US Casinos

Pennsylvania Gambling Growth in January Hits All-Time Record

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Pennsylvania’s gambling market is gradually recovering from the 2020 recession. In January, casinos across the state reported a gambling revenue of $311 million. This is a 3% increase from January 2020. The monthly sports wagers in sportsbooks and online casinos in Pennsylvania for January topped $600 million, an all-time record. Revenue for January was $34 million.

At this rate, a year-end sports betting handle greater than $6 billion looks likely. As long as the pandemic remains ‘under control’, and the sports calendar remains unaffected, there is no reason to expect any changes in the upward trend anytime soon. This is good news not only for the gambling community but for the state too. According to projections, the taxable revenue for online casinos and sportsbooks is expected to pass $800 million.

Numbers Rising

The January sports wagers of $615.3 million represent a 76% increase from the $348.5 million from January last year, and a 12% increase from the previous record of $548.6 million from December last year. There was an increase in taxable revenue of 49% from January last year ($22.8 million to $34 million). Online betting was responsible for 94.3% of the sports betting handle in January (down from 97.6%). The reason for this is the reopening of casinos which resulted in an increase in handle ($11.3 million to $35.4 million) and revenue ($1.2 million to $4 million).

The state made $11.6 million in taxes in January. A total of $111.7 million in taxes has been made since sportsbooks were made legal in Pennsylvania in 2018. New Jersey, whose legal sport betting industry is over a year older than Pennsylvania’s, is the only other state that has made more than $100 million in tax revenue.

This is partly because of the relatively higher sports betting revenue tax rate in Pennsylvania compared to other states that have legalized sports betting. With the growth seen in the Pennsylvania gambling market, it is safe to assume that the high tax rate (36%) has not had the negative effect many thought it would have on the growth of the gambling market in Pennsylvania.

According to figures from the Pennsylvania gaming control board, the sports betting handle of the 2020/21 fiscal year that began June last year has already passed $3.1 billion. This figure is already greater than the 2019/2020 fiscal year’s total of $2.5 billion.

Yearly Breakdown

Here is the breakdown of the handle, revenue, and taxes by fiscal year for sports betting in Pennsylvania.

2018/2019

Handle: $244.6 million
Revenue: $3.1 million
State tax 34%: $699,319
Local share: $41,136

2019/2020

Handle: $2.5 billion
Revenue: $163.2 million
State tax: $46 million
Local share: $2.7 million

2020/2021 (June to present)

Handle: $3.1 billion
Revenue: $175 million
State tax: $59.4 million
Local share: $3.5 million

Sports betting Handle & Revenue for Pennsylvania’s Online Sportsbooks in January 2021

Of the 12 online sportsbooks available in Pennsylvania, 7 reported an increase in handle and revenue.

FanDuel/Valley Forge Casino

Handle – $220.7 million (up from $207.6 million)
Revenue – $14.3 million

DraftKings/The Meadows

$143.5 million in handle (up from $130.9 million)
$7.7 million in revenue

Barstool/Hollywood Casino

Handle – $65 million (down from $71.8 million)
Revenue – $1 million

BetMGM/Hollywood Casino Morgantown

Handle – $39.3 million (up from $12 million)
Revenue – $414,300

Rivers Casino Pittsburgh

Handle – $26.8 million (up from $26.7 million)
Revenue – $1.2 million

Fox Bet/Mount Airy

Handle – $26.6 million in handle (down from $28.6 million)
Revenue – $1.7 million

Parx online sportsbook

Handle – $22.7 million (down from $23.7 million)
Revenue- $1.8 million

Rivers Casino Philadelphia

Handle – $20.7 million (down from $21.8 million)
Revenue – $1.4 million

Unibet/Mohegan Sun Pocono

Handle – $10 million (up from $9 million)
Revenue – $377,770

Caesars Sportsbook/Harrah’s

Handle – $1.2 million (down from $1.4 million)
Revenue – $36,506 in revenue

Recent evidence suggests that the growth experienced in January is expected to continue. This is a good sign for people who must have held worries following the recession from last year.

