Strong August Table Game Revenue Gives PA Casinos a Year-Over-Year Bump

Gambling revenue at Pennsylvania casinos totaled $267,460,291 in August, a 6.8% drop compared to the previous month, according to statistics posted by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).

The state’s 12 casinos took in a total of $193,190,477 in slots revenue for the month, with no operator beating its July numbers. Parx Casino came out the big winner at the machines, banking roughly $32 million. That figure is $2 million less than what it earned the previous month, however. Sands Bethlehem came in at a distant second with $25.1 million, a more than $1 million month over month drop. Nemacolin sat at the low end of the spectrum, posting just $2.5 million in slots winnings.

Total table game revenue amounted to $74,269,814, 4.6% less than its July numbers. All but two casinos, Parx and Valley Forge, experienced month over month declines. Sands topped the earnings list, bringing in nearly $20 million in table game revenue, with Parx on its heels with $16 million. Harrah’s Philadelphia dropped the farthest compared with its July figures in terms of table games, booking $1.1 million less.

Table games hit record highs in March and April of this year, with revenues of nearly $80 million each, after hitting a low point in February at $66 million.

Compared with the same period in 2016, slot revenues were virtually even while table game profits rose by nearly 11%. Total August gaming revenue was up by 2.5%, year-over-year.

Commonwealth gambling regulators collected over $107 million in taxes in August, with $95 million coming from slots and roughly $12 million from the 1,258 table games operating statewide.

Parx leads the pack in yearly gaming revenue, boasting $381 million, with Sands not far behind at $364 million. All told, PA casinos have grossed $2.17 billion in 2017.

Slots earnings depress growth

In July, casino revenue shot up by nearly 11% compared with the previous month, giving PA gambling operators a bright start to the 2017 fiscal year. August’s 7.62% downward trend is a disappointment, however, mostly due to a $16 million reduction in slots earnings.

August marks the eleventh month in a row that slot revenue has fallen short of its year-over-year markers. Slot operators experienced their best month this year in March, when they took in $210 million and their worst January, with $180 million.