The legalization of sports betting is sweeping the nation, after the Supreme Court made it the state’s responsibility to determine legality for themselves. The state of Pennsylvania (PA) has been early adopters of sports betting, allowing everyone within its state lines to put money down on the big game. Here is everything you need to know about online sports betting in Pennsylvania, including a list of PA sportsbook apps, promo codes, bricks and mortar casinos and how to make online sports bets in PA.
1) Is Sports Betting Legal in Pennsylvania
Yes! Dating back to 2017, Pennsylvania legalized in-state sports betting, however, it wasn’t until the United States Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 that Pennsylvania was able to offer legal sports betting to its residents. The current law permits wagering on both professional and collegiate events. You can place bets in person, online or on a mobile device (if present within the state’s borders).
In early 2018, Pennsylvania legalized sports betting as part of a comprehensive gaming expansion. That law contained an activation clause which was recently met. The US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban known as PASPA, paving the way for state-led legislation. PA sports betting currently falls under the regulation of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. They are a great resource if you’d like to deep dive.
2) Can I Currently Sports Bet Online in PA?
Yes! Mobile sportsbooks took a bit longer to come, launching in May 2019 and being fully up and running in November 2019. However, they are now available to legal bettors within the state of Pennsylvania.
Here’s a summary of the key points about Pennsylvania’s new sports betting and online gaming laws:
- Sports betting is now legal and subject to authorization by the PGCB and payment of a $10 million license fee.
- Casinos have multiple online gaming options but can offer only one online sports betting brand.
- Online casino games, slots and poker are also authorized, including on mobile devices. Casinos have paid $3-6 million per license to offer these or minimum $10 million for the package of three.
- Taxes vary from game-to-game. Online slots pay 54% of profits in taxes, while online sports betting pays 36%.
- The taxes are paid by operators, not bettors, but do mean that odds and payout rates may be worse than in Nevada or New Jersey.
- Casinos offer a single account from which to fund all online gaming accounts.
- Patrons can sign up online for online accounts. There is no need to register in person.
- Existing licensed casinos have partnered with online gaming companies to launch online gaming products. The partnership means some of the world’s largest sports-betting books will soon be available in Pennsylvania.
3) What Promo Codes / Deposit Bonuses are available in PA for me and How Can I Use Them?
Mobile Pennsylvania sports betting launched in May 2019 with SugarHouse Sportsbook. Parx Sportsbook and Bet Rivers Sportsbook joined in June 2019. More operators plan to launch Pennsylvania sports betting options soon so stay tuned.
DraftKings Sportsbook
DraftKings is not only one of the premier companies to provide an outlet for legal Pennsylvania sports betting, they also offer a great DraftKings sportsbook promo code. Make sure to check out DraftKings latest offer: a Deposit Bonus up to $1,000 for new users.
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/WV/PA/MI), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), 1-888-532-3500 (VA) or call/text TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN). 21+. NJ/PA/WV/IA/IN/CO/IL/TN/MI/VA only. Min. $5 deposit required. Deposit bonus requires 25x play-thru. Deposit bonus issued as site credits. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.
Bet Rivers Sportsbook
Another sports betting option is live in Pennsylvania as Bet Rivers Sportsbook has officially launched in PA. Bet Rivers is one of four online sports betting sites in Pennsylvania and the sister site of SugarHouse Sportsbook. This is a great opportunity to take advantage of since Bet Rivers is offering
While SugarHouse and Bet Rivers are virtually identical sites, all players on SugarHouse should sign up for Bet Rivers. They are still eligible to receive the same $250 deposit match bonus upon sign up. This is one of the best sports betting bonus offers around because players only need to bet their bonus once before it is eligible for withdraw. Make sure to take advantage of the deposit bonus link below.
Bet Rivers Offer: 100% Up To $250 First Deposit Match Bonus
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler
Only 1x Wager Applies, Playable in Pennsylvania Only
FanDuel Sportsbook launches in Pennsylvania
FanDuel recently announced that they’ve launched their mobile sportsbook in Pennsylvania.
Here’s the official statement from FandDuel:
“In partnership with Boyd Gaming and Valley Forge Casino Resort, FanDuel is bringing its mobile sports betting experience that is simple, secure, and more convenient than ever to individuals located in Pennsylvania.
Under the supervision of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, Monday, July 22 at 4 PM will mark the start of a three-day testing period for FanDuel’s mobile sports wagering app in the Keystone State. Sports fans in Pennsylvania can download the FanDuel Sportsbook app, sign up and place wagers during this testing period.”
