Pennsylvania casinos see revenue increase in August

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For the first time in months Pennsylvania‘s casinos are seeing an overall uptick in revenue over 2019.

COVID-19 significantly impacted the industry with bricks and mortar casinos closed and sports betting hobbled by the cancellation of live sports. Now with casinos open and sports wagering available on sports ranging from baseball to hockey, the numbers are back up.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported total gaming and fantasy contest revenue in the state for August 2020 was $310.72 million, a 6% increase over August 2019 when revenue was $293.43 million. The revenue numbers are for all slot machines, table games, internet gaming, retail and internet sports.

PlayPennsylvania.com, which analyzes the industry said the return of sports wagering had a significant impact on revenue.

In August 2020 sports wagering brought in $18.27 million compared to $6.12 million in August 2019.

“Pennsylvania sportsbooks enjoyed their best month since the state launched the legal sports industry in November 2018 as the return of major sports helped unleash a wave of pent-up demand,” said Dustin Gouker, lead analyst for PlayPennsylvania. “In what has been a difficult year, August’s packed schedule of major sports helped Pennsylvania sportsbooks make up some of what was lost from pandemic-related shutdowns.”

Not all individual casinos saw an increase, however.

Wind Creek Bethlehem, for example, saw a nearly 26% decrease in revenue over last August, taking in $33.37 million in August 2020 compared to $44.98 million in August 2019.

Much of the statewide increase was in fantasy and sports betting. The Bethlehem based casino has not yet opened its sportsbook operations.

Mount Airy Casino Resort in Mount Pocono, which does have a sportsbook, by comparison saw a more than 54% increase in August 2020 over August 2019. It took in $27.06 million this August compared to $17.56 last August.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National saw a 33% increase taking in $28.57 million in August 2020 compared to $21.47 in August 2019.

During the pandemic shutdown, many gamblers turned to online casinos for their gaming. Online gaming remained high for August, even with bricks and mortar casinos reopened.

New for many casinos over the last year, internet gaming slot revenue for August 2020 was $39.63 million as compared to $2.53 million in August 2019.

“Some gamblers appear to still be reluctant to visit casinos in person, and technology is bridging that gap,” Gouker said.

The following chart compiles all revenue generated in August 2020 by casinos along with fantasy contests and video gaming terminals operated by other vendors, and includes a comparison to total revenue generated last August: