On July 2, the Mississippi Gaming Commission issued an order requiring face coverings to be worn by all persons in the state’s casino properties. In compliance with this order, the IP Casino Resort Spa will require face coverings to be worn by all customers starting Friday, July 3, at 8 p.m. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. HarrahsCasino.com is the online casino where you can escape the daily grind with real casino gamesthat pay out in real money. From slotsand roulette, to blackjackand video poker. We offer a huge selection of casino games, fully licensed, legal and secure.

• Resorts Casino Online Gambling
• Resorts Casino Atlantic City Online Gambling

Launched in February 2015, Resorts Casino wasn’t among the first sites to appear on the regulated NJ online gambling market. However, the quality of the site’s games as well as its strong branding have allowed it to become a popular pick among New Jersey gamblers.

The site is tied to Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, which is also the local partner of Mohegan Sun and PokerStars.

The casino’s real-money games are offered under license number NJIGP 15-008 and are available only to players physically located inside New Jersey state lines.

Head to Resorts online casino to claim your new player bonus!

Resorts Casino bonus code: MAXBONUS

There are two parts to the Resorts’ opening offer that you get when you use Resorts’ bonus code MAXBONUS.

First: You get $20 free, with no deposit required. To be able to cash out the bonus or any winnings from the bonus, you need to wager 5x the bonus amount on slots or 25x the bonus amount on table games, roulette or video poker.

Second: Resorts offers a 100 percent, first-deposit match, capped at $1,000. The playthrough is 20x for slots and 100x for roulette, video poker and other table games.

Please note that you don’t have to focus exclusively on one type of game. But remember that the contribution toward clearing the bonus depends on the game. Here’s a simple example:

If you opted for a $20 bonus, every $1 that you bet on slots would net you 0.05c toward clearing it (1/20). However, if you bet on roulette, every $1 would count as 0.01c (1/100). This means that one way of clearing this bonus would be to wager $300 (300/20 = 15) on slots and $500 on roulette or blackjack (500/100 = 5, 5+15 = 20).

Sign up a new account at Resorts now!

Editor's Review

• Game Variety
• Mobile Compatibility
• Bonus Value
• Customer Service
• Game Fairness & Security

Summary

Resorts enjoys great brand recognition in New Jersey, being the oldest land-based casino in Atlantic City. As such, the legal NJ online gambling arm of Resorts is instantly identifiable by online gamblers in the Garden State. We like the site for its humongous game library but wish that it had a no deposit offer for NJ online casino players. Despite that, with frequently-changing short-term promotions and new games being added constantly, there's a lot to like here.

Breaking down the value of the opening bonuses

Opening bonus

First Deposit Bonus (Resorts)

• Percent value:
• Max value:
• Min. Deposit
• Expires in (days):
• Playthrough:
• 100.00%
• $1,000
• $10
• does not expire
• 20

Cost of releasing $1 playing slots:

Cost of releasing $1 playing non-slots:

Bonus break-even RTP cut-off:

Maximum bonus value at highest RTP:

Summary

Resorts Casino is among the best online gambling sites in New Jersey when it comes to game selection and the opening bonus. Unfortunately, its loyalty program and recurring promotions are average.

However, unlike most other casinos, it doesn’t have any serious drawbacks. All things considered, Resorts offers the complete package, which Mohegan Sun and Pala Casino can match.

Registration at ResortsCasino.com

Regulated New Jersey casinos offer their services exclusively to people located within the borders of the Garden State. This has some impact on the registration process. If you want to join the fun at the casino, you’ll have to:

• Create an account and provide the casino with some personal information. Also, you have to be 21 or older.
• Install Resorts’ geolocation plugin, called GeoComply, which you can download once you log in and try to access any of Resorts’ real-money games.
• Be within the borders of the New Jersey whenever you play and have an ISP that makes it possible for the casino to determine your physical location.

Your session will end if you leave New Jersey during a gaming session.

Resorts Casino’s software

Resorts Casino runs on a software package developed by NYX Gaming. NYX is a major player in the iGaming industry, as its products are used by more than 200 operators worldwide.

