Guide to Pennsylvania Gambling Age: Casinos, Sports Betting & More

Pennsylvania has established itself as one of the most progressive states in terms of gambling in the US. Only Nevada, New Jersey, and Delaware can match Pennsylvania in terms of liberality when it comes to gaming laws. In 2017, Pennsylvania became the 4th state in the US to legalize online gambling.

Pennsylvania has also been at the forefront of the legalization of modern forms of real money gaming throughout the years. Daily Fantasy Sports, online poker, online sports betting, and most recently online casino gambling are all legal within the Keystone State making it a gamblers paradise.

In the table above we have outlined the legal gambling ages for all forms of legal activities in Pennsylvania. As you can see the legal gambling age for casino wagering, online casino gaming, sports betting, and any form of poker are 21. Whereas, the legal age for pari-mutuel betting, state lottery, bingo, and Daily Fantasy Sports is only 18. If there is not and age under a form of gambling, then it’s most likely illegal in Pennsylvania.

On this page, we will provide you with an overview of the legal status of all forms of popular gambling in Pennsylvania. For each form of legal gaming, we will also let you know the legal gambling age required to participate in Pennsylvania. Along sides analyzing the legality of forms of betting we will also discuss Pennsylvania’s gambling history and look to the future and that you know if there is any reform on the horizon.

Casino Age in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s casino industry is growing in leaps and bounds. There are currently 6 commercial casinos in operation across the state along with 6 racinos. the legal gambling age or casino age required to gamble at a commercial casino or racino in Pennsylvania is 21.

In 2004 Pennsylvania passed the Racehorse Development and Gaming Act which authorized racetracks to house electronic gaming devices while also authorizing standalone commercial casinos. in 2010, the scope of this act expanded and commercial casinos we’re allowed to offer traditional table games such as blackjack and roulette as well.

2017 Pennsylvania’s state legislature passed a gaming expansion bill that authorized ten additional satellite casinos. This move by Pennsylvania’s legislature proved to be a highly lucrative one for the state, and in 2018 five of the satellite casino licenses were purchased from the state for a total value of $127 million dollars.

As of 2018, the commercial casino gaming revenue of Pennsylvania was over $3 billion annually, reflective of a consistent 1% growth in revenue each year. this means that Pennsylvania’s commercial gambling market is the largest in the US outside of Nevada.

In 2019, the state of Pennsylvania legalized online casinos, making it one of the pioneering states in America to do so. Since then, it has become one of the highest revenue-generating states through online gambling, thanks to its favorable tax structure. Many of the country’s best operators have already entered the market. If you’re seeking a list of the best Pennsylvania online casinos, you can find a reliable ranking at Casinos.us.

The legal gambling age in Pennsylvania for casino games is probably set at 21 as this is also the legal drinking age in the US. As the commercial casinos in Pennsylvania allowed to serve alcohol to patrons by heaven be casino entry age and legal drinking the same means that casino operators are able to limit any issues that could arise out of serving alcohol to underage minors by accident.

What are The Casinos In Pennsylvania that accept 18 year Olds?

There are no casinos in Pennsylvania that allow entry to 18-year-olds . The legal Pennsylvania gambling age for casinos, both in-person and online, is 21 years old. 18-year-olds in Pennsylvania can still enjoy other forms of gaming though, pari-mutuel betting, lottery, bingo, and Daily Fantasy Sports how old available to those aged 18 in Pennsylvania.

For those aged 21 and older, we’ve pulled together a list of our eight favorite casinos currently operating in Pennsylvania. The names and addresses of these eight casinos are included in the table below.

Sports Betting In Pennsylvania

Sports betting is legal in PA. The minimum age required to participate in sports betting is 21. Pennsylvania was one of the first states to legalize sports betting after the Federal laws included in the professional and amateur sporting protection act 1992 (PASPA) was repealed by the Supreme Court in 2018 – prior to this PASPA meant that’s sports betting was illegal across the US.

Pennsylvania residents are able to place sports bets in person at one of the states 12 commercial casinos or 8 off-track betting venues which are also operated by Pennsylvania casino operators.

In a forward-thinking move Pennsylvania also legalized online and mobile sports betting at the same time that legalized in-person betting. Under the legalization of online sports betting it is legal to bet on sports anywhere within the state’s borders as the law specifically states wagering can take place by any system or method including in person on the Internet and mobile. To make it even easier for Pennsylvanian residents are able to sign up for sports betting account online with no need to register in person.

Another form of sports betting that has been legal in Pennsylvania for decades is pari-mutuel betting on horse races. The legal gambling age for pari-mutuel betting in Pennsylvania is 18 years old. With Pennsylvania’s horse racing ends horse breeding programs being among the most lauded in the US, it comes as no surprise that pari-mutuel betting is a very popular form of gambling within the state. Pari-mutuel bets on races are able to be placed on-site at the racetrack themselves, off-site at license off-track betting facilities, or online fire one of the states many mobile sportsbooks.

PA Online Gambling Age

As mentioned in the introduction on this page, Pennsylvania became the 4th state to legalize online gambling in 2017. Aligned with the legal casino age the legal PA online gambling age is also 21. When online gaming was legalized in October 2017 the governor signed enter legality online casinos that offer traditional table games, slots, poker rooms, sports betting, and even the state lottery.

