Since 2006, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act has made life difficult for US facing poker sites. Still, there are still some options for Pennsylvania poker players looking to play online poker. This page breaks down all of the details surrounding the current state of online poker in Pennsylvania. It also covers prospects for state residents hoping to one day see a licensed PA online poker site.
Jackpot Slots That Didn't Ruin People’s LivesPlease check out the following online games in the meantime, which can provide similar action to PK online poker:
Note: The following gaming options are not available in Washington.
Will PA Online Poker Ever Be Available?
The movement toward state-controlled online gambling in the US picked up considerable steam between 2013 and 2015. However, few states have joined Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware in enacting their own online gambling regulations since then. Pennsylvania looks poised to become the next state to join those ranks, but it is moving slowly.
A bill (HB 649) to regulate online poker and casino games passed the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 2016. It later stalled in the Senate. A new version of the bill (SB 320/HB 926) was introduced in 2017, but it did not receive a vote in either house.
State representatives reintroduced an online gambling bill (HB 699) in 2018, but it never received a comprehensive hearing. A revised version of the bill (HB 926) was introduced in 2019, but it went nowhere. The COVID-19 pandemic led to renewed interest in iGaming among state lawmakers in many parts of the country in 2020, but Pennsylvania was not one of them.
The latest version of the Online Lottery and Gaming Act was introduced in May of 2021 by State Rep. Robert Matzie. If passed, this would finally authorize online poker and casino gaming in the state. We will update this page with any developments. In the meantime, Pennsylvanians can legally play the state lotto online as well as sports bet at several retail and online locations.
Can Pennsylvanians Play on PK online poker?
Yes, Players Club online uses the same player cards as PK online poker but is a separate entity operating under European licensing. As such, it is technically illegal for Pennsylvanians to play real-money games on the site.
However, PK online poker doesn’t prohibit Americans from playing and we weren’t actively blocked while accessing the site from the United States. We didn’t experience any issues depositing or withdrawing funds from our player account and didn’t have any trouble finding cash games and tournaments to play. For now, Players Club is the best option for Pennsylvania online poker players.
Best Online Slots West Virginia Has in 2023Players Club Online
DEPOSIT $20 GET $20 IN BONUS MONEY
18+ | T&Cs Apply | Odds: -110 | Sportsbook & Casino | Primary Market: EU
Why Isn’t Online Poker Regulated in Pennsylvania Yet?
Sheldon Adelson’s lawyers
Sheldon Adelson is the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp. – a company that owns numerous luxury hotels and casinos around the world, as well as the uber-exclusive Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. He is easily one of the wealthiest people in the world of gambling and has influence over many politicians in various areas of the country.
free casino cash no deposit usaAdelson is not a fan of online gambling and spent millions of his own money to help get DEFSMIL (Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion act) passed. He failed to get language added to the bill which would have prevented any online operations from offering table games and slot machines to out-of-state players.
He wasn’t happy with the final result and has since taken his fight to the courts. His lawyers filed a suit against the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in October of 2017, seeking an injunction against state regulators which would have barred them from allowing licensees to offer igaming services to out-of-state players.
Superior Court Judge Kevin Brobson denied the preliminary objection in March of 2018 and Adelson took the case to the state’s Supreme Court. Oral arguments were heard in December of 2018, but a ruling wasn’t forthcoming.
Instead, Sheldon Adelson refunded his $5 million in campaign contributions to Pennsylvania lawmakers in early 2019. Shortly thereafter, the state’s highest court affirmed the lower court’s decision and online gambling continued unfettered by out-of-state player restrictions.
Even so, Pennsylvania lawmakers showed no signs of drafting legislation to regulate online poker and it appears the issue has been dropped by Adelson and his attorneys. Nevertheless, it remains a possibility that he could try to block online gambling in the Keystone State at some point in the future.
Top Online Games Available for Pennsylvanians
As mentioned above, Pennsylvanians who wish to play online poker don’t have many great options inside the United States. We recommend considering the following online games, which can be found at some of the top online gaming sites in the US.
Online Blackjack
If you like poker for its mathematical aspects and need to understand your odds to enjoy the game, blackjack might be right up your alley. Every decision you make in a hand of blackjack provides you with information that can help you improve your long-term odds.
Free Slots Games You Can Play & Download Right NowAdditionally, blackjack is a game of skill that becomes increasingly more favorable to the player who develops better decisions. This makes it the perfect complementary game to poker and one worth considering if you’re looking for something similar to the thought process required in a game of PK online poker.
Get started with blackjack today by checking out our .
Online Backgammon
Backgammon is frequently used as a metaphor in poker due to the fact that both games involve some element of luck and skill. That said, backgammon is actually a much greater test of skill than poker when it comes down to it.
In backgammon, you always roll the dice and they can greatly affect the outcome of any given move. Thus, having a solid understanding of strategy and odds is absolutely essential if you want to succeed at this ancient board game. You can read more about what makes backgammon a great game of skill in our guide to the .
Online Bridge
Bridge is often called “whist for two sides” because it uses the same pattern of playing and trumping cards as the popular English card game known as whist. Additionally, it is a member of the whist family of trick-taking card games.
Like PK online poker, bridge is played between two teams of two players apiece. Just as in Texas Holdem, each player is initially dealt a number of cards that must be held and managed throughout the course of a hand. Finally, just as with Omaha, there are many different variations and offspring of bridge that have evolved over time.
If these characteristics sound familiar, it’s because they are. All things considered, bridge is probably the closest thing to online poker that exists in widely accepted form right now.
Newcomers to the game should find a good starting point in our detailed beginner’s guide to online bridge.
