Maybe once a week. I dont play much but will swing through when I'm in the area to grab a coffee, take a leak or just hang out
I made my first sports wagers last week. Used the automated machine. Cashing and putting in were both slow. Mainly because people didn't seem to have their shit together. I'd avoid the place during foots or any big event. You'd be stuck in lines all day
SugarHouse Casino Partners with Rush Street Interactive to Launch PlaySugarHouse.com in Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth’s First Online and Mobile Sportsbook
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time in history, sports betting fans can legally place online and mobile wagers in Pennsylvania. SugarHouse Casino, which launched Philly’s first land-based sportsbook in December 2018, went live with PlaySugarHouse.com, the Commonwealth’s first licensed online and mobile sportsbook, on Friday, May 31. Today’s formal launch follows the casino’s successful three-day operational test period and approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to officially accept digital wagers.
“Since opening, our SugarHouse Sportsbook has been buzzing with sports fans 24/7”
To celebrate Pennsylvania’s launch of online and mobile sports betting, PlaySugarHouse.com expects to shortly activate no-vig bets on NBA Finals games wagered on in PA, similar to the way this exciting promotion is currently offered in New Jersey. For the entire series, from 10 a.m. ET until tipoff, the main line spread will be priced at +100 on each side, ensuring bettors receive unbeatable value as they try out the site during this busy time in the sports season.
“Since opening, our SugarHouse Sportsbook has been buzzing with sports fans 24/7,” said Rob Long, general manager of SugarHouse Casino. “Whether they’re watching Philly teams on the big screen or following a soccer game or tennis matches live streamed directly from the French Open to PlaySugarHouse.com, the action is round-the-clock, and now with online and mobile sports betting, you can take it with you.”
To get started, online users must visit PlaySugarHouse.com to create an account. Players will receive a match bonus up to $250 on their first deposit.
PlaySugarHouse.com is a proven New Jersey leader as one of the top four performing digital sportsbooks in the state since the market launched in September 2018. In fact, Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the operator of PlaySugarHouse.com, was recently crowned 'Mobile Operator of the Year in North America’ at the EGR North America Awards 2019. RSI brings the same proven and high quality product, customer service and user experience to Pennsylvania. Due to distinct regulations in the two adjacent jurisdictions, New Jersey players already registered with PlaySugarHouse.com in the Garden State will have to create a new Pennsylvania account to wager in the Commonwealth. Fortunately, players with New Jersey accounts can leverage the personal information already supplied to PlaySugarHouse.com in New Jersey to accelerate their PA account registration.
“Thanks to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s leadership, we are excited to make history in bringing the first online sportsbook to sports fans in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Richard Schwartz, president of Rush Street Interactive. “Rush Street Interactive has grown market share since entering the New Jersey market in 2016, in large part due to the quality of PlaySugarHouse.com user experience and a laser focus on delivering what our players want, a massive range of sports betting options, responsive customer service and fast payouts. We have now brought the same quality, award-winning PlaySugarHouse.com site to players in the state of Pennsylvania.”
On laptops and desktops, players must visit PlaySugarHouse.com to start placing bets. Android users must go to the same PlaySugarHouse.com website to download the new Pennsylvania app to wager on their mobile devices. Apple users can register using their mobile devices, but will need to wager from a desktop or laptop until betting from iPhones and iPads becomes available in the near future. The PlaySugarHouse.com iOS app for Pennsylvania has not been approved yet by the Apple store due to changes in how it enforces policies, but RSI is working diligently to obtain approval.
The expansive selection of sports and all wagers available at SugarHouse Casino’s in-casino sportsbook will also be available via online and mobile; offering millions of betting options on thousands of games, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, and much more. In-game sports betting and prop bets are also available. Bettors familiar with the popular kiosk stations at the land-based sportsbook will find the interface similar, intuitive and easy to use.
PlaySugarHouse.com accepts a market leading variety of deposit options, including credit and debit cards (Visa and Mastercard), ACH/e-checks, online banking, wire transfers, pre-paid cards signed up for online, and cash deposits either at the SugarHouse Casino cage or at 7-Eleven and other retail stores in the state. The site expects to soon accept ****** and Discover-branded credit and debit cards as it does in New Jersey.