FanDuel has already established a sportsbook in New Jersey, where they’ve dominated the market since opening. More than 40% of their wagers have come online and through their mobile app. They’re expected to launch a mobile sports betting app on both Android and iPhone platforms.
Risk Free Bet up to $500
4) What Sportsbooks and Online Sports Betting Apps are available in Pennsylvania?
There are many online sportsbooks available to bettors who are in Pennsylvania:
- DraftKings
- FanDuel
- SugarHouse
- Bet Rivers
- Parx Casino
- Fox Bet
- Unibet
5) Where Can I Bet on Sports in Person in PA?
Pennsylvania features a number of different places where you can go and bet on sports. The following is list of physical casinos you can visit in Pennsylvania:
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course (William Hill)
- Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (Kambi)
- SugarHouse Casino (Kambi)
- Parx Casino (Kambi)
- South Philadelphia Turf Club (Kambi)
- Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack (Scientific Games)
- Valley Forge Casino Resort (FanDuel)
- Valley Forge Turf Club (Kambi)
6) How Do I Make Deposits and Withdrawals for Online Sports Betting in PA?
As early adopters of legalized sports betting, the state of Pennsylvania has been adamant on making sports betting to its residents easy to access, with easy methods to deposit and withdraw money. The following are common methods to deposit or withdraw money for sports betting in Pennsylvania:
- Debit/Credit Card
- ACH (Online Banking)
- PayPal
- Prepaid Sportsbook Cards
- PayNearMe
- Cash at the Cage
- Check
7) What are the Most Common Types of Sports Bets Can I Make in Pennsylvania?
Straight bet
This is the most common bet type and it is just a straight up single bet on a game. A point spread is determined by the oddsmakers with one team being favored by a certain amount of points. Let’s take a look at an example line below to give a clear indication of what a straight bet would be:
Boston Celtics -6.5 (-110), moneyline -320
at Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110), moneyline +260
O/U 206
The Celtics are favored by 6.5 points in this example. This means that if you bet the Cavaliers, you are getting 6.5 points, so if the Cavaliers win the game, or lose by fewer than seven points, you will win the bet because of your 6.5-point cushion. On the other side, when you are laying 6.5 points as the favorite, you would need the Celtics to win by seven or more to win the bet.
Final Score: Celtics 102 Cavaliers 98. Cavaliers would cover even though the Celtics won the game because the +6.5 point spread is enough to cover a four-point defeat.
Moneyline Bet
The moneyline is a bet where there is no spread; you are just picking the winner of the game. In the example above, the Cavaliers ML is +260, which means that for every $100 wagered, you win $260 if the Cavaliers win the game outright. They receive the plus side of the moneyline since they are the underdog and picking them rewards you with nice odds since they are projected to likely lose the game. On the flip side, if you bet the Celtics ML at -320, you have to bet $320 to win $100. They are the favorites so if you decide to bet the moneyline instead of the point spread, you are forced to bet additional money to win $100.
In the example above, the Celtics ML would be the winner as they won the game outright. The spread is irrelevant for a moneyline wager.
Over/Under
This is a straight bet wagering on how many total combined points will be scored in a game by both teams. For example, an NBA game may have an over/under of 210 points, which means that the oddsmakers are projecting a combined points total of 210 between the two teams. If you think the teams are going to score more than 210 points total, you bet the over, and conversely, if you think it’s going to be a defensive struggle, you can bet the under hoping that the total points scored equals 209 points or less.
Parlay
A parlay is a bet where you combine multiple bets into one bet and you get increased odds because you only win your parlay wager if all of your bets win. If you do a three-team parlay, you select three different teams from three different games and if you win all three of the bets you hit your parlay for longshot odds (6-1 so $100 to win $600). Going 0/3, 1/3, or 2/3 is all the same and you lose the parlay bet. It’s all or nothing which makes them tough to hit and is more of a home run type bet than a regular straight bet since there’s a chance for a big payoff.
8) What’s a Good Place to Start Learning How to Online Sports Bet?
Update coming shortly.
9) What are the Most Popular Sports Teams to Bet on in Pennsylvania?
