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This guide to PA online gambling features this new era of gaming for Pennsylvania. Our reviewers discusses the best online casinos, sportsbooks, and poker sites in the new regulated market. We provide a Pennsylvania online gambling FAQ, a history of PA online gambling, and a list of the many land-based gaming venues in the state.
Relevant State Code: 18§5513 et seq.; 4§325.101 et seq.
Are Online Casinos and Online Poker Sites Legal in Pennsylvania? No part of Pennsylvania law regarding gambling directly mentions gambling online or online poker sites. That does not mean, of course, that online gambling is legal; Pennsylvania law basically criminalizes all forms of gambling that are not specifically authorized by law. Legal online poker in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is the fourth US state to legalize online poker. Both the Senate and House passed a bill to regulate not only online poker, but also online casino games including table games and online slots, as well as daily fantasy sports, and sports betting now that PASPA has been repealed by the Supreme Court. Dec 30, 2019 PA online casinos began to roll out on in July 2019, leaving PA online poker sites as pretty much the last things left to launch. Senate punts on legislation in 2016 For a time, it looked like Pennsylvania was a slam dunk to legalize online gambling in 2016. Are you looking for the best legal Pennsylvania poker sites? A few days ago, PokerStars relaunched its services in Pennsylvania, albeit in a testing phase. And to demonstrate what is in store for the industry, a few hours after going live, the site had more than 600 players logged in on its first night, surpassing. Read moreBest 5 Pennsylvania Online Poker Sites 2019 (100% Legal!). Pennsylvania online poker laws. The gambling expansion bill signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf on October 30, 2017, is officially known as H 271. It ultimately governs online poker in the state. The new law tasked the PGCB with promulgating online poker regulations. It also tasked the board with handing out online poker licenses to qualified applicants. WSOP Pennsylvania Review WSOP.com is the #1 online poker site in America and presently operates in New Jersey and Nevada. WSOP NV also shares player pools with Delaware Poker, making it the only operator with connections in all three regulated states.
If Pennsylvania law had a Facebook relationship with gambling, the status would almost certainly be 'it's complicated.' The state takes a fairly strict approach to unregulated gambling, an approach that is muddled by the absolute lack of a definition of 'gambling' anywhere in Pennsylvania law. 'Unlawful' gambling is defined as gambling 'not specifically authorized by law,' but that's not much help.
Lacking a formal definition enshrined in state law, Pennsylvania falls back on a case law definition of the term. The general consensus seems to be that Pennsylvania requires the classic three elements - consideration (something of value given by the player), chance and reward - to be present for an activity to be considered gambling.
Just how much chance must be involved remains an open issue in Pennsylvania.
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Penalties for illegal gambling in Pennsylvania are comparatively minor. Players do not appear to face any criminal liability as long as they are simply participants in the game. It should be noted that Pennsylvania law does not explicitly exempt players from prosecution - it only (apparently) fails to proscribe any specific charges for players. Operators face several first degree misdemeanor charges (click here to learn more about penalties for various charges in Pennsylvania) along with the potential for additional conspiracy and racketeering charges.
According to statistics provided by the state, there were 276 gambling - related charges filed in Pennsylvania in 2010. Based on a non-scientific search of Pennsylvania media, the exclusive targets of enforcement seem to be operators and those caught cheating in casinos.
Those in Pennsylvania can try their hand at the State Lottery, betting on races at the state's several horse tracks (many of which also offer slots and table games) and a variety of Vegas-style gambling options at the state's licensed commercial casinos such as Sugarhouse. There is no tribal gambling in Pennsylvania.
Social gambling does not enjoy an explicit exemption from state law. With that said, the limited apparent criminal liability for players suggests that some forms of social gambling - specifically those where no one profits from the game - would potentially be legal in Pennsylvania.
A limited amount of charitable gambling is legal in Pennsylvania. Regulations on this issue are state-level, but licenses appear to be issued at the local level. Bingo, raffles, drawings and a handful of other games are permitted when conducted by qualifying organizations in accordance with the law.
Poker players in Pennsylvania have a wide variety of regulated options, with numerous poker rooms hosted at the state's casinos and horse tracks.
Home games are a more complicated issue. With the lack of clear charges for players and the legal ambiguity surrounding exactly what does and does not constitute gambling, it's difficult to find support for the position that home games of poker (where no rake is taken) are illegal in Pennsylvania.
Very similar issues come into play when you consider playing online poker in Pennsylvania. While the game itself may be illegal, it's unclear how those who simply play in the games would be criminally liable under current state law.
No part of Pennsylvania law regarding gambling directly mentions gambling online or online poker sites. That does not mean, of course, that online gambling is legal; Pennsylvania law basically criminalizes all forms of gambling that are not specifically authorized by law.
Having said that, it is very unlikely that those who are acting only as players would face any criminal exposure due to gambling online or playing poker online. There does not appear to be any direct violation of Pennsylvania law inherent in such actions.
Pennsylvania Gambling Laws: Fun Facts
Casinos in Pennsylvania have only been able to offer table games such as poker and blackjack since 2010.
Pennsylvania took in more tax revenue from gambling than any other state in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
While very active on the land-based gambling expansion front, Pennsylvania hasn't had much to say on the issue of online gambling regulation. The State Lottery Commission came out against Harry Reid ' s poker bill in 2010, but there's been little else of note since.
Somewhat surprisingly, the answer seems to be no. While neighboring states (and direct competitors in the gambling space) Delaware and New Jersey are in the advanced stages of regulating online gambling, there hasn't been a serious legislative push to do the same in Pennsylvania. It's worth noting that the situation could change quickly; residents and lawmakers have shown a willingness to approve massive gambling expansions over the last few years and Pennsylvania could easily pivot on the issue once it starts to see inaction resulting in a competitive disadvantage.
Ultimately, it seems as if the state is taking a wait-and-see approach on the issue of online poker. If Delaware or New Jersey - or perhaps even a slightly more distant neighbor such as New York or Massachusetts - finds even modest success with regulated online poker, expect Pennsylvania to rapidly follow suit. Otherwise, the state enjoys only an average chance of seeing regulated poker at any point in the near team.