Pennsylvania Sports Betting Apps

The Pennsylvania sports betting industry still stands as one of the top markets in the country. Bettors have access to a wide variety of Pennsylvania sports betting apps from some of the top names in the industry.

The Keystone State’s sports betting industry includes online sportsbook operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, and several other industry-leading brands. Pennsylvania produced over $6 million in state tax revenue for the month of August.

Best Pennsylvania Sports Betting Apps September 2021

• DraftKings Sportsbook – Best for DFS players who also want to bet
• BetMGM – Best for MGM reward points & new bettors
• FanDuel Sportsbook – Best sportsbook iOS & Android App
• BetRivers – Best for deposit bonus
• Unibet – Best for $600 risk-free bet
• FOX Bet – Best for Fox Sports fans

Best Pennsylvania Sports Betting Apps

Full List Of Pennsylvania Online Sportsbooks

How To Get Started in Pennsylvania Sports Betting

Picking A PA Online Sports Betting App

Gaming Today offers updated information on all legal mobile sportsbooks operating in Pennsylvania. The welcome bonus offers, available betting markets, and lines on games vary from platform to platform.

Check out the table above for a comprehensive list of the bonus offers at each Pennsylvania mobile sportsbook.

Make Your First Deposit

Once you’ve chosen a sportsbook, you enjoy several different deposit options that instantly put funds in your account.

PayPal provides one of the most reliable ways to deposit at an online sportsbook. Other methods include ACH/eCheck, credit cards, debit cards, and the Play+ prepaid card.

Location Verification

Pennsylvania’s legal iGaming sites utilize geolocation services to determine a user’s location when they log in or try to place bets. If the geolocation technology determines you’re outside of Pennsylvania state lines, you’ll be blocked from betting.

State laws mandate that you must be within state borders at the time of a bet.

Registering For A PA Sports Betting App Account

Signing up at a Pennsylvania online sportsbook takes just a couple of minutes. You’ll need to provide proof of age and identity, which can be done by uploading a photo of a driver’s license or state-issued ID.

Once the sportsbook verifies your identification documents, you’re ready to deposit and start making bets.

Placing Bets

Pennsylvania sports betting apps or online sportsbooks allow you to wager by simply clicking on the line of your choice. Moneyline, point spread, totals, parlays, in-game betting, and more are at your disposal at Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks.

Once you’ve clicked on a bet, the wager will appear on your bet slip (usually at the right of the screen). Confirm the bet one more time on the bet slip to make the wager official.

Why Choose A Legal Sportsbook?

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) regulates the state’s casino industry, including legal online sportsbooks. This government-operated gaming regulation agency’s oversight ensures proper operations, prompt payouts, and transparency from the Keystone State’s online sports betting platforms.

Illegal bookies and offshore sites, on the other hand, aren’t obligated to answer to an agency like the PGCB. As such, your money might not be safe once it’s in the hands of an illegal bookmaker.

Regulated sportsbooks automatically withhold federal taxes on wins of $5,000 or more. Aside from those withheld taxes, players bear responsibility for paying federal and state taxes on sports betting winnings.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting Revenue

Since launching in 2018, Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry shows significant upward growth in year-to-year revenue. According to reports from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, annual sports betting revenue jumped from $84.1 million in 2019 to $189.7 million in 2020. 

The PGCB announced over $348 million in betting handle for August 2021. Top apps included FanDuel and DraftKings, with FanDuel reporting $45 million more than DraftKings in betting handle for August.

Pennsylvania hosts one of the most viable land-based casino industries in the US. The state’s sports betting market, however, is dominated by mobile wagering.

Sportsbooks in the Keystone State have taken in $652,935,872 in overall betting handle so far for 2021. 

How Pennsylvania Compares To Other Sports Betting States

Pennsylvania’s neighbor to the east stands as the benchmark in the US mobile sports betting industry. New Jersey produced more than $6 billion in sports betting handle in 2020, and $5.53 billion of that figure came from online sportsbooks in the Garden State, according to figures released by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement. 

