Mount Airy Casino Resort is making moves.
The casino that managed to get a law-protected buffer from satellite casinos as well as satellite casino — Mount Airy Pittsburgh — has now announced it will partner with The Stars Group to offer online sports betting and an online casino, pending licensing approvals from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
“Offering internet sports wagering and gaming and partnering with The Stars Group is the obvious next step for us to continue diversifying our casino offerings,” Mount Airy Vice President of Marketing and Gaming Operations Vincent Jordan said in a press release. “Introducing internet gaming through The Stars Group will provide compelling opportunities for our customers, particularly our younger customers, who are ready to experience the next gaming challenge.”
According to multiple reports, PokerStars, one of The Stars Group’s companies, will run Mount Airy’s online casino, online sports betting, and online poker.
Details of potenital Mount Airy online offerings
The press release from Mount Airy and The Stars Group did not go into detail about what their online platform would look like.
However, they did provide a somewhat basic framework of what could be ahead:
- Single account
- Common wallet between casino, sports betting and poker platforms
- Multiple deposit and withdrawal options
- “Seamless offering of betting and gaming options”
The Stars Group’s reputation certainly warrants that their product will be excellent, as their multiple brands include respected names like PokerStars, Full Tilt and BetStars.
The group’s announcement earlier this week is the second time this month they’ve made news. On Aug. 1, they announced that BetStars won approval for a sports betting license through Resorts Casino in Atlantic City.
Mount Airy second in PA to announce online gambling, sports betting
In mid-July, Parx Casino announced its partnership with online operator GAN, a well-known company whose relationship with Parx goes all the way back to 2015.
The partnership broke what was a somewhat awkward silence during a period of time when the online gambling community wondered when the PGCB would get applications for online sports betting.
It certainly made sense that Parx, the perennial revenue champion in the state, led the way with the first online sports-betting and online casino partnership; the first in the history of the state, to be exact.
That it took some time for casinos to petition for sports betting and online casino licenses led many to wonder if the state’s tax rate for sports betting — 36 percent — was scaring off casinos.
While the rate is more than four times as high as neighboring New Jersey, it did not deter Parx and Mount Airy. High taxes or not, online gambling presents a revenue opportunity, an opportunity that at least two casinos are happy to embrace.