Published on
Update on
Author

Nearly a year and a half since the governor of Pennsylvania signed into law legislation that proposed statewide gambling expansions, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has finally announced the official launch date of the state’s online gambling industry. Thankfully, online gaming enthusiasts within the state’s borders will only have to wait a little less than 90 days before they can begin placing bets from anywhere they may be within borders of the state.

“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,” Kevin O’Toole, the executive director of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said during the Wednesday PGCB announcement.

What to Expect

As it stands, a total of 10 of the licensed land-based casino operators are on track to launch their own online gaming products as from July 15. They will, of course, not be offering the same kind of games and this is based on the licenses that applied for from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Here is a brief breakdown of what players can look forward to:

Online Poker and Casino Games

  • Parx Casino (Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment)
  • Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack (Chester Downs and Marina)
  • Mount Airy Casino Resort (Mount Airy #1)
  • Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course (Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing)
  • Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem (Sands Bethworks Gaming)
  • SugarHouse Casino (Sugarhouse HSP Gaming)
  • Valley Forge Casino Resort (Valley Forge Convention Center Partners)

For online poker players, these are certainly very exciting times since the industry is set to kick off on a very high not in the Keystone State thanks to all of the partnerships that the casinos have inked ahead of the launch. Here is how the operators have been partnered:

  • Parx Casino / GAN
  • Harrah’s Philadelphia / 888poker (WSOP)
  • Mount Airy Casino / PokerStars
  • Hollywood Casino / IGT
  • Sands Casino / unknown
  • SugarHouse Casino / Rush Street Interactive
  • Valley Forge Casino / PartyPoker

Online Slot and Table Games Only

  • Live! Philadelphia Casino (Stadium Casino)
  • Presque Isle Downs Casino (Presque Isle Downs)
  • Mohegan Sun Pocono (Downs Racing)

Sports Betting

Long before the July 15 launch date of interactive gaming in Pennsylvania, the state’s online sportsbooks will finally go live. The land-based sportsbooks have been operational since late last year and they have managed to post some pretty impressive revenue figures. Online and mobile sports betting are expected to boost all that.