Pennsylvania, however, holds its own as one of the top sports betting markets in the US. 

The future looks bright for Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry, which in a short time has established itself as one of the biggest sports wagering hubs in the US. It is unclear what the effect will be of New York legalizing and launching mobile betting apps, but the effect on PA should be less than on New Jersey. 

Pennsylvania Sports Betting: Successes And Failures

Pennsylvania Sports Betting Successes

Despite high tax rates on revenue compared to other states, Pennsylvania attracted sports betting’s most prominent brands to the market. FanDuel and DraftKings lead the Pennsylvania charge, which projects as a top US sports betting market for years to come.

Fiscal year 2020-21 saw a total of over $5 billion in sports betting handle, which resulted in over $105 million in state revenue.

How Pennsylvania Could Improve Its Sports Betting Industry

Pennsylvania’s sports betting model isn’t the most operator-friendly in the US. Sports betting revenue is taxed at 36%, with operators paying a $10 million licensing fee to enter the market. Those numbers represent the highest in the industry.

While DraftKings and FanDuel flourish in the state, the bottom half of the state’s list of online sportsbooks struggle to earn revenue relative to the top players. While FanDuel Sportsbook earned more than $107 million in August 2021, BetFred produced only $406,259 over the same period. 

Overall performance, however, has to be considered a success for Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry.

Sports Betting Legalization Effort In Pennsylvania

A Pennsylvania sports betting bill went into law in October 2017. The implementation of the bill pended the overturn of PASPA, which happened seven months later.

Despite Pennsylvania’s status as the second-largest land-based casino economy in the US, online gambling legislation came upon serious opposition in both the state House and Senate. Online gambling legislation, which included mobile sports betting, passed in the House by a 102-89 vote and the Senate by a 31-19 margin.

Pennsylvania’s gambling expansion bills gave the green light to both retail and online sports betting. The first online sportsbook went live in May 2019.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting Timeline

• October 2017 – A package of bills outlining a significant gambling expansion in Pennsylvania is signed into law by Gov. Tom Wolf. The bills legalize both retail and online sports betting as part of that expansion. Sports betting can’t launch at the time, however, as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) is still in effect.
• May 2018 – The Supreme Court of the United States rules PASPA as unconstitutional, overturning the mandate after 26 years in effect. With PASPA out of the way, Pennsylvania’s sports betting industry gets the official green light.
• November 2018 – The state’s first retail sportsbook opens for business, as Hollywood Casino at Penn National takes the first sports bet in Pennsylvania history. A dozen more land-based sports betting venues launch in the state over the next two years.
• May 2019 – Pennsylvania’s first online sportsbook goes live. SugarHouse Sportsbook launches under the interactive gaming license of Rivers Casino Philadelphia.
• July 2019 – FanDuel Sportsbook enters the Pennsylvania online sports betting market. The platform quickly emerges as the most popular mobile sports betting app in the state.
• September 2020 – A new major player enters the Pennsylvania market, as Barstool Sportsbook goes live with an online platform. Barstool rapidly becomes the No. 3 most popular online sportsbook in the state, trailing only FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook in monthly revenue.
• December 2020 – BetMGM launches in Pennsylvania as the state’s first Qualified Gaming Entity (QGE). Pennsylvania law allows iGaming brands to enter the market with QGE status, which doesn’t require a land-based casino partner.
• August 2021 – August saw a betting handle of $348,520,369 putting the total handle at over $652 million for two months of the 21-22 fiscal year.

Pennsylvania’s Professional Sports Teams

Pennsylvania’s NFL Teams

Pro football loyalties in Pennsylvania split between two teams – the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Steelers stand as one of the NFL’s most successful franchises. Pittsburgh shares the NFL record for most Super Bowl wins (6) and holds the outright record for most conference championship game appearances.

The Eagles hold one Super Bowl title, breaking through with a win in the 2017 NFL championship game. Like the Steelers, the Eagles contend as a perennial threat to win a division title, although the franchise’s postseason success falls short of Pittsburgh’s accomplishments.

