After legalizing online gambling in 2018, Pennsylvania became the fourth state in the US to allow online casinos. Shortly thereafter, Pennsylvania casinos and gambling organizations began rolling out online casino applications for resident gamblers to use.
Still, online casinos have not become as popular or robust as their brick-and-mortar counterparts. This is partially because opening an online casino requires a large amount of start-up cash. It’s also partially because casinos are still deciding what games they want to offer (and obtain licensing for).
Below we will provide overviews of the online casinos currently active in Pennsylvania. More new casinos are popping up all the time, so be sure to check back for the most up-to-date information.
PA Online Casino List for 2020
| Online Casino Brand | Licensed Partner | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caesar's Online Casino | Harrah's Philadelphia Casino | |||||||
| BetRivers | Rivers Casino | |||||||
| BetAmerica | Presque Isle Downs Casino | |||||||
| DraftKings | The Meadows Racetrack & Casino | |||||||
| FanDuel | Valley Forge Casino | |||||||
| Unibet | Mohegan Sun Pocono Casino | |||||||
| Pokerstars | Mount Airy Casino | |||||||
| Parx Casino | Parx Casino | |||||||
| Hollywood Casino | Penn National Casino | |||||||
| Sugarhouse | Rivers Casino |
Caesar?s Pennsylvania
This is the most recent online casino to join the Pennsylvania collection. Caesar’s launched after physical casinos were ordered to close in March 2020 to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Currently, its sportsbook is available for iOS. Note that Caesar?s doesn’t offer online poker because of a lack of licensing.
Caesar’s is offering several bonuses for new players, including a 100 percent casino bonus match on the first deposit of up to $300. Additionally, they offer a top-tier loyalty program, which allows you to earn rewards and credits cumulatively as you play.
BetRivers Pennsylvania
BetRivers was one of the first legal online casinos available to Pennsylvania players. It offers a huge variety of table games and slots. It also has some of the best customer service in the business. First-time players can take advantage of a deposit match bonus up to $250.
Conveniently, BetRivers allows you to bet on sports with the same account. So, it’s a great option if you want to dip into both types of gambling during your recreational time.
BetAmerica Pennsylvania
BetAmerica is another new online casino, having launched on January 30, 2020. Its main drawback is that it’s only available on desktop or mobile web browser, and the mobile app is only for New Jersey users. Still, BetAmerica is worth a look because it has 46 titles in its slot games, making it a great choice for slots fanatics.
It also offers a plethora of deposit and withdrawal options, ranging from e-check to regular check to PayPal. Receiving your winnings is fast and relatively easy.
DraftKings PA
Although primarily known for its reputation in Daily Fantasy Sports, DraftKings entered the Pennsylvania online casino market strong in May 2020. Partnered with The Meadows Racetrack & Casino outside of Pittsburgh, DraftKings is offering strong start-up bonuses and a variety of online casino games.
This includes a potentially lucrative welcome promo wherein you can bet risk-free up to $200. All losses are refunded to your account as DraftKings bonus cash. This cash can be used to place bets on any casino game.
DraftKings offers a load of slot variations including both 3-wheel and 5-wheel options. They also offer Pennsylvania bettors blackjack, roulette, and video poker. Most impressive is their selection of live games, which include Three-Card Poker and blackjack.
Learn more about DraftKings PA, including the most up-to-date bonus codes here.
FanDuel Pennsylvania
FanDuel has a live online casino in Pennsylvania. The brand is mostly known for sports betting, and it offers a user-friendly and intuitive application. New players can try out the site without any risk with $200 free virtual trial cash. FanDuel also refunds any net loss from your first day up to $200, so it’s easy to try if you haven?t experienced online casinos before.
FanDuel offers tons of online games to choose from, ranging from 12 slot machines to video poker. Online roulette is another popular option, as is online blackjack. Online poker and other live dealer games aren?t offered yet but may be soon.
Learn more about FanDuel PA, including promo codes here.?
