Pa Casino Laws
- USA – Pennsylvania: Gambling Laws and Regulations 2021. ICLG - Gambling Laws and Regulations - USA – Pennsylvania covers common issues in gambling laws and regulations – including relevant authorities and legislation, application for a licence, licence restrictions, digital media, enforcement and liability – in 37 jurisdictions.
- Online gambling is legal under current Pennsylvania laws, beginning with a bill passed in October 2017 that allowed land-based casinos to offer online gambling to residents of Pennsylvania. Sports betting shortly followed, as the state capitalized on the Supreme Court’s overturning of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.
Pennsylvania Gambling Laws The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is permitted to issue 14 casino licenses. Seven were guaranteed to the state’s racetracks. There were five standalone Pennsylvania casino licenses awarded. A new proposal by a Pittsburgh state lawmaker would close loopholes in Pennsylvania's public smoking ban that permits exemptions for casinos, private clubs and some drinking establishments.House.
Introduction to Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling consists of twelve casinos of which six are pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines, four are standalone casinos, and two are casino resorts.
Pennsylvania has both minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. Return statistics are publicly available online.
This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.
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Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Pennsylvania*
The minimum legal gambling age in Pennsylvania depends upon the gambling activity:
- Land-Based Casinos: 21
- Poker Rooms: 21
- Bingo: 18
- Lottery: 18
- Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18
In 2004, the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development and Gaming Act passed. This Act legalized slot machines at fourteen locations. Of these locations, gaming licenses have yet to be issued for a standalone casino and a pari-mutuel racetrack with slot machines.
Since July 2010, table games are in Pennsylvania casinos.
In October 2017, the state legislature legalized casino gambling at truck stops, airports, and online. This bill also authorized ten new satellite casinos with location restrictions.
- Satellite casinos of existing casino operators must be within 25 miles of their existing Pennsylvania casino. Further, local municipalities may prohibit such a casino. These satellite casino licenses allow up to 750 slot machines and 50 table games.
- Racetracks and standalone casinos can have up to 5,000 slot machines and 250 table games, while casino resorts can have up to 600 slot machines and 50 table games. Truck stops approved by their county may have up to 5 slot machines.
Casino operators may operate a gambling parlor at any of Pennsylvania’s international and regional airports, assuming successful agreements with the airport authority. None have yet opened, but expected in 2020.
To gamble within a casino resort, players must be a guest there. Put another way, the gaming floors within the casino resorts are not open to the public.
*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.
Slot Machine Private Ownership in Pennsylvania
It is legal to own a slot machine privately in the state of Pennsylvania if it is 25 years old or older.
Gaming Control Board in Pennsylvania
The state gaming commission is the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB). The PGCB is responsible for overseeing slot machines and casino gambling in the state.
Two different state gaming commissions are each responsible for the state lottery and charitable gaming.
Casinos in Pennsylvania
There are two casino resorts, four standalone casinos, and six racetracks with slot machines in Pennsylvania.
The largest casino in Pennsylvania is Parx Casino with 3,238 gaming machines during the last week of January 2020.
The second-largest casino is Wind Creek Bethlehem with 3,046 gaming machines during the last week of January 2020.
Commercial Casinos in Pennsylvania
The two casino resorts in Pennsylvania are:
- Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, 69 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.
- Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, 21 miles northwest of Philadelphia.
The four standalone casinos in Pennsylvania are:
- Mount Airy Casino Resort Spa in Mount Pocono, 31 miles southeast of Scranton.
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia, 3 miles northeast of the downtown area.
- Rivers Casino Pittsburgh in the downtown cultural center.
- Wind Creek Bethlehem, 58 miles north of Philadelphia.
The six pari-mutuel racetracks with slot machines in Pennsylvania are:
Pa Casino Rules
- Harrah’s Philadelphia in Chester, 18 miles southwest of Philadelphia.
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Grantville, 17 miles northeast of the capital of Harrisburg.
- Mohegan Sun Pocono in Wilkes-Barre, 15 miles southwest of Scranton.
- Parx Casino in Bensalem, 19 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
- Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie, 126 miles north of Pittsburgh.
- The Meadows Casino Racetrack Hotel in Washington, 26 miles south-southwest of Pittsburgh.
Tribal Casinos in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania has no federally-recognized American Indian tribes. Therefore, Pennsylvania has no tribal casinos as allowed by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1989.
However, Pennsylvania is one of the few U.S. states with commercial casinos owned and operated by an American Indian tribe:
- Mohegan Sun Pocono is owned and operated by the Mohegan Indian Tribe of Connecticut through their Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment corporation.
- Wind Creek Bethlehem is owned and operated by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians through their Wind Creek Hospitality corporation.
