casino is ready for at least a soft launch of its online casinos on Monday, with Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course 'also working toward being ready.'
Additionally, 'a third could be ready, but that decision would occur just before the 15th,' Harbach explained. Penn Bets speculates that Rush Street Gaming, operator of the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh could also be set to go on Monday. Both of those casinos already have had online sports betting up and running — SugarHouse since late May, Parx since late June.
The soft launch would entail sites being open for game play for limited hours in order to control traffic and be able to test payment mechanisms, geolocation, and other legally required measures.
While the new online casinos are expected to offer both slots and various table games, it's unclear at present whether online poker will be available right away.
Pokerfusehas reported that PokerStars 'is likely to launch its online poker room' in Pennsylvania on Monday, although there have been no other indications from those involved that such will occur. PokerStars' parent company The Stars Group partnered with the Mount Airy Casino in Pocono last year.
More than eight years after Black Friday, legal and regulated online poker is currently being played in just three U.S. states — Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware.
A good resource to follow the online gambling-related goings-on in the Keystone State is Play Pennsylvania, in particular their constantly updated launch date page tracking online casinos and sportsbooks in the state.
Eldorado Sells Two More Properties Following Caesars Merger
There's more follow-up to share regarding the big industry story of the summer (so far) — that is, last month's deal between Eldorado Resorts Inc. and Caesars Entertainment Corp. that saw Eldorado acquire and merge with Caesars in a cash-and-stock agreement worth $17.3 billion (plus debt).
Not unexpectedly, Eldorado announced yesterday an intention to sell a couple of properties, likely the first of several such moves designed to free up cash to help pay off both its own debt and what it is taking on from Caesars.
Las Vegas Review-Journal reports Eldorado has agreed to sell both the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City, Missouri and the Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Twin River Worldwide Holdings Inc. of Rhode Island is the buyer with the price tag $230 million in cash. The sale is expected to close in early 2020.
Eldorado had already unloaded three smaller casinos in June just prior to the merger announcement, selling the Isle Casino Cape Girardeau (in Missouri), the Lady Luck Casino Caruthersville (also in Missouri), and Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort (in West Virginia) to Century Casinos Inc. for a total of $385 million.
Even after the new sale, the newly-merged company which will be called Caesars still has around 60 different assets altogether, including nine Las Vegas Strip properties.
Speculation continues about which of those properties might become available for sale. Regarding other areas, LVRJ refers to analyst Brad Boyer saying he expects further sales, such as in Louisiana where Eldorado and Caesars currently own three properties each.
Pennsylvania Online Casinos - 2020 Bonus Offers & Promo Codes
North Carolina Lawmakers Advance Sports Betting Bill
Finally, there are a couple of stories involving gambling legislation currently developing in North Carolina to pass along.
First, a sports betting bill previously passed by the state Senate made it through a House committee this week, meaning it could soon be voted upon by that chamber and sent onward to Governor Roy Cooper for his signature.
As The News & Observer reports, the current bill would only allow betting on sports and horse racing at the two Eastern Band of Cherokee casinos located in the westermost part of the state. As Representative Kevin Corbin explained, the bill would not 'legalize sports betting and gambling in North Carolina,' but only would 'add this to the list of games that are allowed' already in the state's only casinos.
Pa Parx Casino Online
Back in April, the state Senate passed the sports betting bill by a vote of 43-7.
Meanwhile yesterday another bill was passed by the entire House that allows the creation of a consolidated state commission to oversee all gambling-related activities in the state. The new nine-member North Carolina Gaming Commission would also take over duties currently belonging to the state's lottery commission.
According to the Associated Press, the bill which passed the House by a 86-26 margin had earlier contained a provision formally legalizing daily fantasy sports, but that language was dropped. Remaining in the bill, however, is another item requiring the new commission to study the pros and cons of authorizing betting on sports and steeplechases.
In May lawmakers in NC passed a different 'charity casino' bill allowing charities in the state to host 'game nights' with casino games and alcohol. In that case, only charity casinos in close proximity to the two Cherokee casinos are excluded from being able to offer the games.
The Stars Group owns a majority shareholding in iBus Media.
Photo: 'Pa. Welcome Sign, McKean County' (adapted), CC0.
Pennsylvania Casinos - American Casino Guide
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