What’s more, the open gaming system (OGS) package is compatible with games designed by the vast majority of third-party developers. Resorts offers slots and table games by the following game creators: Aristocrat, IGT, Williams, SG Gaming and NetEnt.

From a client’s perspective, Resorts is a browser-based casino with easy navigation. You can download the dedicated mobile app from iTunes or the Google Play stores. Please note that the app is not mandatory, as the web version has a separate interface for mobile connections.

Resorts Casino isn’t the only OGS-powered regulated NJ gambling site. Mohegan Sun, which is tied to the land-based Resorts venue in Atlantic City, runs on the same version of this package. From a software perspective, the differences between the casinos two are purely visual.

While the gaming selection is identical, both sites offer slightly different bonuses and loyalty programs.

Resorts’ online casino games

Resorts offers more than 500 casino games, and its game library grows at an accelerating rate.

The most recent additions include slots such as Wizard of Oz: Road to Emerald City, Bar-X Colossal, Pigasus and Friends, Secrets of Christmas and Wild Run. Bringing fresh games from a variety of developers that are well-regarded all over the world is the name of the game over at Resorts.

Keep in mind, this doesn’t make Resorts better than the other regulated New Jersey casinos. All the top-tier sites, including Virgin, playMGM, Tropicana and Golden Nugget have access to the same games. Generally speaking, the majority of games available by licensed NJ sites are better than at offshore sites, such as Bovada.

Blackjack

Resorts gives you access to five blackjack games.

Blackjack (NetEnt) and blackjack (IGT) are fairly standard regarding rules. There are six decks in play, dealer stands on hard 17s, doubling down and splitting is allowed, and the blackjack nets you a 3:2 payout. Vegas blackjack is played with four decks, and the dealer stands on soft 17.

Atlantic City blackjack is a single-deck game, which is available in micro, low and high limit variants. Finally, Micro Limit blackjack is played with eight decks, and the dealer stands on soft 17. If you want to learn the game, you should focus on this title first.

Roulette

Eight roulette games in total are available, including American and European. As usual, we recommend sticking with the European variant of the game. In American roulette, the wheel has two zeros, which means that the house has a 5.26 percent edge. In European roulette, there is only one zero, reducing the house edge to 2.70 percent.

Resorts Casino features two European roulette games. The one designed by NetEnt is slightly more popular, but in the end, the choice between the two is a personal preference.

Video poker

Resorts Casino has 19 video poker games, and with that, you’re going to find multiple variants of bonus poker, deuces wild and jacks or better. If you’re a casino veteran looking for some more exotic games, you’ll be able to enjoy:

• 100 Hand All American
• Aces and Faces Power Poker
• Five Play Draw Poker
• Regal Poker
• Tens or Better
• Triple Play Draw Poker

Slots

With more than 400 options, Resorts’ slot selection is nothing short of impressive and compares favorably to the likes of Caesars and even Golden Nugget. Even better, none of the games are outdated – visuals and sound effects tend to range from decent to absolutely amazing.

Regarding gameplay, most slot options are modern as you should expect five reels, multiple paylines, scatter symbols, wilds and bonus rounds in almost every game.

Here’s a short list of the most popular slots, all of which come with our highest recommendation:

• The Cheshire Cat
• Double DaVinci Diamonds
• Fastpick
• Gold Fish
• Michelangelo
• Reel’ Em In
• Secret of the Forest

Resorts Casino loyalty program

Resorts calls its loyalty program Resorts Rewards. This level-based system is slightly simpler than what you’ll find on Mohegan Sun. Resorts offers significantly better cash back on roulette play, however.

Accumulating Reward Points (RPs) allows you to climb up the loyalty program’s tier ladder. These points are redeemable for cash – the higher your level, the fewer points you have to invest to get $1. You earn RPs by playing real money games:

• 1 RP for every $2 wagered on slots
• 1 RP for every $4 wagered on roulette
• 1 RP for every $8 wagered on video poker, blackjack and all the other table games

You need to keep earning the RPs required for a given tier to maintain your rank.

