Harrah’s Philadelphia 3rd Casino To Apply For Sports Betting License
On Tuesday, Harrah's Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack became the third Pennsylvania gaming operator to apply for a sports wagering license.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that the facility submitted an application to offer land-based, online, and mobile sports betting it its patrons. Harrah’s Philadelphia currently offers slots, table games, and horse racing betting.
The decision for the racino to accept sports bets comes about a year after the state passed a sports betting law and only a few months after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports gambling. In theory, PA was one of the first states to legalize sports betting outside of Nevada, though their 2017 law could not go into effect until after the SCOTUS ruling on PASPA.
The two racinos that beat Harrah’s Philadelphia to the punch were the Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course which filed in August, and Parx Casino in Bensalem that applied shortly after.
All three of the applications will be considered at the next Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) meeting, being held on Oct. 3. This will be the first meeting where sports betting licenses will be accepted and potentially approved in the state.
The PCGB has a general rule that sports gambling applicants must petition for certification at least three months in advance of accepting any sports bets, however, the Board is also authorized to make exceptions.
The fact that all three operators already offer horse racing betting could expedite the process as their facilities may be better equipped to implement the necessary sports betting infrastructure.
SportsBettingPennsylvania.com thinks thatt the latest, legal Pennsylvania sportsbooks will be open by December, just in time for the NFL Playoffs. These sportsbooks will join the ranks of the other states that have launched legal sports gambling, which include:
- Nevada
- Delaware
- New Jersey
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
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