Pennsylvania Live Dealer Online Casino Games: Now Live!

Live Dealer online casino games have arrived in Pennsylvania.

On Wednesday, Rush Street Interactive’s two online casinos, BetRivers and Play SugarHouse became the first Pennsylvania online casinos to offer live dealer games in the market. But considering how successful these offerings are in New Jersey, they definitely won’t be the last.

Rush Street’s live dealer games are powered by Evolution Gaming, a global leader in the live dealer and table games category. Evolution received a Pennsylvania license over a year ago and is behind many successful live dealer offerings in neighboring New Jersey, including the games at Rush Street’s New Jersey online casino.   

As the press release announcing the launch notes, “Live dealer games combine the convenience and ease of online gambling on a player’s desktop, tablet and smartphone, with the trustworthy and social aspect of being at real tables with real dealers in real-time.”

“Many online players prefer live dealer options because they watch the action as it happens, which gives them a higher level of trust in the outcome,” said Richard Schwartz, President of Rush Street Interactive. “A live dealer game is the closest you can get online to playing in a land-based casino and we’re thrilled to be the first to offer players in Pennsylvania the opportunity to virtually sit and play on Evolution’s world-renowned live tables.”

Live Dealer Was a Gamechanger in New Jersey

In New Jersey, Golden Nugget was the first US online casino to offer live dealer games in August 2016. Before the New Jersey online gambling market was the juggernaut it is today, the property took a big gamble on live dealer games. Golden Nugget created the first US live dealer studio inside the casino – where floor space is some of the most expensive real estate in the world.

That gamble paid off.

With a big assist from live dealer games, Golden Nugget leapfrogged every other online operator in the market and became the runaway online casino leader in the Garden State.

Golden Nugget Vice President of Online Gaming Thomas Winter explained the appeal of live dealer online casino games in the June 2017 interview with Global Gaming Business linked above.

“For the first time, an online brand is embodied with real dealers and real player interactions,” said Winter. “We believe this has attracted patrons who would not have played online otherwise, for it was perceived somewhat cold and too far from the social experience a brick-and-mortar casino typically offers.”

Basically, live dealers offer a more personal environment and bridge the trust gap some land-based gamblers have with online products.

In a 2018 interview, Winter said online table game revenue increased by 150% in the two years since the casino began offering live dealer games.

Live Dealer in Pennsylvania

According to the press release, “Evolution’s live dealer product will make its Pennsylvania debut on RSI’s online casino sites with an exciting mix of live tables including low and high stakes Blackjack games (with side bets such as 21 +3 and Bet Behind), Roulette and Slingshot Roulette.”

“The Evolution-hosted Live Dealer Casino has proven very popular with players at PlaySugarHouse.com in New Jersey,” Schwartz added.  “We are confident players in Pennsylvania will love these live-action table games too.  Extending our partnership with Evolution into PA supports our mission to continually offer our loyal online players the best mix of innovative and entertaining games available.”

As was the case in New Jersey, you can expect more live dealer games to be added as players in the market become familiar with the product.

Further, expect Pennsylvania operators to heavily market live dealer games considering the disparate tax rates between slots and table games in Pennsylvania, 54% compared to 16%. That gap doesn’t exist in New Jersey.