PA Betting Laws in a Nutshell
Is Online Roulette Legal in Pennsylvania?
Yes, it is. The roulette wheels have been spinning at bricks-and-mortar casinos like Wind Creek, Harrah’s Philadelphia, Mount Airy Casino, and Mohegan Sun Pocono for well over a decade. More recent legislation has meant that Pennsylvanians — like gamblers in New Jersey and Michigan amongst others — can now legally play roulette online.
Governor Tom Wolf set the Keystone State on its path to legal online gambling when he signed gambling expansion bill HB 271 in October 2017, though it took until July 2019 for online casino sites to arrive. First past the post were the Hollywood Casino, SugarHouse and Parx Casino sites, but others including BetRivers, PokerStars, and Unibet soon followed. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) regulates and licenses in-person and online casinos in the State of Pennsylvania, ensuring games are fair and players’ online details are kept secure.
How to Play Roulette
A real casino classic, roulette has been entertaining players for over 300 years and remains one of the most popular table games available today. The game’s simplicity is part of its appeal, though it pays to understand the basics before you set the ball rolling.
Whether playing online or in-person, the basic aim of roulette remains the same: to guess where the ball will land when the wheel stops spinning. You don’t have to bet your bank on particular numbers, though. You can bet on clusters of numbers, entire rows and columns, or play it safer and simply select red or black, or an odd or even number. Once your chips have been placed, it’s time to see where the ball will land on the iconic wheel.
How to Place Your Wagers
Roulette offers a vast choice of possible bets you can place before each spin. These bets are split into two types: inside bets and outside bets. You can get straight to the point and opt for an inside bet, which will be placed on the main grid of numbers. Perhaps the best example of an inside bet is the single number or straight-up bet. These offer the highest payout of the game at an impressive 35:1.
Outside bets refer to betting options that lie outside the roulette table’s numbered grid. These are less risky since players can cover more of the wheel’s potential outcomes. Even money bets such as dozens, or the classic red/black, are among the outside bets in the game of roulette.
Getting to Grips with Roulette Strategy
When putting real money on the line, many gamblers like to deploy some kind of playing strategy. For example, knowing when to raise or fold in a poker game, or understanding that you should split on a hard 11 in blackjack. Things are different with roulette because this game is based purely on chance. No decision you make will affect where the ball will land on the wheel when you play live dealer roulette, or what the random number generator software will come up with when you play virtual online roulette.
Roulette strategies, like the Martingale and D’Alembert systems, do exist, but these only impact the sort of bets you make, and cannot affect the outcome of roulette games.
The Different Roulette Game Types
There are two prominent versions of roulette available at online casinos in Pennsylvania: American roulette and European roulette. The key difference between the two is that the American roulette wheel has an additional green 00 pocket. This means an American roulette wheel has 38 pockets, compared to the 37 pockets of a European roulette wheel.
The additional green pocket means American roulette has a slightly higher house edge than its European counterpart. This is something to bear in mind when choosing which version to play. In addition to American and European roulette, many PA online casinos offer further variations and themes, many of which are specifically designed for online play. One such example is DraftKings Casino, which has both standard versions of roulette, along with inventive roulette games such as 100/1 Roulette, Lightning Roulette, and basketball-themed roulette.
Try Out the Best Live Roulette Titles
Live dealer games are great if you enjoy the atmosphere of a bricks-and-mortar casino, but also like the convenience of playing wherever you are. Thanks to a partnership between software developers Evolution and some of Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos, you can now play games in real-time via your computer or mobile device.
Evolution streams live dealer games like roulette and blackjack directly from its gaming studio in Philadelphia. Offering an interactive element that’s otherwise lacking when you gamble online, these live dealer games are available at online casinos like FanDuel, BetMGM, and Caesars Casino & Sportsbook.
Playing Roulette on the Go
Casino players have increasingly turned to their mobile phones as their go-to platforms for online gambling. As such, online casinos have improved the mobile-optimized experience available to customers.
While you can happily enter these mobile-friendly websites through the browser on your phone or tablet, the best online casinos in Pennsylvania also offer a native mobile app you can download. Tailor-made for the smaller screens of Android and iOS mobile devices, these online casino apps make for a more convenient online gaming experience. With casino apps, players enjoy easier access to games and can turn on push notifications that will update them about the latest roulette promos and bonus codes.
Claim a Welcome Bonus When you Sign Up
Casino bonuses provide a boost to your bankroll. You can claim a bonus when you first sign up, or you can claim them as an existing player. Here are some of the key bonuses to look out for at Pennsylvania online casinos.
No Deposit Bonuses
Although usually on the small side, no deposit bonuses are among the most popular casino bonuses. That’s because you’ll get bonus funds just for signing up, with no outlay needed. Just remember to check the fine print for terms and conditions like wagering requirements that will require you to bet a certain amount of casino funds before you can make a withdrawal.
Free Spins
If you also enjoy online slots from big-name developers like IGT, then you should look out for casinos offering free spins. These are often bundled as part of a welcome bonus, or handed out on a regular basis to those who play frequently at a casino site. There may be restrictions placed on which games you can use the free spins on and wagering requirements may be placed on the value of the winnings.
First Deposit Bonuses
Casinos are keen to reward players who transfer money into their accounts for the first time. They often do this with a deposit match bonus, which means your first deposit amount will be matched up to a certain percentage. It can be as much as 200%, so this is a bonus that can provide a serious boost to your bankroll. Wagering requirements will usually be applied to these bonuses, so make sure you have read the terms and conditions before you sign up these offers.
Play Roulette for Free
The prospect of playing online roulette for real money is a major attraction of online Pennsylvanian casinos. But there are also free-to-play games that don’t require you to deposit money at all. Naturally, you won’t be able to win any money either, but these demo games are ideal for new players who want to get some practice in before placing real money bets.
We recommend that players take advantage of these demo games before playing real money roulette. Even if you know the classic version very well, free play games can help you get to grips with some of the more unusual variants available at PA online casinos.
Depositing and Withdrawing at Pennsylvania Casinos
There are a range of methods that you can use to deposit and withdraw your cash at an online Pennsylvania casino. So let’s look at some of the key options available you.
Deposits
Online casinos make depositing easy by providing several safe payment options. These include debit cards and credit cards, ACH transfers, and e-wallets like PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill. Additionally, players can choose from prepaid options such as prepaid Visa and Mastercard, Play+ cards, and PayNearMe. You’ll also be able to make deposits at the cashier cage at the land-based partner of your chosen online casino site.
Withdrawals
If you hit the jackpot at your favorite online casino, you’ll need a way to get your winnings into your pocket. There are a variety of withdrawal options available to players, including ACH transfers and e-wallet withdrawals, as well as payouts to debit cards and paper checks to your mailbox. As with deposits, you can also request in-person withdrawals from the cashier cage. So if you make some winnings from a live dealer roulette on the Hollywood Casino app, you can cash them out right away by heading down to the Hollywood Casino at Penn National.
Whether you just play roulette online or enjoy all types of online casino games, gambling should always be regarded as a form of entertainment. If you feel like you may have a gambling problem and require advice on how to stay in control, these organizations are great places to get in contact with.
Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania
Phone: 1-800-GAMBLER®
Address: PO Box 444, Spring House, PA 19477-0444
National Problem Gambling Helpline
Phone/Text: 1-800-522-4700
Address: 730 11th St, NW, Ste 601, Washington, DC 20001
Your questions, answered
Along with roulette, you can enjoy classic games like blackjack, baccarat, and craps. Online slots, including progressive jackpot slots, are also available, as are iGaming options like video poker games, online poker rooms, and daily fantasy sports.
Yes, it very much is. Many of the state’s online casinos, such as the BetRivers site from Rivers Casino, offer an online sportsbook alongside their casino games, so you can easily switch between the various offerings.
You don’t have to be a Pennsylvania resident, but you must be located within state lines to place bets at PA online casinos. If you’re playing through a casino app, geolocation technology is utilized to confirm your location.
We recommend against signing up to an offshore casino sites. These operators aren’t licensed to operate in Pennsylvania, meaning they don’t have to abide by the legal regulations that are enforced in PA to keep players’ money and details safe.
You have to be at least 21 to play casino games like roulette in Pennsylvania. This is also the minimum legal age for placing sports bets, except when it comes to pari-mutuel horse racing wagers, which can be placed if you’re over 18.
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gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov – ‘Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board’
gamingregulation.com – ‘Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board News’