The above casinos have been ordered according to how good their overall offering is for players from PA specifically. The expert score is based on their overall offering as a casino, regardless of state. This is why you’ll see some casinos with lower scores ranked above casinos with higher scores.

The top three Pennsylvania casinos – our expert picks

Sifting through several different casino sites can be time-consuming, especially when you just want to get to the good stuff. Our experts have combed through the different Maryland casinos ourselves, looking at the different bonuses, game offerings, payment methods and overall showing, to find the best three casinos for you.

🥇#1 Best overall: SugarHouse

When it comes to gaming variety and player-friendly terms, SugarHouse leads the pack. They boast an impressive collection of over 800 games from 28 studios and feature an exceptionally low 1x wagering requirement on their welcome bonus.

What truly distinguishes SugarHouse is its lineup of mobile-exclusive games, elevating their game count to over 850, which includes 14 live dealer options. Add to this equation an app that’s not only easy to navigate but also user-friendly, and you’re gazing at one of the finest casino apps on the market.

🥈#2 Best for live games: Borgata

Borgata is a well-established casino with over 800 games and customer support around the clock. They’ve got 14 live dealer games too.

The cool thing is that live games count towards the wagering requirements for the welcome bonus. Table and live dealer games contribute 20%, while everything else contributes 100%, so you can cash out your winnings faster.

Speaking of the welcome bonus, it’s a two-part deal: a 100% deposit match up to $1,000 and $20 in free play.

🥉#3 Best for mobile: BetMGM

BetMGM, a prominent name in the US casino scene, boasts an extensive online casino with a staggering selection of over 700 games.

What sets BetMGM apart is its impressive welcome package, exclusive game offerings, and top-notch customer support. The mobile experience is second to none, with native apps for both iOS and Android devices.

Complete list of the best online casinos in PA

The list above contains all the PA online casinos we’ve reviewed that have our stamp of approval, and are popular with players. They’re ranked according to their overall offering in PA, since some of them operate in multiple states.

Now overall offers are great, but some players come here looking for specifics. We’ve got a list of PA online casinos for you guys, too (including some sites we haven’t reviewed yet, as well as sweeps cash casinos) — to give you a complete picture of what’s out there. 

Whether you’re looking for the best Pennsylvania bonuses, live tables, the best PA online casino for high rollers, or just want to know who’s got the strongest mobile app, this list’s for you.

How to choose Pennsylvania online casinos

On our casino reviews, you can find three different scores. The user ratings come from players like you and the Playscore comes from the web; it’s a score stitched together from all the reviews our little bots can find, to give you a full market overview in a single glance. The third score is the Expert Rating.

The Expert Rating is the score we use to rank casinos according to over 60 different criteria in 8 different sections. Using the same criteria-based system for each PA online casino means that:

1. Different scores are tied to real, measurable differences in casinos
2. Everyone gets the same test, and we don’t change ratings to focus on the good parts

We rate on sections such as bonuses, games, and payments, all the way down to customer support and the online casino’s website. We dive into each section below, but our full rating system can be found here if you’d like to take a deeper look.

Our rating system was put together by our experts, based on their years of iGaming experience and deep research of the US market, and is updated to keep in tune with major developments in the market. The rating criteria are created with the entire country in mind rather than individual states, as the US online casino scene is quite young, but developing quickly.

Because of this, some areas of PA online casinos will be under our expectations, as you’ll find out soon. Is that a reason to worry? Not really. We’ll talk about state averages too, to help you find the best Pennsylvania online casinos, but our aim here is to compare to the best available nationwide, to keep the pressure up on PA operators to improve their offerings further.

Bonuses at PA online casinos

Online casino bonuses are surprisingly uniform across the US, so the best bonuses at PA online casinos are going to be on par with the best casino bonuses offered nationwide.

The most common bonus type you’ll find is the deposit match bonus, which rewards you with bonus funds proportional to how much money you put in on your first casino deposit. The standard is a 100% match — you get $1 for every $1 you put in. To impress us, it’s got to be a 100% match with a cap of at least $750, and you’ll definitely find some of these at online casinos in PA. Otherwise, it’s got to exceed 100%, which is still super rare in the US, but common in Europe, so never say never.

We rate operators even higher when sweeten the deal. That’s where all those juicy PA online casino no deposit bonuses come in. We like to see some no deposit bonus cash or some free spins/chips thrown in to help an offer stand out — we call these double or triple-tiered bonuses. For spins and chips, we like to see 50+ if they’re no-deposit, and 200+ if you need a deposit to get them. For no-deposit cash, PA casinos tend to hit a ceiling of around $25-$30.

