Pennsylvania Casinos History and Timeline: From 1855 to Today

The early 1800s, like the 1700s, was characterized by various gambling establishments. Most of these establishments were run by organized crime syndicates. It got to a point where the government realized it was affecting the citizen’s way of life. That’s why, in 1855, the state finally passed a law that banned gambling.

However, it didn’t help much except to make it explicitly illegal to operate a gambling house. Given that most of the operators were crime syndicates, the prospect of breaking the law wasn’t enough to stop them. As such, the lawless market continued, though with slightly less blatant gambling establishments.

In the early 1900s, some state officials tried to legalize gambling again. However, religious movements kept this possible act of legalization at bay. Still, in 1959, the state took its first step towards legalized betting. That year, the state implemented the Race Horse Industry Reform Act.

This Act allowed companies to build the first racehorse tracks in the state. They finalized the first track in 1965, namely the Meadows Racetrack, more followed in the 1970s and 2000s.

The next step was taken in 1971 when the state legalized lottery games through the PA Lottery Act. Though the first lottery ticket wasn’t sold until 1972, it opened the gates for a more positive perception of gambling. Lottery jackpots could quickly rise to $1 million in those days. Four players won the million-dollar jackpot within the lottery’s first six months.

Started as legalizing fundraising bingo events, the state allowed in 1988 to accept more games of chance. The Local Option Small Games of Chance allowed fundraising organizations to host other games. It includes raffles, pools, punchboards, and tabs with the bingo games. This law especially allowed small organizations like churches and youth sports clubs to raise funding.

After allowing small games of chance, it was almost two decades before the state made another stride forward. In 2004, Pennsylvania lawmakers decided to allow racetracks to offer slot machines. The reason for this change was because racetracks were struggling to stay afloat.

However, this change wasn’t just implemented with racetracks. It also allowed stand-alone casinos. Racinos, as they called the racetracks offering slot machines, and stand-alone casinos could have up to 5,000 slots. Meanwhile, resort casinos could have up to 600 slot machines. The state approved fourteen locations to add these games. They approved seven sites for racinos. They further approved five areas for stand-alone casinos and the last two for resort casinos.

Six years later, bettors sought more than slot machines and pari-mutuel betting. Recognizing this, Pennsylvania lawmakers amended the previous slot machine law. It now includes various table games. As such, players could play games like baccarat, blackjack, poker, roulette, craps, and more.

On the 15th of April, the PA government finally acted to curb illegal online gambling in PA. The government seized the three big poker rooms. These rooms were Pokerstars, Absolute Poker, and Full Tilt Poker. The reason behind the seizure was the illegal offering of online poker.

This seizure of the websites showed that the government was serious about not allowing online gambling. Most players using those sites weren’t persecuted. However, the operators landed in hot water. This change led to increased measures to prevent online players from the US from playing at the sites. It shook up the US gambling world. As such, they realized they wouldn’t get away without legal and regulated websites.

Satellite casinos entered the market. These casinos referred to small casino stops at truck stops and international airports, where slot machines were available. It also legalized online PA gambling laws, but only technically, as federal laws still prohibited online casinos. We’ll look further at this online expansion below.

The federal government overturned PASPA. As such, each state can now decide whether to legalize sports betting. Pennsylvania immediately jumped onto the bandwagon. Previous PA gambling bills already legalized sports betting in the state.

This legislation allowed the state and casinos to implement the change immediately. However, Pennsylvania didn’t stop there. The state also accepted two further gambling games: Xpress Sports and Keno. The PA lottery hosts both the Keno and Xpress Sports virtual betting games.

While online gambling existed for almost two decades in Pennsylvania before it became legal, the state only moved to legalize it in 2017. Despite passing online Pennsylvania gambling bills in 2017, they only introduced the first Pennsylvania-based online casinos in 2019.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) licenses and regulates the casinos, and before it could license any, it had to implement clear guidelines and regulations for these websites. The casino must have a license to operate legally, as should their operating partners.

The current PA gambling laws allow players to enjoy various betting opportunities. Online casinos and sportsbooks are available to PA players, with the state ensuring independent testing agencies test the games for fairness.

Nowadays, there are 17 land-based Pennsylvania casinos, racinos, racetracks, and resort casinos available in PA. Besides the brick-and-mortar establishments, there are also approximately 18 online casinos available. Some of the most popular online casinos are BetMGM PA, FanDuel, Borgata, DraftKings, and others.