Despite iGaming and mobile sports betting continuing to see revenues surge, last month marked a strong return to pre-pandemic brick-and-mortar. In fact, overall, the casinos fared even better than they did before the coronavirus ravaged the world.<\/p>\n
Casino slot machines and table games in April 2019 won $277.8 million. Last month, they won $279.1 million.<\/p>\n
The reinvigorated land-based gaming market, spurred by easing of COVID-19 mitigation measures, coupled with the continued strong showing of play in the online sector, is good news for Pennsylvanians who will benefit from the tax revenues,” Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Communications Director Doug Harbach said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHowever, there is slightly more to the story. In April of 2019, Pennsylvania was home to 12 casinos. Today, there are 15.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSome casinos that were operating two years ago are winning fewer dollars today from their land-based operations. A few examples:<\/p>\n
Casino — April 2021 — April 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Wind Creek — $36.6M — $47M<\/li>\n
- Rivers Pittsburgh — $30.1M — $31.3M<\/li>\n
- Hollywood Penn National — $19.6M — $20.7M<\/li>\n
- Mohegan Sun Pocono — $18.3M — $19.3M<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Skill Concerns<\/b><\/h2>\n
Pennsylvania is reopening. Beginning Memorial Day, May 31, Gov. Tom Wolf (D) is lifting all COVID-related restrictions.<\/p>\n
That means bars and restaurants can return to operating at full capacity. Many of those establishments are likely to turn back on their controversial skill-based gaming machines that the licensed casinos in the state desperately want eradicated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n
In February, the Pennsylvania House Gaming Oversight Committee heard testimony from representatives of the licensed casinos. Unlike the 15 commercial gaming venues, skill gaming devices, which closely mimic a slot machine<\/a>, pay no licensing fees, and the terminals are not taxed, nor regulated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nAdrian King, an attorney representing the state casinos, said further distributed gaming is bad “almost as much as COVID.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pennsylvania gaming industry is alive and well, as gross gaming revenue (GGR) exceeding $400 million for the second consecutive month.\u00a0 March GGR totaled $403.1 million. It was, at the time, the state’s highest gaming revenue number ever. The record didn’t last long, however, as the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revealed today that April revenue […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":173987,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Pennsylvania Posts Second Consecutive Monthly Gaming Record<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n