Licences for commercial and tribal operators under one framework
Michigan
The state that brought commercial and tribal online operators into a single licensing structure.
Licensed online casino
Pennsylvania
A large American online casino market, and the one with the heaviest tax on online slot revenue.
| Product | Position | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Online casino | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Sports betting | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Online poker | Licensed | Commercial operators can be licensed to offer this product to local customers. |
| Lottery | State monopoly | Reserved to a state or state-controlled operator; no commercial licence is available. |
How the market works
Pennsylvania authorised online casino, online poker and sports wagering in a single 2017 expansion act, with online casino live from July 2019. As in New Jersey, online operation runs through land-based licensees, which hold an interactive gaming certificate and may contract with an operator to run the site under their certificate.
The tax structure is what sets Pennsylvania apart in any market comparison. Online slot revenue is taxed at a rate far above online table game revenue and far above anything in Europe, while sports betting sits in between. The gap changes the economics of the product: the margin available for bonuses, affiliate commission and marketing on slots is much thinner than the headline revenue figures suggest.
The board publishes detailed monthly revenue by operator and product, and maintains separate self-exclusion lists covering casino, online and video gaming terminal play.
Who regulates it
Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), based in Harrisburg and operating under Act 42 of 2017. The Pennsylvania board, which runs one of the largest American online casino markets and its heaviest slot tax.
Licence types issued
- Interactive gaming certificate
- Interactive gaming operator licence
- Sports wagering certificate
Questions about Pennsylvania
Other markets in North America
Interactive gaming licence, poker only
Nevada
The oldest major gaming jurisdiction, with a long sports betting history but no online casino.
Prohibited online casino
Online permit held through an Atlantic City casino licensee
New Jersey
The state that established the American online casino model, live since November 2013.
Licensed online casino
Registration with a provincial conduct-and-manage entity
Ontario
The first competitive regulated online market in Canada, open since April 2022 and the largest in North America for casino play.
Licensed online casino
Background reading
Legal and compliance
What a gaming licence actually covers
A licence is not a badge of quality and it is not valid everywhere. What it authorises, who it binds, and why one company often holds a dozen.
Legal and compliance
How gambling is taxed, and why the base matters
A tax on stakes and a tax on gross gaming revenue can carry the same headline number and produce completely different businesses.
Legal and compliance
How a company enters a new market
The sequence from legal assessment to launch, and the parts that routinely take longer than anyone plans for.
Legal and compliance
What grey and black markets actually mean
The industry uses three words for the legal status of a market and rarely defines them. Here is what each one means in practice.