Harrah’s applies for sports betting licence in Pennsylvania
Operator becomes third to apply in the state, but latest since NFL season debut
Caesars has become the third Pennsylvania operator to apply to offer sports betting at its Harrah’s Philadelphia casino.
Harrah’s joins Parx Casino and Hollywood Casino in applying to offer sports betting, with both other operators applying in August.
The application requests permission for retail, mobile and online sports betting, with licenses costing $10m, with a 36% tax on revenue.
Caesars will offer sports betting using Scientific Games’ OpenBet technology in its Philadelphia casino, having successfully rolled this out in New Jersey in July.
Sports betting was first legalised by the Pennsylvania legislature in October 2017, with subsequent regulations allowing the states gaming control board to establish “standards and procedures for sports wagering”.
These standards allow category 1-3 casino operators to apply for a ‘sports betting certificate’ which licenses their facilities to offer sports betting.
Existing regulations allow for a maximum of 13 available sports betting licenses based on the 12 current operational casinos and the Stadium casino project currently under construction in Philadelphia.
Any operator wishing to do so must first prove that they have the finances, ability and the security structure to run a sports betting operation before a license can be granted.
Licenses are not expected to be approved before mid-October.