Online Casinos and Poker rooms reported a record $80.5 million revenue in January (up from $71.6 million in December). Lovers of online betting in Pennsylvania can certainly look forward to the upward trends that these numbers are sure to take.

New Slot Releases at US Casinos in February

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

February has been an incredible month for players in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. There’s been a great range of high-quality titles released in these two states over the course of the month. Even with so many great titles released already, there are still more to come. We’re taking a look at the latest games to be released this month. New Jersey has slightly more releases to come so we’re going to cover there first followed by what PA has to offer.

New Jersey

Hyper Strike is a 5 reel, 20 payline video slot from DGC that offers 2,000 times the player stake maximum payout.
Double Jackpot is a video slot from Everi. It’s a 3 reel, 5 payline title. This retro-themed game offers a win of up to 2,000 times the stake.
Bison Fury is a 5 reel and 1024 ways to win slot from GVC. It has five jackpots available.
Jacks or Better and Tens or Better are two superb Video Poker titles coming from GVC.
Golden Goddess Mega Jackpot from IGT is a 40 payline slot across 5 reels. Players can win a progressive jackpot when playing this title.
Rainbow Cash Pots is a slot from Inspired that features 10 paylines on 5 reels. Up to 2,000 times the player’s stake can be won here.
Vegas Night Life is a slot by NetEnt. It’s played across 5 reels and has 20 paylines. Players can walk away with as much as 900 times their stake in this title.

Pennsylvania

Jade wins is a slot that comes from AGS. It is over 5 reels and gives 243 ways to win using the Power XStream system.
Longhorn Jackpots is a high volatility video slot from AGS. It has 5 reels and 243 ways to win.
Irish Magic from IGT has 5 reels and 10 paylines. It’s the latest in a long line of high-quality Irish-themed video slots.
Mistress of Egypt is the final release. It’s a slot from IGT that has 5 reels and 30 ways to win.

Excitement Coming

As you can see the range of releases this month is absolutely fantastic. So if you’re a fan of high-quality casino games, then there’s plenty available for you to enjoy.

Bison Fury Arrives on the Scene with $10 Exclusive Free Play Bonus

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

US Players will be delighted to hear that Bison Fury has been launched across the BetMGM, Borgata, and PartyCasino brands. It’s a highly exciting video slot that provides players with five reels and 1024 ways to win. This means that it offers the potential to win on every possible payline.

Wins are paid out when a payline is created from the first reel onwards. It has a range of different features including a free spins mode and five different jackpots on offer. It has a great win potential and even without the jackpot portion included it has an RTP of over 93%.

Entain Players Rewarded

What will make players at BetMGM, Borgata, and PartyCasino even happier is that Bison Fury has a great free play bonus on offer. Every single player will be able to claim a $10 free play bonus to celebrate the release of Bison Fury. Not only is it available to everyone, but it’s also really easy to claim. Players just need to sign in to their account and the free play bonus will be available. It’s as simple as that. Once you’ve claimed the bonus, you can just load the game and start playing right away. Spin the reels and enjoy your free play bonus.

Terms and Conditions

Players can claim a single $10 free play to play on Bison Fury. There are wagering requirements of 25 times in place. This bonus is in place for only a single day, so players need to complete their wagering quickly.

This is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy a new release. As it’s only available to players at BetMGM, Borgata, and PartyCasino, you know where to go. This exclusive release means indeed that players at these sites will be able to enjoy Bison Fury for free before anyone else. Try out the latest release today, only at BetMGM, Borgata, and PartyCasino.

Borgata Casino Coming to PA

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Players have been excited for a while about the Borgata Casino launching its online brand in PA. The brand was already available in New Jersey for quite a while, and many players will have some idea of what to expect. There’s been quite some speculating about when the Borgata brand will be going live, but the announcement has finally come now! PA Players can look forward to enjoying the site when it’s launched next week.

Pennsylvania Excited

The Entain brand has already grabbed a lot of attention and praise for its handling of properties within NJ. Because of this, players in Pennsylvania are extremely excited about what will be offered. The license has been awarded by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, so this is something that has been planned for a while. It’s safe to say that a lot of work has been put into creating the site.

