While gambling in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has been on the rise, especially in terms of regulation, the Pennsylvania Gambling Sites have not yet been regulated and authorized. You will see that Pennsylvania provides players with over ten different brick and mortar casinos, but they have not yet added online casinos, sportsbooks, or poker rooms to their midst.

• 5dimes Credit Card Authorization Form
• 5dimes Credit Card Authorization Form
• 5dimes Authorization Form Print
• 5dimes Authorization Form
• 5dimes Authorization Form

5dimes Credit Card Authorization Form

You will find that there are many online gambling sites accepting Pennsylvania residents, but these are not actually regulated by the state, nor are they licensed by the state. They exist off shore for legal purposes, and this is why they can operate fluidly and allow you a chance to win money.

The things 5Dimes is asking you for is called Know Your Customer or KYC, and is a standard business liability practice. Every casino will accept your money, sight unseen. Every casino gives you a disclaimer in advance of your deposit that you may not get money from them until you have done the KYC process.

1. The Bangladesh Bank though has issued a notice to commercial banks, in order to ask for an ‘online transaction authorization form’ (OTAF) from their clients for any foreign payment that is made, in an effort to limit transactions that might be connected with illegal gambling or money laundering.
2. When you first lay eyes on the 5Dimes website, there’s nothing that tells you that, in my opinion, this is the best offshore online sportsbook there is.The 5Dimes design is at least 15 years old, with a betting interface that resembles Excel and complete with an animated logo for crying out loud.

On May 14, 2018, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (1992, PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court by a vote of 6-3 (with one useless judge basically abstaining). As PASPA was the federal law banning sports betting in all states but Nevada, the Supreme Court PASPA decision allows legal Pennsylvania sports betting to be established and deployed immediately upon action of the PA legislature. Act No. 42 already makes sports betting legal in the state, but there will be a period of time allotted for congress to pass comprehensive regulatory legislation on in-state sports betting before any actual casinos, tracks, or other bookmakers are allowed to open for business.

Because this process could take a few months, it is advisable that, to enjoy legal Pennsylvania sports betting right now, you simply stick with the online sportsbooks that have been serving the area for decades: Bovada, BetOnline, SportsBetting, 5Dimes, BetDSI, etc. Indeed, the legal online aspect of Pennsylvania's new sports betting industry will probably take longer to go live than their casino initiatives, so there is no rush to close out your offshore account and transfer those funds into land-based PA sportsbooks just yet.

Is online gambling legal in Pennsylvania?

This may come as a surprise to many, but Pennsylvania has more legal gambling venues than any other state in the nation, other than Nevada. This is due to two factors – citizens demanding legal and fun casino gaming, and a legislature seeking a means to increase tax revenue. As a result, all the new land based gambling in Pennsylvania, from horse tracks to casinos, are heavily regulated and taxed.

This does not apply so much to legal online gaming. Casino games players can turn to the internet for legal sites that welcome citizens of Pennsylvania and are not regulated by state or federal law. The best ones are usually listed and reviewed here, so check back regularly if you live Pennsylvania, find a site that looks appealing, and you want to make sure it’s safe, legal and fun.

5dimes Credit Card Authorization Form

Do I have to pay state and federal taxes on my earnings from online gambling sites?

All citizens of the United States are asked to report all of their income to the federal government. You will not have anyone monitoring you or holding your hand to do this and it is up to you to be honest and include it in your annual income tax-returns. The IRS even provides a special section for gambling winnings in annual tax return paperwork.

Is online gambling in Pennsylvania legal?

Federal laws only prevent the operation of an online gambling site within the borders of the United States. There is nothing unlawful about placing a bet online and visiting online gambling sites located outside of U.S. jurisdiction.

Is my banking and personal information safe with these online gambling sites?

All of your information will be encrypted upon being transferred and cannot be accessed by anyone but the security and accounting department of the online gambling site.

The gambling site is requesting an authorization form. What is this?

An authorization form is a fax-back (or scan back) form that is issued in order to prove that you are who you say you are and that you are of the legal gambling age in your jurisdiction. You have to send this back to the gambling center in order to withdraw winnings in the future.

How old do I have to be to gamble through the online gambling sites that accept people from Pennsylvania?

The legal gambling age for Pennsylvania, either online or in person, is 21. However, most online sportsbooks will accept any users over 18. Still, the sportsbook will not be held accountable for those gambling illegally. We strongly advise waiting until you are of legal age to gamble so as not to leave yourself open to any potential legal penalties.

How can I deposit money into my gambling site?

Deposits can be made using a major credit card such as Visa or MasterCard as well as a wide range of other options. Bank wire transfers, a check by courier or money orders can all be used to fund your account.

How can I get my money out of my gambling site?

