Internet Gaming Revenue In Pennsylvania Has More Than Doubled Since March According To the Gaming Control Board

HARRISBURG, PA:  With land-based gaming options unavailable during the entire month of May, Pennsylvania operators continued to see substantial increases in activity through online options for casino type games.

May 2020 revenue for online casino-type games, which include slot machines, table games and poker, jumped 30% over the previous month of April 2020.

Further emphasizing the significant increase in online play during the Covid-19 shut down of casinos is the jump in revenue in just two months. The $55,838,789 May online casino-type revenue figure was more than double the revenue generated from those games in March when revenue stood at $24,884,830.

All casinos in Pennsylvania were shut down in mid-March due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Three of the Commonwealth’s 12 casinos have re-opened thus far in June with three more scheduled for re-opening in the next week. Re-opening dates for the other six casinos will be established based on Governor Wolf’s county-by-county plan to phase in business openings.

Other available games during the Coronavirus shutdown include online sports wagering and fantasy contests.

Overall gaming revenue was down 79% in May of this year compared to May 2019.  Tax revenue from all forms of gaming in May 2020 was $25,762,836.

The Board has posted separate reports for these types of gaming on its website, https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/.

Internet Casino-Type Gaming Revenue

Casino games offered online generated gross revenue of $55,838,789 during May. That figure is 30% higher than the previous month of April 2020 when revenue was $43,067,881

A breakdown of revenue from sites offered online is as follows:

Tax revenue generated from internet gaming play during May was $23,976,574*.Sports Wagering Revenue

May 2020 total sports wagering revenue from 13 retail and 9 online outlets was $4,828,989, or 40% higher than April 2020 total of $2,883,471.  The retail outlets were not operational during May but continued to make some payouts on earlier determined wagers.

May sports wagering total handle and a breakout of revenue by casino is as follows:

¹Operated by Parx Casino

²Operated by Mohegan Sun Pocono

Tax revenue generated from sports wagering during May was $1,738,436*.

Fantasy Contests

Fantasy Contests revenue was $318,840 in May 2020, a decrease of 82% over May of last year when revenue was $1,803,056.

 Fantasy Contests adjusted revenue for each of the operators for May 2020 and May 2019 are displayed in the following table:

¹No longer operating in PA

 Tax revenue collected from the play of Fantasy Contests in May of this year was $47,826*.

 Overall

 The Board is providing a synopsis of revenue year-over-year by types of games:

*Tax revenue figures reflect amount generated prior to any adjustments by the PA Department of Revenue

 About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

 The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of gambling legalized under 2004’s Race Horse Development and Gaming Act and the Gaming Expansion Act of 2017. In addition to slot machine and table games gambling at land-based casinos, the expansion includes online casino games available to date on seven sites; sports wagering offered through sportsbooks at 13 retail locations and through eight online outlets; video gaming terminals (VGTs) offered as of this date at 27 qualified truck stops; and, fantasy sports contests through eight providers.

The mature land-based casino industry in Pennsylvania currently consists of 10 stand-alone and racetrack casinos in operation, along with the two smaller resort casinos.  These facilities collectively employ over 16,000 people and, along with other types of Board-regulated gaming, annually generate over $1.5 billion in tax revenue. Construction of a 13^th casino is currently underway along with a number of new “mini-casinos” that are expected to begin operation over the next couple of years.

Additional information about both the PGCB’s gaming regulatory efforts and Pennsylvania’s gaming industry can be found at https://gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/. You can also follow the agency on Twitter by choosing @PAGamingControl.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Doug Harbach or Richard McGarvey - (717) 346-8321