Tier levels

Following is a list of available tiers including the number of RPs required to reach and maintain it, as well as the relevant RPs-to-cash exchange rate:

• Bronze (Zero RPs each month): 20,000 points for $10 in cash
• Silver (500 RPs each month): 12,500 points for $10 in cash
• Gold (2,000 RPs each month): 5,000 points for $10 in cash
• Platinum (7,500 RPs each month): 3,030 points for $10 in cash
• Diamond (20,000 RPs each month): 2,220 points for $10 in cash

Regarding cash back, the above amounts to between 0.025 percent and 0.00625 percent for Bronze players (depending on games played), all the way to between 0.22 percent and 0.055 percent for Diamond account holders. This is, overall, a poor offering compared to other New Jersey online casinos.

Depending on your level, you can also earn extra benefits, such as exclusive Resorts Casino offers, or discounts on entertainment and free stays at Resorts Atlantic City.

Also, Resorts has a special four-level VIP Echelon Rewards program, which is available exclusively to players who earn more than 100,000 RPs per month:

• Echelon (75,000 RPs each month): 2,000 points for $10 in cash
• Echelon Plus (200,000 RPs each month): 1,090 points for $10 in cash
• Echelon Elite (750,000 RPs each month): 900 points for $10 in cash
• Echelon Black (invite only): 660 points for $10 in cash

VIP program evaluation

VIP program cashback (Resorts)

• Points expiration:
• Points exchanged for:
• 180 days
• Cash

Wagers required to earn one Reward Point:

Monthly wagers required to reach new account levels:

Reward points-to-cash exchange rate per one dollar

Wagers required to generate $1 in bonus cash:

Cashback as a return on wagers:

Cashback as a return on net losses:

Resorts online casino promotions

Much like Mohegan Sun, Resorts is average when it comes to limited-time promotions. The overall value of these offers is quite high when compared to what’s available at Caesars or SugarHouse, but pales in comparison to what Harrah’s, Virgin and Tropicana offers.

It’s worth pointing out Resorts adds new short-term promotions more frequently than Mohegan Sun does. For example, when Mohegan Sun offers a $1,500 giveaway, Resorts has the same giveaway tuned down to $1,000, but with an additional iPhone X giveaway and Sunday prize draws. The value is very similar, but Resorts keeps it more entertaining.

Resorts Casino’s banking

Resorts Casino offers a wide range of banking options and compares favorably with most other regulated NJ online gaming sites.

Deposits

• PayPal: Quick, easy, and enables PayPal cashouts. If you own a PayPal account, this should be your first choice.
• Online bank transfer: This method is reliable and fast, but you should consult the list of supported banks first.
• Pay Near Me: You can deposit to Resorts at your local 7-Eleven.
• Resorts Casino cage: If you enjoy gambling in a land-based casino setting, you can load up your online account directly at Resorts’ Atlantic City venue.
• Visa/MasterCard: Not recommended as it suffers from high rejection rates.
• Instant e-checks/ACH: Fast, but if your payment is denied, you’ll be forced to cover all relevant fees. Not recommended.

Withdrawals

• PayPal: Only available if you deposited using this method.
• ResortsCard: Quick and easy. Use wherever Discover cards are accepted.
• Instant e-checks: Available only if you’ve already made an e-check deposit.
• Resorts Casino cage: If you have a Resorts Casino account, you can cash out directly at the casino cage. Don’t forget your ID.

Resorts Casino customer support

Players can access Resorts Casino’s Help Center, essentially a glorified FAQ page, by clicking the “?” icon in the upper-right corner of the casino page. The list of available topics is extensive, but unfortunately many answered are not as detailed as they should be.

On a brighter note, getting banking-related information is easy, as the casino has recently added a separate “banking” section to its “Getting Started” tab. The information available there is very extensive but, oddly enough, you can’t access it from within the help section.
If you require human assistance, which is available 24/7, you have the following options to choose from:

• Email support using the form on the website: Expect a response in a few hours. The quality of email support is hit and miss and largely depends on the consultant handling your inquiry.
• Chat support: Click the icon located in the lower right corner of the page and enter your email to begin speaking with a casino representative immediately.
• Toll-free phone support: Call 844-990-4263.

