The Rush Street-operated SugarHouse Casino has begun Pennsylvania’s first live test of online sports betting, which could see it cleared for a full roll-out by the end of the week.
The test began at 4PM Eastern Time today (May 28), running until midnight, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed.
A second live test will follow, from 2PM to midnight tomorrow (May 29), before a third from 12PM to midnight on May 30.
Should all these tests be completed successfully, the Philadelphia-based venue will be cleared to conduct its first full day of online wagering this Friday (May 31).
The operator’s sportsbook software is supplied by Kambi, which will also power sports betting for the state’s other Rush Street-operated venue, Rivers Casino. The supplier will also power offerings for the likes of Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment’s Parx Casino and Mohegan Sun Pocono.
SugarHouse is yet to respond to iGB North America’s request for comment on the test launch.
While Rush Street’s venues emerged as early market leaders following Pennsylvania’s launch of sports betting in November 2018, they saw revenue dip in the most recent figures.
In April SugarHouse’s land-based sportsbook generated revenue of $781,163, a 36.9% month-on-month decline. Rivers, meanwhile, saw its monthly revenue fall from $1.3m in March to $871,753.
The PGCB would not be drawn on when other venues were likely to begin their online tests, but said that others would follow in the coming weeks.
The launch of online wagering will be followed by the roll-out of online gaming, with the regulator scheduling a start date of July 15 for the market.