Pennsylvania expands its online sports gaming options

A further two Pennsylvania gaming venues, Parx Casino and Rivers Casino, are testing online sports gaming operations this week ahead of efforts to launch their online sportsbook.

If the tests are successful they could get sign off after Wednesday, and go live 24/7 the following day.

Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh has started testing its sportsbook for an eight-hour period today, and will do so again on Wednesday from 2pm local time, until midnight.

Testing at Parx Casino in Bensalem began on Monday. They will continue to trial their sportsbook both today and Wednesday from early afternoon to midnight.

During four days at the end of May, SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia received $573,163 in online sports bets. The venue did well in tests and is now live 24/7 for online sports betting.

Rush Street Gaming owns and operates SugarHouse and Rivers. Both companies use some of the same technology so Rivers only requires two-day testing period.

Among the functions being tested are ensuring an online user is within state boundaries and his or her age — gamblers need to be at least 21 in Pennsylvania. The system must also be able to take payments too.

There are currently no other venues in the state scheduled for online sports betting tests, though others could be tested at a later time.

Nearby, in New Jersey, some 80% of the sports bets are made online, either via mobiles or computers. A similar percentage is predicted to occur in Pennsylvania once the option is launched at several venues in the commonwealth.