Resorts Casino updates: December 2020

Resorts had a major purge of games in September, coming into October with 524 games. While this is still a lot, it went from the #2 online casino with the most games to the #5 spot. Even with a purge of 50+ games, they still added a fair amount of new titles, including:

• Beer Barrel Bash
• Bourbon Street Bash
• Casino Hold’em
• Dead or Alive 2
• DJ Wild Stud Poker
• Double Dinosaur Deluxe
• It’s Magic
• Multihand Blackjack
• Jin Ji Bao Xi
• Narcos
• Slingo Cascade
• Spinsane

PA online casinos are up and running, and growing fast.

If you are 21 years or older and inside Pennsylvania state lines, you can now enjoy online slots, table games, and video poker from your desktop computer or mobile devices.

This page contains all the information you need to start playing at online casinos in PA.

Below is a guide to the games you can play for free and for realmoney at PA online casinos. After that, you’ll find information on apps, bonuses, safety, and geolocationtechnology.

Regulated casinos also include protection for problem gamblers, which we cover at the end of this page.

Best online casinos in Pennsylvania 2020

Real money and free online casino games in Pennsylvania

You can play most games at PA casinos online for fun. Playing games in demomode, or with play-money chips, allows you to find the titles you like before you gamble.

The only category of games that are notavailable for free play is live dealer table games. You can watch them, though you will not be able to wager on them – at least yet.

The current offerings on real money online casinos in PA are growing, and fast. Casino sites regularly add new games as they are approved by the PA Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

We offer an overview of how diverse these casino game categories are. Keep in mind that the most prominent New Jersey online casinos offer more than 600 titles.

Play PA online casino games for real money

The number of Pennsylvania online casinos is now in double-digits. All of the PA casino apps are available 24/7 and offer online slots, video poker, and table games such as roulette, blackjack, and baccarat. Use this table to compare the real money casinos in PA.

PA online slots

Slots are the biggest category of games for any online casino. You can expect to see over 200 games listed on some sites and you’ll need some way to sort the list of slot titles.

Firstly, casinos will feature their most popular games. You can use filters to search by, e.g., the number of reels, game developer, progressive jackpots, and so on.

If you enjoy live casino slots, then you will be able to play a lot of these online. You can search by name, or browse the listings for IGT, Bally, or another live slot studio.

Many online casinos feature classic games, e.g., Wheel of Fortune, Cleopatra, and WolfRun. You can also find traditional three-reel slots. Online slot studios like IGT created these.

When you browse the tiled graphics for slots to enjoy, you’ll see progressivejackpots listed underneath many of them. These pools can get massive, up to $1 million or more.

Table games at PA online casinos

Tablegames are a broad category, although it mostly covers all the casino games played on the greenfelt.

While most are card-based, dice and roulette wheels also fall under table games. Live dealer games are in this category; however, we will cover them separately.

This list is for the software-based versions:

• Blackjack: There are a lot of variations of basic blackjack rules. These include games with side bets, multi-hand games and entertaining variants like Blackjack Switch, Free Bet Blackjack, and Spanish 21.
• Roulette: You can bet your favorite numbers or try complex betting systems with online roulette. Where available, choose the European roulette wheel because the single zero reduces the house edge.
• Casino poker games: A lot of card-based table games use poker-hand rankings. Online casinos have Caribbean Stud, three-card poker, Ultimate Texas Hold ’em, Let It Ride, Pai Gow Poker, and Casino Hold ’em.
• Baccarat: Two of the three bets you can place in baccarat have a very low house edge. As long as you avoid the “tie” bet, this favorite among high rollers can be entertaining.
• Craps: With two betting phases and the chance to go on a hot streak as long as no 7s are rolled, craps is a lively live casino game. This appears at some online casinos, which gives you a chance to learn the complex bets.

Live dealer casinos in Pennsylvania

In other states, live dealer table games have become the go-to for many players and soon, they’ll be available in PA. With these, you’ll bet online although the action will be dealt in real-time from studios in PA live casinos. Bets will settle automatically.

Games available include blackjack (where you play on a seven-handed table), roulette, three-card poker, Casino Hold ’em, and baccarat.

Keep in mind, you need to act before the timer runs down in these games. Otherwise, your hand will be folded (or you’ll stand), depending on the game.

