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Online Poker in Pennsylvania: Current Laws and Gaming Potential
Is It Legal to Play Online Poker in Pennsylvania? Yes! Pennsylvania legalized online poker, along with online casino games and other forms of gambling expansion, in 2017. The state took notes from neighbors Delaware and New Jersey, who had partnered online poker and casino sites with land-based casinos in their respective states to create new revenue streams and a stronger gambling customer base.
In Pennsylvania, players can access authentic poker platforms and participate in various games alongside fellow players from the US. Whether you’re eager to join poker freerolls, seek out the most lucrative bonuses, or dive straight into cash games or online tournaments, this comprehensive guide has got you covered. We’ll walk you through all you need to know about online poker in PA, beginning with our top recommendations for where to play:
Top Sites for Online Poker in Your State
PA Online Poker
Pennsylvania did its due diligence when considering igaming as a new part of its overall gambling business. The PGCB – Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board – spoke with Delaware and New Jersey about online poker, slots, and table games online, with Nevada as another source for online poker only. Specifically, the PGCB spent time with counterparts at the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (NJ DGE) to ensure that the igaming framework was as detailed and efficient as possible. They also took special note of responsible gambling tools and KYC (know your customer) methods.
Pennsylvania is one of the top three gambling markets in the United States, following the undisputed leader that is Nevada and in a solid race for second place with New Jersey. The 2023 full-year gross gaming revenue results showed Nevada far ahead of any other state with $15.5 billion. New Jersey was second with $5.8 billion, but Pennsylvania was close behind with $5.7 billion.
The last two decades have seen Pennsylvania rise to nationwide prominence in the gambling industry. For many years before the turn of the century, New Jersey – Atlantic City, to be specific – was second only to Nevada, but Pennsylvania changed everything with the passage of its 2004 PA Race Horse Development and Gaming Act.
That opened the doors for slot machines at race tracks (racinos), five standalone casinos, and two casinos attached to resort properties. The state legislature expanded gambling even further in 2017 with online gambling, daily fantasy sports contests, and gambling machines at truck stops and airports. And with the addition of live and online sports betting in 2019, the state solidified its position in the top three spots of the US gambling industry.
While Pennsylvania continues its annual growth, the state also plays a prominent role in the burgeoning igaming industry in the US. It was the third state to legalize online casinos and the fourth to bet on internet poker.
Today’s gamblers know Pennsylvania for its 17 casinos and multiple other gambling venues, including its plethora of online options. It has become a gambling mecca in its own right.
PA Online Poker: Latest News & Updates
Though the PA legislature passed and Governor Tom Wolf signed the bill in October 2017, the PGCB took its time to get the regulatory framework and details correct. By the time the regulations were ready, PokerStars was ready to go….in late 2019.
The summer of that year saw three casinos – Hollywood, Parx, and SugarHouse – launch their online casino sites. Meanwhile, PokerStars was working on its online poker site.
More than two years after the bill became a law, PokerStars PA launched its online poker site in November 2019. It immediately garnered a lot of attention and overtook PokerStars New Jersey, with Pennsylvania quickly becoming the larger of the two markets.
Players took to the cash game tables first, with some starting at $0.01/$0.02 Hold’em and others bringing larger bankrolls for $25/$50 and then $50/$100. Omaha players got into the action, as did Stud and Razz players. SNGs started at $1, and the first Sunday tournament schedule provided something for all buy-in levels. By December, PokerStars was running its first series, the Pennsylvania Championship of Online Poker (PACOOP).
PokerStars remained the sole state-licensed online poker provider in Pennsylvania for nearly 1.5 years. PartyPoker launched BetMGM Poker and Borgata Poker in April 2021, and the WSOP launched its site in July 2021, just in time to offer eight World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet events that August to celebrate.
Still Awaiting Shared Player Pools
One of the major components of a strong and growing online poker entity is the ability to grow its player pools. Individual states can only grow so much with their static populations, but larger player pools offer the ability to offer more cash games, more tournament options, and bigger tournament guarantees. All of this reflects in better promotions and happier poker players.
Even so, the PGCB hesitated to sign the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), though it had the authority to do so from the moment the bill became law in 2017. There was little concern that the other states in the agreement – Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware – would have any objections, as they had waited so many years for another state to legalize online poker. For some reason, however, it didn’t happen.
In 2022, Michigan signed that agreement, despite having legalized its online poker market years after Pennsylvania. At the time of that signing of MSIGA by Michigan, as well as the signing of West Virginia in late 2023, the perfect opportunities came and went for Pennsylvania to do the same.
As 2024 got underway, Pennsylvania remained alone with its online poker market. The PGCB offered little in the way of explanation, except to blame it on politics, as the governor had other priorities and 2024 is an election year.
Current Pennsylvania Poker Options
Online poker players have numerous choices for online poker. There are state-licensed sites like PokerStars, BetMGM and its skins, and WSOP. In addition, sites like Ignition Poker and BetOnline Poker still count many Pennsylvanians among their players.
