Three Pennsylvania Land-Based Casinos Begin Testing Online Gaming Offerings

A trio of brick-and-mortar casinos in Pennsylvania have begun their final testing of online gambling sites. Penn National Gaming's Hollywood Casino and Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment's Parx Casino will be the first to commence tests.

The third casino to follow suit is Rush Street Interactive's PlaySugarHouse.com – it will start testing on Wednesday, July 17th. The exact times of this venue's tests are yet to be confirmed.

A Series of Thorough Tests

As for the other two properties...

...Hollywood Casino began accepting wagers on July 15th at 11 AM, until 7 PM, while Parx was live from 2 to 10PM. The second round of tests is slated for a period of 10 AM to 8 PM for Hollywood and 2 PM until midnight for Parx on July 16th.

A third test for Hollywood has been scheduled for July 17th, from 8 AM to 8 PM. If there are no issues once the tests are completed, each venue will be allowed to begin their online gambling offerings 24/7.

The tests have all been confirmed by Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

Hollywood's online offering is powered by International Game Technology, while GAN is the provider behind Parx.

Online Punters Wanted

During these live tests, customers and interested players will be able to register their accounts and make deposits so that they can partake in online gambling...

...while Rush Street, which is due to begin its tests on the 17th, will thus have its second US iGaming offering. Its New Jersey site has been live since 2016. This particular casino is set to be rebranded into Rivers Casino Philadelphia.

Rush Street Interactive president, Richard Schwartz, says:

“We thank the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, for authorizing us to be a part of history this week in bringing our online sportsbook and casino to gaming enthusiasts in the state of Pennsylvania, Rush Street Interactive president Richard Schwartz said. We are also proud to become the first gaming operator to offer the same online brand in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey so players who live or work across the border of these states can bet on PlaySugarHouse.com in either state.”

Outcome of Expanded Gambling Bill

In October 2017, Governor, Tom Wolf, signed the gambling expansion bill, which made sure online gambling was possible in Pennsylvania...

...and this legislation sets a $10m fee for poker, slot and table game licenses, as well as 54% tax on slot revenue and 14% tax for table games.

The legislation did pass in 2017, but PGCB only set the launch date for the iGaming market in April this year. The online sports betting market launched in late May. Rush Street's PlaySugarHouse was the first to go live with it, joined by BetRivers and Parx Casino.

Source:

“Trio of casinos to begin PA igaming live test”, igbnorthamerica.com, July 15, 2019.