Pennsylvania, where it’s been said the gambling market will be more valuable than either Nevada or New Jersey in just a few short years, is continuing to work toward that goal. One of the biggest catalysts driving growth in the Keystone State is online gambling and, in particular, online sportsbooks, and residents will soon have a new mobile gambling app at their disposal to be able to place their bets virtually anytime, anywhere. With Harrah’s Philadelphia introducing a new mobile betting platform, Pennsylvania will now have six different online sports gambling options.
Harrah’s will most likely launch its app before the end of this month, an assertion that can be inferred from a recent press release. Caesars Entertainment, which owns Harrah’s, and Scientific Games (SG) announced the launch of a retail sportsbook at the Indiana Grand Racing & Casino in Indiana, and indicated that more properties will soon follow.
SG has developed a sports gambling platform, OpenSports, which continues to find support from Caesars, as well sports fans. It has already been introduced to many of the locations Caesars serves and the two companies are working tirelessly to see the platform rolled out everywhere possible.
Harrah’s Philadelphia opened the doors to its new physical sportsbook this past January. Seeing the success OpenSports has enjoyed elsewhere, it’s time for it to be brought to the casino. The press release adds, “Following the recent launches in Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania earlier this year, the sports betting partnership between Scientific Games and Caesars will continue to expand into new markets with the introduction of OpenSports™ solutions in Illinois and North Carolina.”
The timing couldn’t be better for Pennsylvanians. Football season is now in full swing, with both pro and college games regularly on the calendar. The launch of the OpenSports solution by Harrah’s would give more flexibility to those looking for a piece of the action, but will also have to compete with other platforms currently offered by SugarHouse, FanDuel (thanks to Valley Forge Casino Resort), Rivers Casino and Parx Casino.
The timing is also good for the state, which has already begun to see benefits from the roll-out of online gaming solutions. According to data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, three casinos that introduced online gaming platforms in July saw gross gaming revenue for the online operations of $812,306 in just two weeks. Those three alternatives helped boost sports gambling revenue in the state, resulting in a handle of $59,331,959 between physical and online options, and revenue of just over $2.8 million.