Other Gambling Establishments
As an alternative to enjoying Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Pennsylvania is:
- North: New York Slots and Lake Erie
- East: New Jersey Slots
- South: Delaware Slots, Maryland Slots, and West Virginia Slots
- West: Ohio Slots
Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Pennsylvania.
Our Pennsylvania Slots Facebook Group
Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Pennsylvania? If so, join our new Pennsylvania slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.
There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Pennsylvania. Join us!
Payout Returns in Pennsylvania
The theoretical payout minimum for slot machines in Pennsylvania is 85%. Further, the maximum theoretical payout limit may not equal or exceed 100%. Both limits apply to each single play.
The PGCB makes monthly return statistics publicly available for Fiscal Year 2019/2020 for each gaming facility. To calculate player win%, divide payouts by wagers provided in each report.
For February 2020, the player win% at slots for each casino and statewide were:
- Harrah’s: 89.47%
- Hollywood: 89.38%
- Mohegan Sun: 89.63%
- Mount Airy: 90.35%
- Nemacolin: 89.18%
- Parx: 90.43%
- Presque Isle: 89.43%
- Rivers Philadelphia: 90.49%
- Rivers Pittsburgh: 89.68%
- The Meadows: 90.11%
- Valley Forge: 90.25%
- Wind Creek: 89.98%
- Statewide: 89.97%
For February 2020, the highest player win% went to Rivers Philadelphia at 90.49%, followed closely by Parx and Mount Airy. The lowest player win% went to Nemacolin at 89.18% followed closely by Hollywood Penn National and Presque Isle.
Summary of Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020
Pennsylvania slot machine casino gambling consists of two casino resorts, four standalone casinos, and six racetracks with slot machines. Other locations should still open in 2020.
The theoretical payout limits are a minimum of 85% and a maximum of up to 100%. Monthly return statistics by casino are available online from the state gaming control board.
Annual Progress in Pennsylvania Slot Machine Casino Gambling
In the last year, the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem became Wind Creek Bethlehem, acquired by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians through their Wind Creek Hospitality corporation for $1.3 billion.
Otherwise, there have been numerous casino name changes including:
- Lady Luck Nemacolin became Nemacolin Woodlands Resort.
- Valley Forge Convention Center Casino became Valley Forge Casino Resort.
- Mount Airy Resort & Casino became Mount Airy Casino Resort Spa.
- Sugar House Casino became Rivers Casino Philadelphia.
Related Articles from Professor Slots
- ABC27 Harrisburg Evening News: A closer look at casino slot payouts
Other State-By-State Articles from Professor Slots
- Previous: Oregon Slot Machine Casino Gambling
- Next: Puerto Rico Slot Machine Casino Gambling
Have fun, be safe, and make good choices!
By Jon H. Friedl, Jr. Ph.D., President
Jon Friedl, LLC
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Why Are These the Best Pennsylvania Online Casinos?
With many great real money Pennsylvania online casino sites to choose from, we get the ability to be picky. Our goal is to ensure we’re only recommending the best Pennsylvania online casinos.
No one came here with second-best in mind. When you gamble online with your hard-earned money, you want the best experience possible.
To ensure that happens, we’ve commissioned an expert team of reviewers to review, rate, and rank the top Pennsylvania online casino sites. Below, you’ll see a sneak peek at the three most important criteria they look at when making their determinations.
Secure and Safe Online Casinos
Number one and two on their priority list are security and safety. Pennsylvania online casinos won’t get within 100 miles of our recommended list if they can’t guarantee the protection of your money, bets, and personal information. Period. End of discussion. There are zero acceptable excuses when it comes to keeping you safe when gambling online in Pennsylvania.
Here are the critical questions we ask of all Pennsylvania online gambling sites we review:
- Do you treat security and safety as priorities?
- Do you utilize a proactive or reactive approach to threats?
- Have you installed proper security encryption site-wide?
- Are your banking partners trustworthy?
- Does your technical team regularly upgrade servers and systems?
The Right Casino Games PA Players Want
Residents of Pennsylvania love to gamble! Let’s look at a few numbers:
| Number of Gaming Machines by State (2017) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 25,685 | ||
| Nevada | 172,295 | ||
| Oklahoma | 74,562 | ||
| California | 73,605 | ||
| Louisiana | 42,725 | ||
| Illinois | 38,283 | ||
| New York | 33,159 | ||
| Washington | 32,448 | ||
| Michigan | 31,176 | ||
| Mississippi | 30,944 | ||
| Gross Gambling Revenue by State (in million U.S. dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 3,251.2 | ||
| Nevada | 11,917.37 | ||
| New Jersey | 2,903.48 | ||
| New York | 2,587.74 | ||
| Louisiana | 2,561.46 | ||
| Indiana | 2,240.84 | ||
| Mississippi | 2,142.06 | ||
| Ohio | 1,863.94 | ||
| Missouri | 1,754.47 | ||
| Maryland | 1,746.36 | ||
| Lottery Ticket Sales by State (in billion U.S. dollars) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 4.14 | ||
| New York | 9.69 | ||
| California | 6.28 | ||
| Florida | 6.06 | ||
| Massachusetts | 5.22 | ||
| Texas | 5.07 | ||
| Georgia | 4.56 | ||
| Ohio | 3.93 | ||
| New Jersey | 3.29 | ||
| Michigan | 3.1 | ||
Digging deeper into the numbers, we found that the Pennsylvania gambling demographic has a particular love for three games—slot machines, roulette, and blackjack. The top Pennsylvania online casinos must deliver high-quality gaming experiences for all three of these games. Why? Because they’re important to you! All of the Pennsylvania casino sites recommended here scored exceptional marks with all three of these casino games.
