Playtech Live Casino Studio Pennsylvania Debut!

Playtech has opened its third US live dealer studio. The new venue is in Pennsylvania and could expand its reach from 2 to 4 states! (Photo by Heidi Kaden on Unsplash)

It has been a long time coming, and I am surprised it took this long for Playtech to make this move. The software provider, well-known for its live dealer games, has entered Pennsylvania with a new live casino studio.

Evolution was dominating the market, and via an interstate deal, it also got to supply its live dealer games to online casinos in Connecticut. These deals fall under interstate licensing as each state has a separate framework to govern online casinos.

Playtech had to qualify for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) licensing certificate to enter the Keystone State. That deal was likely pulled off some time ago because Playtech would have spent some time building the live studio, now live and available to online casinos in the state.

Playtech could even go one step further, use the interstate licensing agreement, and challenge Evolution in Connecticut. This would likely mean gaining permission via the Connecticut Lottery Corporation (CLC).

Playtech Live not only competes with Evolution across Europe and the world stage via UKGC, MGA, Curacao, and a host of other licensing., but the live dealer brands are also competitors in Michigan, while New Jersey Evolution, Ezugi, and Playtech Live dealer studios are also in operation.

Expanding Playtech Live Dealer Games’ Reach

Pennsylvania has a population of 13 million people, while Playtech live games already have access to New Jersey’s 9 million population and Michigan’s 10 million population. If the live dealer brand also supplies Connecticut, that’s another 3.5 million. Therefore, the recent opening of a new studio in Pennsylvania has the potential to target 2 states, expanding its availability to a total population of 16.5 million.

In the official Playtech news release Edo Haitin, Playtech Live CEO said: “I am very proud of this significant achievement for Playtech Live as we open our Pennsylvania Live Studio. This achievement is a testament to the outstanding dedication and expertise of our team, as well as our commitment to delivering exceptional Live Casino experiences to players worldwide.

When did Playtech Live First Enter the US Market?

Playtech first entered the US market in 2021. It surprised us all by opening 2 US live studios in December. One is in New Jersey, and the other is in Michigan. You can learn more about that story written on 27 December 2021 (almost 2 years ago) – Playtech Opens 2 US Live Studios. Ironically, it is December again, and Playtech announced its Pennsylvania studio.

Across Europe, Playtech and Evolution have the largest live casino games and are the longest-running live dealer brands. However, Pragmatic Play is catching up. With that being said, Pragmatic Play only has online slots available in the US and is yet to take a leap of faith and enter any of the US states that allow live casino gaming.

This is probably because state laws require that if a live casino company intends to offer its games to online casinos, it must build a studio within the state. On the other hand, Playtech can reach most of the world via its MGA, Curacao, and UKGC licensing via its Riga studio. Pragmatic Play is the same with its state-of-the-art live casino studio in Romania. Also, Pragmatic Play, Playtech, and Evolution use these studios to supply online casinos in the Ontario gambling entertainment market under the iGaming Ontario licensing subsidiary of the Alcohol and Gaming Authority of Ontario (AGCO).

Read more about these live casino brand’s live casino portfolios: Just to get an idea of how many games each of these live dealer brands has available across the globe, take a look at the live casino software page. You’ll also find EGT/Amusnet, LuckStreak, HollywoodTV, BetGames, and many more.

Playtech’s Current Live Casino Studio Global Setup

5 Live Casino Software Providers Competing in the US

There are only 7 states that allow online casinos at this time. There are more than 4 times that number that allow online sports betting. Nevada is the 8th state to allow what we technically call iGaming because you can play online poker. However, Nevada will likely never consider the possibility of online casinos.

Other states that have attempted to push online casinos through have generally failed, such as Florida. Yet, there are usually 2 bills put forward for legislative consideration. As a large majority of the US population are sports fans, online sports betting tends to get through state senate votes, but online casinos rarely make it through the voting system. When it comes to sports betting versus casinos, there is a big difference of opinion, causing large divides and making it difficult to approve the creation of online casino licensing. Another issue is some states do not have land-based casinos, which is a factor in the process.

In all 8 iGaming states mentioned above, the online casino or poker room must have its gaming servers on a property with the correct licensing to operate games of chance. For example, BetAmerica, BetRivers, Borgata, and SugarHouse online casinos in Pennsylvania all use the Borgata land-based casino to offer online casino services in the state.

Which games will become available: You can find the full suite of Playtech live dealer games here. However, these games are mostly based in Europe. For now, the offcial Playtech news report states that right now players can enjoy VIP Blackjack and Roulette games. However, and it probaby goes without saying, the brand plans to add more games.