Last month, the Keystone States 12 licensed and regulated casino operators managed to generate a whopping $209.6 million in combined gross revenue from slot machine gaming – this is a 2.7 percent year-on-year increase according to the figures that were released by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board on Tuesday, June 4.
The gaming control board’s figures also revealed that tax revenue for the month of May was $108,199,942. All these impressive figures were from an average of 25,168 slot machines in May 2019 – last year during the same period, there were a total of 25, 840 slot machines in operation.
An Overview of the PGCB Slot Machine Revenue Report
| Casino | May 2019 | May 2018 | % Change |
| Parx Casino | $37,038,375.06 | $35,708,089.14 | 3.73% |
| Wind Creek Bethlehem (formerly Sands Casino) | $26,135,435.56 | $27,009,310.35 | -3.24% |
| Rivers Casino | $25,612,121.67 | $22,676,245.11 | 12.95% |
| The Meadows Casino | $18,677,481.02 | $17,359,254.44 | 7.59% |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course | $18,312,915.72 | $18,103,917.80 | 1.15% |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | $17,047,557.50 | $17,436,510.90 | -2.23% |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack | $16,965,046.72 | $17,242,944.85 | -1.61% |
| SugarHouse Casino | $15,563,286.02 | $15,548,589.92 | 0.09% |
| Mount Airy Casino Resort | $12,450,848.68 | $12,609,468.23 | -1.26% |
| Presque Isle Downs and Casino | $10,328,658.95 | $9,940,269.55 | 3.91% |
| Valley Forge Casino Resort | $8,867,509.89 | $7,947,054.14 | 11.58% |
| Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin | $2,580,614.42 | $2,411,604.59 | 7.01% |
| Statewide Total | $209,579,851.21 | $203,993,259.02 | 2.74% |
Recently, there have been concerns pertaining to the declining interest in slot machines, but if these revenue figures are anything to go by, then there is definitely hope for the gaming vertical. Slot machines are quite vital to the Pennsylvanian gambling industry and the state authorities are taking steps to ensure it continues to thrive.
The Impact of Pennsylvanian Casino Slots on Horse Racing
Also, recently released by the state’s gambling regulator was the 12th annual ‘Racetrack Casino Benchmark Report‘ which details the impact that the state’s casinos have had on its horse racing industry.
According to the report, $242 million in slot machine tax revenue has been generated last year – this represents a 1.3 percent increase in tax revenue from the $238.5 million that was recorded in the previous year. Among the key beneficiaries of the tax revenue was the Pennsylvania Race Horse Development Trust Fund with some of the key areas of improvement being enhancements of race purses as well as the provision of more assistance to breeding operations. In addition to that, the revenue has also contributed to the provision of health and pension benefits for horsemen as well as the enhancement of agricultural initiatives in the state.
All in all, the report states that “the racing industry in Pennsylvania is significant in size and continues to be supported by the success of legalized gaming.”