Explore the excitement of Pennsylvania's online gambling scene, where online casinos and sports betting flourish.
After dominating since 2010, Pennsylvania poker might slip from second place to third thanks to the new Multi-State Internet Gaming Act between Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada and the WSOP.
Pennsylvania has always been home to a strong gambling community with bettors of all types. In July 2019, the path to legal Pennsylvania online gambling was cleared and those looking to place legal bets in PA could finally do so securely online, via a desktop computer or mobile device. There are plenty of gaming options available within the state, from casino staples like slots and card games, to all types of sports betting.
As national gaming companies look to grab a stranglehold within their budding industry, PA bettors have the advantage of a competitive marketplace. Specifically, they can choose from a large selection of reliable betting companies such as FanDuel, BetMGM, DraftKings, and Caesars.
The battle for the largest footprint in the U.S. is a win for the player. This page will help you track the constant flurry of welcome PA casino bonuses for new sign-ups and other promotions.
Gamblers of all types enjoy a bevy of options within the Keystone State. Sports betting has grown more rapidly than any other industry, but both physical and online casinos provide so much more. Let’s take a quick look at the most popular forms of gambling in PA.
The rich history of sports in Pennsylvania has fostered the growth and popularity of PA sports betting. There’s a long list of online sportsbooks and apps available for PA sports bettors, so make sure to check out our top-rated options and reviews.
Pennsylvania is home to the second-largest online casino market in the country, behind only neighboring New Jersey. There are 19 legal online casinos sites in the state, in addition to four different mobile options for online poker.
Once dormant in the U.S., online poker has enjoyed a massive resurgence since the height of its craze in the early 2000’s. PA online casinos (such as BetMGM) and specific poker sites (such as WSOP PA) both offer a wide variety of games with cash games and tournaments.
Fondly known as DFS, daily fantasy sports is a massive enterprise among PA sports bettors. A large part of its appeal comes from inexpensive entry fees, which can be as low as $1. Top-rated sites like FanDuel and Draftking enjoy most of the state’s action, offering users daily prize pools for NFL, NBA, MLB, and PGA contests.
Few states are more strongly linked with “betting the ponies” than PA. It hosts six horse racing facilities and a few key events in the horse-racing world, including the Pennsylvania Derby and Cotillion Stakes. Many PA gambling sites offer horse racing wagers, but bettors can also place their action at an off-track betting establishment, known as an OTB.
They all do! There are 19 different options for PA online casino gaming. When Bally Casino officially launches soon, they’ll make it an even 20. Here’s a quick view of the top online casinos in the state with their corresponding online sportsbooks (those without a sportsbook listed don’t yet have one).
| Online Casino | Online Sportsbook |
| Betrivers Casino | Betrivers Sportsbook |
| BetPARX Casino | BetPARX Sportsbook |
| BetMGM Casino | BetMGM Sportsbook |
| DraftKings Casino | DraftKings Sportsbook |
| Caesars Casino | Caesars Sportsbook |
| FanDuel Casino | FanDuel Sportsbook |
| Betway Casino | Betway Sportsbook |
| Golden Nugget Casino | Golden Nugget Sportsbook |
| Sugarhouse Casino | Sugarhouse Sportsbook |
| Unibet Casino | Unibet Sportsbook |
| Barstool Casino | Barstool Sportsbook |
| PokerStars Casino |
New PA online gambling apps are entering the marketplace at a rapid pace. There are currently 19 legal online gambling sites and apps available in the state, but we’ll keep this page updated with the top options as they arrive.
Here’s a look at the most highly-rated apps to play online casino games and sports in Pennsylvania
May 2019 marked the first time PA bettors could perform legal Pennsylvania online gambling with a mobile app. Play Sugarhouse PA was first to launch, followed shortly by its sister brand Bet Rivers PA and BetParx a month later. Nowadays there are more than a dozen onlines casinos and apps available in PA with the plans for further brands to introduce their products to the market.
