When Does Online Poker Start In Pa

1. When Does Online Poker Start In Pasco County
2. When Does Online Poker Start In Past
3. When Does Online Poker Start In Page
4. When Does Online Poker Start In Pa State
5. When Does Online Poker Start In Panama

While players in Pennsylvania await for online poker to go live in the state, Hollywood Casino who was the first to launch an online casino in the Keystone State on July 15, has stated that it plans to launch an online poker product by the end of this year.

1. Nov 13, 2017 The faster the state rolls out online gaming the faster it starts collecting tax revenue. And for Pennsylvania, the best possible start date is no later than July 1, 2018. Reason being: Pennsylvania’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and runs through June 30 of the following year.
2. Play Online Poker in PA Pennsylvania legalized online poker (along with online casino games, sports betting, lottery and others) in October 2017. After PA online casinos and sports betting launched in July 2019, the only remaining gaming option yet to launch was poker. That changed on Nov.

When Does Online Poker Start In Pasco County

Dec 04, 2020 The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved all PA casinos that applied for licenses with online sportsbooks betting going live in early 2019, followed by casinos in the summer of 2019 and the launch of PokerStars in November 2019, the first online poker room in the state.

In a response to a player’s query ahead of the July 15 launch, the casino did admit that online poker “will not be initially available” but also said it is “hoping to have poker integrated by the end of 2019.”

Hollywood Casino, run by Penn National Gaming, is among one of seven PA casino license holders that have been approved for an online gambling license in all three of the categories of interactive games—slots, table games, and online poker.

The casino applied for an interactive gaming license back in July 2018 for a discounted fee of $10 million. Two months later, the casino got the green light from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to offer online gambling within the state.

What Online Poker Software will Hollywood Use?

Shortly after receiving PGCB approval, Penn National struck a five-year deal with IGT, a major online and land-based gaming supplier. IGT offers a full portfolio of internet-based gambling products including slots, bingo, online casino games as well as online poker.

In 2016, IGT overhauled its online poker platform which has been under development since 2012, perhaps in prepration for the burgeoning US online gambling market. IGT currently powers three different online poker networks: Sweden’s online gaming provider, Svenska Spel; Lottomatica in Italy; and the Canadian Poker Network.

It is expected that Hollywood Casino’s online poker offering will also utilize the IGT online poker platform. It rolled out its online casino in Pennsylvania on July 15 through its association with IGT and NetEnt.

However, in a major development that took place on July 31, Hollywood Casino owner, Penn National Gaming inked a multi-year agreement with four leading online gaming operators including The Stars Group.

As per the agreement, Penn’s partners “will have the option to own, operate, and brand real-money online sports betting, poker, and casino offerings in each of the states” where the casino operates and where such activities are legal.

The agreement with TSG allows market access to nine US states but not Pennsylvania. Therefore, it is expected that Hollywood Casino’s online poker product will compete against PokerStars in the Keystone State.

What Other Online Poker Operators can be Expected in Pennsylvania?

Besides Hollywood Casino, PokerStars has shown the most interest in launching online poker in Pennsylvania.

PokerStars was approved by the PGCB in late November 2018 after sealing its partnership with Mount Airy Casino and is expected to be one of the first online poker rooms to launch its poker operations in the state.

“We’re working with our partners and the authorities to finalize plans and bring our leading brands to PA’s players as soon as possible,” a representative of The Stars Group told pokerfuse ahead of July 15. “There’s a lot to look forward to, so rest assured we’ll be in touch with more details as soon as they’re available.”

Another major online poker platform, partypoker, may also appear in Pennsylvania, but as of now, its status is unclear. From a review of PGCB official documents, partypoker’s parent company GVC Holdings has applied for interactive gaming, but it still awaits approval from the regulator as of today.

But that hasn’t stopped the company from responding to user’s query on Pennsylvania. Like PokerStars, partypoker “doesn’t have an exact date yet.”

888 on the other hand, which already has a presence in three US states, surprisingly has not shown much keenness to enter the Pennsylvania market.

“We continue to monitor the developments in Pennsylvania however our focus remains with New Jersey and other markets in which we operate at this time,” said 888 representative in response to our query on the Pennsylvania market.

However, both partypoker and 888 could appear in Pennsylvania as B2B providers that power other brands.

MGM in conjunction with Borgata, it’s New Jersey casino property, are likely to offer online poker in the state under the Qualified Gaming Entities provision and utilize the partypoker software.

WSOP.com is also expected to have a presence in Pennsylvania and to utilize the 888 software as it already does in New Jersey and Nevada as part of the All American Poker Network.

Parx and SugarHouse Casino also have plans to offer online poker, but so far, no further details have been released.

But Why is Online Poker Not Offered in Pennsylvania Yet?

It seems that the state regulators have given first preference to online slots and table games, presumably because they generate more tax revenue and are less complicated to regulate and test than online poker, which is a multi-player game where players compete against each other, unlike table games and slots which are played against the house.

Pokerfuse reached out to the PGCB and asked if we are likely to see online poker in Pennsylvania in July or if the timeline is longer for the first online poker rooms to go live in the state. PGCB Communications Director Doug Harbach commented, “we cannot predict a timeline on that right now.”

Furthermore, Harbach told pokerfuse, “poker will be rolled out when operators are prepared to do so.”

Contents

Now that Pennsylvania has legalized online gambling the conversation has shifted to timelines. Specifically, when will legal online poker be available in Pennsylvania?

This is a difficult question to answer at this stage.

