Best Online Casinos/Sportsbooks In Pennsylvania
The state of Pennsylvania became one of the first to legalize sports betting after the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA).
The PASPA essentially barred sports betting from taking place in most parts of the country. But in 2018, the SCOTUS ruled that the PASPA was a violation of the Tenth Amendment, thus paving the way for all U.S. states to legalize sports betting if they so wish.
Since then, nearly 30 U.S. states have launched a form of legalized mobile/online sports betting; Pennsylvania did so in late 2018. Several other states, including Maryland, and California, are seemingly getting close to launching it as well.
The best PA online casinos include BetMGM, FanDuel, BetRivers, Unibet, PokerStars, Caesars and DraftKings. You can play a wide variety of casino games through the many sportsbooks in Pennsylvania, including blackjack, poker, slots and more.
Sportsbook Offers & Types Of Wagers
BetMGM is offering customers in Pennsylvania a “Welcome Bonus” of up to $1,000 plus $25 in free play, and FanDuel is offering a risk-free first day wager of up to $1,000.
The online casino/sports betting industry has been a game-changer in Pennsylvania. Last month, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board announced that the state took in just over $462.74 million total gaming revenue for the month of March 2022.
It was noted in the report that retail table games alone took in over $90 million, and slot machines took in a revenue of approximately $214 million.
Through these sportsbooks, you can also place a variety of different bets on the state’s professional sports teams, including the straight-up winner, money lines and futures (division winners, award winners, league champions and more).
For instance, the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers have Super Bowl 57 odds of +3000 and +8000 at FanDuel, respectively. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts holds +2500 odds of winning the NFL MVP award. With star wideout A.J. Brown in the fold, Hurts just might take his game to an MVP-like level in 2022.
Several of the Pennsylvania-based professional sports franchises have also reached multi-year agreements on partnerships with prominent sportsbooks.
For instance, the Eagles have partnerships with Unibet, DraftKings and FoxBex. The Steelers hold agreements with BetMGM and Unibet.
The Pittsburgh Penguins struck a deal with Rivers Casino and BetRivers. The Philadelphia Flyers have an agreement with Betway. The Philadelphia 76ers have deals with BetMGM, Betway and DraftKings. Last summer, the Pittsburgh Pirates and BetMGM announced a partnership of their own.
Teams To Bet On
Philadelphia has a team in each of the “Big Four” North American Sports franchises: The NFL’s Eagles, the NHL’s Flyers, the NBA’s 76ers and MLB’s Phillies.
Pittsburgh is home to the historic NFL Steelers franchise, the NHL’s Penguins and MLB’s Pirates. In the 21st century alone, the Steelers (two Super bowls) and Penguins (three Stanley Cups) have combined for five championships.
The Phillies (2008) and Eagles (Super Bowl 52) have netted Philadelphia two sports championships in the 21st century. The Flyers also had a thrilling run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, and the Allen Iverson-led 76ers made it all the way to the 2001 NBA Finals.
Among the major pro sports teams, you have the option to bet on six different Pennsylvania-based clubs.
The Penguins have made the Stanley Cup playoffs every year since 2007, and the Steelers haven’t had a losing season since 2003. The 76ers are coming off their fifth straight trip to the NBA postseason, and the Eagles have qualified for the NFL playoffs in four of the last five years.
Given the regular season consistency of those four teams, you can feel safe in placing frequent game wagers on the Pens, Steelers, 76ers and Eagles. A healthy Sidney Crosby-led team will lead Pittsburgh to 50-something wins and over 100 regular season points each year, so the Penguins are especially a risk-free team to bet on.
There is also the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (the lone MLS team in the state) and popular college sports programs like the Penn State Nittany Lions (football), Pittsburgh Panthers (football), Temple Owls (football) Villanova Wildcats (men’s and women’s basketball) teams.