You can chat via text with the dealers and other players while you play. The added social element, plus the ability to watch the cards being dealt, make these increasingly popular games.

Video poker and novelty games

PA casinos allow you to play video poker games online. These include bonus poker and multi-hand variations, as well as traditional titles.

Pennsylvania online casino apps

There are pros and cons to online casino apps compared to mobile-friendly websites.

With apps, you often find only a limited number of game titles, along with account and cashier functionality. Compared to the hundreds of games you can play on your browser, this is a significant drawback.

On the positive side, having the graphics stored on your phone helps the games initialize faster. If you have ever had to wait for a bonus game to load on your mobile device after you hit it on a slot, you know how frustrating this can be.

Are the online casinos in Pennsylvania safe?

All online casinos in PA are licensed and under the jurisdiction of the PennsylvaniaGaming Control Board (PGCB).

Players are protected by know your customer (KYC) guidelines and responsible gaming laws. The games are tested for integrity and fairness. A complaint and dispute process is available if necessary.

When it comes to Pennsylvania online casinos, you really can’t get any safer.

The PGCB stated early in the licensing process that they have a deliberate, slow approach. This includes testing periods for new apps and websites. With the licenses for online casinos in Pennsylvania held by local live casinos and racetrack casinos, you’ll have trusted brand names behind each of the apps.

A major concern for players new to casino games is the fairness of the spins or deals. At regulated casinos, games are regularly audited and the expected return-to-player (RTP) percentages are published. While each game has a small edge in favor of the house, you can be sure that you are getting a fair shot at winning and it’s in line with the published figures.

Casino bonus offers in Pennsylvania

With a lot of real money online casinos opening in PA in quick succession, you can be sure they will be competing to attract new players.

This means 2020 is a perfect time to take advantage of their marketing budgets. Casino bonuses take four primary forms, and not every casino will offer them all. If not, the bonuses they do offer will need to be generous.

Here are the main types of casino bonuses:

• No-deposit welcome bonus: A popular way to attract new players is to offer free play for registering. This bonus is usually a small amount (between $10 and $25). You’ll need to wager it a number of times before you can withdraw it. These offers can start your casino bankroll, if you get lucky. If not, then you’ll have a chance to check out the real-money slot titles without any personal risk.
• Matched deposit bonuses: This is the most common form of a casino welcome bonus in PA. Your first deposit will be matched 100%, usually up to around $300, though sometimes much higher. You then get 30 to 60 days to meet the specified playthrough (wagering) requirements.
• Loyalty/comp point schemes: Some casinos will tie their online comp point schemes together with their live casino. Others have separate schemes, with complex tier systems unlocking progressively bigger bonuses. For high rollers, these loyalty schemes often have a VIP level, too.
• One-off promotions: How active a casino is with promos can make a big difference to your bankroll over time. These vary widely, and include double points deals, reload bonuses, promos linked to new games and free chips for sharing on social media.

While nothing is stopping you from taking up several casino bonuses, keep in mind that these are restricted to one per household for each casino. Many players have been tempted to sign up their entire family for a free-play offer only to find their accounts to be closed down quickly.

Licensed and legal PA casinos vs. offshore casinos

For many years, the only way to play online casino games in Pennsylvania was to risk your money at offshore casinos. While there were some limited legal options with sweepstakescasinos, the new legal PA internet casinos effectively remove the need to take this risk.

Offshore casinos are usually based in the Caribbean or Central America and their legal status is uncertain. While their host nation licenses them, they are not recognized or licensed by any US authority and our banks are legally obliged to block payments to them.

A greater concern is the lack of oversight and controls. Many offshore casinos have disappeared over the years, and many players have faced significant issues getting their winnings paid. If you have a dispute with an offshore casino, there is no industry body or organization to help you.

With PA casinos under the watchfuleye of the PGCB, they are licensed to accept conventional payment methods and thoroughly tested. There is no longer any reason to risk playing at an offshore site.

Geolocation and PA casinos

You will be able to access the PA online casinos fromanywhere. However, playing games for real money and making deposits can only be made within PA state lines.