SugarHouse Casino’s digital and land-based sport wagering operator is Rush Street Interactive PA, LLC, and its affiliates. RSI owns and operates PlaySugarHouse.com, an online casino and sportsbook in New Jersey, and is known for its quality customer care, including fast payouts. RSI-supported land-based sportsbooks at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh lead the state, having generated over 50% of all retail sportsbook betting in Pennsylvania since the market opened in November 2018. RSI was also the first U.S. gaming operator to launch sports betting under a gaming license in a legal and regulated market in Colombia, South America.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190531005466/en/
PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--For the first time in history, sports betting fans can legally place online and mobile wagers in Pennsylvania. SugarHouse Casino, which launched Philly’s first land-based sportsbook in December 2018, went live with PlaySugarHouse.com, the Commonwealth’s first licensed online and mobile sportsbook, on Friday, May 31. Today’s formal launch follows the casino’s successful three-day operational test period and approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to officially accept digital wagers.
“Since opening, our SugarHouse Sportsbook has been buzzing with sports fans 24/7”
To celebrate Pennsylvania’s launch of online and mobile sports betting, PlaySugarHouse.com expects to shortly activate no-vig bets on NBA Finals games wagered on in PA, similar to the way this exciting promotion is currently offered in New Jersey. For the entire series, from 10 a.m. ET until tipoff, the main line spread will be priced at +100 on each side, ensuring bettors receive unbeatable value as they try out the site during this busy time in the sports season.
“Since opening, our SugarHouse Sportsbook has been buzzing with sports fans 24/7,” said Rob Long, general manager of SugarHouse Casino. “Whether they’re watching Philly teams on the big screen or following a soccer game or tennis matches live streamed directly from the French Open to PlaySugarHouse.com, the action is round-the-clock, and now with online and mobile sports betting, you can take it with you.”
To get started, online users must visit PlaySugarHouse.com to create an account. Players will receive a match bonus up to $250 on their first deposit.
PlaySugarHouse.com is a proven New Jersey leader as one of the top four performing digital sportsbooks in the state since the market launched in September 2018. In fact, Rush Street Interactive (RSI), the operator of PlaySugarHouse.com, was recently crowned 'Mobile Operator of the Year in North America’ at the EGR North America Awards 2019. RSI brings the same proven and high quality product, customer service and user experience to Pennsylvania. Due to distinct regulations in the two adjacent jurisdictions, New Jersey players already registered with PlaySugarHouse.com in the Garden State will have to create a new Pennsylvania account to wager in the Commonwealth. Fortunately, players with New Jersey accounts can leverage the personal information already supplied to PlaySugarHouse.com in New Jersey to accelerate their PA account registration.
“Thanks to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’s leadership, we are excited to make history in bringing the first online sportsbook to sports fans in the state of Pennsylvania,” said Richard Schwartz, president of Rush Street Interactive. “Rush Street Interactive has grown market share since entering the New Jersey market in 2016, in large part due to the quality of PlaySugarHouse.com user experience and a laser focus on delivering what our players want, a massive range of sports betting options, responsive customer service and fast payouts. We have now brought the same quality, award-winning PlaySugarHouse.com site to players in the state of Pennsylvania.”
On laptops and desktops, players must visit PlaySugarHouse.com to start placing bets. Android users must go to the same PlaySugarHouse.com website to download the new Pennsylvania app to wager on their mobile devices. Apple users can register using their mobile devices, but will need to wager from a desktop or laptop until betting from iPhones and iPads becomes available in the near future. The PlaySugarHouse.com iOS app for Pennsylvania has not been approved yet by the Apple store due to changes in how it enforces policies, but RSI is working diligently to obtain approval.
The expansive selection of sports and all wagers available at SugarHouse Casino’s in-casino sportsbook will also be available via online and mobile; offering millions of betting options on thousands of games, including football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, and much more. In-game sports betting and prop bets are also available. Bettors familiar with the popular kiosk stations at the land-based sportsbook will find the interface similar, intuitive and easy to use.
PlaySugarHouse.com accepts a market leading variety of deposit options, including credit and debit cards (Visa and Mastercard), ACH/e-checks, online banking, wire transfers, pre-paid cards signed up for online, and cash deposits either at the SugarHouse Casino cage or at 7-Eleven and other retail stores in the state. The site expects to soon accept ****** and Discover-branded credit and debit cards as it does in New Jersey.