This means that players in PA are very much excited about the potential quality of the site. While there are no guarantees in terms of site content at the moment, the high quality of other Entain brands across New Jersey promise that Borgata PA will offer a similar level of service.

Expected Game Choice

It’s expected that the range of casino games Pennsylvania players will have available will be on a par with what other sites offer. So, the Borgata PA is believed to have an extensive collection of video slots, high-quality progressive jackpot games, comprehensive table game choices, and live dealer casino games. This is looking to be a fantastic lobby that will delight PA players next week.

Players can expect to see a number of bonuses and promotions offered too. While these haven’t been confirmed yet, it’s likely that there will be welcome bonuses as well as regular promotions.

It’s safe to say that the residents of Pennsylvania can’t wait for the Borgata PA to be launched!

Blacklisted and Unlicensed Online casinos

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

In this new age of web technology and online gambling, several unlicensed and unregistered online casinos are beginning to pop up and catch people out. It’s very difficult to know which online casino is authentic and isn’t, however, in this article we’ll tell you about subtle differences in these illegal websites and why you should use the legal options posted on our webpage at CompareCasino.

What is a Blacklisted Online Casino?

Blacklisted online casinos are those which haven’t got a license from the authoritative gambling commission within its specific state.

Within the USA, if an online casino wants to offer gambling options for its users, it will need to apply for a gambling license, where several checks are carried out. These checks ensure the online casino is legitimate and are sticking to all the guidelines and regulations set out by the commission.

However, blacklisted online casinos will disregard gambling licenses on purpose, so they can get away with stealing money and the identities of the players who opt to use their websites.

How to check the authenticity of online casinos

Blacklisted online casinos will most likely forge the license number located at the bottom of their website. If you think an online casino is illegal, simply check the gambling license number with the respective commission in that state, and they’ll let you know if it’s authentic or not.

Some won’t even provide one, as most users aren’t bothered with checking these things. Those companies that don’t provide users with easy access to the license number are most likely illegal and should be reported to the authorities.

The Risks of Playing at Blacklisted Online Casinos

There are several risks that are involved in signing up to blacklisted online casinos in the USA. Here are a few of the risks, and issues you’ll encounter at illegal online casinos:

Money and Banking Issues

The moment you make the first deposit at an illegal online casino, the owners will have full details of the credit and debit cards used on the site. However, if you used an e-wallet then they won’t have the details for those accounts as e-wallets have added security. Once the details are taken for cards users may experience funds being taken from accounts from unknown individuals.

The usual mishaps that occur with money at these blacklisted casinos occur when withdrawals want to be processed. These establishments will go to the world’s end to stop any withdrawals from being made, and, in most cases, say the withdrawal has been accepted. Then they’ll never process the withdrawal and remove the user’s account from the website entirely.

Promotions and Bonus Issues

The bonuses and promotions will be unreal, and extremely high. Giving users 300x — 500x on their first deposits. Users will then be able to use these funds on all games provided on the website, which will most likely be rigged as well.

The wagering requirements will be unobtainable when you apply for the bonus. The typical wagering requirements for legalized online casinos go along the lines of ‘35x wagering required to be carried out within 30 days.’ At blacklisted online casinos, this wagering requirement may be in excess of 50x to be carried out within as little as 5 days.

What happens if you manage to complete the wagering requirements? The online casino will most likely remove your account upon asking for a withdrawal.

Software Issues

The software provided at illegal casinos will be rigged. Return to player percentages won’t be as high as expected, and random number generators won’t be audited by the well-established authorities. A live dealer casino will not be provided as this is where most players make their money and these establishments only work with companies who have a credited gambling license.

Customer Support Issues

The customer care is very basic. On occasions, someone will answer the phone and help with small queries. On other occasions, the phone will ring out, and companies won’t get back to you at all.

Why Use Legal Gambling Options?

Legal betting options provide everything that the blacklisted casinos can’t provide their users, in terms of safety and security. Users can be assured that the top level of web security is used with SSL encryption and bank-level security at the top-rated casinos. Other perks of using a legal online casino include:

Betting License from accredited commissions
Easy withdrawal process
Simple wagering requirements
Amazing customer support
Responsible gambling advocates
Regulated software and games

We recommend having a look at the top listed online casinos featured on our website here are CompareCasino. The online casinos will have all the good points mentioned above and exclude all the bad points mentioned earlier.

