Best Pennsylvania Sportsbooks

Pennsylvania is immensely popular when it comes to sports. The state is home to several famous professional sports teams. In the past few years, Pennsylvania has become a central sports betting hub in the United States. Residents of Pennsylvania have access to various state-licensed sportsbooks and offshore licensed ones, too.

Our detailed guide gives you all the critical factors and information about sports betting in Pennsylvania. Our team of experts also reviewed the various sportsbooks in Pennsylvania. They recommended the best platforms based on your sports betting needs and only the best betting sites out there.

Sports Betting Laws in Pennsylvania

Players from Pennsylvania have enjoyed gambling for more than a decade. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that real money sports betting sites was made legal in the state. Pennsylvania passed a sports betting bill in 2017. The bill permitted state-licensed mobile and online sports betting setup and operation. The bill became effective in 2018 after the US government got rid of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PAPSA) 2018. From May 2019, state-licensed online sportsbooks started operating. Both residents and visitors now have access to different mobile and online sports betting platforms. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board oversees all the sports betting operations in the state. No law prevents residents of PA from betting on offshore sportsbooks.

Legal Age

Bettors must be at least 18 years old to use the offshore sportsbooks in PA. IF you want to wager on the state-licensed sportsbooks and casinos, you must be at least 21 years. The age restrictions apply to access and wagering on offline and online sports betting platforms in the state. State licensed and offshore sportsbooks use different mechanisms to verify the legal age of every bettor accessing the platform. When signing up on any PA sportsbook, you’ll be required to submit some information and documents to verify your identity and age. The PA sports betting platforms will request the following details:

• Full Name
• Date Of Birth
• Email Address
• Address

The sportsbooks, licensed and regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, will request your social security number. The operator will use the social security number to verify that you’re 21 years old or older. Additionally, the sportsbooks might request KYC documents when making any payment transactions.

Sports Betting Operators Regulations

According to the sports betting laws in PA, sports betting doesn’t cover bingo games, games of chance, i-lottery, keno, fantasy contests, slot machines, and Pari-Mutuel betting. Sports betting operators need legal authorization from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to conduct any sports wagering activities.

Apart from paying the licensing fee, they’re required only to operate sports wagering activities in an internet-based platform or licensed facility. The PA sports wagering board might grant temporary permission for sports betting activities conducted at venues adjacent to or connected to state-licensed facilities.

Sports Betting Taxes And Fees

Pennsylvania has very steep sports betting fees for operators. Sportsbooks must pay a $10,000,000 non-refundable authorization fee before they are issued with a certificate of operation by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Operators aren’t allowed to conduct any sports wagering activities until they pay the fees. The sportsbook must pay the authorization fee within 60 days, or they receive a penalty; if the operator fails to pay, the board will suspend the operating license. Apart from the licensing fee, sportsbooks are expected to pay a 36% tax.

Pennsylvania also taxes any winnings from gambling activities, including sports betting. If you provide your social security number, the casino will hold 25% of your wins; if you don’t give the social security number, they will hold 28%. Since sports betting wins are taxable income, players are expected to pay the 3.07% personal income tax.

Available Sports To Bet On In Pennsylvania.

Sports are trendy in Pennsylvania, and so is sports betting. However, as a bettor from PA, you need to know the sports you can legally wager on. Thanks to the PA sports betting legislation, gamblers in Pennsylvania can bet on various sporting events both locally and internationally. The sports to bet on range from college to professional sports. If you are in PA, you wager on the following sports: soccer, boxing, cricket, NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, etc.

You can only wager on sporting events governed by a trusted sports regulatory body. According to the regulations set by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, sportsbooks can provide bettors from PA with betting markets for:

• Professional athletic events
• Professional motor racing events
• International team or individual athlete sporting event
• Collegiate athletic events
• Any sporting event approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

When wagering on the state-licensed sportsbooks, you’ll not be allowed to wager on the following sporting events:

• NFL Draft
• Player props (college sports)
• Little League World Series
• Super Bowl props
• WWE
• Award shows
• Amateur sporting events
• The offshore sportsbooks might have more options for available sports

Esports Betting

Unfortunately, bettors from PA can’t participate in esports betting since it’s not legal yet. The Pennsylvania sports betting regulations don’t cover esports betting. The Pennsylvania Gaming Board regulations restrict any esports betting activities for state-licensed sportsbooks. However, you can still access esports betting from offshore sportsbooks.

The Best Pennsylvania Sportsbooks

Even though sports betting fans have access to several state-licensed sportsbooks in Pennsylvania, they also have access to offshore sportsbooks. Therefore the PA sports betting market is flooded with various sports betting platforms. Our team of experts spent some time reviewing the different sportsbooks and came up with a list of the best sportsbooks in Pennsylvania.

You can find your preferred sportsbook from our list of the best sportsbooks in PA.

While many jurisdictions maintain high standards for licensing gambling operators, it’s important to consider other vital factors. Our criteria for reviewing the various Pennsylvania sportsbooks are below; check them out.

Proper Licensing

All the sportsbooks are regulated and licensed by the various relevant bodies. The local sportsbooks are certified by the Pennsylvania Gaming Board, which ensures operators adhere to set regulations that govern their operations. All the offshore sportsbooks on our list are 100% safe. They are licensed by reputable international regulatory bodies and have a good reputation in the industry. It’s best to use the offshore sportsbooks we’ve recommended since our team has undergone rigorous testing to ensure they meet the required set standards.

