Pennsylvania stands as the No. 2 online sports betting market in the US. Only New Jersey produces more mobile betting handle than Pennsylvania.
The Keystone State’s sports betting industry includes online sportsbook operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, Barstool Sportsbook, and several other industry-leading brands. Pennsylvania produced more than $170 in online sports betting revenue last year.
Tennessee sports betting is now live and operational, with four sportsbooks up and running following the November 1st launch. We examine the tax rates and requirements to determine which operators. Saying sports betting should be fun, FanDuel has changed course and decided to pay $82,000 to a man who capitalized on a mistake by the company. FanDuel also will add $1,000 apiece to the accounts. FanDuel - Sports betting. Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income A common practice for a DFS site is to issue a Form 1099-MISC to a player if the player won $600 or more on the site during the year. The amount of winnings should appear in Box 3, “Other income.” A copy of the form is also sent to the IRS.
Visit: FanDuel Pennsylvania and get $1,000 Risk-Free Bet
FanDuel Sportsbook enjoys status as Pennsylvania’s top choice for online sports betting. Nearly half of all online sports bets coming from Pennsylvania go through FanDuel Sportsbook.
Signing up for a new account unlocks a risk-free bet up to $1,000 at FanDuel Sportsbook. Other promotions include parlay insurance offers, applicable to several different sports.
Visit: Draftkings Pennsylvania and get $1,000 Deposit Bonus
Pennsylvania bettors can find one of the state’s best overall online sportsbook platforms at DraftKings Sportsbook. The selection of betting markets and deposit/withdrawal methods at DraftKings Sportsbook stack up against anything else on the market.
New players can enjoy a 20% deposit match bonus up to $1,000. Other promotions include daily odds boosts across several different sports.
Visit: BetMGM Pennsylvania and get a $500 Deposit Bonus
BetMGM launched in Pennsylvania in December 2020. The iGaming platform is the first to take advantage of Pennsylvania’s Qualified Gaming Entity provision, which allows online gambling brands to enter the state market without a land-based casino partner.
BetMGM welcomes new players with a risk-free bet up to $500. Signing up for a new account can also unlock offers like the “Win Steelers Season Tickets for 10 Years” promotion.
BetRivers functions as one of two Pennsylvania online sportsbooks under parent company Rush Street Interactive. Both offer a virtually identical sports wagering experience.
The BetRivers welcome bonus offer comes as a 100% deposit match bonus up to $250, with just a 1x playthrough requirement. Other promotions include weekly pick’em pools and odds boosts.
Barstool Sportsbook PA launched in September 2020, marking the US debut of the online version of Barstool’s sports betting platform. The app launched with a selection of betting markets comparable to anything else in the state.
New bettors can sign up at Barstool Sportsbook and get a risk-free bet up to $500. Other daily player promotions include Barstool Power Hour, with odds discounts from 5 pm to 6 pm every day.
Sportsbook | Welcome Bonus | Casino Partner | Launch Date |
---|---|---|---|
FanDuel Sportsbook | Risk-free bet up to $1,000 | Valley Forge Casino Resort | July 2019 |
DraftKings Sportsbook | 20% deposit match up to $1,000 | The Meadows | November 2019 |
BetRivers Sportsbook | 100% deposit match up to $250 | Rivers Casino Pittsburgh | June 2019 |
SugarHouse Sportsbook | 100% deposit match up to $250 | Rivers Casino Philadelphia | May 2019 |
Parx Sportsbook | Risk-free bet up to $500 | Parx Casino | June 2019 |
BetMGM | Risk-free bet up to $500 | N/A | December 2020 |
FOX Bet | Risk-free bet up to $500 | Mount Airy Casino Resort | September 2019 |
Caesars Sportsbook | N/A | Harrah’s Philadelphia | March 2020 |
TwinSpires (formerly BetAmerica) | 25% deposit match up to $500 | Presque Isle Downs | December 2019 |
Unibet Sportsbook | Risk-free bet up to $250 | Mohegan Sun Pocono | November 2019 |
Barstool Sportsbook | Risk-free bet up to $500 | Hollywood Casino at Penn National | December 2020 |
Gaming Today offers updated information on all legal mobile sportsbooks operating in Pennsylvania. The welcome bonus offers, available betting markets, and lines on games vary from platform to platform.
