The number of casinos offering online sports betting apps in Pennsylvania has tripled as Parx Casino in Bensalem and Rivers casino in Pittsburgh both launched apps for their sportsbooks. And another representing Presque Isle Downs in Erie is set to debut as well.
Testing for the apps was conducted last week as ordered by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Rivers Casino’s app required less testing as the casino is owned by Rush Street Gaming, which owns the SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia. SugarHouse launched the first online app in May and the two casinos will share technology.
SugarHouse has said bettors placed $573,163 in interactive sports bets during the last four days of May when its system was undergoing testing, according to the gaming board.
The move to online betting is expected to spur the state’s sports betting industry. In May, Pennsylvania sports betting generated nearly $36 million in handle and $2.9 million in revenue. By comparison, nearly 80 percent of sports bets placed in neighboring New Jersey are made online and the state saw a more than $236 million sports betting handle in May.
The sports betting lines and odds for Parx, SugarHouse, and Rivers are all managed by Kambi Group PLC, a European operator that recently opened its North American headquarters in Philadelphia.
The launch of the new apps has been hampered by new rules from Apple that make it more difficult to launch apps that serve the company’s iOS system. Rush Street president Richard Schwartz told CBS Pittsburgh that the company is working with Apple to test and review an app for iOS.
And the plans for a sports book at Presque Isle Downs & Casino outside of Erie, Pennsylvania, are back on track after a key supplier approval by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Presque Isle had originally planned to open a sports book on June 1. Plans were placed on hold pending the licensing of its supplier, KT Group Ltd., which supplies self-service kiosks for sports books around the country. The gaming board granted KT Group conditional approval for an interactive sports wagering manufacturer’s license at its June 12 meeting.
“KT Group was approved Wednesday so they are good to go in Pennsylvania,” Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the PGCB, told the Erie Times-News last week. “Obviously, who they are working with is Presque Isle casino. They’re doing all the cabinet boxes that people would walk up to and do all of their bets for sports wagering on.”
The 1,275-square-foot Presque Isle sports book will be on the main casino floor next to the poker room and simulcast and race book area. The sportsbook will feature 50 large HD televisions airing sporting events and customizable odds boards. Around 317 square feet will be dedicated to self-service kiosks. The casino expects to install 50 units for bettors throughout the property, with 25 in the sports book itself.
The casino is now working to complete the book, but has yet to schedule required regulatory test dates or a launch date.
