Legal Online Gambling in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is home to one of the most liberal online gaming markets in the USA, with players able to enjoy everything from mobile sportsbooks to online casinos. In this guide for the best legal online gambling PA sites, you will learn about everything from the laws to the best gaming options.

PA Laws: Is Online Gambling Legal?

In 2017, Pennsylvanian Governor Tom Wolf signed Bill H271 into law, a broad gambling expansion bill that legalized online poker, online casinos, land-based and online sports betting, and much more. The law was one of the largest advances in state gambling laws in US history and with it, PA became the fourth state to legalize internet gambling.

The online sportsbook section of the Pennsylvania gambling laws could only be enacted once the federal ban on sports betting was overturned. When this was done in 2018, Pennsylvania progressed with the law. By 2019, several top gambling sites came to market, offering a large selection of digital gambling activities created by the world’s best software developers.

All PA online gambling sites are regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The law permitted 12 remote licenses to be distributed among the state’s land-based licenses holders. While the state initially only launched three sites, there are now more than a dozen sites to enjoy casino games, play poker, and wager on sports.

On this page, we will only recommend sites that are legally able to accept Pennsylvania players. Not only is it against the law to join unauthorized sites, but as we will explain, it is also dangerous.

The Best PA Online Gambling Sites

There are a number of high-quality online gambling sites PA, each of them offering its own perks and special features. Many of the sites have won top industry awards and hold strong reputations for fairness and safety. Below, we have listed the top four sites along with their welcome bonuses.

BetMGM

BetMGM launched in December 2020 in partnership with the Hollywood Casino. In our opinion, this is one of the premier sites for legal online gambling PA. Players are able to enjoy a wide range of high-quality slots, table games, live dealer games, and access the bookmaker platform all through the same account.

Unibet

Unibet launched in November 2019 in partnership with the Mohegan Sun Pocono Casino. The site primarily offers games from SG Interactive, a leading software developer for online and land-based games. The site offers a particularly strong return-to-player rate and frequent promotions to new and loyal players.

DraftKings Casino

Although DraftKings originally made its name as a DFS platform, it has since become one of the best PA gambling sites. Launched in November 2019, the site offers a selection of popular games from gambling software heavyweights such as NetEnt and Microgaming. It even has several unique in-house titles such as DraftKings Blackjack.

Caesars Online Casino

Caesars is one of the most iconic brands in gambling around the world, so you can only imagine how good its online casino is. In addition to a full suite of diverse gambling options, the site also offers a rewards program that is integrated with its land-based casino loyalty scheme.

Popular Online Casino Games

Fortunately, there are plenty of options to gamble online in Pennsylvania, meaning players always have a wide variety of titles and game types to enjoy. In this upcoming section, we’ve described the most popular options from online casino table games to slots, and have also recommended some particularly good titles.

Online Slots

Online slots are the most popular game to enjoy at PA online casinos. Some of our recommended casinos offer hundreds of unique titles from some of the world’s best developers. While some are similar to classic land-based slots, others are boundary-pushing titles with plenty of special features.

You can find video slots with an endless variety of themes and aesthetics, meaning that there’s a game for everyone. Many top gambling sites in PA regularly release new slots every week and also offer linked progressive jackpot games. We recommend trying 88 Fortunes and Bonanza in particular.

Blackjack

Blackjack is a classic land-based casino card game that pits players against dealers in a race to 21 points. There are several different variants to try at your chosen PA gambling site, with some offering you the chance to play multiple hands at once, double down on bets, and make side bets.

Did you know that blackjack is one of the fairest games to play at Pennsylvania gambling sites? No matter which variant you choose, every title should offer a return-to-player rate of 97% or more. As long as you adopt a good strategy, you will be able to boost your chances of winning against the dealer.

Roulette

Online roulette, like blackjack, is one of the fairest games that you can play at PA gambling sites. It comes in several different variants including American Roulette and European Roulette. While the American variant may sound more familiar, we recommend the European version as it offers a higher RTP rate.

One of the biggest perks to playing roulette online is that the buy-ins tend to be much cheaper than at brick-and-mortar casinos. This makes the game more accessible to low-budget players. There are many different variants to try online, each with its own unique aesthetic style and animations.

Online Poker

Online poker in Pennsylvania was legalized in 2017, marking the long-awaited return to the state after over a decade of being illegal. Now, players are able to compete against other real-life players in not just Pennsylvania but other legal states such as New Jersey. While many PA gambling sites offer an online poker room, sites such as PokerStars are also available.

Pennsylvanians are able to compete in single cash games as well as tournaments online. There are plenty of different buy-in options available, with some online poker site tournaments offering cash prizes exceeding five digits. For those looking for something less competitive, video poker can also be played.

