Best PA Online Casinos to Play Poker

The most important facts are good to know about online gambling in Pennsylvania!

 Source: pixabay [3]

Poker is one of the original casino games, and in our opinion can you really call yourself a casino if you don’t offer at least a few poker tables. Luckily for PA residents, the state has a huge variety of both brick and mortar and only casinos, in fact, the best online casinos in Pennsylvania are listed and reviewed here. [4] Only some of these, however, have been given the licensing to offer poker games and live poker on their online sites.

With online gaming booming in the last year due to world events there’s more choice than ever, which can make finding the top online spots a bit of a challenge. Don’t worry though, because we’ve got you covered as in this article we’ll be listing the best online casinos in PA to play poker at.

Is Online Poker Legal in Pennsylvania?

Pennsylvania legalized online poker in 2017, but it was a long and winding route to get there. Between 2003 and 2006, the poker boom established a vast and increasing market for online poker. Several online poker sites were forced to depart the United States as a result of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, however many continued to operate overseas and lure US consumers.

The landscape changed on April 15, 2011 (dubbed Black Friday) when the US Department of Justice charged the three largest online poker companies - PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker - with bank fraud and money laundering, freezing accounts and seizing domains, and prohibiting US customers from playing online.

The Department of Justice determined in late 2011 that only sports betting was illegal under the Federal Wire Act, paving the path for internet poker and casino activities. After Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey, Pennsylvania became the fourth state to legalize online poker in 2017. Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey have agreed to share their player pools but as of yet Pennsylvania is not a member of the unified player network making for a unique community of PA online poker players.

The Best Pennsylvania Poker Sites

All of the following sites have been granted a license to provide internet Poker to players by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board [5] (PGCB), meaning you know you’ll be playing poker online in a safe and regulated environment and can flaunt your top poker strategies [6] witty complete peace of mind:

1. PokerStars PA is a poker room in Pennsylvania. This online poker provider launched in November 2019 and is well-regarded by the online poker community.
2. Harrah's Casino is a subsidiary of Caesars Entertainment Corp, which runs the World Series of Poker, meaning that this site knows a thing or two about providing incredible online poker experiences.
3. Hollywood Casino is found at the Penn National Race Course. This was the first online casino in PA to offer sports betting but took its time when it came to the online poker game, but is now one of the best in the state.
4. Valley Forge Casino Resort is located in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, and is a relative newcomer to online poker with its IGT-led service launching last year.

The Best Pennsylvania Sites for Live Poker

Again, each of these sites has been granted a license by the PGCB, but this time for live poker experiences which are popular with players looking to play poker with more of a social element, similar to playing in a brick-and-mortar location. Most live casino sites operate 24 hours a day for play that suits your schedule.

1. Harrah’s Casino is the only casino in PA that is affiliated with the World Series of Poker brand has 28 live poker tables which occasionally hosts WSOP circuit events.
2. Hollywood Casino offers 17 live poker tables with daily no-limit Hold'em tournaments.
3. Mohegan Sun is located at Pocono Downs and offers live poker cash games and at least two daily no-limit Hold’em tournaments.
4. Mount Airy only offers nine tables but is partnered with the well-known brand PokerStars.
5. Parx Casino has a whopping 48 live tables and offers a variety of tournaments.
6. Presque Isle Downs may only have 7 live tables but there are loads of daily promotions as well as exciting tournaments on offer.
7. Rivers Casino has an impressive 30 live tables and offers two daily tournaments.
8. SugarHouse Casino was one of the first poker rooms to open in PA and has online tables as well as televised events.

Plenty of Tables and Lots of Options

So, you can see that although online poker has only been legal in Pennsylvania for a handful of years a vibrant and exciting online poker community has been created. There’s now a great range of sites for you to enjoy online poker at in the state, now you just have the hard task of picking your favorite and establishing yourself as the best poker player [7] around!