Pennsylvania is now accepting applications for online gaming licenses from the state’s 12 casinos.
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Director of Communications Doug Harbach told Online Poker Report that the application season is now open for $10 million licenses that would allow existing casinos to run websites with poker, table games, and slots. The fee in New Jersey in 2013 was only $400,000.
“It’s a little different than just an application, they have to send in a legal petition that we’re to receive,” Harbach told the website. “We were just talking about that today, as a matter of fact, because there’s a litany of things from the act that they have to supply in that petition.”
Pennsylvania’s 12 casinos have until July 15 to turn in their applications. After that, they can apply for $4 million a-la-carte licenses for online poker, online table games, or online slots. Since the tax rate for online slots is the same as in land-based casinos—54 percent—it’s likely that few casinos will apply for that license. Online table game and poker taxes are also the same as the land-based casinos, but are a more reasonable 16 percent.
According to the October 2017 legislation that allowed for online gaming in the state, the petition must include a list of games the licensee plans to offer and an overview of how their license provide “economic benefits” to the Commonwealth.
A launch date for online gaming has not been set.
