Pennsylvania Awards 3 Casinos With Online Gaming Certificates

The Gaming Control Board in Pennsylvania has approved its first applications for online betting, allowing three of the state’s casinos to launch a betting portal on the internet. The Interactive Gaming Certificates still need to be fully confirmed, since the regulator has to establish the exact date of launch within the state’s borders.

9 Petition Requests

Although the Board for Interactive Gaming approved only three certificates, there are nine petition requests in total, made by various casino operators. As a reminder, there are 28 casinos within the state’s borders, but only some of them met the deadline to apply. During its public meetings, scheduled for August, September and October 2018, the Board will start considering their legitimacy as well.

The first three casinos to receive gaming certificates are:

• Chester Downs and Marina, LLC (Harrah’s Casino Philadelphia)
• Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Inc. (Parx) and
• Mount Airy #1, LLC (Mount Airy Resort Casino)

Skyrocketing License Fees

Despite the fact that it represents the first U.S. state to issue certificates for online gaming, Pennsylvania’s license fee for each casino is determined at $10 million. The amount needs to be deposited within 60 days after the Board’s approval, starting August 15th.

The license will allow each venue to offer non peer-to-peer interactive games, whose mechanics simulate slot machines, table games, and online poker. According to the board’s chief counsel, R. Douglas Sherman, the internet represents the next frontier for gaming, and the state’s budget expectations have already been exceeded by skyrocketing fees, now measured in more than $100 million.

Source:

“Pennsylvania casinos approved to offer online gaming”, focusgn.com, August 20, 2018.