Check out the table above for a comprehensive list of the bonus offers at each Pennsylvania mobile sportsbook.
Once you’ve chosen a sportsbook, you enjoy several different deposit options that instantly put funds in your account.
PayPal provides one of the most reliable ways to deposit at an online sportsbook. Other methods include ACH/eCheck, credit cards, debit cards, and the Play+ prepaid card.
Pennsylvania’s legal iGaming sites utilize geolocation services to determine a user’s location when they log in or try to place bets. If the geolocation technology determines you’re outside of Pennsylvania state lines, you’ll be blocked from betting.
State laws mandate that you must be within state borders at the time of a bet.
Signing up at a Pennsylvania online sportsbook takes just a couple of minutes. You’ll need to provide proof of age and identity, which can be done by uploading a photo of a driver’s license or state-issued ID.
Once the sportsbook verifies your identification documents, you’re ready to deposit and start making bets.
Online sportsbooks allow you to wager by simply clicking on the line of your choice. Moneyline, point spread, totals, parlays, in-game betting, and more are at your disposal at Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks.
Once you’ve clicked on a bet, the wager will appear on your bet slip (usually at the right of the screen). Confirm the bet one more time on the bet slip to make the wager official.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) regulates the state’s casino industry, including legal online sportsbooks. This government-operated gaming regulation agency’s oversight ensures proper operations, prompt payouts, and transparency from the Keystone State’s online sports betting platforms.
Illegal bookies and offshore sites, on the other hand, aren’t obligated to answer to an agency like the PGCB. As such, your money might not be safe once it’s in the hands of an illegal bookmaker.
Regulated sportsbooks automatically withhold federal taxes on wins of $5,000 or more. Aside from those withheld taxes, players bear responsibility for paying federal and state taxes on sports betting winnings.
Since launching in 2018, Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry shows significant upward growth in year-to-year revenue. According toreports from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, annual sports betting revenue jumped from $84.1 million in 2019 to $189.7 million in 2020.
Pennsylvania hosts one of the most viable land-based casino industries in the US. The state’s sports betting market, however, is dominated by mobile wagering.
Sportsbooks in the Keystone State took $2.558 billion in overall betting handle in the latter half of 2020. Of that figure, $2.345 billion came from online sportsbooks, as mobile wagers represented 91.6% of overall handle.
Pennsylvania’s neighbor to the east stands as the benchmark in the US mobile sports betting industry. New Jersey produced more than $6 billion in sports betting handle in 2020, and $5.53 billion of that figure came from online sportsbooks in the Garden State, according tofigures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
Pennsylvania, however, holds its own as one of the top sports betting markets in the US. October reports from the nation’s top six sports betting states placed Pennsylvania as the No. 2 online sports betting market in the US, with $472.2 million in monthly mobile betting handle.
Pennsylvania came in as the No. 3 overall sports betting market in the US for October, trailing only Nevada and New Jersey. The future looks bright for Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry, which in a short time has established itself as one of the biggest sports wagering hubs in the US.
The 2020 end-of-year revenue numbers point to significant potential success in future years for Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry. Online sports betting revenue exploded in Pennsylvania over the final three months of 2020.
October ($30.47 million in online revenue), November ($31.18 million), and December ($32.89 million) each marked successive new all-time monthly highs for mobile sports betting revenue in Pennsylvania.
Despite high tax rates on revenue compared to other states, Pennsylvania attracted sports betting’s most prominent brands to the market. FanDuel and DraftKings lead the Pennsylvania charge, which projects as a top US sports betting market for years to come.
Pennsylvania’s sports betting model isn’t the most operator-friendly in the US. Sports betting revenue is taxed at 36%, with operators paying a $10 million licensing fee to enter the market. Those numbers represent the highest in the industry.
