WynnBET has canceled their soft launch and has no plans to offer interactive gaming in Pennsylvania at this time.
WynnBET Casino PA will not be coming to the Keystone State anytime soon.
That’s according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), which had awarded an interactive gaming license to WSI US LLC — an entity linked with WynnBET and its parent, Wynn Resorts — last December.
On Friday, Wynn Resorts announced that it would immediately shutter its WynnBET online casino and sports betting operations in eight states. Although Pennsylvania was not included on that list since operations had not yet launched, it quickly became obvious that WynnBET wasn’t going to launch in what would have been its 13th state overall.
“WynnBET has canceled their soft launch and has no plans to offer interactive gaming in Pennsylvania at this time,” PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach told PA Gaming Review.
The PGCB issued an igaming operator license to WSI on December 14, 2022. The license remains active and expires on December 13, 2027.
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WynnBET’s Potential Partner Was Unknown
At the time WynnBET was contemplating a launch of its casino in Pennsylvania, there was speculation over which land-based casino it would partner with, as required by the state’s gaming laws.
WynnBET went live with its online casino in Michigan and New Jersey last December. It had a partnership with the tribal-owned Kewadin Casinos in Michigan, but since there are no tribal casinos in Pennsylvania, it was difficult to guess who WynnBET would partner with in PA for igaming.
Its partner in neighboring New Jersey may have offered a better clue. WynnBET had a partnership with Caesars in that state, so it was assumed in some quarters that it would launch its online casino platform under the license of Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, which Caesars owns.
New Jersey is one of the eight states where WynnBET is ceasing operations. Wynn Resorts also placed its operations in Michigan (and New York) “under review” but ultimately decided to retain its online presence in Massachusetts and Nevada — the two states where the parent company owns and operates land-based casinos.
“While we believe in the long-term prospects of igaming, the dearth of igaming legislation and the presence of numerous other investment opportunities available to us around the globe have led us to the decision to curtail our capital investment in WynnBET to focus primarily on those states where we maintain a physical presence,” Wynn Resorts CFO Julie Cameron-Doe said in a statement.
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Breakout in PA Would Have Been Difficult
Had it launched, WynnBET Casino PA likely would have had a challenging time breaking into a crowded market.
Most of the online casinos in PA that are currently active launched in January 2020 and have had more than three years to build their brands with Pennsylvanians.
The top three groups of operators are those tethered to the Hollywood, Valley Forge, and Rivers-Philadelphia casinos licenses. The trio accounted for nearly 85% of online casino revenue in June, the most recent month with figures available from the PGCB.
By contrast, Harrah’s held 4.1% of the online casino market and $5.4 million in revenue in June — both of which were all-time highs. Its partners are Caesars Casino PA and Tropicana Casino PA, and will apparently remain so for now.
