Pennsylvania’s Presque Isle’s Sportsbook Opening Is Delayed Again

• The Presque Isle Downs and Casino sportsbook will not launch on time.
• Owner Kevin O’Sullivan said more details will become available on June 12.
• The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board does not know the reason for the delay.

ERIE, Pa. – The Presque Isle Downs and Casino sportsbook will not open on June 1 as planned.

The Slowest Launch In Pennsylvania

All of the sportsbooks in Pennsylvania need to gain approval from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) before opening. The Presque Isle Sportsbook received approval back in February.

After receiving approval, sportsbooks in Pennsylvania must generally wait 90 days to launch. The Presque Isle sportsbook was cleared to open in April. Owner Kevin O’Sullivan then said that the sportsbook launch will not happen until June 1. This would have been five months after the PGCB approved the sportsbook for this casino.

Now O’Sullivan has announced that the launch of the sportsbook will be further delayed. He offered no further insight on when the sportsbook could open. O’Sullivan did say to the Erie Times-News that further details about the launch will be released soon. He will meet with the PGCB in a hearing on June 12.

PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach is unaware about what is going to happen in the meeting. Harbach said that there should be no need for the meeting. This is because Presque Isle already has a sports wagering certificate.

The only thing that Harbach knows is that Presque Isle needs to have a two-day testing period. All Pennsylvania sportsbooks must do that testing period before they can open a sportsbook to the public. Harbach said that staff at the PGCB “has not talked with them about any date for testing.”

O’Sullivan said back in April that his staff was hard at work to open the new sportsbook on June 1. He has not said what exactly happened to change that. Expect to have more information on the matter when the meeting happens on June 12.

News tags: Pennsylvania | Presque Isle