While DraftKings and FanDuel flourish in the state, the bottom half of the state’s list of 11 online sportsbooks struggle to earn revenue relative to the top players. While FanDuel Sportsbook earned more than $15 million in November 2020, BetAmerica (now branded as TwinSpires) produced just $8,632 in earnings over the same period.
Overall performance, however, has to be considered a success for Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry.
The current sports betting boom in the US required a change in stance on federal sports wagering laws. A 1992 mandate known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) outlawed sports betting in all but four states.
The Supreme Court of the United States overturned PASPA in May 2018, however, setting the stage for US states to legalize sports betting. Much like neighboring New Jersey, Pennsylvania lawmakers already had sports betting regulations ready to go before thefall of PASPA.
A Pennsylvania sports betting bill went into law in October 2017. The implementation of the bill pended the overturn of PASPA, which happened seven months later.
Despite Pennsylvania’s status as the second-largest land-based casino economy in the US, online gambling legislation came upon serious opposition in both the state House and Senate. Online gambling legislation, which included mobile sports betting, passed in the House by a 102-89 vote and the Senate by a 31-19 margin.
Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion bills gave the green light to both retail and online sports betting. The first online sportsbook went live in May 2019.
The end of 2020 marked one-and-a-half years of legal online sports betting in Pennsylvania. Despite that short timeframe, annual revenue nearly hit the $200 million mark in 2020.
Pro football loyalties in Pennsylvania split between two teams – the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Steelers stand as one of the NFL’s most successful franchises. Pittsburgh shares the NFL record for most Super Bowl wins (6) and holds the outright record for most conference championship game appearances.
The Eagles hold one Super Bowl title, breaking through with a win in the 2017 NFL championship game. Like the Steelers, the Eagles contend as a perennial threat to win a division title, although the franchise’s postseason success falls short of Pittsburgh’s accomplishments.
Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks offer wagering on both Pennsylvania teams, as well as the rest of the NFL, every season. Betting opportunities include every round of the playoffs, all the way through the Super Bowl.
The Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates both play in Major League Baseball’s National League. Both franchises trace their roots to the late 1800s, as both stand as two of the longest-running franchises in professional baseball.
The Pirates claim five World Series titles, while the Phillies own two MLB championships. Neither Pennsylvania baseball franchise has appeared in the postseason over the past five seasons, leaving fans in the Keystone State hungry for the next playoff run.
When that happens for either team, Pennsylvania online sportsbooks will offer betting on all rounds of the postseason, including the World Series.
Like Pennsylvania’s other sports franchises, the 76ers draw a loyal but demanding fan base of basketball fanatics. After a long playoff drought, the team returned to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons in the 2017-2018 NBA Playoffs.
The following season ended in heartbreak for 76ers fans. Toronto Raptors’ superstar Kawhi Leonard hit a dramatic last-second shot in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, ending Philadelphia’s season.
Like the other major pro sports, NBA betting is open at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks. That includes the regular season and every round of the playoffs.
Pennsylvania cross-state rivalries don’t come any more intense than matchups featuring the Philadelphia Flyers against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With five Stanley Cups, the Penguins lay claim to more NHL championship success than the rival Flyers. Philadelphia’s two Stanley Cups both came in the early 1970s, leaving longsuffering Flyers fans waiting decades for a taste of championship success.
Pittsburgh’s success includes three Stanley Cup championship wins in the past 12 seasons.
Some states place betting restrictions on in-state college programs and games. Pennsylvania’s sports betting laws don’t apply any prohibitions on state-based teams, however.
Big-time sports contests involving Pennsylvania programs like Penn State and Villanova are legally available throughout the season at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks.
The Pennsylvania State University football program, aka the Penn State Nittany Lions, play as one of the more decorated programs in NCAA football history. Penn State holds two National Championship titles and perennially contends as one of the Big Ten Conference’s top teams.
Annual contests against Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State represent some of the most hyped matchups on the college football calendar. All Nittany Lions games appear on the betting boards at Pennsylvania’s mobile sportsbooks, including bowl games and potential future College Football Playoff appearances.
A member of the hallowed Philadelphia Big Five, the Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball program represents one of the sport’s most successful teams.