Pennsylvania casinos will not allow real-money play if there is any doubt about your location. In New Jersey, this led to a lot of “falsenegatives.” Players who were on mobile devices near state borders were sometimes flagged as being outside of the state.

Fortunately, those initial problems were ironed out and geolocation technology is more reliable.

If you are using a VPN or proxyserver, you might still experience issues. Mobile users on 4G and close to the state border who experience problems can download additionalgeolocationsoftware in some cases.

Wi-Fi data is difficult to fake, and if you are not using a VPN, desktop players are unlikely to experience geolocation issues.

Full list of casinos allowed to offer online gambling in Pennsylvania

In the first month of 2020, FanDuel Casino, BetAmerica, and BetRivers Casino launched just before the Super Bowl. The long-awaited Caesars Online Casino in partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia followed in April.

Rivers Philadelphia (Formerly SugarHouse Casino) was the first brick-and-mortar casino to offer two different online casino skins under its casino license: PlaySugarHouse and BetRivers. The latter is integrated with the Rivers Pittsburgh online sportsbook that carries the same BetRivers name. Rivers Casino Pittsburgh did not obtain an online casino license.

On May 1, 2020, DraftKings Online Casino went live, becoming the second interactive gaming site under the Hollywood Casino license. Meadows, DraftKings’ land-based partner for online sports betting, does not hold an online casino license. But both Meadows and Hollywood are owned by Penn National Gaming, which has a market-access deal with DraftKings.

FanDuel and DraftKings originally launched online casinos that were integrated with their sportsbooks. Now, both have stand-alone online casino apps live in PA.

In late July 2020, Wind Creek Bethlehem dove into the online betting scene, launching the Wind Creek online casino through a partnership with Pala Interactive.

List of live Pennsylvania casinos

There are currently 12 licensed gambling properties in the state of Pennsylvania, with another casino in the works in Philadelphia’s Stadium Park.

According to PGCB, this includes 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos and two smaller resort casinos. The former two are Category 1 and 2 casinos, while the latter falls into Category 3. These gaming establishments employ approximately 18,000 people and generate close to $1.4 billion in tax revenue annually.

In total, there are 12 casinos licensed to offer PA online blackjack, slots and roulette.

• Harrah’s Philadelphia
• Hollywood Casino
• Meadows Casino
• Mohegan Sun Pocono
• Mount Airy Casino Resort
• Nemacolin Woodlands Resort
• Parx Casino
• Presque Isle Downs
• Rivers Casino Pittsburgh
• Rivers Casino Philadelphia (formerly SugarHouse Casino)
• Wind Creek Casino Resort (formerly Sands Bethlehem)
• Valley Forge Resort Casino

Mini-casinos: The next phase of Pennsylvania casino development

As part of its gambling expansion law passed in October 2017, the state had the ability to issue up to tenCategory 4 licenses. These licenses allow for mini-casinos with 300-750 slots. A supplemental license costing $2.5 million allows these satellite casino properties to offer up to 30 table games as well.

The process for the issuance of mini-casino licensing involves a series of auctions. The preliminary auctions began in January 2018 and were limited only to the licensed Category 1 and 2 casinos. The first license went to Penn National, who spent $50.1 million to secure a location 50 miles south of its existing Hollywood Casino. During the first round of auctions, PGCB awarded five licenses.

The PGCB ran a second round of auctions on Sept. 3, 2019 but there were no bidders this time around. As a result, the five remaining licenses will go unclaimed. In all, $114 million in license fees were raised.

Pennsylvania problem gambling support

A system for self-exclusion for problemgamblers is available at live casinos in Pennsylvania.

This program involves filling out some forms, providing a photo ID, and voluntarily requesting one-year, five-year or lifetime exclusion.

A list of excluded people is distributed to all live casinos. Then it is the casinos’ responsibility is to prevent those people from entering gaming areas.

Removal from this list (for the shorter periods) does not happen automatically. After the period expires, individuals must request their removal personally.

Online gambling prevents new challenges when it comes to the management of problem gambling. For the majority to enjoy safe gambling online, support systems need to be in place for players who experience issues.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Commission manages this support program.