Online wagering was welcomed across the US when the Federal Wire Act 1961 was reinterpreted by the Supreme Court in 2011, this reinterpretation heralded for some states the opening of the floodgates for online gambling. With only three other states in the US offering online gambling laws as liberal his Pennsylvania, the Keystone State really is a market leader in modern gambling in the US.

18-year-old residents of Pennsylvania may be disheartened that they are unable to participate in online gambling. These younger residents may also have noticed that some offshore gambling website offer online casino games that only require players to be 18 years and older. However, there are a few things players should note before playing on such offshore websites. As these offshore websites are managed by offshore entities they are not licensed or regulated within the US. This means that should anything go wrong, or players somehow mysteriously lose money when playing on these sites, they would have no recourse against the website operators under US consumer protection laws.

18-year-olds in Pennsylvania who want to gamble should check out our list of legal forms of gaming available in the Keystone State included in our gambling ages table found at the top of this page.

Poker Gambling Age

Alongside online casino gambling online poker has been legal in Pennsylvania since October 2017. Athens PA is still in the process of setting up its online poker network it is yet to join The multistate polling agreement between other progressive gambling states New Jersey, Nevada and Delaware. For now, though, Pennsylvania based poker players above the age of 21 have plenty of online statewide poker tournaments to take advantage of.

Land-based, in person poker games are also legal and can be found that many of don’t stop Pennsylvania’s commercial casinos and licensed cardrooms. The legal gambling age to play poker in person Is also 21.

Daily Fantasy Sports

Daily Fantasy Sports was also made legal in Pennsylvania in October 2017 when the gambling expansion bill was passed by it the Pennsylvania state legislature. This legalization of Daily Fantasy Sports made Pennsylvania the 17th straight in the US to legalize it. Players need to be 18 years and older to play Daily Fantasy Sports in the Keystone State.

Prior to its legality being formalized Daily, Fantasy Sports had been in operation In Pennsylvania since the early 2000s under a cloud of implied legality. Through legalizing Daily Fantasy Sports Pennsylvania State can now regulate all Daily Fantasy Sports operators and levy taxes on all operator revenues. Within its first year of legal operation Daily Fantasy Sports brought in over $3 million in tax revenue for Pennsylvania State, proving that its legalization was incredibly lucrative for the state.

Legal Age to Play the Lottery in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has had a state lottery since 1971. The state lottery was introduced as a way of raising funds for state-run charitable organizations specifically focused on benefiting the elderly population in Pennsylvania. from its outset, the legal gambling age I felt participating in the state lottery has been 18 years and older.

Pennsylvania’s Lottery offers an array of unique local games and popular multi-jurisdictional games such as Powerball, Mega Millions, and Lucky 4 Life. Since 1971 the state-run lottery has become a favored pastime of Pennsylvania’s residents and has raised over a billion dollars for the charitable organizations it supports.

When all other forms of online gaming were legalized in October of 2017, an online lottery was also included in the Gambling Reform Act. the online lottery can be accessed by the Pennsylvania I lottery platform and app. The online lottery enables players the ability to purchase tickets online as well as checking results and even playing unique games that are only accessible to online players.

Pennsylvania Gambling Laws & Future Outlook

Pennsylvania’s state gambling laws can be found within the state legislature under statutes 18 and 4. While the statutes do not include a specific definition of gaming they instead define the elements which are, ‘consideration, an element of chance and reward’. under this broad definition, All forms of popular gambling discussed on this page could be considered gambling for the sake of its governing statutes.

These governing statutes state that real money playing is a crime, therefore all forms of legal gambling in Pennsylvania have had to be legalized through their own separate statutes acting as an exception to the laws set forth in statutes 18 and 4 – the Gambling Reform Act 2017 that legalized all forms of online gaming is an example of one such exception statute.

As mentioned earlier Pennsylvania’s commercial casino gambling market is second only to Nevada in the US, if this isn’t an example for the healthy market we don’t know what is. With the commercial casino market bringing in almost 4 billion dollars and ribbon you hey cheer coupled with the facts that the state has a burgeoning online casino market as well it seems as if Pennsylvania’s state coffers will continue to be buoyed by gambling revenue well into the future. https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/

In Pennsylvania gambling winnings are subject to tax. under Pennsylvania State law those winnings are considered personal income and are therefore taxed as such. At the conclusion of each financial year, winnings made through gaming should be declared his personal income and the IRS moving tax at each individual’s personal tax rate. Some forms of gambling are subject two additional federal taxes, Pennsylvania State lottery requires any winnings above $5000 to pay 25% in federal taxes alongside an additional 3.07% state tax.

Pennsylvania’s current gambling market is incredibly successful and there aren’t any anticipated or upcoming legal changes on the horizon. The stage has already legalized all popular forms of online gaming and all appeared to be running smoothly. With no tribal casinos operating within the state, there are no tribal lobbying groups nor do there appear to be any strong religious or family values lobbying groups within the state who oppose any current gambling laws. For now, Pennsylvania remains one of the most liberal in welcoming states to gambling in the US.

Frequently Asked Questions

We hope that this page has provided you with a good overview of the legal Pennsylvania gambling age and has also given you an understanding of all legal forms of real money gaming currently present in the Keystone State. Should you have any additional questions take a look at our answers to the most frequently asked questions below.