Pennsylvania announces July 15 online casino and poker launch date

Some 18 months after passing legislation to legalize online gambling and the state of Pennsylvania has just reportedly announced that it anticipates the first series of sites will launch during the week beginning on July 15.

Online poker premiere:

According to a Wednesday report from OnlinePokerReport.com citing an earlier release from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, such a successful premiere would see ‘The Keystone State’ become the fourth United States jurisdiction after Nevada, Delaware and New Jersey to feature a regulated online poker market.

Widespread uptake:

The report detailed that seven of Pennsylvania’s 13 land-based casinos have already secured permission to offer local online poker services while a full ten hold similar licenses covering the in-state provision of virtual table games and slots. The site predicted that the PokerStars brand from Canadian iGaming operator, The Stars Group Incorporated, will likely be among the first to go live in the eastern state via an arrangement with Mount Airy Casino Resort before being joined by others including a PartyPoker-branded offering from GVC Holdings and Valley Forge Casino Resort.

According to the April 16 statement from the PA Gaming Control Board…

“The [Pennsylvania Gaming Control] Board is providing notice that it has identified the week of July 15, 2019, as the projected go-live implementation timeframe for iGaming. This timeframe will provide approximately 90 days from this date for certificate holders and operators to fulfill their duties to submit materials to the [Pennsylvania Gaming Control] Board’s laboratory, to submit required internal controls and to obtain all certifications necessary to operate iGaming in Pennsylvania.”

Sportsbetting start:

The legislation signed into law by Governor Tom Wolf in October of 2017 moreover made Pennsylvania the fourth state after Nevada, New Jersey and West Virginia to legalize online sportsbetting. As a result,  virtual intrastate sportsbook services are now expected to go live ‘in the coming weeks’ possibly beginning with uniquely-branded offerings from SugarHouse Casino, Valley Forge Casino Resort and Mount Airy Casino Resort.

Revised interpretation:

The launch date announcement reportedly comes after last month saw the Board respond to a change in the federal government’s stance on the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 by indefinitely delaying its premiere of regulated online casino and poker services. However, the regulator is now confident in moving ahead after sending a letter that advised all licensees to fully comply with the new position by not offering multi-state iGaming services.