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Could Pennsylvania Be the New the US’ New Gaming Capital?

The Pennsylvanian gaming scene has been growing at a rate of knots for years. Although PA isn’t historically synonymous with the industry, its links to the sector are unquestionable. After all, its revenues have boomed in the last five years, with PA recording growth of $83.1 million in 2015. In 2021, it topped $400M in a single month for the first time. As a result, the Keystone State is ranked in the top 20 gaming states in the US, highlighting its importance to the nation. From a gaming perspective, Pennsylvania is taking on its peers, and it seems to be winning.

Educating the Next Generation

Pennsylvania has an incredibly powerful gaming scene on the surface. From Simcoach Games to Schell Games and Skyless Games Studios, the state has deep roots regarding the latest and most influential gaming developers. Among them, they employ hundreds of people, and several of their employees are involved in taking the biggest trends to the next level, such as Schell Games and SuperChem VR.

Impressively, the majority of these companies and the people who work for them are educated in Pennsylvania thanks to the region’s investment in specialized gaming programs that are turning out top-tier talent. For example, some of the top universities, such as Carnegie Mellon and the University of Pennsylvania, are home to technology centers and offer master’s degrees in computer graphics and game technology. The knock-on effect of this investment in the next generation is bearing fruit because the young adults who are educated in gaming are remaining in PA to innovate. Due to this, the area is benefitting from an enhanced reputation, which will only encourage more people to look to Pennsylvania for inspiration in the future.

Believing in Online Gaming

Statistics aren’t everything, yet they shouldn’t be ignored because they do tell a story. The men and women in charge of gaming in PA have obviously listened, especially concerning the number of gamers who play between three to four hours a week from home. This is a significant demographic that the Keystone State targets. For instance, a recent gaming study ranked it as third in average internet speed. However, it was 21st in video game stores and electronics stores per capita. Thanks to this renewed focus on online gaming, Pennsylvania has stolen a march on the rest of the country.

Gaming revenue has driven growth up 45.6% year-on-year for many reasons, including that the area is an excellent base for modern, internet-based products. Quantic Dream is a French video game developer and publisher, but it sets storylines in PA, such as Heavy Rain, a psychological thriller in Plymouth, a township not far from Philadelphia. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist is an action-adventure stealth video game that takes place on a Metro train in Philadelphia. There’s also a firm eSports’ audience in the Keystone State as it’s the base for Susquehanna Soniqs, one of the most successful teams in the world who recently won the PUBG Global Invitational in South Korea.

Of course, this means that the state has branched out into iGaming, too, with online casinos and online sportsbooks adding to the PA’s improving reputation as it’s home to the biggest brand names in the industry, such as DraftKings, FanDuel, and Unibet since they can offer markets on eSports and traditional sports. Therefore, online casinos PA continue to push the envelope in terms of innovation, game choice, promotions, and security. Now, the sector is the second-largest in the entire United States. In April 2020 alone, it recorded an eye-watering 77.5% increase in revenues from March 2020, making $43.1 million in 30 days.


Pennsylvania has built a welcoming presence for gaming operators, whether they want to base themselves in PA physically, or whether they want to do it remotely in their games. The fact that internet speeds are strong and land-based casino providers are connecting with digital establishments makes this much more feasible. Not only that, but the potential for additional growth is also considerable.

Pennsylvania has everything it requires to claim the crown of the king of the US gaming industry. It may take a while until it reaches that point, yet it wouldn’t be surprising if it did.