There are still a lot of I’s to dot and T’s to cross, from licensing applications and approvals to submitting regulations. Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board hasn’t set a firm timeline, but the PGCB has put forth a few ballpark estimates on when online gambling might be up and running.

What the PGCB has said and intimated

The PGCB is playing its cards close to the vest when it comes to setting a timeline, but PGCB spokesperson Doug Harbach did provide a window when he spoke to WITF’s Katie Meyer.

According to Harbach, putting a firm timetable on launches is impossible at this time, but he did seem to indicate that a year was the upper end for all of the reforms.

“… suffice it to say, it’s going to take months, and, in some cases, closer to a year on some of them to try and get everything out,” Harbach told Meyer.

In reporting by CapitolWire (subscription), Harbach said online gambling would be easier to implement:

The board is on more familiar ground when it comes to implementing internet gambling and fantasy sports betting. Board officials have testified at numerous legislative hearings on internet gambling and have New Jersey’s experience to draw on. The board has published a report on fantasy sports betting.

“We’ve done a lot of things to get ready for this,” said Harbach.

Not only is the PGCB familiar with online gambling, but the state needs online launched sooner rather than later.

In fact, there is an ideal launch date for the state: on or before July 1, 2018.

Here’s why.

The Pennsylvania fiscal year

Pennsylvania’s online gaming law is designed to fill the state’s coffers and plug budget holes in two ways:

1. A one-time lump payment from licensing fees ($100-$150 million) for the current fiscal year, FY 2017/2018.
2. Recurring revenue of $65 million for FY 2018/2019 and increasing to over $100 million by Year 5.

As long as the checks are cut by June 30, 2018, the licensing fee money will be applied where it’s supposed to be: FY 2017/2018.

When Does Online Poker Start In Past

When it comes to the recurring revenue it’s a bit trickier.

The faster the state rolls out online gaming the faster it starts collecting tax revenue. And for Pennsylvania, the best possible start date is no later than July 1, 2018.

Reason being: Pennsylvania’s fiscal year begins on July 1 and runs through June 30 of the following year. Every day online gaming remains sidelined past July 1, 2018 the state will lose precious tax revenue already earmarked to help fund Pennsylvania’s FY 2018/2019 budget.

If Pennsylvania’s online gaming industry launches in October instead of July, the state will miss out on three months of online gaming revenue. It will also push back market maturity.

When Does Online Poker Start In Page

Any delay after July 1, 2018, will result in less revenue for FY 2018/2019.

When Does Online Poker Start In Pa State

How much money could the state lose?

Even with a slow start, Pennsylvania online gaming operators should bring in at least $30 million over the first three months. That works out to $11-15 million in online gaming tax revenue, depending on how the revenue is split between poker, table games, and slots.

In order to maximize recurring tax revenue for FY 2018/2019, the state will need to have online gaming up and running by July.

And it appears the state is very cognizant of this.

As Chris Grove noted in a recent Pennsylvania online gaming white paper:

“Much of Pennsylvania’s bill suggests an approach built to facilitate a rapid path to market. While regulators will have a substantial amount of work prior to launch, the legislation provides them with tools – including conditional approvals and waivers based on approvals in other U.S. jurisdictions – that will help move the process along.”

New Jersey did a lot of the heavy lifting

As Grove notes, Pennsylvania’s ability to draw on the experiences of New Jersey and other online gaming states will be a big asset.

When New Jersey launched online gaming in November of 2013 a number of the systems were wholly untested.

Operators and regulators were essentially learning on the job.

With multiple operators likely to be active in both states, the learning curve is nowhere near as steep as it was back in 2013. And from the regulators’ standpoint, Pennsylvania will be able to follow the trail New Jersey blazed.

As Grove noted:

“Pennsylvania’s neighbor New Jersey now has nearly four years of online gambling experience under its belt, as does Nevada, and both states are well-positioned to supply Pennsylvania with much of the template and expertise necessary to craft effective regulations. That advantage, combined with the fact that Pennsylvania regulators have been preparing for online gambling for several years, augurs well for a quick pace to a live market.”

Can Pennsylvania get online gaming up and running by July?

It’s feasible, but there are plenty of factors that could slow the process down.

Not least of which is how the PGCB prioritizes the numerous gaming reforms it has on its plate.

Pennsylvania didn’t just legalize online gambling, the gaming reform package is far-ranging.

The bill:

When Does Online Poker Start In Panama

• Legalizes online poker and online casino games
• Legalizes regulates of daily fantasy sports contests
• Authorizes of the sale of online lottery products
• Authorizes up to five video gaming terminals at qualified truck stops
• Creates up to ten “satellite” casinos in designated areas
• Authorizes tablet gambling in secure locations at qualified airports
• Authorizes skill-based and hybrid games
• Eliminates the amenity fee requirement at Category 3 casinos for a one-time fee of $1 million
• Allows Category 3 casinos to increase the maximum number of slot machines by 250 for a one-time fee of $2.5 million, and/or increase maximum by 15 tables for a one-time fee of $1 million
• Reinstates the local share tax the PA Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional last year
• Authorizes the Pennsylvania Lottery to offer Keno
• Eliminates a third Category 3 license the state hadn’t awarded
• Eliminates ban on casino operators owning more than one casino in the state
• Authorizes Category 2, 3 and 4 casinos to contract with racinos to simulcast horse racing
• Allows ADW (Advanced Deposit Wagering)

Not only is the PGCB familiar with online gambling, it’s also one of the biggest revenue pieces of the bill, so it should be at or near the top of the hierarchy.

Of course, there are also unforeseen issues that could arise. Anything from software testing to the licensing approval process could cause a delay.