- BetMGM will be opening online and mobile gaming platforms in Pennsylvania soon.
- The gaming company has been licensed in the Keystone State to offer poker, casino games, and sports betting on the internet.
PHILADELPHIA - After almost two years of waiting, BetMGM has received their licenses to open an online casino as well as a sportsbook from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Starting in January 2019, BetMGM LLC put in the paperwork to become a licensed operator in Pennsylvania. Ten months later in October of that same year, they paid the PGCB $12 million to be able to offer slots, table games, and poker through their internet casino platform once they became licensed.
BetMGM In Pennsylvania
While the biggest hurdle for BetMGM has been cleared with the approval of their licenses, they still are unable to launch in the Keystone State until they can find a land-based venue to tether their internet platforms to.
Once they find an established retail partner in Pennsylvania, the gaming platforms can launch to the public.
What Took So Long?
Pennsylvania made internet and mobile gambling a legal pastime in 2017 but little interest was shown by existing gaming businesses in the Commonwealth to branch out into online platforms. This led Pennsylvania to allow gaming operators from other states to apply for licenses to open their online outlets in the Keystone State.
These companies are called qualified gaming entities (QGE) by the PGCB because of their out-of-state locations.
BetMGM originally applied as a QGE but as the application process was dragged out, they switched to apply and add a sportsbook to their list of what they could offer Pennsylvanians. QGE is strictly for casino games and doesn’t have sportsbooks as part of the deal.
When BetMGM changed their application, which would now have them be tied into a partnership with a brick-and-mortar casino in the Commonwealth, an in-depth investigation was put into action.
The Bureau of Investigations and Enforcement and the Bureau of Licensing took a deep dive into the gaming conglomerate’s history and background to ensure they were a suitable candidate for licensure. Once all of that information came back clean, the PGCB unanimously approved BetMGM for their Pennsylvania gaming licenses.
What Happens Now?
Once BetMGM finds a partner in Pennsylvania, they can launch all three types of online gaming to Pennsylvanian gamblers. They will launch poker, casino games, and a sportsbook platform.
The Keystone State has only had one internet poker operator available to them since November 2019 with PokerStars PA.
This would give poker fans in the Commonwealth a second option as they wait for WSOP to enter their market which has been an addition to the industry that is currently pending approvals.