Final Thoughts

Gambling at Blacklisted online casinos in the USA is a risky business. It might be fun at first with the huge amounts of free money you receive, but then it’ll take a turn for the worst when you decide it’s time to make withdrawals and try to take your money back. This is why we recommend using the legal options featured on the CompareCasino website.

References

https://www.casinoonline.co.uk/guides/blacklisted/
https://gamblescope.com/casino/casino-knowledge-base/choosing-a-casino/casino-licence-check.html
https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/for-gambling-businesses/Do-I-need-a-licence/Do-I-need-a-licence.aspx

Your Guide to Texas Sports Betting

February 22, 2024 William Mcmaster

Online sports betting in the USA is becoming increasingly popular. The once illegal act has recently been legalized in several states this year including; Connecticut, Massachusetts, Missouri, Maine, Arizona, and Kansas.

As it stands Texas is not set to legalize online gambling within its state. Sources suggest that legalization may be sped up due to pressure from other states, however, it’s unlikely to occur until 2023.

When it does happen Texas will see a massive increase in revenue, this will be the driving factor to getting legalization put through. The sheer volumes of cash flowing into the industry.

The Current Gambling Situation

There are no plans to allow online gambling within the state of Texas. The government officials didn’t join states this year in allowing the legalization of online gambling. This was quite the despair for players and several companies waiting on the state – all of which want a slice of the action.

There are still exceptions for players to place bets, with the option to do so only on specific sports. Currently, punters can bet on horse racing at specific establishments. This usually occurs at the racetrack, where the races are being held. Online and mobile app gambling is not permitted for horse racing, only in-person betting.

DraftKings and FanDuel are also restricted but can still operate in the state. These companies can offer players the chance to play fantasy sports games. This isn’t regulated just yet, but regulations may come into place over time. However, it seems that users are still able to gamble with offshore sportsbooks and place bets such as prop bets, in line bets, and in-play betting.

Recently, regulators from Texas have spoken to their respective counterparts in New Jersey, about what’s the best to go about bringing sports betting to the state. These discussions are hoped to lay the parameters for legislation in the state.

The Future Layout for SportsBetting in Texas

Online sports betting is inevitable in almost every state across the USA. Without a doubt, Texas will eventually join the other states in legalizing online sports betting. There’s simply too much money within the sports betting industry. So what may happen on day 1 when legislation happens?

There will be a select few online sportsbooks that will be selected and allowed to operate in the state. Typically, big companies may come in like Draft Kings, and MGM. Alternatively, the state may allow smaller companies to create sites and provide services to try and keep money within the state rather than having several giants coming in. Once these companies have the green light from the state they’ll be able to onboard players on a specified date.

One proposed plan is the idea that 14 – 20 licenses will be available for an online sportsbook. With this awarded to selected sportsbooks.

Users will all receive awesome bonuses and promotions for signing up to these sportsbooks. Sports such as soccer, football, horse racing, baseball, basketball, boxing, MMA, and many more will be available for users to bet on.

Final Thoughts

The pressure to legalize online sports betting in Texas is beginning to grow. The government will eventually cave in and allow players to begin sports betting. As we mentioned, they’ve been reported to be speaking to officials and regulators in NJ for advice on legalization. This could mean it will come sometimes within the new few years and 2023 at the latest.

Most players are going to offshore websites to place bets. So it only makes sense for Texas to legalize gambling and take a portion of the revenue. Before that happens we recommend brushing up on your sports and learning some new betting strategies so you can make money when legalization occurs.

References

https://sportsbetting.legal/states/texas/
https://www.legalsportsreport.com/47079/texas-sports-betting-push/
https://www.lineups.com/betting/texas-sports-betting/#:~:text=Currently%2C%20sports%20betting%20is%20not,go%20to%20and%20place%20wagers.
https://www.actionnetwork.com/legal-online-sports-betting/texas-2021