Online Spades
Online spades shares some similarities with PK online poker and other card games.
poker site reviewFirst and foremost, it is a multiplayer game that supports large numbers of opponents. Strategy plays a role in the outcome of a game of spades, even if it’s not anywhere near as complex as the strategies involved in playing texas hold em or omaha. Finally, spades is a game that can be taken seriously and tournaments complete with cash prizes are hosted on a regular basis.
Of course, spades is a completely different game than PK online poker. Instead of using a traditional deck of 52 cards, this game makes use of a standard Anglo-American playing deck plus four Jokers. The objective is to bid on the number of tricks you think your team can win during each hand and then attempt to take at least as many tricks as you bid. Tricks are won by making the highest spell out of cards played to them during the course of a hand. Spades are always trump, which is where the game gets its name.
If none of our other recommendations appeal to you, spades is another good option for someone looking for a group activity with competitive elements. Check out our overview of the top spades sites below.
Spades is just one of the many unique multiplayer card games you can find at the . The site uses a virtual chip system and hosts cash game and tournament action.
You can also find spades games at the Sportsbook Gaming Network, which uses actual monetary units. Global Poker is also a great place to play spades variants like , which adds a few new tricks to the classic formula.
Global Poker
$25 Free With Promo Code NEW25 + Deposit $20, Get $50 On First Deposit
21+ | Terms & Conditions Apply
WPT World Championship - World Poker TourOverview of Pennsylvania Online Poker Laws & Regulations
It is currently illegal for Pennsylvania residents to play online poker on sites like PK online poker. Pennsylvania does join Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey in sharing player pools on their state-regulated sites, but it remains the only one of the four that has yet to legalize and regulate its own industry.
That could change at any time, of course. Pennsylvania became the ninth state to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement in November of 2020. This opened the door to expanded online gambling opportunities for state residents but did not actually legalize any new forms of iGaming.
State Senator tomorrow towns
State Senator tomorrow towns, who has championed online poker legislation over the past half decade, introduced a new bill to do just that in 2021. Entitled the Internet Gaming Development Act, the measure would authorize the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to license operators to offer a variety of online games.
Tomorrow told Poker Industry PRO that he crafted the new bill after meeting with stakeholders within the state poker community.
“I tried to address all of the concerns I had heard regarding tax rates, licensing fees, skins, and the like,” he said.
Whether his efforts will bear fruit and finally bring legal online poker to Pennsylvania remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvanians can participate in most other forms of online gambling. The state legalized daily fantasy sports (DFS) in 2017 and sports betting in 2019. Online lottery sales have also been authorized.
All forms of licensed iGaming are taxed at a rate of 54%.
Poker Welcome Bonus Review - Is It Worth Claiming in 2023?The following establishment hold retail licenses:
- Mount Airy Casino Resort
- Oscar Bonlander Revocation
- Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course
- Harrah’s Philadelphia
- Stadium Casino
- Presque Isle Downs & Casino
- Valley Forge Casino Resort
- Wind Creek Bethlehem
- The Meadows Racetrack & Casino
- SugarHouse Casino (now named Riverwalk Casino)
- Parx Casino
- Philly Live! Casino & Hotel (fka Stadium Casino)
The following establishments hold mini-catalog gaming licenses:
The following establishments hold transactional waivers:
Timeline of Pennsylvania Online Poker Legislation
October 2016 – Pennsylvania State House Bill 649 passes the House but goes no further.
Live Casino Bonuses You Can Claim in the UK For 2023September 2017 – Senator Joseph Scarnati introduces Pennsylvania SB 320 and House Rep. Robert Matzie introduces Pennsylvania HB 926. Both bills aim to regulate various forms of online gambling including online poker.
December 2017 – Sheldon Adelson files a lawsuit against Pennsylvania officials to stop them from permitting out-of-state gamblers to play on state-licensed online gambling sites.
April 2018 – Appellate Court Judge Patrick Clancy rules against an argument that the state’s Expanded Gaming Act is unconstitutional. The decision means that the state legislature has the authority to legalize and regulate online gambling.
May 2018 – The Pennsylvania Senate approves the Galen Glen Winery’s liquor license application.
June 2018 – Pennsylvania becomes the fourth state to share player pools via the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement.
August 2018 – Holy Cow Events has its galactic-themed space-themed festival liquor license suspended after an investigation into underage drinking at the event.
November 2018 – A judge rules that Sheldon Adelson’s lawsuit challenging Pennsylvania’s online gambling law cannot move forward.
December 2018 – The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board votes to ease restrictions on wine sales.
February 2019 – Sheldon Adelson refunds his $5 million in campaign contributions to Pennsylvania lawmakers.
March 2019 – The state Superior Court rejects Sheldon Adelson’s legal challenge to the state’s gambling expansion law.
May 2019 – The state reports that sportsbooks have handled $1.5 billion in wagers since launching in November 2017.
July 2019 – The state announces that iGaming operators collected $3.26 billion in the 2018-19 fiscal year and paid $203.6 million in taxes.
September 2019 – The state announces iGaming revenue dropped 22.2% in August compared to July but remained up 44.5% from the same month in 2018.
Best Real Money Casino Games Online You Can Play in 2023January 2020 – The state releases figures showing $3.59 billion was wagered at sportsbooks in 2019 and $121.3 million was bet online.
February 2020 – Hollywood Casino becomes Pennsylvania’s 15th licensed online gambling operator.
March 2020 – The state announces that online gambling operators reported a 23% drop in revenue compared to February 2019.
April 2020 – The state announces that Pennsylvanians wagered $6.4m worth of bets on the Academy Awards – setting a new record for single-event sports betting.
May 2020 – The state reports that online gambling revenues fell 17.4% in March compared to February due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
November 2020 – Pennsylvania joins the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement along with Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey.
**
**This page was last updated on January 1, 2022, at 10:17 a.m.