Unibet Pennsylvania
Unibet is another top choice for new players. Every new account holder gets 10 free bucks, and first deposits qualify for a 100 percent match up to $500. Moreover, Unibet frequently offers several attractive deals you can take advantage of by playing select games. Its sportsbook also has promotional opportunities that happen every day or week.
Its application is available on every mobile device, and the catalog includes 140 games (with more coming almost every season). Those who like to flit between games will find a lot to like here. One popular game is progressive slots, which give players higher chances at big payouts.
Find the most up-to-date bonus offers from Unibet PA’s online casino here.
PokerStars Pennsylvania
PokerStars Casino offers an online casino client for iPhone and Android users alike. Its customer service experience is top-notch. Additionally, it offers a huge variety in both tournaments and cash games. Navigating to these games is pretty easy thanks to the user-friendly design of the mobile app.
Cash games are frequently jam-packed, so getting a game with actual stakes shouldn?t be too hard. Additionally, NLH tournaments are available daily through PokerStars, even for Pennsylvania users. When combined with new player and return visitor promotions, there?s a lot to like.
Parx Pennsylvania
Parx is one of the few casinos with all three types of interactive gaming licenses offered by the PGCB. Thus, it offers slots, tables, and online poker games all at the same time. It also offers online sports betting, so it’s a great site if you like to partake in all staple casino activities.
The main casino floor has over 3,500 slot machines and, soon, over 130 live table games. You can play online video poker and other classic games like craps or baccarat. The sky?s the limit!
Hollywood Casino Pennsylvania
Hollywood Casino is huge in terms of the variety of slots they offer, which clocks in at over 2,400. It has online roulette (five varieties in total), online blackjack, and online video poker. Craps, slingo, and more are offered from its digital interface. Live dealer games aren?t yet a thing with this casino, but they?ll be coming sometime in the near future.
Additionally, Hollywood Casino is looking to attract new players with new deposit bonuses of $25. It?s easy to sign-up and start playing without putting in your own money. Your first deposit also gets a 100 percent match bonus up to $500.?
SugarHouse Pennsylvania
SugarHouse is a big player in the online casino market, and it’s among the best. It has hundreds of online games, including over 100 slots, video poker games, bingo games, and several table games. Most of the games are well-designed to make your experience more enjoyable. It also has live casino games like roulette, baccarat, and blackjack.
Furthermore, SugarHouse is notable thanks to its wide variety of payment and withdrawal methods. You can take out your winnings using a regular bank transfer, PayPal, or a prepaid card from SugarHouse. Neteller transfers are also accepted.
See our full review of the SugarHouse PA Online Casino for more information.
Quick Guide To Legal Online Casinos In Pennsylvania
Bonuses At Pennsylvania?s Legal Online Casinos
Most legal online casinos in Pennsylvania offer bonuses as a way to encourage new sign-ups and increase the amount of new deposits. For example, Hollywood Casino provides a $500 deposit match for new visitors. So, if you deposit $500, the casino will match with another $500 for a total of $1000 in your account. It will also gift you with $25 upon sign-up, so you will immediately have cash to spend on games without even having to deposit money into your account.
FanDuel Casino also offers excellent bonuses. It offers a $200 risk-free bonus for up to 24-hours, so you can spend on games without having to risk any of your own cash.
SugarHouse Casino offers $250 sign-up bonuses with a single play through one of their games. It also provides a 100 percent match on your first deposit, which is great for anyone new to online gambling in general.
However, PokerStars takes home the cake in terms of best bonuses. It provides 100 percent matches on your winnings for three deposits, all the way up to $1,500 in bonuses. This means you can potentially have $3,000 in your account just by depositing $1,500 of your own money. These bonuses are available to anyone who uses special codes for newcomers.