Available Betting Markets

The Pennsylvania sports betting regulations allow residents and guests in PA to participate in sports betting activities. Additionally, the law gives them the freedom to wager on any betting market. When reviewing the various sportsbooks, we looked at the available betting markets. The sports betting platforms in our list offer a wide variety of betting markets for sports betting enthusiasts from PA. Some of the popular betting markets you can wager on are:

• Moneyline
• Prop Bets
• Over/Under
• Teasers
• Futures
• Specials

Apart from the betting markets listed above, the best sportsbooks allow players to place live bets on ongoing sporting events. The betting markets vary depending on the sporting events. While betting markets like Moneyline are applicable for every sporting event, betting markets like specials are more suitable for sporting events such as tennis tournaments. You can bet on each of the following sports/leagues with our top sportsbooks in Pennsylvania:

• NFL Sportsbooks
• Super Bowl Sportsbooks
• NCAA Sportsbooks
• March Madness Sportsbooks
• NBA Sportsbooks
• NHL Sportsbooks
• MLB Sportsbooks
• UFC Sportsbooks
• Tennis Sportsbooks
• Soccer Sportsbooks
• Boxing Sportsbooks
• UFC Sportsbooks
• Horse Racing Sportsbooks

Bonuses and Promotions

Sportsbook bonuses and promotions are essential when it comes to the overall sports betting experience. Apart from adding the thrill of the sporting events and encouraging players to sign up, they also increase the player’s bankroll. The Pennsylvania online sports wagering experience is greatly determined by the type of bonuses and promotions being run by the sportsbook. Sports betting fans from PA have access to various competitive bonuses and promotions from state-licensed and offshore sportsbooks. Some of the most common bonuses offered by the sportsbooks in our list are:

• Welcome Bonuses
• Matched Deposits
• Free Bets
• No Deposit Bets

The bonuses and promotions have different wagering requirements depending on the operator. Wagering requirements refer to the set number of times you’re expected to wager through a bonus before you can withdraw wins from that bonus. Additionally, the bonuses have different expiry periods, with most rewards having a time limit of seven days. The bonuses have different prices depending on the operator. So, it’s essential to consider other critical factors like wagering requirements when picking a sportsbook bonus.

Banking Methods

Banking methods are crucial to choosing the best PA sportsbook for you since they determine how you can deposit and withdraw funds from your sportsbook account. State licensed and offshore sportsbooks offer a wide variety of banking options for players from PA. Most sportsbooks recommend players to use one banking method when making deposits and withdrawals. The available banking methods for Pennsylvania sports betting enthusiasts are:

• Credit/Debit Cards
• ACH or E-check
• PayPal
• PayNearMe
• Prepaid cards
• Cash at the cage
• Neteller
• Skrill
• Cryptocurrency
• Bitcoin

We have compiled lists of the best Skrill betting sites, best PayPal betting sites, best Neteller betting sites, best PayPal betting sites, best crypto betting sites and best Bitcoin betting sites.

When checking the banking methods used by the sportsbooks, we also looked at other key factors. The following factors determine the reliability and security of the banking methods used by sports betting platforms, which is why we always have to ask while we research:

• Are the deposits and withdrawals instant?
• Are there any fees associated with any payment transaction?
• What are the deposit and withdrawal limits?
• What are the accepted currencies?

If you’re gambling at any Pennsylvania state-licensed sports betting platform, the Pennsylvania Gaming Board ensures your money is safe. With offshore sportsbooks, the various reputable regulatory bodies ensure that all players using the platform are protected, and the operator has implemented the best financial security measures.

Pennsylvania Sports Betting Mobile Apps

Most bettors want the convenience of sports betting from their smartphones and other portable internet-connected devices. When sports betting was legalized in 2018 in Pennsylvania, mobile sports betting was also legalized. Over the years, the popularity of PA mobile sports betting has grown tremendously. The sportsbooks in our list have mobile applicants and have mobile optimizations. You’ll enjoy the same features and bonuses on the web version when using mobile or mobile applications. The PA sports betting mobile applications are compatible with windows, iOS, and Android devices; mobiles, laptops, you name it. The best betting apps are available in PA.

Live Betting And Streaming

Betting on live sports and streaming has become very popular among top online sport wagering platforms. Live streaming gives players a chance to follow any ongoing events in real-time. On the other hand, live sports betting allows players to wager specifically on ongoing sporting events. You can also change your bet when the sporting event is still ongoing. Our recommended sportsbooks have live streaming and live betting options available on web-based and mobile-based versions. The platforms offer high-quality live streaming on various sporting events.

User Experience

Our experts only focussed on the sportsbooks with the best user experience. We looked at the registration process, the design, and the platform’s layout. We checked how easy it would be to navigate the platform and place bets. The sportsbook we recorded has straightforward registration that takes less than five minutes. You can easily navigate the available sporting events, access your account, and place bets on a range of sports. The best PA sportsbook will give you the best user experience for web and mobile applications. You spend more time placing bets and less time trying to master how to navigate the sportsbooks – leave the leg work to us.

Conclusion

Ever since the government legalized sports betting in Pennsylvania back in 2017, there has been tremendous growth in the sports wagering market. With the growing popularity of sports betting, the Pennsylvania Gaming Board has also developed measures and resources that encourage responsible gambling among sports betting enthusiasts in PA. Apart from physical exclusion on brick and mortar sports betting facilities, players can also use online self-exclusion if they have a gambling problem. Additionally, PA gamblers who suspect they might have a gambling problem can seek help from the following organizations:

• Council on Compulsive Gambling in Pennsylvania.
• National Council on Problem Gambling.
• Pennsylvania Gaming Board Self-Exclusion Request.
• GA meetings in Pennsylvania.

We are confident that our guide will be helpful, and we hope we have given you the needed insight for sports betting in Pennsylvania. You can find your most preferred sportsbooks from our list of the best Pennsylvania sportsbooks and enjoy a thrilling sports wagering experience.