Here is what legal Pennsylvania online casinos must provide:

• A prominentlink to their responsible gambling information page.
• Tools for time-out, self-exclusion and betting limits.
• A list of questions to assess whether you or someone you know has a gambling problem.
• Links to support organizations and therapists.

Support programs in the state include:

Overview of Pennsylvania’s casino industry

The Pennsylvania casino industry is relatively young. Casinos only became legal in 2004. Yet, in the dozen or so years in existence, the industry quickly became a powerhouse. Now it is the second-largest commercial casino industry in the country judging by gross revenue, trailing only Nevada.

Thanks to steep tax rates, Pennsylvania casinos actually generate more tax revenue for the state than Nevada does. That number has gotten even bigger thanks to the gambling expansion law passed in the fall of 2017.

Here is a look at the history of the Pennsylvania casino industry, starting with the latest news and moving back towards the casino industry’s more humble beginnings:

The year began on a high, but that soon changed as the spread of COVID-19 led to the shuttering of all retail casinos and racetracks in PA by mid-March. That meant furloughs for casino employees and falling casino stock prices.

Online sportsbooks were also hit hard, with most sports sidelined for a lengthy period of time.

On a positive note, three more online casinos joined the market before the Super Bowl. The FanDuel online casino made quite a splash, surging to highest handle and revenue earner after its first full month in February.

The long-awaited Caesars sportsbook went live on March 10 in partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia, bringing the state’s online sports betting apps to a total of nine. The Caesars online casino followed on April 23, making it nine internet casinos too. An online poker room under the WSOP.com name is expected to follow.

On May 1, DraftKings added an online casino product to its established online sportbook. Its online casino product is under the Hollywood Casino license, while the DraftKings sportsbook partners with Penn’s other PA property, The Meadows. Both FanDuel and DraftKings later debuted standalone online casino apps in June and July, respectively.

Wind Creek launched its first online product with an online casino in late July, and Live! Casino brought PlayLive! online casino to PA in mid-August. Live! was the only casino to launch iGaming ahead of retail openings, which are to follow in 2021.

Online wagering sparked and sportsbooks blossomed.

With sportsbooks, there were just three operations at the beginning of the year, and all were retail. By the end of the year, the Keystone State had 12 retail sportsbooks.

But eight online sportsbooks were also running by year’s end, with around 84% of all sports wagering done online. Taken together, sports betting took in more than a billion bucks in 2019.

Five online casino sites went live, the first ones launching in July, though a new Wire Act opinion likely slowed that market segment at the start.

And at long last, an online poker site finally launched. On Nov. 4, FOX Bet was joined by PokerStars Casino and PokerStars PA, making poker a reality in the Keystone State.

In October 2019, SugarHouse changed its name to Rivers Casino Philadelphia, but not before launching the first PA online sportsbook in May. PlaySugarHouse sportsbook and online casino still retain the SugarHouse name.

After a summer of bickering, the state legislature drafted a new version of the gambling expansion package, which both the House and Senate passed. Gov. Tom Wolf signed it into law on Monday, Oct. 30, 2018. The new law allows for a wide range of new gambling ventures, including:

• Online casinos
• Video gambling terminals (VGTs)
• Daily fantasy sports (DFS)
• Satellite casinos
• Sports betting

It also offered a new class of license eliminating the amenity fee in place at Valley Forge and Lady Luck Nemacolin. Valley Forge paid the fee immediately after the bill became law.

New licensing fees brought in more than $311 million for the state.

The PA Lottery launched several new games and created the online platform iLottery.

A US Supreme Court ruling allowed sports wagering to begin and nine of 12 properties immediately applied for licenses.

Total gambling revenue topped $3.4 billion.

Legislation which would legalize and regulate online gambling in Pennsylvania, and offer online gaming licenses to the state’s 12 casino properties first, was passed by the Senate. In June 2017 it was amended and passed by the House, sending it back to the Senate.

The law was approved at the end of October.

The law ushered in sportsbook wagering and video game terminals at truck stops, and a new category of “mini-casinos” was created. As part of the expansion, horse racing money from casino slot revenue was encumbered in a trust fund. The slot money was originally set aside as part of the deal which led to the 2004 approval of casinos.