Residents of Pennsylvania are lucky to have many local teams to place their money on. Many of these popular professional and college teams are as follows:
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Penn State Nittany Lions
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Villanova Wildcats
- Temple Owls
10) What Else Do I need to Know about Pennsylvania Online Sports Betting?
| Jan 2019 | Feb 2019 | Mar 2019 | Apr 2019 | May 2019 | June 2019 | July 2019 | Aug 2019 | Sept 2019 | Oct 2019 | Nov 2019 | Dec 2019 | Jan 2020 | Feb 2020 | Mar 2020 | Apr 2020 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Handle | $32,011,839 | $31,500,742 | $44,527,575 | $36,769,145 | $35,934,215 | $46,334,244 | $59,331,959 | $109,038,051 | $194,504,622 | $241,186,066 | $316,468,264 | $342,560,389 | $348,381,708 | $329,765,782 | $131,330 | $46,015,988 |
| Revenue | $2,607,215 | $1,946,817 | $5,519,340 | $4,221,482 | $2,861,852 | $3,126,380 | $5,079,633 | $9,887,738 | $19,334,816 | $19,116,777 | $20,570,772 | $17,459,091 | $31,580,803 | $11,432,097 | $8,606,120 | $3,202,680 |
| Hold | 8.1% | 6.2% | 12.4% | 11.5% | 8.0% | 6.8% | 8.6% | 9.1% | 9.9% | 7.9% | 6.5% | 5.1% | 9.1% | 3.5% | 6.6% | 7.0% |
| Taxes | $938,597 | $700,854 | $1,986,962 | $1,519,734 | $1,030,267 | $740,455 | $1,026,769 | $2,201,406 | $5,359,994 | $5,381,370 | $5,299,447 | $4,094,813 | $8,222,829 | $1,700,091 | $2,480,132 | $1,038,050 |
As you can see, the above table displays the sports betting revenue in Pennsylvania since the start of 2019, which is roughly seven months after it became legal in the state. Sports betting resulted in $111,731,913 of revenue in Pennsylvania in 2019.
The top three months were September through November, averaging $19,674,121.67. These three months coincide with the NFL season.
The only downside to sports betting in Pennsylvania has been the high cost of business. An effective tax rate of 36 percent and a $10 million licensing fee are not cheap.
Now that you know Pennsylvania sports betting is legal and you know where you can go to place bets, all that’s left to do is get started! If you are looking for more information about sports betting overall, you can use the sports betting resources we provide here at Awesemo!
If you have an issue with betting or a gambling problem, please contact 1-800-GAMBLER to speak with someone right now and get help.
How much revenue will Pennsylvania sports betting generate?
The potential market is difficult to gauge. In 2019, the first month of legalized sports betting generated over $30 million in wagers, mostly in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and of course this is limited to in-person betting.
Now that federal law has changed, there could be significant competition in the Northeast, as other states begin to pass their own legislation. New Jersey legalized in 2018 and New York is expected to follow suit in 2019 (at least with in-person wagering), which could further lessen Pennsylvania’s potential revenue.
At this point, it’s difficult to tell how many operators will even move into the space, let alone what the revenue numbers might be.
Here’s a summary of the key points about Pennsylvania’s new sports betting and online gaming laws
- Sports betting is now legal and subject to authorization by the PGCB and payment of a $10 million license fee.
- Casinos have multiple online gaming options but can offer only one online sports betting brand.
- Online casino games, slots and poker are also authorized, including on mobile devices. Casinos have paid $3-6 million per license to offer these or minimum $10 million for the package of three.
- Taxes vary from game-to-game. Online slots pay 54% of profits in taxes, while online sports betting pays 36%.
- The taxes are paid by operators, not bettors, but do mean that odds and payout rates may be worse than in Nevada or New Jersey.
- Casinos offer a single account from which to fund all online gaming accounts.
- Patrons can sign up online for online accounts. There is no need to register in person.
- Existing licensed casinos have partnered with online gaming companies to launch online gaming products. The partnership means some of the world’s largest sports-betting books will soon be available in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania Sports Betting FAQs
- Is Sports Betting Legal in State?
- How Can I bet in state?
- Will State have Online Sports Betting?
- How Do I Open an Account?
- How Do I Deposit and Withdraw?
- Do I have to be in state to place a bet?
- What Games Can I bet on?
- What Companies Will be Offering Sports Betting?
- What Kind of Taxes Do I have to Pay?
- How Old Do I have to Be to Bet in State?
- What are the Betting Limits?
- Where Do I go if I have a problem?
Need more sports betting information? Check out the Awesemo betting home page.