The Wildcats posted 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 15 seasons. Two of those runs (2016 and 2018) ended with Villanova hoisting the NCAA Championship trophy.
Future March Madness appearances for the Wildcats will be available for wagering at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks, with no restrictions.
Plenty of other betting markets await Pennsylvania bettors on the state’s mobile sports betting apps. MMA, tennis, golf, motorsports, international leagues, and niche sports round out the opportunities available at Pennsylvania sportsbooks.
Included in that lineup are in-state events like the NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Speedway each year. Known as the “Tricky Triangle,” Pocono Speedway stands as one of the unique tracks on the NASCAR circuit.
Yes. Pennsylvania gaming laws allow both online and retail sportsbooks to operate in the state.
The first legal online sportsbooks went live in Pennsylvania in May 2019. Since then, the industry has expanded to include 11 different online sports betting platforms.
All legal mobile sports betting apps display the seal of approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
21 or older. The minimum age to place an online sports bet in Pennsylvania is 21, across all legal sportsbooks.
When registering for a sportsbooks account, you’ll need to upload documents providing proof of age and identity.
Yes. All college sports are available for wagering at Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks. This includes in-state programs like Penn State and Villanova.
Some states place restrictions on betting on in-state college teams and events. Pennsylvania gaming laws place no such ban on Pennsylvania-based programs and games, however.
Yes, as long as you’re betting on one of Pennsylvania’s legal mobile sports betting apps. Pennsylvania’s legal online sportsbooks are regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
The PGCB oversees all casino operations in Pennsylvania. Playing at a legal online gambling site offers the same level of safety as playing at a Pennsylvania casino.
Yes. Just about all Pennsylvania online sportsbooks offer their platforms as app downloads for Apple iOS devices. Pennsylvania bettors can find these apps in the App Store.
Yes. FanDuel Sportsbook takes more bets than any other online sportsbook in Pennsylvania. Bettors can access FanDuel Sportsbook via desktop browser or downloadable app for Android and iOS devices.
Unprecedented in a myriad of ways, 2020 was also a record year for Pennsylvania sportsbooks – capped off with all-time high handle of $548.6 million in December. That broke the previous record of $525.8 million set in October 2020.
Compared to November, sports betting handle was up 11.5%. Revenue also neared all-time highs in December at $34.1 million – down 8.8% from November’s all-time high of $37.4 million.
Overall in 2020, PA saw over $3.5 billion in total bets placed across retail and online sportsbooks.
PA isn’t the only state that had a banner December. New Jersey continues to shatter all-time monthly handle records for any state, taking $931.6 million in bets in the final month of 2020. Nevada’s December numbers are expected to fall between NJ and PA once again. (NJ first topped Nevada for the lead in handle in May 2020.)
Meanwhile, PA sports wagering continues to flourish as the No. 3 largest market in the country. In Pennsylvania, FanDuel maintains its status as the leader for handle; however in December, Barstool took the top spot for revenue.
Online wagering has proven critical in a year where casinos and other forms of gambling were shut down for more than four months, including from Dec. 12 through the end of the year.
According to figures released by the PGCB, overall gaming revenue in December totaled $168.7 million – a decrease of 42.2% YoY compared to Dec. 2019. But the decrease could have been much, much worse were it not for online gambling streams.
Those streams – online casino, online sports betting, and online poker – are now a significant source of revenue for PA. In December, online betting brought in:
*includes $2.7 million in revenue from online poker
That means in December, revenue from online betting accounted for 61.9% of PA’s total gaming revenue – and that doesn’t even count daily fantasy contests.
With the state’s retail sportsbooks shuttered for most of the month, PA online sports betting apps accounted for 97.5% of December wagers, or $535.2 million in handle.
While retail sports betting began in Nov. 2018, online betting apps started trickling in beginning late May 2019 (PlaySugarHouse the first). By the end of 2019, there were eight online apps.
The year 2020 saw the addition of the following:
Demonstrating the market’s major growth over the past year, sports betting revenue was up nearly 200% YoY – from $11.4 million in December 2019. Handle was up 60.1% from $342.6 million in Dec. 2019.
