Pennsylvania Gambling Laws – State Legislations
Pennsylvania is one of the states with the highest growth of the gambling market in the country. Due to the high taxes, it procures the highest annual tax revenue in the American casino market. We would like to give you an overview of the Pennsylvania gambling laws, since each state is free to decide on a local level regarding the legislation of any wagering activities.PA Gambling Laws – Current Situation
Pennsylvania has a relatively short history with gambling compared to the other states. Now, most popular forms of gambling are legal according to PA gambling laws, such as casino games, poker, sports betting, horse racing, lottery, bingo and even online gambling. In fact, some of the best USA online casinos are available to PA residents. Until 1971 almost all forms of wagering were prohibited in the state, but thanks to the Supreme Court decision in 2018, this changed drastically.
In the table below, we have listed the most popular gambling options and their legal status. If there are no specified regulations, such as with Social Gambling, then the government is either in the process of deciding on them or just doesn’t have anything stated about it in their laws.
| Gambling Method | Legality |
|---|---|
| Casino Games | Legal |
| Sports Betting | Legal |
| Poker | Legal |
| Horse Race Betting | Legal |
| Lottery | Legal |
| Bingo | Legal |
| Charitable Gambling | Legal |
| Social Gambling | Not Specified |
| Online Gambling | Legal |
Attempts to legalise online gambling have started since 2013, but the bills could not pass court. The first breakthrough was introduced in 2017 and then passed in 2018, officially making online gambling legal according to the Pennsylvania gambling laws and even regulated by the PA Gambling Commission (PGCB). Now, you can lawfully enjoy a variety of online casino games and sports betting, as long as the operator is not violating any of the regulations set by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. In case you are interested, we have made the necessary research and make a list of the best PA online casino sites on the market.
History of Legal Gambling in Pennsylvania
As we have mentioned earlier in our PA Gambling Laws overview, the state doesn’t have a very deep history when it comes to legal forms of gambling. In 1971, the government legalised lottery in the state and since then it has grown into the largest one in the USA. The Pennsylvania lottery alone pulls in over $4 billion in annual revenue.
One year later, in 1972, the first race court opens making horse betting popular in the state. Later, thanks to the Racehorse Development & Gaming Act in 2004, Pennsylvania legalises casinos, racinos and slot parlours. As an aftereffect of that, the first casino to open under the new PA gambling laws is the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs. Table games were later legalised in 2010 and following that, the first attempts of regulating online gambling were made in 2013. In the coming years even more attempts were made until finally in 2017, bill HB 271 was accepted into the Pennsylvania gambling laws and online casinos became legal.
The History of Pennsylvania Gambling
- 1971 – Lottery games are legalised.
- 1972 – The Penn National Race Court opens, and horse betting becomes popular.
- 2004 – Racehorse Development & Gaming Act – Casinos, racinos and slot parlours become legal.
- 2006 – Pennsylvania’s first casino, Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs, opens.
- 2010 – The state government legalises table games at casinos.
- 2013 – Introduction of the first bill for legalising online gambling.
- 2015 – Further iGaming regulation legislations are introduced, but are not accepted.
- 2016 – Bill HB 649 for legalisation of internet gambling fails to receive a vote.
- 2017 – Bill HB 271 is accepted by the government, making online casino and poker games legal.
- 2018 – US Supreme Court lifts all gambling bans and leaves states to choose their own legal path regarding gambling.
PA Gambling Commission – The PGCB
The PA Gambling Commission (Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board) is a government-owned agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It was founded in 2004 when the Racehorse Development & Gaming Act was passed. The agency is responsible for overseeing slot machine testing, enforcing requirements regarding responsible gambling, legal gambling ages, casino regulation and online forms of wagering. The PGCB does not oversee the lottery or non-profit gambling operations. The board is made from seven voting members, which are appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania. The main sources of financing for the PA Gambling Commission come from horse racing, economic development and local county governments that host a facility.
Here are the main duties of the PA Gambling Commission:
- Slot Machine Testing (Monthly Submissions by Operators).
- Acting as Office of Compulsive and Problem Gambling (Operators Are Regularly Checked if Their Programs Comply with Regulation).
- Regulation of Land-Based Gambling (Responsible Gambling, Preventing Underage or Intoxicated Gaming).
- Regulation of Online Gambling (Checking for Malicious Sites, Issuing Licenses).
The Legal Pennsylvania Gambling Age
While there are more than enough legal gambling forms in the state, not all of them have the same restrictions. In this section, we would like to give some attention to the legal Pennsylvania gambling age that is required to participate in wagering of different varieties. Refer to the table below for the gambling age regulations.
| Gambling Form | Legal Age |
|---|---|
| Casino | 21 |
| Sports Betting | 21 |
| Lottery | 18 |
| Poker | 21 |
| Horse Betting | 18 |
| Daily Fantasy Sports | 21 |
| Bingo | 18 |
| Online Casino | 18 |
As you can see, the legal PA gambling age varies between 18 and 21 years depending on the activity. We would like to emphasise on the Pennsylvania gambling age for online casinos. It differs from the land-based facilities and requires you to be at least 18 years old instead of 21. This is because brick and mortar casinos sell alcohol, and the business must comply with drinking laws as well.
Pennsylvania Gambling Laws in a Nutshell
As the end of our overview of the Pennsylvania gambling laws is coming to an end, we would like to say some final words. Although the history of the state with legal gambling doesn’t run very deep, it is quite rich. In the relatively short amount of time between 1971 and 2018 almost all forms of gambling are legal and regulated by PA gambling laws and the PA Gambling Commission.
The overall Pennsylvania legal gambling age in the state is 21 except for lottery, horse betting, bingo and online casinos. Pennsylvania is one of the top states, after Nevada, in terms of revenue generated by gambling, and it will continue to grow even more.
PA Gambling Laws Frequent Queries
Here, we would like to list the most popular queries that people have towards the Pennsylvania gambling laws. We understand that talking about law and regulations may be a bit of a dry and sometimes hard to remember the subject. That’s why we recommend going through the questions below, along with their answers to alleviate any future confusion.