Live Dealer Games

If you’re looking for an immersive way to enjoy legal online gambling in PA, we highly recommend live dealer games. Live dealer games are typically table games that are hosted by real-life dealers streamed straight to your desktop or mobile device. They can also offer adaptations of game shows and board games.

One of the best live dealer studios, Evolution Gaming, is available to access at several Pennsylvania online gambling sites. These games are usually hosted within PA state lines and often allow you to sit at virtual tables with other local players. For those looking for a hybrid of online and land-based gambling, live games will do the trick.

Online Casino Game Software

While online casino gambling is only a relatively new offering in the USA, many foreign countries have offered legal gambling sites for more than two decades. This means that there are several software developers with over twenty years of experience in creating high-quality, groundbreaking, and fair titles.

Now, Pennsylvanians are able to enjoy a huge selection of these developers’ games. In particular, we recommend titles from SG Interactive and NetEnt. Both developers have won countless industry awards and have strong reputations for crafting popular slots and table games.

States That Offer Online Gambling & Legal Online Casinos

Pennsylvania was the fourth state to legalize online casinos. There are now a total of six states with regulated online casinos, including New Jersey, Delaware, West Virginia, and Michigan. Connecticut legalized online casinos in early 2021, with gambling sites set to launch by the end of the year.

Sports Betting

Pennsylvania has some of the least-restricted sports betting laws in the USA. Players are able to not only bet online, but can also wager at land-based casinos, racetracks, and several other retail outlets. In this upcoming section, we’ve discussed some need-to-know details about legal online sports betting PA.

History of PA Sports Betting

Since 1992, sports betting was illegal in most states in the USA. This was due to the federal PASPA law, which outlawed all forms of sports wagering across the country aside from a few states. In 2017, Pennsylvania legalized retail and online sports wagering, contingent on the repeal of PASPA.

In 2018, the Supreme Court declared PASPA unconstitutional and effectively opened the gates for states to permit the activity if they chose to do so. With sports betting legalized in Pennsylvania overnight, the state was able to launch the market. The first legal PA sports bet was made in December of the same year.

Popular Sports Leagues

Pennsylvania is one of only a handful of states that have teams in all of the Big Four major sports leagues. This has made it the perfect location for betting on sports, and the state is now the third-largest market for betting activity in the country. The following are the most popular leagues to bet on in PA.

NFL

There are two PA teams currently competing in the National Football League — the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The annual Super Bowl event is the largest day for sports betting in Pennsylvania, with locals wagering more than $50 million for 2021’s game. Popular bets include moneyline bets and point spreads.

MLB

There are two Pennsylvanian teams competing in Major League Baseball — the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Moneyline bets tend to be the most common bets for MLB games, which essentially allow you to wager on which team will win.

NHL

There Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins are the two Pennsylvanian teams competing in the National Hockey League. The Penguins in particular have a strong track record in recent seasons, making them a great option for a moneyline bet or futures bet.

NBA

The Philadelphia 76ers are the only PA team competing in the NBA. The team has a loyal local following, which translates to frequent betting among fans. Popular bets for NBA games include Quarter money lines, player props, and first team to score bets.

Bonuses and Promotions

The best PA gambling sites will offer welcome bonuses to lure new customers in. For casinos in Pennsylvania, these can come in the form of free spins on top online slots, or bonus funds to spend on games. While they’re rare, some bonuses may award funds without the need to make a deposit at all.

Bookmaker sites tend to offer bonuses such as free bets, odds boosts, or moneyback offers. This can mean that you can place wagers without risking any cash at all. Sometimes, sites will also offer special promotions on individual sporting events such as the Olympics or the Super Bowl.

If you are already a customer, you also don’t need to miss out on generous offers. Many gambling sites in PA will offer players perks if they make deposits on certain days, whether they be bonus funds, free bets, or free spins. They also tend to offer loyalty programs that award points based on your spending that can be converted into rewards.

Terms and Conditions

Before you claim a bonus, it’s essential to first read the terms and conditions. Here, you will find essential information such as how long the offer is valid for, how many times you need to wager the bonus before it can be turned into cash, and if there are any restrictions on your bonus.

Mobile Apps

All of our recommended sites offer their own PA gambling app. Here, you can play online casino games, make bets, make deposits and withdrawals, and even watch live streams of sports from your smartphone or tablet device. We have tested each of the PA online casino apps and were pleased to find that all are easy to navigate, stable, and secure.

Payment Methods

The state of Pennsylvania permits a number of different payment methods when gambling online. These include debit cards, major credit cards, bank transfers, and eWallets such as PayPal. While all methods are highly secure, each offers its own perks that are worth considering before making your first deposit.

For example, bank transfers tend to be the most accessible type of transfer method, though withdrawal times can take as long as five times. In contrast, PayPal transactions are often completed within one to two business days. Additionally, credit cards tend to be the most convenient method but transactions may incur fees.