SugarHouse Casino’s digital and land-based sport wagering operator is Rush Street Interactive PA, LLC, and its affiliates. RSI owns and operates PlaySugarHouse.com, an online casino and sportsbook in New Jersey, and is known for its quality customer care, including fast payouts. RSI-supported land-based sportsbooks at SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia and Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh lead the state, having generated over 50% of all retail sportsbook betting in Pennsylvania since the market opened in November 2018. RSI was also the first U.S. gaming operator to launch sports betting under a gaming license in a legal and regulated market in Colombia, South America.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190531005466/en/
Was at Hollywood Casino last sunday while visiting my fathers grave at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery i made my first bet at a PA Casino.Its a William Hill Book so its nothing special,but its a bigger WH book,and so far they don't have any huge TV's but they said they will as they are near going online and mobile betting.Plenty of seating with the small TV's at each seat.
Of course i lost my bet as i had the lousy Cardinals
Of course i lost my bet as i had the lousy Cardinals
I haven't been up there since football season........they had big screen TVs, but I didn't see any small TVs at each seat. I'm wondering if they changed things around or they've moved the book to another part of the casino? When WH opened in mid Nov, they remodeled where the horse racing betting use to be........is it still that location?
Yeah, that's the same room I was in, right next to the Sky Box........don't they have the big screen TVs up against the wall anymore? Hmm......I know they have small TVs at like 7 seats in the back for horse players, but didn't see any small TVs in the rest if the room unless they changed things up. I'll probably go back up once they bring WH mobile betting.
I'm assuming William Hill didn't want to invest a lot of money fixi g up the book like some books in Vegas because Grantville is far from where a lot of people live. They figure most of their money will come from mobile/online betting. It takes me an hour to drive up there, I'm glad mobile is finally here.
PENNSYLVANIA ONLINE SPORTSBOOK TAKES $570K IN BETS IN ABOUT THREE DAYS
Pennsylvania’s first online/mobile sportsbook launched on May 28, and in the roughly three days it was open it took $570k in wagers, according to figures made public by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Tuesday.
The Play SugarHouse online sportsbook opened on May 28 for limited hours, in what is known as a “soft launch.” The first legal online sports bets in PA history began after 4 p.m. on May 28. The betting hours were restricted up until the morning of Friday, May 31, which ended the soft launch period. Bettors can now wager 24/7.
The online/mobile betting kicked off during the midst of the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
The overall PA handle was $35,934,215. Just about 1.5% of the state’s handle came online in May. In NJ, more than 82% of the handle is now online.
Additional PA sportsbooks are expected to launch in the coming weeks.
It’s worth noting that Play SugarHouse isn’t yet available on Apple (iOS) devices. Bettors can only access the book via pa.playsugarhouse.com and on Android devices.
Revenues
Play SugarHouse, which comes from Rush Street Gaming’s SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, took in $38,753 in revenue off the $573,163 online handle.
The book paid $13,176 (34%) in state taxes on that revenue, plus an additional $775 (2%) in the form of local taxes.
Statewide sportsbooks collected $2,861,852 in revenue off the $35.9 mm in handle, paying more than $1 mm in taxes.
Here’s a look at each sportsbook by handle in May, per the PGCB:
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh: $7,924,510
SugarHouse: $7,923,839
Parx: $6,809,662
Hollywood Casino: $3,816,054
South Philly Race and Sportsbook: $2,745,803
Valley Forge Casino: $2,739,475
Harrah’s: $2,589,147
Valley Forge Race and Sportsbook: $1,385,725
Rivers and SugarHouse are sister properties (both owned by Rush Street). Rush Street’s casinos accounted for $15,848,349 of the May handle, or 44%.
Rush Street announced last week that SugarHouse casino in Philadelphia will rebrand as Rivers Casino Philadelphia, and further has plans to sunset the entire SugarHouse brand.
Pennsylvania sports betting kicked off in November. Through May, the books took nearly $200 mm in wagers, collecting $19,673,294 in revenue.
https://www.pennbets.com/pennsylvania-online-sports-betting-handle/
Pennsylvania’s first online/mobile sportsbook launched on May 28, and in the roughly three days it was open it took $570k in wagers, according to figures made public by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Tuesday.