| PA Casino Apps | Editor’s Notes | Score |
| BetMGM Casino | Provides top-rated options for casino gaming and poker play. Includes a hefty welcome bonus. | 4.5/5 |
| BetRivers Casino |
A sister site of PlaySugarHouse and one of the longest standing online casinos in the state.Contains a wide range of great games and bets, with simple, easy to use software. | 4.5/5 |
| Betway Casino | Solid selection of popular games with reliable security and creative bonuses. Also provides a solid sportsbook and it’s easy to transition between the casino and the sportsbook. | 4/5 |
| Borgata Casino | Known mostly for its variety of games and competitive bonus offers. | 4/5 |
| Caesars Casino | A titan in the industry for years and recently rated the number one online casino in PA. With an array of physical locations scattered throughout the country, Caesars is able to offer a better loyalty program than most online gambling sites. | 4.5/5 |
| DraftKings Casino | Now considered one of the premier online gambling sites, DraftKings’ software offers a top-notch user experience. You’ll also be hard-pressed to find more consistent and creative bonuses for both new and experienced gamblers. | 4.5/5 |
| FanDuel Casino | Originally a provider of solely daily fantasy sports (DFS) in 2009, FanDuel expanded its offerings to casino games. It doesn’t have the biggest library of games, but the company’s abundance of resources give the casino an edge over the competition. | 4/5 |
| Stars Casino | Stars Casino has become a hit among online gamblers in PA. Both the website and mobile app are modern and sleek while still easy to use. It’s also connected to FoxBet Sportsbook and PartyPoker, automatically giving you access to those sites when you sign up on Stars. | 4/5 |
| UniBet Casino | A staple within the gambling communities overseas, UniBet successfully made its way into the U.S. in 2019. It offers a large menu of gaming options and bonuses, making it a rising star within the online gambling space. | 4/5 |
For PA sports bettors, there are 13 different books offering a sports betting app option. It’s a great time to join one as all of them offer various forms of welcome bonuses and promotions. PA has become known for its lax sports betting laws, allowing bettors to wager on a large menu of sports and betting types.
| PA Sports Betting Apps | Editor’s Notes | Score |
| FanDuel Sportsbook | FanDuel Sportsbook has firmly established itself as the most popular legal sports betting site in PA and the United States as a whole. It consistently reports the highest earnings of any book, thanks in large part to its easily-operated app and plethora of offerings. | 4.5/5 |
| DraftKings Sportsbook | Currently available in more places than any other book, it has a robust menu of promos to entice new users to sign up. Always provides a wide range of creative types of bets. | 4.5/5 |
| BetMGM Sportsbook | A long-time staple in the Las Vegas casino and resort industry since well before legalized sports betting, it only made sense that BetMGM would join the fun. Now in its fifth year operating as an online sportsbook, BetMGM has quickly evolved into one of the premier options to wager on all kinds of sports. | 4.5/5 |
| Caesars Sportsbook | When Caesars established its online sportsbook two years ago, it was met with mixed reviews thanks to a clunky app. After re-launching its software in August 2022, it vaulted into one of the premier sportsbooks available. Its success can also be attributed to its historic casino and resort business, which has been thriving for nearly 60 years. | 4.5/5 |
| Barstool Sportsbook |
Barstool credits its superior creative marketing as the reason it's able to attract so many casual bettors, who make up the bulk of their user base. These bettors have also stuck around thanks to novice-friendly offerings with limited maximum bets that don’t peak the interest of advanced sports bettors. | 4/5 |
| FoxBet Sportsbook | The combined strength of FOX’s media and marketing alongside a prominently reliable betting platform such as The Stars Group has quickly formed a reliable sportsbook in just a few years. Well-known for its parlay boost options. | 4/5 |
| UniBet Sportsbook | As UniBet continues to build its cache in North America, users will find fewer markets and betting options available. However, Unibet does its best to compensate for this with some of the most bettor-friendly odds available of any legal sportsbook in America. | 4.5/5 |
PA lawmakers initially kicked off the process to legalize gambling in their state in 2013. It wasn’t until four years later in 2017 that HB 271 was passed, opening the door for state’s to devise their own online gambling laws.
Legal status of online gambling in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania kicked off legal gambling in 2018 with retail establishments only. By 2019, the digital versions made their debut, igniting a thriving online gambling industry in PA.
At that time, many in the industry were concerned by the high taxes and fees it cost Pennsylvania online gambling companies to operate within the state. However, thanks in part to the success of online betting in the neighboring state of New Jersey, the marketplace continued to grow, inviting thousands of new users every week.
By 2021, casinos in PA accepted nearly $40 billion in wagers and more than 90% of that action was placed via a mobile device.
Players must be at least 21 years old in order to place a bet of any kind in Pennsylvania. This applies to both PA online gambling and retail.
The IRS considers any and all forms of gambling winnings as taxable income across all legal gambling states. Any profit accumulated through gambling is subject to a federal tax rate of 25%, withheld by the casino. If you fail to provide your book with a Social Security number, that number jumps to 28%.
The state of Pennsylvania also taxes your gambling winnings. At 3.07%, PA bettors enjoy the lowest rate of all states with flat gambling tax.
It’s important to remember that you’ll never have to pay taxes on money wagered, only money won. Any money lost on gambling is not taxable.
With the passing of HB 271 in PA also came the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). The PGCB is constantly monitoring sportsbooks in its state to keep them honest. You can even reach out to the board if you are having issues withdrawing your money or need to dispute a claim against a particular sportsbook.
Residents of PA should be happy to know that the PGCG has also helped increase the state’s wealth through licensing fees directed towards legal sportsbooks. As a result, everyone in PA is able to enjoy lower property and wage taxes.
Our mission is to deliver insightful and transparent coverage of the legal online casino and sports betting industries in the U.S. On our site, you’ll find the latest legal gambling news, both casino and sports, across the country as states continue to legalize.
We aim to provide players with relevant and topical information to help them make legal and informed decisions.
As an avid gambler for the better part of the last 15 years, you can bet and believe that I know the rules and regulations surrounding the industry. And when I don’t know an answer, I know where to find it. I’ve specifically been covering the news of the gambling industry since 2019 as a writer for various outlets.
Getting the minute details correct is vital to allow new bettors to safely enter the space and experienced bettors the opportunity to benefit. And that’s what you’re going to get here on Play-Pennsylvania.com!
With years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the Pennsylvania gambling industry, our team of experts is here to ensure that you have the best possible gambling experience. We understand the importance of trust when it comes to choosing a gambling advisor, and that's why we pride ourselves on our transparency, integrity, and commitment to providing accurate and reliable information. Whether you're a seasoned player or a newcomer, here is why you should trust us.
We will never discuss an online casino or sportsbook without first confirming the validity of its gaming license with the PGCB. With that as the case, you can be assured that any company providing online gambling in PA that I discuss on our site is safe and secure.
Additionally, any PA online gambling sites or apps in discussion will always provide the highest-level internal security measures. Specifically with banking deposits and withdrawals. Any book I discuss on our site will utilize the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). This security technology establishes an encrypted link between the book’s server and its users.
Beyond ensuring the safety of real-money transactions, these secure servers ensure the protection of your personal information as well. This means no one is selling your info to marketers, limiting the amount of unwanted emails, phone calls, and spam text messages.
A bettor’s preference for a particular casino or book is often subjective. Not everyone bets on the same games or sports and each gambling website or app offers slightly different experiences.
Still, I’m always concerned with the opinion of the majority. If a lot of former and current users are consistently reporting problems or frustrations with a product, I likely won’t even bother mentioning it within certain reviews.
No matter how well-run a casino or book may keep itself, things fall through the cracks in this fast-paced industry. When mistakes are made, bettors want to know the error will be fixed asap. A poor experience with customer support can make or break loyalty to a gambling site.
Most of the PA online gambling sites I’ll recommend will have 24/7 live customer service available to all account owners. At the very least, they’ll all provide the ability to contact someone within the company who can adequately serve its players.
As the saying goes “you mess with my money, you mess with my emotions.” I know people can be emotional about their money, especially when they can’t access it. If a gambling site proves itself a hassle to work with when it’s time to withdraw your well-earned cash, it’s not getting discussed.
Further, all of the online gambling brands in PA mentioned on our site will offer numerous ways to pull out your winnings. That said, it’s always best to own an account with various money-moving apps such as PayPal.
Pennsylvania online gambling is legal. Digital casinos and sportsbooks must be approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The PGCB regulates the rules and regulations for legal online gambling throughout PA.
There is literally a score of online casinos operating in Pennsylvania. The most popular brands offering the best combination of welcome bonuses, promotions, and gambling options include:
Sportsbooks throughout PA offer a litany of different sports available for action. The list includes:
One additional note regarding college sports betting in PA: bettors can place wagers on most college sports markets except player props. No bets of any kinds are allowed on non-professional athlete props.
Yes, you must be physically within the state to place bets online, including the use of a PA gambling app. Whenever placing an online wager, your web browser or app uses precise geotechnology to pinpoint your location.
Any attempt to mislead the sportsbook using a VPN or re-location software is completely illegal. I assure you, it’s not worth it to even attempt.
Nope, you don’t have to be a resident of the state to access and gamble with PA online casinos and sportsbooks. The number one rule remains the same, however - you must be within state lines to gamble.
You absolutely can. More than 90% of sports bets are placed on mobile devices these days. The majority of PA residents playing casino games are also using mobile. Most online casinos and sportsbooks offer an app version for both iOS and Android.
No, you do not. You can sign up and play as long as you can access the internet. Again, though, this must be done inside PA.
Yes, any online casino or sportsbook that is legal in PA is subject to approval and oversight from the PGCB. Among its long list of responsibilities, the PGCB ensures all Pennsylvania online gambling sites adhere to the return to player rules. The RTP requires them to meet certain percentages of their real-money returns to winning players within a specified time period.
Anyone gambling in PA, online or otherwise, must be at least 21 years of age.
No, you cannot deposit money into a Pennsylvania online gambling account outside of state lines.
Yes, you can withdraw money from your Pennsylvania online gambling account outside of state lines.
Absolutely, that’s half the fun! More importantly, owning multiple betting accounts is an advantage in favor of the player, so it’s just plain smart. By accessing multiple different online casinos and sportsbooks in PA, you not only open yourself to more available welcome bonuses and promotions, you’re also able to find the best deals and rates.
When betting on sports for example, it’s especially crucial to your success to “shop the lines.” This is when a bettor compares offerings between legal PA sportsbooks to find the best deal on a wager.
The PGCB maintains a current list of the licensed casinos and sportsbooks throughout the state, found here.
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