Pennsylvania egaming to launch in July
PGCB director hails record casino revenues for March as final launch date for online gambling is set
Online gambling in Pennsylvania will go live on July 15 of this year, Gaming Control Board (PGCB) executive director Kevin O’Toole told members of the board this morning.
After reporting record retail casino revenues for March, O’Toole said board staff had estimated it would take ninety days for the industry to complete the necessary steps to launch egaming in the state.
O’Toole told the board: “Interactive gaming featuring poker, slots and table game play is a key component in the legislator’s expansion of gambling in Pennsylvania.
“As part of our regulatory framework regarding interactive gaming the board enacted the regulatory requirement to establish a commencement date for the roll-out of igaming,” O’Toole said.
He said staff would assist the nine egaming certificate holders and three licensed operators if they are not able to meet the initial launch date.
No specific launch date was given for online sports betting, although industry sources suggested it could happened before the July 15 date.
Last year, Parx Casino in Bensalem, Mount Airy Casino Resort, Caesar’s Harrah’s, Penn National’s Hollywood Casino and Rush Street Gaming’s SugarHouse were all awarded egaming licences in Pennsylvania.
At the beginning of the month O’Toole told the Pennsylvania House Appropriations Committee the state was “close” to regulating igaming but that the reinterpretation was a challenge which was causing “modest delays” to the roll-out of egaming in the state.
Data solutions provider Continent 8 was today authorised to provide Pennsylvania gambling operators with the use of its data centres and network services, ahead of the egaming launch in July.