The Play SugarHouse online sportsbook opened on May 28 for limited hours, in what is known as a “soft launch.” The first legal online sports bets in PA history began after 4 p.m. on May 28. The betting hours were restricted up until the morning of Friday, May 31, which ended the soft launch period. Bettors can now wager 24/7.
The online/mobile betting kicked off during the midst of the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals.
The overall PA handle was $35,934,215. Just about 1.5% of the state’s handle came online in May. In NJ, more than 82% of the handle is now online.
Additional PA sportsbooks are expected to launch in the coming weeks.
It’s worth noting that Play SugarHouse isn’t yet available on Apple (iOS) devices. Bettors can only access the book via pa.playsugarhouse.com and on Android devices.
Revenues
Play SugarHouse, which comes from Rush Street Gaming’s SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia, took in $38,753 in revenue off the $573,163 online handle.
The book paid $13,176 (34%) in state taxes on that revenue, plus an additional $775 (2%) in the form of local taxes.
Statewide sportsbooks collected $2,861,852 in revenue off the $35.9 mm in handle, paying more than $1 mm in taxes.
Here’s a look at each sportsbook by handle in May, per the PGCB:
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh: $7,924,510
SugarHouse: $7,923,839
Parx: $6,809,662
Hollywood Casino: $3,816,054
South Philly Race and Sportsbook: $2,745,803
Valley Forge Casino: $2,739,475
Harrah’s: $2,589,147
Valley Forge Race and Sportsbook: $1,385,725
Rivers and SugarHouse are sister properties (both owned by Rush Street). Rush Street’s casinos accounted for $15,848,349 of the May handle, or 44%.
Rush Street announced last week that SugarHouse casino in Philadelphia will rebrand as Rivers Casino Philadelphia, and further has plans to sunset the entire SugarHouse brand.
Pennsylvania sports betting kicked off in November. Through May, the books took nearly $200 mm in wagers, collecting $19,673,294 in revenue.
https://www.pennbets.com/pennsylvania-online-sports-betting-handle/
They may be taking advantage of sports bettors cuz they're the only mobile/online book in Pa. ......I'm waiting to see what Fan Duel, William Hill, & others are offering come football season.
I didn't have any problems with William Hill juice or their spreads last football season.
Mobile sports betting is live in Pennsylvania, with a few hiccups
Mobile sports betting has arrived in Pennsylvania, but online sports betting in PA still has a ways to go before it reaches its potential.
The big issue, right now, is that bettors can not legally place a bet from an iPhone or iPad. And when you consider that roughly half of all mobile users (and perhaps an even greater percentage of bettors) use iOS, this has significantly watered down the launch of mobile betting in Pennsylvania, even if things got off to a hot start when $573k worth of bets were placed at SugarHouse in three days after their launch at the end of May.
Without getting too technical, the lack of iOS compatibility thus far from the three legal online sportsbooks — SugarHouse, Bet Rivers, and Parx — is the result of a recent Apple App Store policy update which insists online gambling apps be coded natively for iOS and not be a port of an HTML web app. None of the aforementioned sites are yet compliant with Apple's updated terms. In fact, most online casinos use an HTML wrap to power their mobile apps, so this has the potential to be a major industry-wide problem.
Apple is currently restricting new apps that are not compliant, but said that by September they will begin removing old apps whose code isn’t up to par from the App Store. This means a number of current online sportsbooks in New Jersey could be impacted if they don’t update their apps accordingly.
It’s not an easy fix.
Many, if not most, online sportsbooks and casinos use third-party providers to power their branded offerings. These off-the-shelf products are typically built with HTML coding so they can be used on the web and are then wrapped into iOS and Android apps.
For instance, SugarHouse, which was the first to launch online in PA, and sister site Rivers, use foreign-based Kambi to power their online sportsbooks. So does Parx.
The Google Play Store doesn’t allow gambling apps at all, but with Android being an open system, users can download the app directly from operators’ sites — but that's not the case on iOS, where all app downloads have to go through the App Store.
A re-coding of the apps can be a long process - potentially longer than three months - so it’s possible this gaping hole in the market extends into football season.
For what it’s worth, Mattias Stetz, chief operating officer at Rush Street, which owns SugarHouse and will soon rebrand the Philly casino to “Rivers Philadelphia,” told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they are working on an "alternative solution" should the App Store issue continue to pose a problem.
