Pennyslvania’s sportsbook map popped again on Tuesday afternoon with the soft launch of the sportsbook at Parx Casino in Bensalem, about 20 miles northeast of center city Philadelphia and a short drive from various parts of western New Jersey. This is just the temporary space — an appetizer for a sportsbook facility that’s receiving $10 million investment.
Parx will undergo a 48-hour testing period, as required under state gambling regulations. Pending approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the casino will officially open on January 10 — with mobile sports wagering expected to become available through an app in the spring. The public was allowed to place bets during Tuesday’s soft launch.
New PA sportsbook on the way
Parx Casino will operate its sportsbook at a temporary location while the main facility is still under construction. The temporary venue is located in the casino’s former 360 Bar and Lounge. It features 20 HD television screens, seven live-teller windows, a full-service bar and at least a dozen self-service kiosks located throughout the casino floor. U.K.-based sports bettings tech/software supplier Kambi Sports will power the sportsbook.
The $10 million permanent sportsbook is slated to open in the first half of 2019.
“It’s going to be a spectacular sportsbook,” said Matthew Cullen, senior vice president of interactive gaming and sports. “We’re investing close to $10 million into it. There’s going to be an LED screen that wraps around half of the facility, a really nice bar with video poker, TVs everywhere, kiosks for self-service betting. We’re expecting it to be state of the art.”
Online wagering expected soon
Parx Casino also unveiled a “Betslip Builder” tool that facilitates making of wagers in person.
While mobile wagering was approved by Pennsylvania legislators in the fall of 2017 as part of an omni-bus gambling expansion bill, the state’s gambling regulator stated it would first review and process in-person betting applications.
Better late than never
Parx is Pennsylvania’s fourth casino to launch sports betting. Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was the state’s first casino to launch in-person sports betting in mid-November. Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh and SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia were next in line to open sportsbooks in Pennsylvania.
Pax’s opening is a couple months behind schedule. The property originally planned to open its sportsbook in late November or early December. However, the date was pushed back into January. The casino sent an email out to customers informing them of the January launch on the same day that the rival SugarHouse Casino in Philadelphia opened its sportsbook in mid-December.
Eagles showing local sportsbooks the money
According to state Gaming Control Board, Hollywood Casino’s sportsbook generated revenue of $500,000 on a betting handle of $1.4 million in the period between November 14-30.
Pax is hoping the local Eagles still being alive in the NFL playoffs will help bring in even more revenue.
“The market is insane for the Eagles, as we’ve seen at the SugarHouse and at Rivers [in Pittsburgh] and in New Jersey,” Cullen said. “But even if they’re out, people are still gonna want to bet on football. But it would be great if they were playing.”