Online Blackjack In Pennsylvania
There are plenty of opportunities to play blackjack at online casinos in Pennsylvania. The standard blackjack variation is, of course, offered almost universally in the aforementioned casinos. However, some casinos offer variations of blackjack with slightly different rules. For instance, games such as Blackjack Switch, Spanish 21, and Free Bet Blackjack involve multiple hands and/or side bets.
Blackjack Switch
This variation of blackjack, created in 2009, is the most modern. In short, players may trade a card between two hands, which is cheating in regular blackjack. The player must make two bets of the same size but is allowed to switch the second card dealt to each hand. However, there’s a trade-off: if the dealer gets 22, it causes a push against any non-busted hands. Even those who have a blackjack (21) will need to pay money!
Spanish 21
Spanish 21 is a more complex variation of blackjack. The game uses six to eight Spanish card decks, with each deck having 48 cards instead of 52 (without the four 10-cards). Spanish 21 also incorporates a number of strange rules, like allowing late surrender, re-splitting of aces, and any player hitting 21 to always win regardless of other factors. Additionally, since player blackjack always beats dealer blackjack, Spanish 21 is one of the most player-friendly or bet friendly variations of the game.
Free Bet Blackjack
Free Bet Blackjack incorporates six decks of cards, and the dealer may hit soft 17s. This variation of blackjack pays at a 3 to 2 ratio, and players may only double on two cards. You may not surrender and, like Switch, if the dealer gets a 22 all remaining bets push.
Where To Play Online Table Games
Unibet PA has perhaps the biggest variety of blackjack games, including all of the above. However, Hollywood Online Casino also offers the basic blackjack experience if you prefer the original game and don?t care so much about the other varieties.
BetRivers offers several versions of blackjack, baccarat, and roulette available for all of its visitors to play.
DraftKings plans to launch its own online casino sometime in 2020. Blackjack is among the games that it?ll be offering. The game will be set in a modern studio with sports jerseys and other games on background TVs. In essence, DraftKings is going to be looking to include a modern audience for its online blackjack offering.
Pennsylvania Live Dealer Games
Live dealer games are a topic of great interest to anyone following the online Pennsylvania casino development scene. New Jersey is well known for having several online casinos that incorporate live games into their applications. However, live games aren?t yet supported in Pennsylvania, as online gambling was only recently approved for the state in general.?
However, Parx Casino is going to have live online games that can be streamed straight to your mobile device sometime in 2020. It?s expected that the other online casinos in Pennsylvania will follow suit shortly thereafter. Games that are expected to be included at Parx Casino are:
- Casino Hold ?em
- Roulette
- Baccarat
- Blackjack
- Three-card Poker
- Ultimate Texas Hold ?em
What Online Casinos Are Coming Soon In Pennsylvania?
Casino companies have officially had since April 16, 2018, to apply for an online gambling operator license. Aside from the current online casino offerings in Pennsylvania, several other brands are anticipated to make arrivals over the next couple of years:
- Live! Casino & Hotel is looking to acquire an online gambling license but isn?t likely going to go after an online poker license.
- Wind Creek Casino is still interested in offering online casinos in Pennsylvania but the details aren?t yet known.
- MGM Resorts is currently seeking three types of licenses: ? la carte licenses, online poker licensing, and an online gambling license.
- Golden Nugget NJ is looking to offer table games and slots instead of online poker.
Legal Online Casinos In Pennsylvania Versus Illegal Online Casinos
October 2017 saw Pennsylvania relax its restrictions on online gambling, making it the fourth state in the US to allow licensed online gambling. It took a few years, but 2019 saw the launch of many legalized online casinos and poker providers based in Pennsylvania. This has been a good thing for the state as a whole, as Pennsylvania has been collecting more gambling tax money than even Nevada.
There are several reasons why you should use a legal online casino rather than an illegal one. First and foremost, the federal government can seize any money you win on an illegal gambling site. The only way of ensuring that you keep your winnings is by playing at a legal online casino and paying tax on your winnings.