Online casinos, however, which are scheduled to launch in PA on July 15, will be much more heavily impacted due to just the sheer number of games that would need to be rebuilt for the iOS platform.
One possible saving grace for iOS bettors could come when FanDuel Sportsbook launches in PA.
FanDuel, owned by BetFair, has partnered with Valley Forge Casino Resort to brand their online sports betting offering. It is expected to launch later this month (though delays have been the norm in PA, so don’t be surprised if it’s August), and sources tell us they will be live on iOS at launch or shortly thereafter.
As the market leader in New Jersey, FanDuel is poised to take a commanding lead in PA once football season starts, especially if they are the only app available on iOS.
Brands like DraftKings and FanDuel are synonymous with sports gaming, and so they instantly have credibility with potential sports bettors. This premise has been borne out in New Jersey. It also helps that those companies, along with pure-play sports betting operator PointsBet, are tech-first companies which are better equipped to deal with compliance issues such as the one posed by Apple.
Other candidates to launch in PA include FOX Bet (previously BetStars), Unibet, and potentially other casino-branded apps. But all might suffer from the new Apple policy, and their launch timelines remain unclear.
In short, online betting is here in Pennsylvania. But a major hurdle is preventing widespread adoption at the moment. Getting this all sorted out by football season is in the best interest of state coffers, as Pennsylvania takes a 36% tax on online betting revenue. Bettors can only wait.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ph...guide-sugarhouse-parx-fanduel-draftkings/amp/
Mobile sports betting has arrived in Pennsylvania, but online sports betting in PA still has a ways to go before it reaches its potential.
The big issue, right now, is that bettors can not legally place a bet from an iPhone or iPad. And when you consider that roughly half of all mobile users (and perhaps an even greater percentage of bettors) use iOS, this has significantly watered down the launch of mobile betting in Pennsylvania, even if things got off to a hot start when $573k worth of bets were placed at SugarHouse in three days after their launch at the end of May.
Without getting too technical, the lack of iOS compatibility thus far from the three legal online sportsbooks — SugarHouse, Bet Rivers, and Parx — is the result of a recent Apple App Store policy update which insists online gambling apps be coded natively for iOS and not be a port of an HTML web app. None of the aforementioned sites are yet compliant with Apple's updated terms. In fact, most online casinos use an HTML wrap to power their mobile apps, so this has the potential to be a major industry-wide problem.
Apple is currently restricting new apps that are not compliant, but said that by September they will begin removing old apps whose code isn’t up to par from the App Store. This means a number of current online sportsbooks in New Jersey could be impacted if they don’t update their apps accordingly.
It’s not an easy fix.
Many, if not most, online sportsbooks and casinos use third-party providers to power their branded offerings. These off-the-shelf products are typically built with HTML coding so they can be used on the web and are then wrapped into iOS and Android apps.
For instance, SugarHouse, which was the first to launch online in PA, and sister site Rivers, use foreign-based Kambi to power their online sportsbooks. So does Parx.
The Google Play Store doesn’t allow gambling apps at all, but with Android being an open system, users can download the app directly from operators’ sites — but that's not the case on iOS, where all app downloads have to go through the App Store.
A re-coding of the apps can be a long process - potentially longer than three months - so it’s possible this gaping hole in the market extends into football season.
For what it’s worth, Mattias Stetz, chief operating officer at Rush Street, which owns SugarHouse and will soon rebrand the Philly casino to “Rivers Philadelphia,” told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that they are working on an "alternative solution" should the App Store issue continue to pose a problem.
Online casinos, however, which are scheduled to launch in PA on July 15, will be much more heavily impacted due to just the sheer number of games that would need to be rebuilt for the iOS platform.
One possible saving grace for iOS bettors could come when FanDuel Sportsbook launches in PA.
FanDuel, owned by BetFair, has partnered with Valley Forge Casino Resort to brand their online sports betting offering. It is expected to launch later this month (though delays have been the norm in PA, so don’t be surprised if it’s August), and sources tell us they will be live on iOS at launch or shortly thereafter.
As the market leader in New Jersey, FanDuel is poised to take a commanding lead in PA once football season starts, especially if they are the only app available on iOS.
Brands like DraftKings and FanDuel are synonymous with sports gaming, and so they instantly have credibility with potential sports bettors. This premise has been borne out in New Jersey. It also helps that those companies, along with pure-play sports betting operator PointsBet, are tech-first companies which are better equipped to deal with compliance issues such as the one posed by Apple.
