Pennsylvania’s Gaming Market Flourishes Despite the Pandemic

Pennsylvania’s gambling market has seen a record increase in gross gaming revenue in October, despite the new COVID-19 wave, as revealed by the state’s Gaming Control Board.

Casino Gambling Reigns Supreme in PA 

Combining all the various retail and online betting options in Pennsylvania, the state has seen all-time high monthly gaming revenue of about $425.9 million, beating July’s record of $423.7 million. Furthermore, this marks the fourth month in a row where the gaming revenue has surpassed $400 million. 

Out of October’s number, $292.4 million are thanks to the retail casinos and their offerings. Not only does this mark a 34% year-on-year growth, but it also shows a tendency of growth despite the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

Doug Harbach, the communications director of Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, spoke with CDC Gaming Reports, revealing that even after the strict safety measures adopted by the state’s fifteen casinos, the number of visitors continues to increase. 

The leading casinos in October were Parx and Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course. The former earned $57.3 million, closely followed by the latter, which won $57 million. Next up were Rivers Casino Philadephia and Wind Creek Bethlehem, with each of them getting $46.2 million. Not far behind was Valley Forge, getting $42.8 million.

Online Gambling Also Contributed to the Total Number

Taking things to the digital space, October’s online betting results are just as exciting. According to the numbers reported by the PGCB, online slots yielded $70.7 million. Interactive online table games also saw an increase, capping at $32.2 million. 

Next up was online sports betting, which yielded $23.5 million. Sports betting is the only form of online betting that actually saw a year-on-year decrease, compared to 2020s $36.7 million.

Fantasy sports earned $3.7 million, which might seem less impressive in comparison to the previous offerings but is actually the highest monthly sum this offering has earned in Pennsylvania. 

Last but not least are the video gambling terminals, which earned $3.3 million. 

Pennsylvania is the third most vaccinated state, with 73% of its adults having taken the shot. Despite this respectable number, the state is fifth in terms of COVID-19 spread, according to Johns Hopkins University. On November 17, Pennsylvania counted 6,024 new cases. 

Despite this, Governor Tom Wolf currently has no plans to restrict businesses. Instead, the state plans to focus on enforcing the established measures in order to balance between ensuring anti-pandemic safety and letting the economy run uninterrupted. 

Pennsylvania has had remarkable growth in its gambling revenues, but it still has suffered some heavy losses because of the unregulated slot machines in the state. Because of this, the PGCB recently allowed several casinos to reduce their total number of slots.