Additionally, legal online casinos are more heavily regulated and are better protected against hacking or cheating than illegal gambling sites. If something goes wrong with your money or game at an illegal online casino, you’re on your own, especially since you’d have to admit to playing on an illegal casino site in the first place.?
Legal online casinos will have their license and any details about the regulations or laws easily viewable on their homepage or at the bottom of the screen. These licenses can be referred to or questioned if you doubt the legality of the games. Scrolling to the bottom of any online casino application should reveal a Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board seal and an additional license number in the fine print.
How Do I Know That Legal Online Casinos In Pennsylvania Are Fair?
Who Regulates Legal Online Casinos In Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board regulates all gambling activity in Pennsylvania across the state, including online casinos. It also handles in-person casino gambling, horse racing, the Pennsylvania lottery, and smaller games like bingo and nonprofit games of chance. It provides the identification number mentioned above and will take a complaint if you suspect that there?s an issue with your online gambling service.
Why Should I Trust Legal Pennsylvania Gambling Sites?
The PGCB, a government organization founded in 2004, licenses most legal gambling sites in Pennsylvania. It focuses specifically on testing casino machines, algorithms, and online games for fidelity and fairness, and holding casinos accountable.
More importantly, any games or casinos licensed by this organization must provide a list of the payouts on each of their machines or applications. This allows the board to look at how much the casino is making in terms of profit and how much money they are providing to the players. Using complex mathematics and statistical averages, the board can determine whether a licensed casino may be cheating or practicing unfair advantages against their players.
Furthermore, the licensing means that the online casino has a state-approved plan for compulsive and problem gamblers. Such a plan means that the casino has employees who can deal with compulsive gamblers or handle those who are on the self-exclusion list. Basically, legal and licensed online casinos are highly regulated, safer for the gamer, and better for the gambling environment as a whole.
How Do I Get My Money If I Win?
You can collect your winnings in a variety of ways depending on the online casino in question. Most online casinos allow you to receive your payouts in the same method by which you make your initial deposit.
Most casinos allow debit or credit cards, while a few online casinos will also accept e-currency (like digital chips). Other online casinos use PayPal or a similar payment service. Any payment service may come with minor fees up to a couple of percentage points or as a flat rate.
Legal Online Casinos in Pennsylvania: FAQ
What kinds of online casino games are legal in Pennsylvania?
All kinds! Online casino games in Pennsylvania are diverse and varied just like an in-person casino. Currently, most of the online casinos described above include games like blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, pai gow, and more.
Some of the online casinos have poker licenses, so they allow different variations of poker.
How old do I have to be to play at Pennsylvania?s legal gambling sites?
Generally, 21-years old, but 18-year-olds may access some gambling sites for limited betting options. Most online casinos require, in accordance with Pennsylvania state law, that you be 21-years-old to gamble. However, there are some that will allow 18-year-olds to gamble on horse races, punch boards, raffles, and purchase lotto tickets.
What is the tax rate for online casinos in Pennsylvania?
Your winnings are taxable income, and you will need to pay a 3.07 percent tax during your state tax filing season. This comes in addition to the flat tax of 25 percent that the casino will automatically withhold for those who give their social security number. For those who don’t provide their social security number, 28 percent of winnings will be withheld.
Who can get a license to run a legal internet casino in Pennsylvania?
Mostly existing casinos. Pennsylvania currently allows anyone with an existing casino license to offer Internet gaming. However, you must first meet the legal requirements to run a brick-and-mortar casino.
Is DraftKings offering casinos in Pennsylvania?
Not yet, but soon. DraftKings will begin offering an online casino in Pennsylvania sometime in 2020. It will most likely be a standard gambling license establishment that does not include poker.
Is FanDuel offering casinos in Pennsylvania?
Yes. FanDuel currently offers an online casino in Pennsylvania. It’s accessible from the Sportsbook application. It comes with several bonuses like playing the first 24-hours risk-free and a $200 refund for on-site credit for any loss. The application is available for both iOS and Android players.