Legal Online Gambling PA – Licensing and Regulation

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is the sole authority that regulates and enforces the laws set out in the recent Gambling Act. It is also responsible for granting licenses. The board is made up of seven members that are appointed by the state Governor.

Licensing is important as it guarantees that operators meet minimum safety and security standards. It also ensures that players will always receive their prizes and will be able to withdraw their cash in a reasonable time frame. Additionally, licensing requires operators to follow strict responsible gambling protocols.

In order to be approved for a license, PA casinos online must prove that their website is safe and secure. It can do this by using SSL certificate technology to encrypt users’ connections to the site, which safeguards player’s sensitive private data and financial details.

It must also only offer games that have been fairness tested by independent auditors. Companies such as eCOGRA and iTech Labs use RNG testing on casino games to ensure that they have not been rigged to scam players and confirm games’ advertised RTP rates. These results are published within the menus of every casino game title.

There are two gambling ages in Pennsylvania. For both PA casinos and sports betting, players must be 21 years old or over. However, 18-year olds can legally bet on horse races, participate in the lottery, and play bingo. Underage gambling is a serious offense in Pennsylvania and offenders may be punished.

Taxes

Both PA gamblers and casino operators are charged taxes on their takings. Operators must initially pay a one-time licensing fee of $10 million for PA online sports betting licenses and $1 million for online casino licenses. While sports betting revenues are taxed at a rate of 36 percent, slot revenues are taxed at 52 percent and table games at 14 percent.

Players must also report gambling revenues on their annual tax returns. T​the federal government taxes gambling winnings over $5,000 at a rate of 25 percent, which online operators should automatically deduct. Furthermore, an additional 3.07 percent of gambling income is payable in state taxes.

Responsible Gambling

All PA legal online casino sites work with responsible gambling organizations to guarantee a safe gambling environment for all. Players who may be struggling with problematic gambling behaviors are able to find support through gambling sites, such as counseling and support groups.

It’s also a legal requirement for PA online casinos to offer self-exclusion mechanisms, self-limitations, and gambling timers. Limitations can come in the form of monthly deposit limits, timers, or daily gambling spend caps. It’s important to always set a budget before you play a game and never chase losses.

Tips for Playing on a PA Online Casino Site

To help you get a good start to internet gambling and online casinos in PA, we want to share a few helpful tips. If you follow these, you could end up saving yourself time and money, and may even boost your chances to win.

PA Online Casinos

• Always set a budget and loss limit before gambling
• Sign up with multiple sites to claim more welcome bonuses
• Check the RTP rates of slots and table games before investing
• Play free demos first to ensure you like the games
• Play progressive jackpot slots for the chance to win big

Online Sportsbook

• Compare odds on multiple sites before betting
• Only bet on markets that you understand
• Take advantage of special offers and promotions
• Use the matched betting strategy to guarantee profits

Other Legal PA Gambling Options

Pennsylvanians aren’t just limited to casinos and sports betting when gambling online. The state offers an iLottery platform that sells tickets to major draw games as well as online scratch and pull-tab games. Locals are also able to participate in daily fantasy sports drafts and wager on horse races online.

Land-Based Gambling in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania offers some of the most progressive expanded gambling options in the country. There are a total of 12 land-based casinos in the state, with six of these being racinos, two resort casinos, and four standalone casinos. Here, players can enjoy everything from slots and table games, sports betting, and bingo.

The largest casino is the Mohegan Sun in Pocono Downs. The site host over 55,000 square feet of gaming space, with 2,300 slot machines and more than 80 table games. Visitors can also enjoy Vegas-style entertainment and premium dining facilities. To bring its gaming online, it has partnered with Unibet.

Perks of PA Gambling Sites

If you are yet to sign up for an internet gambling site, you may have no idea what you’re missing out on. Firstly, gambling online is by far the most convenient way to enjoy casino games or place your sports bets. In many cases, you’ll be able to stream sporting events in real-time and even place live bets.

Making deposits and withdrawals is easy, and you can do all of this from your desktop and mobile device. Additionally, gambling sites in Pennsylvania offer frequent bonuses and rewards that you’ll never come across at land-based sites. Pretty good considering you don’t have to leave the house!

Conclusion

Pennsylvania offers some of the most diverse and high-quality online gambling options in the USA. As long as you choose legal and licensed operators, you can safely enjoy some of the world’s top games and betting options at home or on the go. Be sure to claim one of our featured offers to get a boost to your budget as soon as you sign up.

FAQ

Are you looking for easy-to-understand answers to your burning questions about gambling sites in PA? In our PA online casino FAQ, we’ve given brief answers to commonly asked questions about a wide range of topics. Be sure to click on the jump-links provided in each for a deeper explanation of each topic.