Pennsylvania’s sports betting market is getting even bigger with the entry of yet another of the state’s casino operators in the race to get licensed to offer sports wagering services. Just a few days after Harrah’s Philadelphia filed their petition for the third sports betting license, SugarHouse Casino whose operations are overseen by Rush Street Gaming, filed its application with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to offer sports betting within the state’s borders.
Rush Gaming Street operates two casinos in the state – Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and Sugarhouse Casino in Philadelphia – and both of them are hoping to be licensed, thus bringing the total number of sports betting applicants in the state to five. The unbuilt stadium casino in Philly which is the state’s 13th casino is also in theory eligible to petition for sports betting but it is yet to do so.
SugarHouse Casino’s petition was certainly not surprising especially because it is already actively involved with a number of New Jersey online casinos and online sports betting. In fact, it has already been approved to offer online games in the Keystone State once the online gaming sector goes live in the near future.
With SugarHouse in the mix, all of the Philadelphia-based casinos are in the mix which is certainly great for the residents of the area keen on having some fun with a bit of sports wagering. Philadelphia has always been known to be a nest for all major professional sports leagues and fans who have very strong interest in sports. Since they are operated by the same parent company, it was quite obvious that once SugarHouse Casino made its entry into the sports betting market, Rivers Casino would definitely follow.
PGCB to Review First Sports Betting Applications on Wednesday
Unfortunately, the timing of SugarHouse Casino’s application does not fill well with the schedule that has been laid out by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. The state regulators next meeting is scheduled for October 3 but it will not feature either the most recent application from SugarHouse Casino and Rivers Casinos or the preceding application that was filed by Harrah’s Philadelphia.
It would seem that it will take a little more time before the state’s residents can finally place bets on sporting activities since the regulator’s rules are proving to be a slowdown to the process. For instance, the gaming control board requires that application must be submitted at least 90 days in advance of launching a sports betting operation. This puts Penn National’s, the first applicant, earliest start date of November 15. Whether this period will be shortened or not remains to be seen.