Pennsylvania’s online sportsbooks offer wagering on both Pennsylvania teams, as well as the rest of the NFL, every season. Betting opportunities include every round of the playoffs, all the way through the Super Bowl.

Pennsylvania’s MLB Teams

The Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates both play in Major League Baseball’s National League. Both franchises trace their roots to the late 1800s, as both stand as two of the longest-running franchises in professional baseball.

The Pirates claim five World Series titles, while the Phillies own two MLB championships. Neither Pennsylvania baseball franchise has appeared in the postseason over the past five seasons, leaving fans in the Keystone State hungry for the next playoff run.

When that happens for either team, Pennsylvania online sportsbooks will offer betting on all rounds of the postseason, including the World Series.

Philadelphia 76ers

Like Pennsylvania’s other sports franchises, the 76ers draw a loyal but demanding fan base of basketball fanatics. After a long playoff drought, the team returned to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons in the 2017-2018 NBA Playoffs.

The following season ended in heartbreak for 76ers fans. Toronto Raptors’ superstar Kawhi Leonard hit a dramatic last-second shot in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, ending Philadelphia’s season.

Like the other major pro sports, NBA betting is open at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks. That includes the regular season and every round of the playoffs.

Pennsylvania’s NHL Teams

Pennsylvania cross-state rivalries don’t come any more intense than matchups featuring the Philadelphia Flyers against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

With five Stanley Cups, the Penguins lay claim to more NHL championship success than the rival Flyers. Philadelphia’s two Stanley Cups both came in the early 1970s, leaving longsuffering Flyers fans waiting decades for a taste of championship success.

Pittsburgh’s success includes three Stanley Cup championship wins in the past 12 seasons.

Pennsylvania College Sports Teams

Some states place betting restrictions on in-state college programs and games. Pennsylvania’s sports betting laws don’t apply any prohibitions on state-based teams, however.

Big-time sports contests involving Pennsylvania programs like Penn State and Villanova are legally available throughout the season at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks.

Penn State Nittany Lions

The Pennsylvania State University football program, aka the Penn State Nittany Lions, play as one of the more decorated programs in NCAA football history. Penn State holds two National Championship titles and perennially contends as one of the Big Ten Conference’s top teams.

Annual contests against Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State represent some of the most hyped matchups on the college football calendar. All Nittany Lions games appear on the betting boards at Pennsylvania’s mobile sportsbooks, including bowl games and potential future College Football Playoff appearances.

Villanova Wildcats

A member of the hallowed Philadelphia Big Five, the Villanova Wildcats men’s basketball program represents one of the sport’s most successful teams.

The Wildcats posted 14 NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 15 seasons. Two of those runs (2016 and 2018) ended with Villanova hoisting the NCAA Championship trophy.

Future March Madness appearances for the Wildcats will be available for wagering at Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks, with no restrictions.

Other Sports

Plenty of other betting markets await Pennsylvania bettors on the state’s mobile sports betting apps. MMA, tennis, golf, motorsports, international leagues, and niche sports round out the opportunities available at Pennsylvania sportsbooks.

Included in that lineup are in-state events like the NASCAR Cup Series races held at Pocono Speedway each year. Known as the “Tricky Triangle,” Pocono Speedway stands as one of the unique tracks on the NASCAR circuit.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting Apps

Pennsylvania Sports Betting FAQs

More Resources On Pennsylvania Sports Betting

• Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: Press Releases – Monthly updates on revenue and other news in the Pennsylvania casino industry.
• Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board: Monthly Sports Wagering Report – A detailed breakdown of revenue by sports betting operator. This report includes a breakout of online and retail betting handle and revenue.
• Visit PA – State tourism website offering an overview of Pennsylvania’s casinos and racetracks.
• ESPN US Sports Betting Map – ESPN’s interactive map showing where all 50 states stand on sports betting legalization.
• Philadelphia Inquirer – Sports section of one of Pennsylvania’s most prominent news outlets.