WHAT’S LEGAL AND ONLINE IN PENNSYLVANIA
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What To Know
Choose a legal operator
Pennsylvania is home to dozens of legal online betting operators, with more expected to launch. These sites have established partnerships with Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos. They have been licensed and approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) and are accountable to the rules and regulations set forth by the regulator. Head over to the PGCB website to find out what brands are legal.
Look for logos
Legal betting sites in Pennsylvania must carry the logos approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Look for these two logos
Ask the questions
Before placing your wager, confirm that you are on a legal site by asking yourself these questions.
Are the logos there?
As part of the regulation process, all legal betting sites in Pennsylvania must carry the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) Licensed and Regulated seal, the PGCB Responsible Gaming logo and the logo of their land-based casino partner within the Commonwealth. No logos? No go!
Is enough being asked in the registration process?
Signing up for anything these days means filling out forms, answering questions and sharing personal information. The same holds true for legal online betting. The questions asked and the information required to set up an account is being done for your security. If the registration process isn’t comprehensive, you’re likely signing up on an illegal site.
Is there a Responsible Gaming program?
Legal online betting sites take responsible gaming seriously. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) also requires a variety of tools be available to consumers including deposit limits, time limits, “cooling off” periods and self-exclusion options. If the site you are visiting doesn’t provide you with tools to responsibly manage your betting, then you’ve found yourself on an unregulated website.
Can you use cryptocurrency to place your bet?
Cryptocurrency (crypto) is not currently available as a form of payment on legal betting sites. If crypto is an option for your wagers, you can be sure you're using an illegal site.
What’s At Stake
Legal operators will:
Pay out your winnings.
Protect your identity.
Promote responsible gaming.
Be accountable to regulators.
Ensure fair play through tested and regulated software.
Support Pennsylvania’s economy.
Illegal operators can:
Rob you of your winnings.
Steal your identity.
Fuel problem gambling.
Offer zero accountability to consumers and regulators.
Stack the deck against consumers.
Deprive Pennsylvania’s economy of needed revenue.
Legal operators will:
Pay out your winnings.
Protect your identity.
Promote responsible gaming.
Be accountable to regulators.
Ensure fair play through tested and regulated software.
Support Pennsylvania’s economy.
Illegal operators can:
Rob you of your winnings.
Steal your identity.
Fuel problem gambling.
Offer zero accountability to consumers and regulators.
Stack the deck against consumers.
Deprive Pennsylvania’s economy of needed revenue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Bettor Safe Pennsylvania is a campaign educating consumers about the risks associated with betting on illegal websites. The campaign empowers individuals to identify unregulated sites and helps them to understand the benefits of legal and regulated online gaming options if they choose to wager
Bettor Safe Pennsylvania is an extension of the Bettor Safe campaign, a national initiative launched in association with GeoComply, which is committed to strengthening consumer protections.
Consumers betting on illegal sites have no legal protection safeguarding their wager, their identity and their financial information. By entering personal details and payment information on an illegal site, you are handing this information to an unregulated entity that is not subject to government oversight or legal recourse. This means that there is no guarantee that funds deposited into account are protected. It also means that there is no way of knowing whether the game you are playing has fair odds, or whether the odds have been stacked against you. In addition, by choosing to support unregulated operators, your wagers may be supporting illegal activity including money laundering.
If you choose to bet, doing so on a legal site protects your wager and also safeguards your identity and financial information from fraud. Unlike illegal sites that lack regulations and safeguards, legal sites are regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, ensuring winnings are paid out, the odds are fair and that responsible gaming measures are available.
By using a legal site, you are supporting communities, programs and projects across the Commonwealth rather than funding illegal activity. The taxes generated from legal betting revenue in Pennsylvania help to fund education, improve infrastructure, support first responders and provide other essential services. In Pennsylvania, online betting is done in partnership with the land-based gaming industry meaning that when you bet legally online, you are supporting local jobs and industries.
What Others Are Saying
Educating Pennsylvanians about the security and safety advantages of legal online betting is critical. Approved operators in Pennsylvania have been vetted and they meet high regulatory standards which permits consumers to wager on legal sites with the confidence that their funds and identity are secure and that regulated websites will be responsible and accountable. The Bettor Safe campaign is an important resource to empower consumers to identify and use these regulated sites in Pennsylvania.
Kevin O’TooleExecutive Director of Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
RESOURCES
Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Responsible Play
American Gaming Association (AGA)
iDevelopment and Economic Association (iDEA)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG)
eConsumer.gov