Average wagering requirements are 16x-30x, but they can drop as low as 1x or soar much higher. (You want wagering requirements to be low, it’s the number of times you have to bet with your bonus cash before you can convert to something you can spend outside the casino). If there are other PA online casino promotions beyond just the signup bonus, the operator gets some bonus points.

BetMGM and Borgata both offer $1000 matches with $20-$25 in free cash, while SugarHouse has a wagering requirement of just 1x.

What about bonus codes? The vast majority of the PA online casino sites we review don’t offer bonus codes; and if they do they’re automatically redeemable (meaning you don’t have to copy-paste them).

• Deposit matches up to $1,000
• Wagering requires as low as 1x
• Some double-tiered bonuses

Online casino games in PA

This is the main area where even the best online casinos in PA lag behind. Taking the whole country into account, you tend to see 300-500 games at most casinos, while our top scores go to those offering 700+. In PA, it’s rare to see more than 250, even at brands who operate in multiple states.

That being said, PA scores great on variety. If you went through a list of PA online casinos, you’d find that most of them offer all of the major game types, and most of the minor ones. Pennsylvania online slots and table games are the top points, with live casino coming in hot on the heels. A dedicated poker vertical is a great perk. For minor types to round out the variety, we look at things like online video poker in PA, keno, scratch cards etc.

We do make one exception for rating in the Keystone State — online bingo still hasn’t been legalized at PA online casinos, so it wouldn’t be fair of us to dock points for its unavailability. We consider some smaller factors too, such as whether or not a casino has exclusive games, or a detailed filtering system to help players sort through games better.

SugarHouse has one of the largest PA casino game libraries, with over 250, and a huge range of different types. It also has a decent filter system that lets you find games by software studio.

Software at top online casinos in PA

If you’re playing in PA, you might have over 250 games to pick from, but how can you be sure they’re good? That’s where software providers come in, and it’s one area where PA is kinda weird — it has a weakness that makes it strangely stronger.

Let’s talk about the weakness first. When we’re looking at top casinos nationwide, we expect to see games from at least 20 different software providers, with at least 8 being top-rated studios like NetEnt, WMS, IGT, and SG Digital. PA doesn’t quite hit that, 11-15 is closer to what you can expect from PA’s best online casinos, placing them in the overall market average.

However, top names reign at PA online casinos, so if you click a game randomly, there’s a higher chance you’re going to land on a gem from a top studio. In short, PA may be a bit short on quantity, but it absolutely shines on quality. Investing in top studios shows casinos’ commitment to bringing a diverse portfolio of games to their players, which is good news for PA.

Exclusive software is rare to see in the US, and especially in PA, but we do throw in some bonus points when we see it. Most PA online casinos can have their games run in-browser, and don’t need a download to play, which is another perk. Another particular PA perk is that some casinos which operate in more than 1 state have PA-specific software, primarily Borgata and BetMGM, which both only offer games by Red Tiger Gaming in PA.

Payment methods at PA online casinos

When rating America’s best, here’s the lowdown:

Average scores go to places which have around 6-10 payment methods, and top scores go to spots with 15+. PA online casinos usually offer 5-10, which means they’ll easily meet players’ needs. We also want to see all bases covered, namely options for card, e-wallet, ACH and cash options. Operators in PA usually meet these criteria, no problem.

We like to see names we recognize here too, such as Mastercard, PayPal, VISA and VIP Preferred. PayPal gambling is the most common options at Pennsylvania online casinos, since you can use them for both deposit and withdrawal at many casinos.

We rate limitations too — the fewer the better. Minimum deposits and withdrawals of about $10 are quite average, but they do drop lower at some casinos for specific payment methods, sometimes down to $1.

Maximum deposit & withdrawal limits are a reality we have to deal with, but there are some places that do limitless, and that’s where our perfect scores go. Second best goes to deposits of $10,000 per transaction and withdrawal limits of over $5,000 per week. The Keystone State easily hits that. Some of the best PA online casinos have practically no withdrawal limits at all.

Another good sign for PA is that it’s rare to see deposit and withdrawal fees.

Pay casino payment highlights:

Most casinos have:

• 6-10 payment methods
• High withdrawal limits
• Very few fees

Payouts at online casinos in PA

There’s a few things to consider when talking about payouts. We find that the things players are most interested in can usually be summed up in 3 questions:

1. Which casinos have the best return?
2. Which casinos pay out the fastest?
3. Which casinos have the best payout limits?
4. Really impossible to answer, unless the casinos are publishing data like the amount of money players wager on every individual game. Theoretical RTP% is the common stat usually used in its stead, but it is always and only a theoretical number. When we do have solid data available, we share our findings based on it with you, and we are constructing a best casino payouts But we’d rather be honest about the difficulty here than try to BS you like some other reviewers do.
5. A lot of fast payout casinos will have withdrawal methods that transfer money instantly, as soon as the casino’s internal payment review process is complete. Ideally, this processing takes under 24 hours. In PA, SugarHouse, Borgata and BetMGM are among those that claim to meet this demand.
6. Unlimited payouts are the best, but failing that, anything over $5,000 a week is pretty good. We cover these in each of our online casino review s, but here’s a quick cheat sheet: FanDuel has no limits, but only lets you withdraw from winnings, not from unwagered money. SugarHouse allows up to $25,000 per transaction, and you can schedule multiple transactions at once.

