Online Poker Definitely Coming to Pennsylvania with First Application

Online Poker Definitely Coming to Pennsylvania with First Application July 15, 2018 July 18, 2018 Doug Carter
Posted on  Jul 15, 2018 | Updated on  Jul 18, 2018 by Doug Carter

pennsylvania pokerThe online poker and casino scene in Pennsylvania has, in the past few months, been in the process of springing to life. So much so, that the state recently said it would start accepting applications from land-based casinos to be able to also provide residents of Pennsylvania with online options.

The first of those applications has now made its way forward, with the Parx Casino being the initial establishment to submit such. Even though the casino started out as being heavily against the launch of online gambling in Pennsylvania, it seems as though opinions on it have now taken a big U-turn.

Not to be outdone by Parx Casino though, two other establishments submitted applications – Mount Airy and Stadium Casino. This is quite the surprise for the latter of these two, as for the time being, the casino remains unbuilt and it doesn’t have any employees.

However, under the deadline of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) all applications for this phase needed to be submitted by July 15. Should other casinos decide to turn to the online world, they can still submit applications, although it will cost them a higher fee. All three of the known applications were submitted last Friday, with the PCGB not responding to queries about if it had received other applications over this past weekend.

The Fee for Online Poker is Paid

Two of the three applicants – Parx and Mount Airy – have applied for the full licence package, standing at $10 million. Should they be granted a licence from the PGCB, they will have the opportunity to provide online poker, online slot games and online table games. Any future applicants will need to pay a total of $12 million for all three of these to be made available online via their brand.

Parx Casino has gone into partnership with GAN for its online services to be produced. Even though this is the case, GAN isn’t specifically known for providing online poker options. However, the company was recently revealed to be the supplier of the Ocean Resort Casino’s online offerings.

It still remains quite a mystery as to how Stadium Casino is intending to move forward with everything. Despite applying for an online licence, it isn’t able to provide details of any staff to the PGCB – because it doesn’t have any yet. Nor does it have a physical establishment fully built to have its base of operations. Of course, it seems obvious that the brand simply wanted to take advantage of the lower fee.

On the other hand, the Mount Airy Casino has united with the big-name brand of 888 Poker. This was to be expected, considering the two companies have had a strong business relationship since 2014. Furthermore, it is thought that the casino will go on to partner up with the popular PokerStars network, providing it with a cut of the revenue from the two largest brands in US poker.

The 888 brand is the only online poker room that is active in all three of the US’s regulated markets – Delaware, New Jersey and Nevada. In the near future, Pennsylvania could also join up with the interstate poker network that these three states are already involved in, thanks to the new law agreeing on interstate compacts.

Doug CarterAuthor

Doug loves to party in Las Vegas, though always playing responsibly, as our North American poker writer he will be keep us informed with the latest tournaments, players to look out for as well.