A month filled with NFL, college football, NBA, and college basketball gave bettors plenty to choose from. FanDuel, in partnership with Valley Forge Casino, posted a record-setting month for handle ($207.6 million ) and gave out a record amount of promo credits ($5.6 million). Revenue for FanDuel in December was $7.1 million, down from a record-breaking $15.1 million in November.
For the fourth consecutive month, DraftKings has surpassed the $100 million mark for handle and it appears there is no looking back. DraftKings took $131.5 million in bets (a record for the operator in the state). DraftKings’s revenue was $5.4 million, down from $6.9 in November.
PA sportsbooks continued their generosity in December, too. Online sportsbooks handed out $11.3 million in promo credits – nearly half of which came from FanDuel.
The state collected $11.2 million from sports betting taxes in December 2020, with another $657,852 for local taxes.
Barstool online sportsbook saw a surge in handle ($71.8 million) and revenue ($13.9 million) in December. In its fourth month, Barstool finished tops among all of PA’s online sportsbooks for revenue. PA online sportsbook mobile apps combined for $33 million in revenue with Barstool accounting for 42% of it.
Dave Portnoy, Barstool Sports founder and face of the sportsbook, launched The Barstool Fund in December to provide for small businesses affected by the pandemic.
As figures from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board and other state’s regulatory commissions release monthly reports, the top line numbers are handle and revenue.
So, for those who are new or might be afraid to ask, here is the answer:
Sports Betting Operator | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Valley Forge Casino (FanDuel) | $209,239,948 | $7,280,027 | $207,608,213 | $7,053,490 | $1,631,735 | $226,537 |
The Meadows Casino (DraftKings) | $131,462,173 | $5,425,957 | $130,909,333 | $5,373,015 | $552,840 | $52,942 |
Hollywood/Penn National (Barstool) | $72,565,263 | $13,932,121 | $71,779,304 | $13,880,692 | $785,958 | $51,429 |
Mount Airy Casino (Fox Bet) | $28,861,696 | $1,856,270 | $28,577,967 | $1,840,166 | $283,730 | $16,104 |
Rivers Pittsburgh (BetRivers) | $28,827,215 | $1,816,587 | $26,759,634 | $1,622,379 | $2,067,581 | $194,208 |
Parx Casino | $28,029,420 | $2,219,626 | $23,743,575 | $1,971,634 | $4,285,845 | $247,992 |
Rivers Philadelphia (PlaySugarHouse) | $21,814,454 | $1,025,425 | $21,814,454 | $1,040,656 | $0 | -$15,231 |
Hollywood Casino Morgantown (BetMGM) | $12,069,468 | $33,148 | $12,069,468 | $33,148 | $0 | $0 |
Mohegan Sun Pocono (Unibet) | $9,608,965 | $42,513 | $8,938,522 | $86,200 | $670,443 | -$43,687 |
Presque Isle Downs (BetAmerica) | $2,767,558 | $184,971 | $1,509,947 | -$7,840 | $1,257,610 | $192,811 |
Harrah's Philadelphia (Caesars) | $2,465,806 | $154,422 | $1,400,012 | $15,700 | $1,065,794 | $138,721 |
Mohegan Sun Lehigh Valley | $498,163 | $63,572 | $0 | $0 | $498,163 | $63,572 |
Wind Creek | $214,103 | -$4,733 | $99,309 | -$16,619 | $114,794 | $11,886 |
Live! Casino Pittsburgh | $165,834 | $29,633 | $0 | $0 | $165,834 | $29,633 |
South Philly Race & Sportsbook | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total | $548,590,065 | $34,059,539 | $535,209,739 | $32,892,621 | $13,380,326 | $1,166,917 |
December 2018 | December 2020 | |
---|---|---|
Handle | $16 million | $548.6 million |
Revenue | $2 million | $34 million |
Retail operators | 3 | 14 |
Online operators | 0 | 12 |
In December, fantasy operators combined to report about $3 million in revenue, an increase of 1.14% over November of last year. DraftKings and FanDuel account for most of the DFS action in PA.
Note: PlayPA editor Valerie Cross contributed to this article.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar