Pennsylvania Gambling Laws: An Overview of Legal Gambling Activities

In October 2017, Pennsylvania legalized and licensed casinos and poker sites. Once the US Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on sports betting in May 2019, Pennsylvania passed land-based and online sports betting, as well. Sites continue to launch, with most brick-and-mortar casinos and racetracks now having online gambling portals. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania residents can play at offshore online gambling sites without legal consequences.

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Pennsylvania Gambling Laws

Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf signed a gambling omnibus bill in October 2017 that was designed to raise $200 million in taxes each year. The bill included regulated online casinos, online poker rooms, and (eventually) online sportsbooks.

The new law also included video lottery terminals (VLTs) at truck stops, tablet gaming at international airports, and daily fantasy sports. Once the US Supreme Court repealed PASPA, land-based sports betting and mobile sports betting apps were added to the list of approved gambling.

Pennsylvania Casino Gambling

Pennsylvania boasts six land-based casinos and six racetrack-casinos — essentially slots parlors that are called racinos.

Each of the licensed casinos were offered access to a bidding process for satellite casinos in 2018. None of the new venues would be within a 25-mile radius of an existing casino. The bidding process ended with Las Vegas Sands Corp — famous for its anti-online gambling stance — bidding on a casino, because it was selling its Pennsylvania operations to Wind Creek Hospitality (the Poarch Bank of Creek Indians from Alabama).

Pennsylvania Horse Betting

Pennsylvania has six legal betting horse tracks with pari-mutuel wagers.

In 2006, Pennsylvania approved slots parlors for their racetracks. The state was tired of its gamblers visiting Atlantic City to play the slots. Along with the Global Recession, the opening of these six racinos had a direct link to Atlantic City’s financial woes over the next 5 to 10 years.

Pennsylvania OTBs

The horse betting tracks has satellite OTBs. Often, these are called “turf clubs”.

For instance, Parx Racing has 5 OTBs in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Penn National Gaming, which owns gaming venues in 18 US states, operates OTBs in Lancaster and York. Mohegan Sun also owns an OTB in Lehigh Valley.

Pennsylvania Bingo Halls

Pennsylvania also allows charitable organizations to run bingo halls.

Church, veterans’, police, and fire department organization across Pennsylvania host bingo nights. These are regulated by the Bingo Law of 1981.

Pennsylvania Sportsbooks

All of Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos opened online gambling portals: SugarHouse Casino and Parx Casino near Philadelphia, Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, Hollywood Casino in Reading, and Wind Creek Bethlehem in Philadelphia’s suburbs.

Each of these casinos partnered with world famous online gaming operators for gambling sites, poker sites, and in-play sports betting apps. Online gaming groups active in Pennsylvania include FanDuel, DraftKings, Unibet, Kambi, Rush Street Interactive, 888 Group, BetRivers, GAN, William Hill, and PokerStars.

Pennsylvania Social Gaming

Pennsylvania allows private poker games and other social gaming, as long as the host/organizer doesn’t charge fees. For instance, a poker game organizer cannot collect a rake from the game.

Social gaming casinos are legal, too, if it’s a free-play social gaming site. You can play at Slotomania, Zynga, Big Fish Games, and Double-Down Casino if you like. PlayMGM and Play4Fun Casino, owned respectively by MGM Resorts and Mohegan Sun, are available to players. Each of these sites are free, but pay out in rewards that can be used in their regional casinos.

Pennsylvania Gambling History, Laws, and Timeline

Pennsylvania regulates most forms of gambling. In fact, Pennsylvania collects more taxes from legal gambling than any state besides Nevada.

18th Century: Horse Racing in Pennsylvania

Betting on horse racing was allowed in Colonial Pennsylvania. In fact, proceeds from lotteries and horse racing helped fund the Continental Congress during the American Revolution.
1820: Pennsylvania Bans Horse Racing

In 1820, the people of Pennsylvania not only banned gambling on horse racing — they banned horse racing itself.
August 1972: Penn National Race Course Opens

In 1972, horse racing returned to Pennsylvania in a big way. Penn National Race Course in Grantville (17 miles from Harrisburg) opened. The venue hosts thoroughbred racing 52 weeks a year.
1974: Parx Racing Opened in Bensalem

Parx Racing opened two years later in Bensalem, a suburb of Philadelphia. Parx Racing hosts two major races each year — one with a $1 million purse and one with a $500,000 purse.
1981: Pennsylvania Bingo Law

Pennsylvania approved charitable bingo for nonprofit organizations. It includes bingo, jackpot games (raffles), and bona fide gaming. While the state has updated these laws in the 40 years since, the 1981 Bingo Law continues to govern charitable bingo.
July 2004: Act 71 Approves Racinos

To help the horse racing and harness racing tracks of Pennsylvania, the legislature passed Act 71 (“Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act”). Act 71 allows Pennsylvania race tracks to open slots parlors.

Act 71 has been a major success. Race tracks near Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, and Erie have slots parlors.
2004: Land-Based Casinos Legalized

The same 2004 law approved land-based casinos. Under a trade-off to save the horse racing tracks, slots revenues from the new casinos would be used to subsidize horse racing purses. By 2021, over $3 billion has been used to help the Pennsylvania horse track and harness track industry.
2007: Presque Isle Downs

Presque Isle Downs in Summer Township (near Erie) opened in 2007. It was part of the major 2006 race track update to Pennsylvania gambling law.
October 2017: Online Gambling Bill

After months of negotiation with the Republican-led legislature, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) signed the Online Gambling Bill. This legalized a wide range of online and offline gambling, leading some to call it the “gambling omnibus” bill.

Along with online poker and top online casinos, the bill approved daily fantasy sports, truck stop gambling (VLTs), and airport terminal gambling (tablet computers). It also stated that sports betting would be legal, if the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA.
November 2018: Pennsylvania Land-Based

HB 271 specifically approved sports betting in Pennsylvania. After the US Supreme Court struck down PASPA on May 14, 2018, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board moved quickly to license land-based sportsbooks.

The first of these opened in November 2018, as casino owners wanted to offer sports bets on the second half of the 2018-2019 NFL season. Hollywood Casino was the first, while SugarHouse Casino, Rivers Casino, Parx Casino, Harrah’s Philadelphia, and Valley Forge Casino opened sportsbooks over the next 4 months.
May 2019: Pennsylvania Online and Mobile Sportsbooks

The same bill allowed online sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps. Starting in May 2019, SugarHouse Sportsbook launched. Throughout June and July 2019, another half-dozens interactive sportsbooks opened.
2021: Remaining Ban on Bookmakers and Sports Betting Pools

Some types of bookmaker bets remain illegal in Pennsylvania. Punch boards, betting pools, and drawing cards are specifically outlawed under Pennsylvania law. Cockfighting also is expressly forbidden.
What is Considered Gambling in Pennsylvania?

To be considered gambling in Pennsylvania, an act of gaming must have three parts: consideration, an element of chance, and reward. Under the Pennsylvania Constitution, “consideration” is defined as a “benefit which must be bargained between parties. In short, it’s the agreed-upon terms of a payout.

Pennsylvania Online Gambling FAQ

Is online gambling legal in PA?

Is online gambling legal in Pennsylvania?

Are PA online poker sites legal?

Are online sportsbooks legal in Pennsylvania?

What’s the best gambling site for Pennsylvania players?

What’s the best online poker site for PA card players?

What’s the best online sportsbook for Pennsylvania bettors?

What is the legal gambling age in Pennsylvania?

SEE ALL FAQ

Is online gambling legal in PA?

Yes. Pennsylvania residents currently can enjoy real money gambling at 8 legally permitted online casinos, online bookmakers, and online poker sites like PokerStars.

Is online gambling legal in Pennsylvania?

Yes. In October 2017, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill legalizing and regulating online gambling in Pennsylvania. The PA land-based casinos and racetracks have partnered with famous online gaming groups for gambling portals. A license for an online casino costs $7.5 million, with another $2.5 million for a poker license. A sports betting license costs a full $10 million.

Are PA online poker sites legal?

Yes. The October 2017 gambling omnibus signed by Gov. Tom Wolf approved licensed online poker sites. If a land-based casino or racino spends $7.5 million for an online poker license, then a poker license costs $2.5 million. Since the law was passed, all but one of the online casino operators also bought a poker license. PokerStars, the world's largest poker site, began operating in Pennsylvania in 2020.

Are online sportsbooks legal in Pennsylvania?

Yes. An October 2017 law allowed sports betting, if the US federal government ever struck down PASPA. In May 2018, the US Supreme Court repealed PASPA, so the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board began approving licenses throughout the rest of 2018. Most PA online sportsbooks and mobile sports betting apps launched throughout 2019. 8 licensed online sportsbooks now operate in Pennsylvania.

What's the best gambling site for Pennsylvania players?

For Pennsylvania residents who don't play in the regulated online casinos, our choice is Cafe Casino. Cafe Casino offers a $2500 welcome bonus with a 350% match rate, so a $715 deposit maxes out the welcome bonus. Cafe Casino has over 250 casinos games, including slots, table games, and video poker.

What's the best online poker site for PA card players?

Ignition Poker is our recommendation for Pennsylvania card players who don't want to play in the regulated market. Ignition bought Bovada's poker community, so it has one of the largest poker rooms in the unregulated US online poker market. Ignition offers a guaranteed $1.5 million in guaranteed prize pools, as well as $150K guaranteed events each weekend.

What's the best online sportsbook for Pennsylvania bettors?

Bovada Poker is our choice among the offshore online sportsbook sites. New depositors receive a $250, 50% match bonus. Bovada features every sports bet that US bettors want, as well as a live in-play mobile sports betting app.

What is the legal gambling age in Pennsylvania?

The legal gambling age at land-based casinos is 21 years old. Racetrack-casinos have an age limit of 18 years, so gamblers between the ages of 18 and 20 need to play at the racinos. Anyone who buys lottery tickets, pull-tabs, punch boards, and raffle tickets will need to be 18 or older. The age limit for pari-mutuel wagering is 18. Licensed online casino gambling and airport gaming terminals have an age limit of 21 or older. Unregulated online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites have an age limit of 18, so people 18 to 20 who want to play online will need to play at the offshore sites.