Safety at Pennsylvania online casinos

Safety is a concern for all players, and fortunately, it’s super easy to find the safest Pennsylvania online casinos. The PGCB, who regulates online gambling sites in the Keystone State, keeps a master list of all licensed operators on its website.  It can be found under Licensure > Gaming Expansion Licensing > Licensed Interactive Gaming Certificate holders and Operators. Their legal status means that their profits contribute to Pennsylvania gambling tax coffers. 

There are state-regulated safety elements, like the PGCB requiring Pennsylvania online casinos to carry responsible gaming tools, and have responsible gambling pages linking to external help organizations. These cover the minimum, but some places do casino safety better than others (check out our full list of the safest online casinos for more), so there are scoring criteria we keep in mind.

A chief one is transparency — how clear are payment policies, information on fair gaming, and auditor insight into the casino? If it’s very easy to find and clearly explained, a casino does well. For an absolute top-chart score, we ask for more, like independent responsible gambling initiatives. Some casinos have bespoke responsible gambling platforms, while others might donate to addiction programs etc.

There are some areas we give PA online casinos bonus points for. These include:

• Having awards — means their operations impress other industry experts
• Being licensed in multiple states — they’re trusted by more authorities
• Being partnered with a reputable land-based casino — they know their stuff

Mobile apps at PA online casinos

When it comes to PA online casino apps, it’s good news.

The main measurement of a casino’s mobile strength is the proportion of games available compared to its desktop offering. Mobile offerings tend to be a little smaller than the desktop versions in the US, but it’s hardly always the case.

It’s pretty common to find around 50%-80% of games, but a lot of PA’s are in the 90% bracket. Some spots make all their PA online casino games available on mobile, and there’s a few that have even more on mobile than they do on desktop.

Other criteria we look at:

We expect native apps for Android and iOS rather than just mobile browser play — PA does well here.

We test the apps for performance, expecting them to be fast-loading and glitch-free, and we look at their design too. Navigation must be easy, and it should never be a chore for players to find the game or competition or promotion they’re looking for.

Bonus points go to:

• Mobile-specific bonuses
• Mobile-specific payment methods

These last 2 are quite rare, and we haven’t spotted any at Pennsylvania’s online casinos yet, but we’ll keep this updated — it won’t be too long before a new PA online casino brings one of these in.

Customer support at online casinos in PA

Customer support at online casinos in PA is strong on the whole.

Even the average CS options at US casinos are usually great, and PA contributes to that. However, when casinos operate in multiple states, you will sometimes see casinos in other states such MI online casinos have more options than PA. That being said, the best online casinos in PA have customer support that ranks among the best in the country.

So, what do we look for? 24/7 support availability is a great start, and failing that, we’d want long hours of availability 7 days a week.  We also want to see all the main options available; live chat, phone, and email. Help & FAQ pages should be detailed enough to help resolve minor issues.

We test all channels, but live chat is the most popular and important, so when it’s available, most of the ratings are based on that, especially since it’s usually the only 24-hour channel.

Response time and quality are the top criteria — the best online casinos in Pennsylvania will get back to you in under a minute, but 1-3 is pretty good, and pretty standard. Response quality is tested multiple times, as it’s very agent-dependent. All our questions usually get resolved in the end, but it’s rare to get a super-detailed answer without needing to expand or clarify on our issue at all.

Bonus points go to:

• Accessibility — are contact pages easy to find, & do you need to sign in to get an answer?

Usability at PA online casinos

Did you know, in the 2020/21 fiscal year, Pennsylvania’s online casinos produced $372,716,675 in tax revenue? How’s that relevant to a usability rating? Well, if there’s one thing a casino should have, it’s money, so there’s no excuse for having a crappy website in the 2020’s.

Our priority here is rating how easily you can do stuff at the casino. Easy sign-up? Good. Easy bonus claim? Good. Neither of these should take more than a few minutes, especially at the best online casinos in PA. We look at the overall design too — you should be able to navigate the site with no issues, and find your games almost instantly.

Bonus points go to places that have excellent search and filter options. Online casinos in PA vary quite a bit in terms of navigation and ease of finding stuff, but they usually get sign-up and bonus claim right. Good filter options are very limited in PA, but that’s not a PA-exclusive problem.

