Pa. casinos landed $393M in revenues for January, state records show
Revenues at Pennsylvania casinos continued a gradual decline last month, a trend seen across the state since the record-breaking month of November, state regulators said.
In all, more than $393.1 million was recorded in January, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. That’s a $39.3 million decrease from November, when revenues totaled $432.5 million. It’s also a $13.1 million less than December, when revenues reached $406.3 million, data show.
Despite the decrease, revenues set last month were 26% higher than the same period last year, when they totaled $311.1 million. In addition, revenues from internet gambling last month eclipsed a previous record set in October. In January, revenues reached $108.3 million, which was $5.4 million more than October.
Total tax revenue generated through all forms of gambling and fantasy contests last month totaled $157.5 million.
Of the state’s 16 licensed casinos, Hollywood Casino at Penn National in Dauphin County saw the highest revenue total in January, bringing in more than $57.2 million.
Locally, Rivers Casino Pittsburgh saw revenues of $28.5 million. Of that, slot machines brought in more than $19.6 million, with $7.4 million generated from table games. Sports betting brought in $1.4 million. That’s a $487,946 increase from December, when revenues reached $970,532.
In all, the casino saw $38.7 million wagered through retail and online sportsbooks in January.
At Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington County, revenues in January totaled $16.7 million.
The facility brought in $11.2 million from slot machines, $2.2 million from table games and $3.1 million from retail and online sports wagering. That’s a decrease from December, when revenues from sports betting totaled $4.5 million. Still, $197.6 million in sports bets was wagered at the facility in January, officials said.
Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin in Fayette County generated $1.6 million last month, $1.4 of which came from slot machines and $200,697 from table games.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh at Westmoreland Mall saw revenues of $8.2 million last month. Of that, $6.8 million came from slot machines, $1.2 million from table games and $186,547 from retail sports wagering. That’s an increase from December, when sports bets generated $107,588.
The Hempfield facility saw more than $1 million wagered on sports bets in January.
In casinos across the state last month, retail slot machine revenues totaled $168.4 million, and retail table games generated $78.2 million. In addition, $71.8 million was generated from online slot machines, $33 million came from online table games and $3.3 million from online poker.
Video gambling terminals generated $3.1 million, and fantasy contests brought in $2.8 million, data show.
Retail and online sports wagering generated $32.1 million, which is a significant increase from December when revenues reached $18.8 million. Across Pennsylvania, the total amount wagered last month also increased from $750.3 million in December to $793.7 million in January, breaking a record of $776.3 million set in October.
According to PlayPennsylvania, an independent website covering regulated gambling in the state, from revenues generated last month, sportsbooks generated $53.4 million in gross revenues. That was about 18% more than generated in December, when sportsbook revenues totaled $45.3 million.
Officials largely attributed the growth to a month full of NFL and NBA games, as well as college football’s national championship.
“Pennsylvania’s sports betting growth has lagged behind similarly sized states like Illinois, but the growth has still remained consistent,” said Dustin Gouker, analyst for the PlayUSA.com network. “Simply put, whether it’s sports betting or online casino gaming, more people are betting more often now than a year ago.
”And there is little reason to believe the growth will stop this year.”
Megan Tomasic is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter .
