Is sports betting legal in Pennsylvania?

The short answer

Yes. Sports betting is legal in Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board lists an internet or mobile-based system among the ways licensed casinos can offer it. You must be 21 or older.

The state regulates sports wagering through the Gaming Control Board, which keeps a public list of the licensed online sports wagering operators. Retail betting came first: the board's first report covers the second half of November 2018, when Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was the first to launch a sports wagering facility.

Key facts from official sources

Minimum age

The minimum age to bet is 21.

No person under 21 years of age may engage in sports wagering with a sports wagering certificate holder or sports wagering operator.

Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov

Start of legal betting

Retail sports betting started in November 2018. We did not read an official page that gives the online start date.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course which was the first to launch a sports wagering facility in the Commonwealth.

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

Licensed operators

The Gaming Control Board publishes its list of licensed online sports wagering operators.

Pennsylvania Online Sports Wagering Operators

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

Self-exclusion

The board runs a self-exclusion program that lets you ban yourself from gambling activities.

Self-exclusion allows you to voluntarily ban yourself from gambling activities such as casinos, interactive gaming, video gaming terminals, and fantasy contests

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

Help line

The state's responsible play site gives the national helpline.

Call 1-800-GAMBLER

Source: responsibleplay.pa.gov

State tax rate

The Gaming Control Board FAQ gives a 34 percent state tax on daily gross sports wagering revenue.

assesses a tax of 34% on the sports wagering certificate holders daily gross revenue

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

Tax revenue

The Board reported $238,661,147 in sports wagering tax revenue for fiscal year 2025/26.

Tax revenue from Sports Wagering in Fiscal Year 2025/26 was $238,661,147.

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

College sports

The Board FAQ says Act 42 permits wagering on professional or collegiate sports or athletic events.

permits wagering on professional or collegiate sports or athletic events

Source: gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov

Where you must be

The Board rules require operators to use geolocation tools to confirm bettors are in Pennsylvania.

shall utilize geolocation tools to ensure players placing sports wagering bets are located in this Commonwealth.

Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov

Wager types

The Board rules bar knowingly accepting wagers other than those the Board permits.

Knowingly accepting any wagers other than those permitted by the Board.

Source: pacodeandbulletin.gov

Who may not bet

Beyond the age limit, Pennsylvania's rules bar some people from betting on their own sport. Section 1401a.8 of the Pennsylvania Code stops collegiate, amateur and professional athletes, referees, officials, coaches, managers and similar team staff who have access to nonpublic information from betting on an event in which they or their team take part, and from betting on their own sport or league. Winnings from a prohibited bet are confiscated by the operator.

We did not find an official statement that bans betting on college sports in general in Pennsylvania. The rule above is about participants only.

Retail first, then online

Pennsylvania's sports betting began in physical facilities at casinos, and the Gaming Control Board's licensing list now covers online operators too. If you want to know which apps are open to you today, the board's list is the authority, and it can change as licenses are granted or ended.

How much the state collects

Pennsylvania taxes sports wagering on the daily gross revenue of each certificate holder. The Board puts the state tax at 34 percent.

The Board reported $238,661,147 in sports wagering tax revenue for fiscal year 2025/26. Read that as a figure about the state's income, not as a measure of how much bettors win or lose.

Where you must be, and what you may bet on

The Board's rules require operators of mobile sports wagering to use geolocation tools so that the people placing bets are in Pennsylvania.

College events are within the law: the Board's FAQ says Act 42 permits wagering on professional or collegiate sports or athletic events. The same rules bar operators from knowingly accepting wagers other than those the Board permits.

How to find the licensed apps in Pennsylvania

The regulator publishes its own list: see the page for online sports wagering operators. That list is the authority on which apps may take bets in Pennsylvania, and it is more reliable than any comparison site, including this one. We do not list individual apps here because we have not verified app-level facts for this state.

Wherever betting is allowed, a bet is tied to your location when you place it. Check the state rules in the place where you are standing, and download an app only from an official app store or from the operator's own website.

What we could not verify

We state a fact only when we have read it on an official page and can show the quote. These items were left out of this page for that reason:

• The date online sports betting began, because no official page we could read states it.
• Whether Pennsylvania restricts betting on college sports beyond the participant rule.
• The licensed operator count with a date, because the Board page we reached gave none.
• The state tax rate as a single official statement of both parts of the levy, because the quote we could verify covers the 34 percent only.

Laws and rules change, so the date at the top of each source matters. We read these pages on October 30, 2026.

Betting responsibly in Pennsylvania

Sports betting is an entertainment cost, not a way to earn money or to win back a loss. Decide how much you can afford to lose before you start, set a limit in the app, and take a break if betting stops being fun. The state's responsible play site gives the national helpline. You can also call 1-800-GAMBLER at any time, or read our responsible gambling page.

Related reading

• The state-by-state table and map.
• Neighbouring pages: Iowa, Maryland, Missouri.
• American odds explained, before you read a price.
• The parlay calculator and what a parlay is.
• What a moneyline bet is.

Frequently asked questions