Pennsylvania should go live with online sports betting within two to three weeks, a Pennsylvania Gaming Control board spokesman said Wednesday.

Most of the state’s casinos have been taking sports bets since last fall. PGCB spokesman Doug Harbach said those facilities with state-issued sports betting certificates will be approved to take bets online later this spring, as they pass all necessary testing benchmarks with the board.

“I really believe that within the next two to three weeks, we will see the first of the sports wagering internet sites go up for testing,” Harbach said. Assuming no major glitches, the sites should be given the green light from there.

The step will be a big one for the Pennsylvania casino operators that have jumped into the sports betting business. In New Jersey, recent revenue reports have shown on-line bets accounting for more than 80 percent of all sports bets placed.

PGCB also announced Wednesday that it will go live with online poker and casino-style games with a coordinated launch later this summer.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Executive Director Kevin O’Toole said the agency is ready to let all the licensed operators launch the games during the week of July 15.

Most of Pennsylvania’s casinos have applied for and received licenses to enter the cyber-casino world, which will turn every internet-capable device into a potential betting position. When the launch date arrives, Pennsylvania will join Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware in the business.

Pennsylvania will also be the fourth state to take online sports bets, joining New Jersey, Nevada and West Virginia.

There are some rules that apply to all the online games.

For starters, any player will:

Have to pass age verification checks showing that they are 21 years old to set up an account with a bet-taker.

Have to be within the borders of Pennsylvania to place a bet with the Pennsylvania operators.

O’Toole said online sports betting has gotten on a sightly faster track than the casino-style games in part because there are fewer certification steps involved since the sports wagers are placed on live events. The igaming content, meanwhile, has to be evaluated for randomness of play and other factors.

Internet-based games, commonly known as igaming, are proving to be a market of the future that the Pennsylvania operators don’t want to forego.

Gaming industry consultant Michael Pollock told PennLive last year that the online games are seen as capturing a younger players who, for whatever reason, are seen as less likely to visit physical casinos.

In New Jersey, igame revenues have steadily increased through each of the past five years, accounting for about 10.3 percent of all casino winnings in 2018, or $298.7 million. Sports wagering revenue, in little over six months of play, brought in an additional $94 million.

The U.S. Supreme Court opened the door to sports betting nationally in a ruling last spring, in a challenge brought by New Jersey, that overturned a longstanding federal prohibition that had kept most states out of the business.

The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in East Hanover Township, Dauphin County, launched sports betting in November.