The Sugarhouse Casino, tipped to be the first New Jersey sportsbook owner to start taking brick and mortar sports wagers at its Philadelphia Casino, has been beaten to it.
And British gaming giant William Hill is the one that has done it – just as it did in New Jersey.
Just three days after sports betting was signed into law in NJ, the first state to do so after the PASPA law prohibiting sports betting in the US was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, William Hill also took NJ’s first bet, this at the sportsbook it is operating at the Monmouth Park Racetrack.
This time the international sportsbook operator took Pennsylvania’s first legal sports bets at its newly-renovated Skybox Sports Bar in the Hollywood Casino at the Penn National Race Course in Grantville.
“Penn National is excited to be the first casino to offer sports wagering in Pennsylvania,” the company’s chief executive Timothy Wilmott told reporters at the William Hill sportsbook launch.
“The enthusiasm around sports betting has been growing since the federal ban was repealed in May, and we look forward to providing our patrons with another great amenity to enjoy at our Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course.”
The Pennsylvania sports betting market has been tipped to be worth $12bn annually by industry analyst Eilers & Krejcik Gaming.
With close to 13 million residents, Pennsylvania, the seventh state that now allows sports betting, is the largest in terms of population and industry analyst Eilers & Krejcik Gaming has forecast its annual market could be worth some $12bn.
William Hill has yet to open an online sportsbook in Pennsylvania but Pen National is confident of this happening early in 2019.
Last month the Hollywood and Parx Casinos became the first of their kind to receive approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to launch sports wagering, but, Parx, who are located 15km outside Philadelphia and are partnered by sports-betting software specialists Kambi, have only committed to opening a retail betting facility “before the end of the year”.
Sugarhouse Casino at Valley Forge, Harrah’s Philadelphia and Rivers Casino have also applied for sports betting licenses which costs an initial $10m.
Thereafter, like William Hill at the Hollywood Casino, they will be subject to a 36% tax.
Pennsylvania is the latest of five states that since PASPA was dropped, have joined Nevada and Delaware, two of the four states who held exemptions from PASPA law and had been active in sports betting for many years.
Along with New Jersey and Pennsylvania, these five include Mississippi, New Mexico and West Virginia.