What happens if those aren’t your favorite games? We’ve still got you covered.
Yes, we want to see special attention paid to the games PA gamblers love the most, but we also want to see other high-quality game options available.
Regardless of your casino game preference, the best Pennsylvania online casino sites listed here have what you need.
Quality
One of the most time-intensive sections of our review process is the quality control check. As we already stated, we’re not here to recommend the second-best options. Our review teams are highly skilled in determining which Pennsylvania casinos demonstrate genuine quality across the board and which are the imitators trying to peddle second-best garbage.
We’ve attached our quality control checklist that we apply to online casino sites below to share some insight into the process:
Ohio Casino Laws
| Newest Casino Games Available | ✔️ or ❌ |
| Collection of Classic Casino Games Available | ✔️ or ❌ |
| Best Game Graphics | ✔️ or ❌ |
| Game Animations – Smooth and Seamless | ✔️ or ❌ |
| Server Speed – Fast and Sufficient | ✔️ or ❌ |
| Fairness in All Games | ✔️ or ❌ |
| 24/7 Customer Service Options Available | ✔️ or ❌ |
Are Pennsylvania Online Casino Sites Legal?
Yes! Pennsylvania online gambling is exciting because it’s one of the few states with a clear-cut stance on the subject. Pennsylvania online casino sites are legal. House Bill 271 passed in October of 2017, providing sweeping legalization of online gambling within the state.
Here are the major takeaways of HB 271:
- Online poker, slots, and table games are legal.
- Video game terminals at truck stops, online lottery, and daily fantasy sports are now permitted.
- Sports betting is legalized statewide (dependent on compliance with federal statutes).
- 12 PA online casino licenses were issued to land-based casinos in the state.
- After 120 days, any license not claimed by a land-based casino can be purchased by qualifying entities from out of state.
- Tax rates were established for all games:
| Game | Tax Rate |
| Online Poker | 14% |
| Table Games | 14% |
| Slots | 52% |
| Local Share Assessment (Applies to all three licenses) | 2% |
The bottom line is Pennsylvania online casinos are legal.
Kentucky Casino Laws
PA Brick and Mortar Casino Laws
Pennsylvania’s relaxed stance toward online casinos extends to the brick and mortar side of the house. With 34 licensed casinos, 35,872 slots and gaming machines, 1,507 table games, and 289 live poker tables, it’s an easy slam dunk to say the law supports brick and mortar gambling in PA.
For those of you looking for more information, here are some details and resources that can help.
- Pennsylvania’s definition of gambling: “Elements of gambling are consideration, element of chance, and reward.”
- Gambling in AP is governed by code sections 18§5513 et seq. and 4§325.101 et seq.
- Licensed horse and harness racing are permitted.
- Daily drawings, pull-tabs, and tavern raffles for a charitable purpose are legal.
- Bookmaking, punch boards, private wire for gambling information, cockfighting, and bullet play are illegal.
- Bingo, small games of chance sponsored by charitable organizations, and antique slot machines are permitted.
- The minimum wager allowed is $0.01, and the maximum is $15,000.
The Future of Pennsylvania Online Casinos
It should come as no surprise that the future for online gambling in the state of PA is exceptionally bright. When legislation in favor of gambling online passed a few years ago, it paved the way for explosive growth.
Pa Casino Laws
We predict more Pennsylvania online casino sites entering the market over the next few years. Additionally, we predict the number of patrons using online casinos over brick and mortar locations to grow.
Big things are coming for the world of online gambling in the state of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Online Casino Sites – FAQ
Yes! As one of the few states in the US with fully regulated online casinos, the experience is safe. We would advise you to follow a few guidelines to ensure the safest experience possible:– Stick to reputable Pennsylvania online casino sites.
– Create a strong password and keep it protected.
– Never gamble from a shared computer or public device.
– Avoid casino play when you are intoxicated or emotional.
– Never chase losses. Seek help if you have a problem.