 

The best user experience at Pennsylvania online casinos

To offer you the best and most detailed look at every casino, we invite you to voice your unedited concerns and opinions on our platform. We incorporate these into every review page.

Online gambling is pretty new to the US in general, let alone to PA, which took a few years to jump on the bandwagon. Player voices are super valuable in shaping the industry, so if you’ve got something to say, sign up to the Time2play community and make yourself heard. It helps us out too!

No one knows what changes you want to see in your casinos more than you do, so your input is super valuable. We’re trying to build the best casino info platform in the whole US of A, and good player experience is our core goal.

Currently, our top-rated casino for user experience in Pennsylvania is Caesars, with its new Green and Gold app.

Pennsylvania online casinos — different types

Players will be glad to hear that while there are a number of names on the PA online casinos list, they’re not all carbon copies of each other. Players have different tastes, and in this section we take a look at the most common types they usually watch out for, and talk about your options in PA.

New online casinos PA

Well, seeing as the first ones launched in 2019, we can’t really say there are any old casinos in PA. Still, the numbers are increasing all the time, and a new one tends to pop up every few months.

Why do players like to look out for new casinos? Well for one thing, they often run better promotions and bonus offers to attract new players. One example is Unibet, which had a free money bonus at its PA online casino which was 3x higher than its offer in NJ, since PA’s was newer. Sadly, they’ve returned to normal rates now.

There hasn’t been too much activity since the second half of 2021, but plenty of new names popped up between February and July. Borgata, Stardust, Betway and Barstool all made their PA debuts around then, and BetAmerica rebranded itself to TwinSpires.

They’re all good casinos, but none of them have brought a groundbreaking new player offer to the table. Our top pick is Borgata, who have the most online casino games in PA from this set, and a couple of exciting software perks:

They run an extra software provider that NJ players don’t have access to, and the Borgata-licensed casinos are the only ones in the US who have deals with Playtech, meaning there’s a chance you’ll be able to play the titanic studio’s games in PA soon.

Real money online casinos in PA

Basically all of the legal and licensed casinos in PA are real money casinos. The difference mainly comes down to how you play — some players prefer to stick to the games’ demo modes. So, is there a point to players putting real money casinos in their own category and searching for that specifically? We’d say hell yes!

Some online casino real money offers are just better than others, and that can be for any number of reasons. We’ve knocked up a PA online casinos list with some of the best real money options we’ve found for PA.

 

Offline casinos in PA

Whoa, hold up. Why are these guys talking about offline casinos in a ‘special online casinos’ section? Well, first off, only land-based casino operators are allowed to apply for online casino licenses in PA.

If you’re playing online, you’re interacting with the offline market, so it makes sense to know something about the scene. Also, PA has the 2nd most active land-based casino scene in the entire US, after Nevada. Take that, Atlantic City! So, why should you play offline?

Payouts are a lot frikkin’ faster, for one. Online withdrawals need to go through a hefty internal review process, which can take around a week if you’re unlucky.  Plus, going out on the town can be a great time, especially if you’re into gambling with friends. A night around the craps table usually nets a few good laughs.

Most PA offline casinos operate at least one online site, the exception being Lady Luck casino.  Meadows also only operates a sportsbook.

Some of the best online sites merge their offerings with offline casinos or resorts. This means rewards points you earn at, say, the PA Caesar’s, BetMGM or Borgata casinos can be redeemed at their respective casinos and hotels. If you’re into PA online sports betting, logging into SugarHouse from the physical Rivers casino in PA gives you a 50% profit boost on sports bets every Saturday.

The legal situation in the state

Casinos are fully legal in PA, both online and offline. PA was no. 4 in the race to legalize online casinos and did so in 2017. In 2019, the first 2 launched, and it’s been a steady growth ever since, with nearly 20 in the mix today.

One small limitation worth noting in the scene, is that not everything is legalized as a PA online casino game. Bingo specifically is still very much an offline pastime, though we expect this will change in the future.

If you’re interested in gambling history in the Keystone State, you can head to our overview of PA online gambling  for more.

How PA makes money from casinos

For the community at large, gambling provides a great source of income. Slots and tables are taxed differently by the state, mainly because physical and live dealer table games at cost much more to run.

Slots are taxed at 54%, with the majority of the state’s earnings going towards property tax relief. It also funds PA’s horse racing industry, the Economic Development and Tourism Fund, and also contributes to relieving wage taxes.

Table games are taxed at a much lower rate, with most of the income from there going to the PA Budget General Fund. In the Fiscal Year ending June ‘21, online casino gaming brought in a total of $372,716,675.

 

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