Casinos set a revenue record of $3.227 billion.

Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin opened in July 2013.

Valley Forge Casino Resort opened its doors in March 2012 becoming the first Category 3 licensed casino in Pennsylvania.

After several ownership changes and failed financing plans with no construction to date, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board voted to revoke the Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia gaming license in December 2010.

SugarHouse Casino opened its first phase in Philadelphia in September 2010.

Pennsylvania passed a law in January 2010, authorizing table game operations at the state’s licensed racino, casino, and resort casino properties. The law also clarified the size and scope of gaming and other operations at the state’s three different categories of gaming licensees, including:

• Allowing up to 250 table games and 5,000 slot machines at Category 1 racino facilities
• Allowing 250 table games and 5,000 slot machines at Category 2 stand-alone casinos. These properties were also authorized to operate amenities including restaurants, spas, and entertainment options, but not hotels.
• Allowing up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games at Category 3 resort casinos. These gaming facilities can include attached hotels.

Parx Casino standalone gaming facility opened its doors in December .

Resorts Casino Online Gambling

Rivers Casino opened in Pittsburgh, PA’s Chateau neighborhood along the Ohio River in September.

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened on the Bethlehem Works development site in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in May 2009. Table games were added in July 2010. The property officially changed ownership to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians in June 2019. The casino is now known as Wind Creek Bethlehem.

Hollywood Casino opened at Penn National racetrack in February 2008.

Mount Airy Casino Resort officially opened in the Poconos in November 2007, becoming the first Pennsylvania casino with lodging.

Resorts Casino Atlantic City Online Gambling

The Meadows Casino began as a temporary casino adjacent to the racetrack in Washington County, PA in June 2007. The permanent casino opened in 2009.

Presque Isle Downs casino and horse racing track near Erie, Pennsylvania opened in February 2007.

A slots parlor began operation at Harrah’s Philadelphia racetrack on the Chester waterfront. Table games went live at the property in 2010.

Parx Casino opened as a temporary gaming facility at the former Philadelphia Park racetrack in December 2006.

Foxwoods Casino Philadelphia is granted one of five stand-alone casino licenses for a soon-to-be-built property located along the Delaware River in South Philadelphia. The project fell apart, resulting in PGCB revoking the license in 2010.

Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs became the state’s first slot parlor after opening its doors in November 2006 at a harness track near Wilkes-Barre.

State lawmakers made a number of amendments to horse track security bill authorizing both the use of 61,000 slot machines at racetracks and other new casino locations across Pennsylvania. Lawmakers rushed the bill through the House and Senate over the Fourth of July weekend, then quickly became law before any real opposition to casino gambling had a chance to oppose it.

The bill ultimately authorized the issue of three separate categories of slot machine licenses. These included:

• Category 1 for existing racetracks.
• Category 2 for designated tourist areas, including two in Philadelphia and one in Pittsburgh.
• Category 3 for resorts.

Former Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell runs for Pennsylvania Governor. He wins on a campaign that includes support for the idea of allowing slot machines at racetracks in an effort to lower property taxes.

Under Then-Governor Tom Ridge the State Legislature came close to legalizing riverboat casinos. The state’s anti-gambling movement began to grow and Gov. Ridge said he would veto any gambling bill not approved by referendum. Eventually the entire idea was scrapped.

A statewide survey found 48 percent of Pennsylvania residents supported legalized riverboat gambling and just 38 percent were opposed. However, Then-Governor Robert P. Casey claimed to be opposed to gambling and threatened to veto any gambling legislation passed in the state.

First developed under Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode, and championed by mayoral successor Ed Rendell, a proposal to allow riverboat gambling in Philadelphia made it to the state legislature. The claim was it would create $25 million in new revenue for the city and 11,500 new jobs. However, the House of Representatives voted against it in November by a margin of 118-81.

Resorts Casino Hotel opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey, becoming the first legal casino in Atlantic City. Resorts and the rest of the Atlantic City Boardwalk is within 60 miles of Philadelphia. It quickly become evident that Pennsylvania residents are some of the budding Atlantic City casino industry’s best customers.