Pennsylvania welcomed another online casino, now making it nine in the Commonwealth.
Caesars Online Casino, through its partnership with Harrah’s Philadelphia, launched on April 23.
It comes at a time when all 12 of Pennsylvania’s brick-and-mortar casinos are closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Last week, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) reported that online casino revenue in March was up 24.5% over its previous high of $19.5 million in February.
According to Caesars’ customer service reps, the mandated soft-launch was already completed prior to Thursday. The PA platform is now available 24/7.
Caesars PA online casino
Through its iGaming platform partner Scientific Games, Caesars PA online casino contains only 12 slots titles, so far.
Playin Pennsylvania will continue to monitor the library for additional games, which will likely include more slots, table games and video poker. But don’t expect it to come anywhere near the expanse of Caesar’s New Jersey iGaming platform that has over 500 games.
Caesars is the first online casino to launch since BetRivers, Unibet and BetAmerica launched during the week leading up to the Super Bowl.
Users can access the Caesars iGaming platform on desktop browsers at pa.caesarsonline.com. It is also available on Android, where the sportsbook and casino products are integrated.
Caesars sportsbook is now available for iOS, but the casino is not. The Caesars online sportsbook was late to the PA scene when it arrived on March 10. No word yet if online poker will be forthcoming, but it is likely. WSOP.com is available in New Jersey and Caesars PA license allows for it.
How to fund Caesars account
Deposit methods at Caesars:
- ACH (e-check)
- Online banking
- PayPal
- Credit and debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express
- Play+
- PayNearMe
Ways to withdraw:
- ACH (e-check)
- Caesars Casino and Sportsbook Play+ card
- PayPal
- Cash at cage
Loyalty perks and bonuses
Caesars is offering a 100% casino bonus match on the first deposit, up to $300.
The Caesars Rewards program remains an industry-leading loyalty system. When you play online, you can earn Caesars rewards, including tier credits and rewards credits.
Users can link their existing Caesars Rewards account when logging into their Caesars Casino and Sportsbook Pennsylvania account.
- Go to the loyalty details under “My Account.”
- Click “Connect”
- Within 72 hours, your account will be updated to reflect any online credits during online play.
Caesars a latecomer to PA
Online sportsbooks left the launching pad in PA in late May 2019. Online casinos entered the PA market in July 2019. However, even though it seemed to be late to the party, Harrah’s was one of the first three operators in the state to get PGCB license approval for PA iGaming products in August 2018.
The Caesars mobile sportsbook appeared ready for an early fall launch, but it never came to fruition. The Book, Harrah’s Philadelphia retail sportsbook in Chester, opened in January 2019.
It would have been fair to assume an online sportsbook and an online casino would follow, especially with the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl on the horizon. When that passed, March Madness seemed to be the next logical target date.
Caesars obviously had high hopes for the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, New Jersey sportsbooks saw more than $100 million wagered. However, two days after the Caesars online sportsbook came to PA, the NCAA canceled the remainder of the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Expanding the Caesars brand, Eldorado deal moving forward
Why the delay? Well, Caesars wasn’t binging Tiger King.
Eldorado Resorts Inc. received approval in mid-February from PA gaming regulators to move forward with their plans to purchase Caesars Entertainment Corp. The $17.3 billion deal includes 60 casino-resorts in 16 states. Once complete, all the properties will be under the Caesars’ name, and it will be the largest gambling operator in the US.
The only Pennsylvania part of the deal is Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino & Racetrack. Although it is not technically owned by Caesars, it does operate it under a lease-back agreement.
Eldorado hopes to finalize the purchase by June 2020. According to a CNBC source, the coronavirus caused delays, but the deal is moving forward.
The highly placed source said:
“The deal was constructed with a balance sheet to survive a crisis, with ample liquidity and no debt maturities until 2024.”
The article also notes: “And the tax payroll benefit in the federal relief package could boost the cash flow of the combined company by hundreds of millions of dollars.”