Other candidates to launch in PA include FOX Bet (previously BetStars), Unibet, and potentially other casino-branded apps. But all might suffer from the new Apple policy, and their launch timelines remain unclear.
In short, online betting is here in Pennsylvania. But a major hurdle is preventing widespread adoption at the moment. Getting this all sorted out by football season is in the best interest of state coffers, as Pennsylvania takes a 36% tax on online betting revenue. Bettors can only wait.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ph...guide-sugarhouse-parx-fanduel-draftkings/amp/
Holllywood Online Casino Will Launch Alongside Parx On July 15
Now we have a horse race: Hollywood Casino is jumping into the online casino race on July 15 along with Parx. That’s the first day allowed under Pennsylvania rules.
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) spokesperson Doug Harbach confirmed the launch to PlayPennsylvania.com on Wednesday.
Hollywood to launch online casino the same day as Parx
Parx showed its hand earlier with a countdown clock on its home page ticking toward launch.
Now, both sites will soft-launch on Monday at 2 p.m. EST with live testing of their online casinos.
Hollywood partners include IGT, William Hill
Hollywood is something of a dark horse when it comes to the Pennsylvania online stakes.
While it is a horse track as well as a brick-and-mortar casino, it still does not have an online sportsbook app, even though it opened the first retail sportsbook in Pennsylvania. William Hill is developing its online sportsbook app.
Meanwhile, its interactive partner for the online casino launch is IGT, a major player in the online slot segment.
An online app will increase Hollywood’s reach
Hollywood’s location in a less densely populated area in Pennsylvania, a bit north of Harrisburg, means adding an online casino option should increase its market reach and grow revenues.
When the deal with IGT was announced in 2018, the companies said the alliance would provide “a full suite of digital gaming products, including the platform, and services” through HollywoodCasino.com.
Enrico Drago, an IGT senior vice president, promised:
Vast portfolio of proven digital solutions enables us to quickly address our customers’ needs across online gaming, sports betting and on-premise mobile gaming, IGT PlayDigital’s vast portfolio of proven digital solutions enables us to quickly address our customers’ needs across online gaming, sports betting and on-premise mobile gaming.
IGT is a global company with expertise in slots
Wolf Run
Wheel of Fortune games
Cleopatra
Double Diamond
Golden Goddess
Elephant King
Penn National has grown enormously
Though it began as a small horse track, Penn National now operates 40 facilities in 18 jurisdictions. It has a focus on slots.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course has 2,450 slot machines and 56 table games and offers live racing and simulcasting.
https://www.paonlinecasino.com/5013/hollywood-pa-online-casino-launch/
Now we have a horse race: Hollywood Casino is jumping into the online casino race on July 15 along with Parx. That’s the first day allowed under Pennsylvania rules.
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) spokesperson Doug Harbach confirmed the launch to PlayPennsylvania.com on Wednesday.
Hollywood to launch online casino the same day as Parx
Parx showed its hand earlier with a countdown clock on its home page ticking toward launch.
Now, both sites will soft-launch on Monday at 2 p.m. EST with live testing of their online casinos.
Hollywood partners include IGT, William Hill
Hollywood is something of a dark horse when it comes to the Pennsylvania online stakes.
While it is a horse track as well as a brick-and-mortar casino, it still does not have an online sportsbook app, even though it opened the first retail sportsbook in Pennsylvania. William Hill is developing its online sportsbook app.
Meanwhile, its interactive partner for the online casino launch is IGT, a major player in the online slot segment.
An online app will increase Hollywood’s reach
Hollywood’s location in a less densely populated area in Pennsylvania, a bit north of Harrisburg, means adding an online casino option should increase its market reach and grow revenues.
When the deal with IGT was announced in 2018, the companies said the alliance would provide “a full suite of digital gaming products, including the platform, and services” through HollywoodCasino.com.
Enrico Drago, an IGT senior vice president, promised:
Vast portfolio of proven digital solutions enables us to quickly address our customers’ needs across online gaming, sports betting and on-premise mobile gaming, IGT PlayDigital’s vast portfolio of proven digital solutions enables us to quickly address our customers’ needs across online gaming, sports betting and on-premise mobile gaming.