Due to federal laws, players are unable to receive their money via credit/debit card even if it was the original method for placing a deposit. Users can collect their winnings in the form of a bank wire transfer, a money order, or the most popular, a check by courier. The amount of time it takes is relative to the distance the check must travel. Pennsylvania residents usually receive their checks in about 10 business days.

How do I know that these sites are fair?

5dimes Authorization Form Print

We only list sites with a track record of success and happy users. These are the most reputable in the business having never failed to make a payout as well as keeping their pages up to date and running smoothly.

How long will it take me to cash out my winnings?

This will depend on the withdrawal method you use. Checks will obviously take longer to arrive in the mail than money orders. We strongly recommend not becoming reliant on gambling payouts for day to day life so as to not incur steeper fees for faster methods.

NOTE - Please acknowledge that we are not legal experts nor do we practice law. The information provided on this site is based from experiences and accounts of what actually happens when gambling online in Pennsylvania. We urge you to consult your attorney or the Pennsylvania gambling statutes if you are unsure of your liability when gambling at gambling sites accepting Pennsylvania residents.

I’m a bit of a sports fanatic, especially for my local San Francisco Giants and 49ers. However march madness is my favorite, it’s like a religious holiday. Brackets, upsets, cinderellas, and those buzzer-beaters. Ohhhh my!

At any rate, I enjoy putting money on some of the madness games, and asked my friend who is an avid sports gambler which site he uses. He quickly responded 5Dimes…

“They have the best lines, most proposition bets, and nice tiered bonuses.”

The first yellow-flag (i’m not even at red yet) is their payment processor (where you provide your credit card deposit). It is hosted by a completely obscure 3rd party, and seems to rotate frequently. I pressed on though, as I had some great picks. The second yellow-flag, none of their site is encrypted via https. This definitely made me uneasy, but, gotta get those picks in.

I do have to give their betting platform some credit though, while not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, they have lines for most every possible sport and game. Proposition bets, parlays, futures.

After everything was said and done, and the nets cut down, it was finally time to withdraw my winnings. Here-in, comes the rub. There is no link in the interface to withdraw (only deposit). So, I fired up their friendly chat and asked to withdraw my account balance. A 5Dimes representative responded with, please provide your password in the chat window so we can verify your account. The first of many red flags has risen.

They are asking users to provide their account password in a plain text (non-encrypted) chat window. Second, I can almost guarantee that they are not hashing passwords, and all employees on the other end of their chat can view any account password.

Deep breaths… Not that big of a deal for me, since I use a randomly generated password for each site (1Password), but others are not so savvy. Anyway, 5Dimes agreed to withdraw my account (via PayPal payout), and said they would be sending an e-mail with further details. Shortly the e-mail with the details arrived, and I couldn’t believe they could be so incompetent.

1- Please refer to the attached authorization form you need to fill out (handwritten) in order to process your payment request.

2- Along with the authorization form make sure to include a copy of your ID (driver’s license or passport) and a copy of your Visa card ending in V-8921 (front of card only).

5dimes Authorization Form

3- Also a copy of a utility bill or bank statement is required to validate your current address.

5dimes Authorization Form

That is right, they require that you fill out a form (asking for the full credit card number), take a photo of your ID and credit card, and provide a bank statement, just to issue a withdraw. Not to mention, what does my original credit card used to fund the account have to do with receiving a PayPal payment? All of this sensitive information needed to be sent over unencrypted e-mail. I proceeded, but refused to provide the full credit card number on the form, and masked the full credit card number in the photo sent.

A 5Dimes representative then responded, that I must provide the full credit card number on the form, and a full photo of the credit card to process the PayPal withdraw. This is utter nonsense. Nevermind the fact they don’t need any of these details for a PayPal transfer, but they also don’t need the entire card number to verify a card. They can use the last 4, expiration, card type, and issuing bank, and have enough data points to verify a given card.

I pushed back and forth for a few e-mails, but they would not budge. In order to withdraw the money that I fairly won, I would have to send them my credit card number and a picture in a plain text e-mail.

Reluctantly, I caved in, and sent the e-mail off with my credit card details exposed. Once the PayPal process was initiated, I called my credit card company and reported the card lost, and had them re-issue a new card.

I’m not much for a conspiracy theorist, but I find it hard to believe that these online sportsbooks, who transact tens of millions of dollars a year, don’t know about common security practices. Their blatant lack of security and best practices almost makes me believe they intentionally do it so perhaps they can sell their users identities and even worse credit cards to black markets. I obviously don’t have proof of this, but it would not surprise me.

In closing, online sportsbooks are a market ripe for innovation and change. Just like Stripe brought online payments to the masses in a secure and trustworthy fashion, a legit, venture backed online sportsbook could do the same. The only thing preventing it, is US laws. Personally, I say legalize online gambling, and lets regulate it so it is secure, safe, and a reputable business.