Two of Pennsyvlania’s land-based casinos will begin final testing of their online gaming offerings today (July 15), with a third to follow later this week.
Today will see Penn National Gaming’s Hollywood Casino and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment’s Parx Casino begin online testing, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has confirmed.
Hollywood Casino’s offering will begin taking wagers at 11AM, running until 7PM, with Parx live from 2PM to 10PM. This will be followed by a second, expanded test tomorrow (July 16), from 10AM to 8PM for Hollywood Casino, and 2PM to midnight for Parx.
International Game Technology (IGT) will power the Hollywood Casino offering, with GAN providing its igaming platform to Parx.
Hollywood Casino then has a third test scheduled for Wednesday (July 17), from 8AM to 8PM. Once these tests are completed, and provided there are no issues, each venue will be allowed to offer its igaming services round the clock.
During the live test, customers will be able to register for accounts and deposit funds to gamble.
A third test will begin for Rush Street Interactive’s PlaySugarHouse.com, which is due to be rebranded as Rivers Casino Philadelphia later this year, from July 17, with the exact times of the live test yet to be finalized.
It will be Rush Street’s second igaming offering to launch in the US, following its New Jersey-licensed site, which went live in 2016.
“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.”
The launch of igaming in Pennsylvania has been in the offing since Governor Tom Wolf signed a gaming expansion package into law in October 2017. Legislation passed as part of this omnibus bill sets out a $10m fee for poker, slot and table games licenses, as well as a 54% tax on slot revenue and 14% rate for table games.
Despite the legislation passing in 2017, it was not until April this year that the PGCB set the launch date for the state’s igaming market.
The state’s online sports betting market launched late in May, with Rush Street’s PlaySugarHouse the first brand to go live. It has since been joined in the market by Parx Casino and PlaySugarHouse’s sister brand BetRivers.com.