IGT is a global company with expertise in slots
Wolf Run
Wheel of Fortune games
Cleopatra
Double Diamond
Golden Goddess
Elephant King
Penn National has grown enormously
Though it began as a small horse track, Penn National now operates 40 facilities in 18 jurisdictions. It has a focus on slots.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course has 2,450 slot machines and 56 table games and offers live racing and simulcasting.
https://www.paonlinecasino.com/5013/hollywood-pa-online-casino-launch/
What is Keeping Online Sportsbooks like FanDuel, DraftKings, William Hill & PointsBet Out of PA?
Pennsylvania is one of the more progressive states for gambling. They have a legalized online lottery, they had legalized sports betting within the first year of the PASPA ruling, and they also are launching online poker and casino games in the near future. One major reason Pennsylvania is so lenient with gambling expansions, the taxes. Pennsylvania has some of the highest, if not the highest, taxes in the country when it comes to gambling. There are multiple reasons as to why some major operators are still absent in Pennsylvania, but the taxes are a big issue for most.
DraftKings Still Looking For PA Entry
DraftKings partnered up with Caesars Entertainment in February of 2019. The deal will help DraftKings make its way into a number of states will legalized sports betting and online gaming. Pennsylvania, however, is not one of those states. Why not? That is because Pennsylvania has a “single skin” law associated with sports betting. This means that a casino can only operate with one sportsbook app under their license. Caesars Entertainment has Harrah’s Philadelphia as their property and they have already confirmed that they will be using the Caesars as their sportsbook, not the DraftKings brand.
DraftKings has recently applied for two different Pennsylvania gambling licenses. One as a sports betting operator and the other as an interactive gaming operator. These aren’t the licenses that the casinos paid $10 million for, but are the ones that partners of casinos apply for (like Kambi or SBTech). With the rumors of DraftKings acquiring SBTech, there could be a chance DraftKings could enter into Pennsylvania through Presque Isle Downs. There is no timeline at the moment, but expect for DraftKings to do whatever it takes to be operating in Pennsylvania for the start of the 2019 NFL season.
PointsBet
Points Bet is a popular Australian-based sportsbook that offers both traditional betting as well as their “points betting” style. They are already operational in New Jersey and are expanding across the country as more and more states legalize sports betting. Pennsylvania is one of the states that won’t be seeing PointsBet anytime soon, possibly ever.
PointsBet US CEO Johnny Aitken said that the taxes in Pennsylvania are not worth entering into the state. The $10 million licensing fee isn’t the issue, but the nearly 40 percent in total taxes makes it hard for them to enter.
Taxes and Fees for Pennsylvania Sportsbooks
Pennsylvania is one of the biggest markets for gambling in the country. Gaming operators would love nothing more than to enter a market with the potential that Pennsylvania has. If they want in, they will have to pay the price, and then some.
For starters, any operator looking for a sports betting license in the Keystone State has to pay $10 million upfront for a licensing application. This is before the application is even considered and if your application is declined, you get no refund and are out $10 million. Once an operator gets licensing, the money they will be paying to the state of Pennsylvania doesn’t stop. Pennsylvania sports betting taxes are some of the highest in the country at 36 percent (in Rhode Island 51% of revenue goes to the state as part of a revenue-sharing model). Add in local and federal taxes and you get the nearly 40 percent that Aitken is concerned about.
In Nevada, sportsbooks have traditionally had a hold percentage of around five percent. This means that for every $100 in sports betting handle, sportsbooks make about $5. If that were to hold true in Pennsylvania, that means nearly $2 of every $100 in handle would be going to the state, leaving a $3 profit per $100 for sportsbooks. Add in overhead costs as well as marketing and advertising, and that profit drops even lower. Turning a profit in Pennsylvania isn’t an easy gig for sportsbooks, only the strongest will survive.
FanDuel Sportsbook
A Pennsylvania FanDuel Sportsbook is already existent at the Valley Forge Casino. They run the retail sportsbook and are going to help with their online sports betting app. The first online sportsbook launched at the end of May 2019 (PlaySugarHouse), yet FanDuel is still waiting to launch, but why? Well, nobody seems to know for sure. They were expected to launch sometime in June, but it is now mid-July and we are still waiting.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board held a meeting on July 10th and only the Parx Casino and Hollywood Casino appear to be ready to launch for the July 15th date. The thought was that maybe FanDuel and Valley Forge were waiting to launch the sportsbook at the same time as their online casino, but it appears their casino isn’t ready just yet either. However, we do expect FanDuel to be in Pennsylvania by the start of the 2019 NFL season, possibly even as early as the August or the end of July.