There are also live poker rooms. There are many from which to choose:
- Hollywood Casino at The Meadows (14 tables)
- Live! Casino Philadelphia (29 tables)
- Live! Casino Pittsburgh (7 tables)
- Mohegan Sun Pocono (9 tables)
- Mount Airy Casino (12 tables)
- Parx Casino (48 tables)
- Rivers Casino Philadelphia (28 tables)
- Rivers Casino Pittsburgh (30 tables)
- Wind Creek Bethlehem (20 tables)
All but Mount Airy and Hollywood Casino appear to offer tournaments at the beginning of 2024, per Poker Atlas. There are not as many large tournament series as there were prior to the pandemic, but many of the open poker rooms continue to draw solid crowds.
Pennsylvania Gambling & Poker Laws Summarized
| Type/Code | Summary |
|---|---|
| State Code Section(s) | 58.161-190; 58.401-1209; 61.901; 61.1001 |
| Definition of Interactive of Game | A gambling game offered through the use of communications technology that allows a person utilizing money, checks, electronic checks, electronic transfers of money, credit cards or any other instrumentality to transmit electronic information to assist in the placement of a bet or wager and corresponding information related to the display of the game, game outcomes or other similar information. |
| Definition of Interactive Gaming | The placing of wagers with an interactive gaming certificate holder or interactive gaming operator using a computer network of Federal and non-Federal interoperable packet switched data networks through which an interactive gaming certificate holder may offer authorized interactive games to registered players. The term includes the placing of wagers through the use of a multiuse computing device. |
| Definition of Interactive Gaming Device | The hardware, software and other technology, equipment or device of any kind as determined by the Board to be necessary for the conduct of authorized interactive games. |
| Definition of Interactive Gaming Operator | A person licensed by the Board to operate interactive gaming or an interactive gaming system, through the provision of an interactive gaming platform, on behalf of an interactive gaming certificate holder. |
| Definition of Interactive Gaming Skin | The portal to an interactive gaming platform or interactive gaming web site through which authorized interactive games are made available by an interactive gaming certificate holder or interactive gaming operator to registered players in this Commonwealth or registered players in any other state or jurisdiction which has entered into an interactive gaming reciprocal agreement. |
| Definition of Multi-state Agreement | The written agreement, approved by the Governor, between the Board and regulatory agencies in other states or jurisdictions for the operation of an interactive multistate wide-area progressive system. |
| Definition of Peer-to-Peer Interactive Gaming | An authorized interactive game which is nonbanking, in which a player competes against one or more players and in which the interactive gaming certificate holder collects a rake. |
| Online Poker/Gambling | Pennsylvania became the fourth state in the US to legalize online poker. It happened in late 2017 when the legislature also authorized online casino games as part of a larger gambling expansion package. Online poker is scheduled to launch in late 2018 or early 2019. |
| Live Poker | Most of the major casinos in Pennsylvania do host poker rooms, which offer live cash games and tournaments. |
| Casinos | There are more than a dozen land-based casinos in Pennsylvania, all of which are fully-functional casinos or racetracks turned into casinos with the capability to offer slots and table games. |
| Sports Betting | Sports betting was legalized in late 2017 with other forms of online gaming. Once the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018 to allow states to pursue sports betting, Pennsylvania began to establish regulations and move forward with its new industry. |
| DFS | Daily fantasy sports was a part of the 2017 bill that expanded gambling in Pennsylvania. It is now legal and regulated. |
| Other Forms of Gambling | Lottery, bingo, charitable gambling, video gaming terminals, horse and harness racing, on-track and off-track pari-mutuel betting, pull-tab games, tavern raffles. |
Which Deposit Methods are Available?
Most state-licensed online poker sites in Pennsylvania offer a number of the following deposit options:
- Instant e-checks or ACH transactions
- Skrill e-wallet
- Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards
- PayNearMe
- Play+ card
- Cash via cages at land-based casino partner locations
- PayPal
Some of the methods available will be available for deposits only, and some for withdrawals only. It is also possible for these methods to change over time. It’s important to check the particular site of interest and check each transaction method carefully for these details, as well as fees.
One method not permitted under Pennsylvania gaming regulations is player-to-player transfers. Offshore poker sites and international dot-com sites traditionally permitted – and still do permit – players to transfer funds to each other on the sites. However, states like Pennsylvania are not comfortable with this method of moving funds.
How to Sign Up for a New Account
Creating a new account on a Pennsylvania-licensed poker site is simple. Players must simply choose a username or login name and set a password. Some sites may offer increased security options, such as creating a pin number for account access.
Players on these sites must be:
- 21 years of age or older
- able to provide a valid social security number
- able to show proof of a current mailing address via utility bill or ID card
Most sites allow people to sign up for new accounts from outside the state of Pennsylvania, but they cannot deposit or withdraw funds or play any real-money games until they are physically located within the state. Geolocation technology detects players’ locations to ensure PGCB regulations are followed.
When in the state and depositing real money, players will need to complete an electronic account verification. This is simply to ensure the safety of players’ funds during the deposit and withdrawal processes.
Famous Pennsylvania Poker Players
Pennsylvania has a large population, and the state’s casinos have long offered poker in their poker rooms. Many poker players got their starts in these rooms, as well as online on sites like PokerStars and Full Tilt prior to Black Friday. Many of these players went on to be some of poker’s biggest stars.
Jake Schindler currently holds the top spot with nearly $35.5M in lifetime live poker earnings. He made much of that money playing high-stakes tournaments, but he is rarely found in those tournaments anymore. Then, after facing accusations of unethical online poker play that Schindler refused to address, many poker sites have banned him, leading tours operated by PokerStars and PokerGO to ban him from playing as well.
Joe McKeehen holds second place by a large margin over third. Not only did he win the 2015 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas for nearly $7.7M, he has also won two subsequent WSOP gold bracelets – one live and one online.
The full list of the top 10 live poker players from Pennsylvania, per the Hendon Mob database, is as follows:
- Jake Schindler $35,449,524
- Joseph McKeehen $19,522,019
- Paul Volpe $9,020,503
- John Hennigan $8,558,521
- Matt Glantz $7,513,041
- Daniel Ott $4,735,639
- Matt Berkey $4,599,738
- Aaron Mermelstein $3,940,864
- Russell Thomas $3,920,259
- Garry Gates $3,381,491
Pennsylvania Gambling Information
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: The PGCB is the governmental body that regulates all gaming in the state of Pennsylvania with the exception of the lottery. It handles everything from licensing to revenue reporting to enforcing rules and standards.
Pennsylvania Lottery: This is the hub for all things lottery in Pennsylvania, including online access to lottery tickets and keno play.
Pennsylvania General Assembly: The site provides links to all bills, legislation, committees, and members relating to the PA House and Senate.
Visit PA: The site is dedicated to attracting visitors to the state and provides information on all live betting venues in Pennsylvania.
Responsible Gambling Information: The PGCB provides numerous resources via its web portal dedicated to problem gambling and assistance.
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Is It Legal to Play Online Poker in Pennsylvania? Yes! Pennsylvania legalized online poker, along with online casino games and
FAQs
The PGCB issued the first online poker licenses in mid-2018, and the first site (PokerStars) launched in November 2019. The online poker operators currently online for people located in Pennsylvania are:
• PokerStars
• BetMGM/Borgata
• WSOP
Online casinos licensed in Pennsylvania offer progressive slots, classic slot machines and online video slots, and table games like blackjack, baccarat, baccarat, craps, and roulette. There are also live dealer casino games, which present live dealers that interact with online players via a remote studio. Live casino games include blackjack, roulette, baccarat, three-card poker, and Ultimate Texas Hold’em poker.
Online poker sites offer cash games, sit-n-goes, and multi-table tournaments. Hold’em and Omaha are the most popular games, but there are also some stud tables and other variants based on demand.
Yes! Online poker is all kinds of legal in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The state legislature made these steps in 2017 and both live and online poker has been legal ever since. If you want more details, read above. But all you need to know is that online poker is legal and safe in Pennsylvania.
There are just a few stipulations to start playing poker in Pennsylvania. The first thing is age. You need to be 21 or over to start playing poker there. The only other stipulation is that you need to be physically located within the borders of Pennsylvania. You don’t need to own a house, be a resident or have a Pennsylvania driver’s license, all you need to do is physically be in the state. That means you can just drive in to play poker.
Initial applicants for online gaming licenses had the opportunity to apply for a bargain rate of $10 million, which pays for online poker, online casino and table games, and slots. The three categories of licenses cost $4 million when sold separately, but operators applying for all three licenses at the start of the process in 2018 were able to obtain a $2 million discount. Each license will be valid for five years.
Gross gaming revenue from online poker and online table games will be taxed at 14% as a state tax, plus an additional 2% local tax. The online slot games tax is much higher, though, at 54%. The high rate matches that of the land-based casinos, but operators have been lobbying to reduce the rate for online gaming providers to give the industry a better chance for growth and overall success.
Pennsylvania Gambling Research: Additional Resources
AGA State Guide: Pennsylvania . Get all of the basics on Pennsylvania’s regulated gambling industry in this resource from the leading national trade group for commercial casinos.
PA Council on Compulsive Gambling Resources (in multiple languages) for helping problem gamblers, along with links to additional sites and information regarding gambling in the Keystone State.
Sands Bethlehem. One of the more unique intersections of gambling and Pennsylvania history, the Sands Bethlehem (the only remaining casino in the US to bear the Sands name) sits on the site of former industrial powerhouse Bethlehem Steel.
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