In Pennsylvania, things are quickly moving along when it comes to online gaming legislation. Last month was the deadline for operators to submit their online casino applications, and three have already been approved. Mount Airy, Parx and Harrah’s are now the first three venues that have earned approval to operate online gaming activities for players across the state.
Teaming Up With Big Online Gaming Brands
Since none of the Pennsylvania casinos have experience with operating online casinos, they have partnered with other companies to ensure that they can provide local players with quality products. The casino partners will also have to be vetted by Pennsylvania’s gaming authorities to ensure that they are trustworthy and reputable companies.
Parx Casino is working with GAN, a UK-based casino operator that is known for its gaming sites across Europe. The company has plenty of experience in creating online casino games and slots, but has yet to make a big name for itself in the poker world. Consider that Parx is the biggest poker room in Pennsylvania, this will be a great opportunity for GAN to work on its online poker products.
Mount Airy will be teaming up with The Stars Group, which is a full-service online gaming operator. The Stars Group runs online poker, online casino games and online sports betting activities. Together, Mount Airy and The Stars Group will launch PokerStars PA, a gaming site that offers a wide range of gaming products to players across the state.
While Harrah’s has yet to announce its online gaming partner, it is likely that its online poker room will be run by the World Series of Poker. This has been speculated by gaming industry experts, as Harrah’s is associated with Caesars, which runs the WSOP.
With so many big brands entering Pennsylvania’s online gaming market, there is surely going to be some steep competition – and, there are still six more licenses to be granted! Players across the state will definitely be spoiled for choice when it comes to deciding where to play online casino games.
A Boon to the Local Economy
The opening up to Pennsylvania’s online casino market will be a huge benefit to the local economy. Not only will it create jobs but it will also generate valuable tax revenue for the state. In fact, it even has the potential to boost the existing land based market, as evidenced by Atlantic City.
Online gaming in Pennsylvania is sure to be a success, and it will be interesting to see how the remaining six operators decide to partner up. There will certainly be several more international online gaming operators dipping their toes into the American market.