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Pennsylvania is one of the more progressive states for gambling. They have a legalized online lottery, they had legalized sports betting within the first year of the PASPA ruling, and they also are launching online poker and casino games in the near future. One major reason Pennsylvania is so lenient with gambling expansions, the taxes. Pennsylvania has some of the highest, if not the highest, taxes in the country when it comes to gambling. There are multiple reasons as to why some major operators are still absent in Pennsylvania, but the taxes are a big issue for most.
DraftKings Still Looking For PA Entry
DraftKings partnered up with Caesars Entertainment in February of 2019. The deal will help DraftKings make its way into a number of states will legalized sports betting and online gaming. Pennsylvania, however, is not one of those states. Why not? That is because Pennsylvania has a “single skin” law associated with sports betting. This means that a casino can only operate with one sportsbook app under their license. Caesars Entertainment has Harrah’s Philadelphia as their property and they have already confirmed that they will be using the Caesars as their sportsbook, not the DraftKings brand.
DraftKings has recently applied for two different Pennsylvania gambling licenses. One as a sports betting operator and the other as an interactive gaming operator. These aren’t the licenses that the casinos paid $10 million for, but are the ones that partners of casinos apply for (like Kambi or SBTech). With the rumors of DraftKings acquiring SBTech, there could be a chance DraftKings could enter into Pennsylvania through Presque Isle Downs. There is no timeline at the moment, but expect for DraftKings to do whatever it takes to be operating in Pennsylvania for the start of the 2019 NFL season.
PointsBet
Points Bet is a popular Australian-based sportsbook that offers both traditional betting as well as their “points betting” style. They are already operational in New Jersey and are expanding across the country as more and more states legalize sports betting. Pennsylvania is one of the states that won’t be seeing PointsBet anytime soon, possibly ever.
PointsBet US CEO Johnny Aitken said that the taxes in Pennsylvania are not worth entering into the state. The $10 million licensing fee isn’t the issue, but the nearly 40 percent in total taxes makes it hard for them to enter.
Taxes and Fees for Pennsylvania Sportsbooks
Pennsylvania is one of the biggest markets for gambling in the country. Gaming operators would love nothing more than to enter a market with the potential that Pennsylvania has. If they want in, they will have to pay the price, and then some.
For starters, any operator looking for a sports betting license in the Keystone State has to pay $10 million upfront for a licensing application. This is before the application is even considered and if your application is declined, you get no refund and are out $10 million. Once an operator gets licensing, the money they will be paying to the state of Pennsylvania doesn’t stop. Pennsylvania sports betting taxes are some of the highest in the country at 36 percent (in Rhode Island 51% of revenue goes to the state as part of a revenue-sharing model). Add in local and federal taxes and you get the nearly 40 percent that Aitken is concerned about.
In Nevada, sportsbooks have traditionally had a hold percentage of around five percent. This means that for every $100 in sports betting handle, sportsbooks make about $5. If that were to hold true in Pennsylvania, that means nearly $2 of every $100 in handle would be going to the state, leaving a $3 profit per $100 for sportsbooks. Add in overhead costs as well as marketing and advertising, and that profit drops even lower. Turning a profit in Pennsylvania isn’t an easy gig for sportsbooks, only the strongest will survive.
FanDuel Sportsbook
A Pennsylvania FanDuel Sportsbook is already existent at the Valley Forge Casino. They run the retail sportsbook and are going to help with their online sports betting app. The first online sportsbook launched at the end of May 2019 (PlaySugarHouse), yet FanDuel is still waiting to launch, but why? Well, nobody seems to know for sure. They were expected to launch sometime in June, but it is now mid-July and we are still waiting.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board held a meeting on July 10th and only the Parx Casino and Hollywood Casino appear to be ready to launch for the July 15th date. The thought was that maybe FanDuel and Valley Forge were waiting to launch the sportsbook at the same time as their online casino, but it appears their casino isn’t ready just yet either. However, we do expect FanDuel to be in Pennsylvania by the start of the 2019 NFL season, possibly even as early as the August or the end of July.
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