T
he Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that casinos generated more than $415.6 million in September, a 46% increase compared to revenues from the same period in 2020. Money generated last month was nearly $7.9 million less than in July 2021, when casinos saw $423.6 million in revenues, the highest monthly revenue to date.
Of the state’s 16 licensed casinos, Parx Casino in Bucks County got the highest revenue total in September with $57.1 million.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh got to a total of $33.1 million. Of that, slot machines brought in about $22.6 million, with $8.1 million generated from table games and about $2.4 million from retail and online sports wagering. The facility also saw $27.6 million wagered through sports betting last month.
At Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington County revenues in September totaled $18.9 million. The facility brought in $13.9 million from slot machines, $2.8 million from table games and $2.1 million from retail and online sports wagering. The amount generated from sports betting was down significantly from August when revenues reached $6.8 million. In all, $166.6 million was wagered through sports betting at the facility.
Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin in Fayette County generated $2.29 million, $2 million of which came from slot machines and $265,167 from table games.
Live! Casino Pittsburgh saw revenues of $9.2 million last month. Of that, $7.6 million came from slot machines, $1.4 million from table games and $178,538 from retail sports wagering. In all, the facility saw $984,381 wagered through sports bets, data show.
In casinos across the state, retail slot machine revenues totaled $198.8 million, and retail table games generated $84 million. In addition, $68.5 million was generated from online slot machines, $26.3 million came from online table games and $2.9 million from online poker.
Across the state last month, video gaming terminals generated $3.4 million, and fantasy contests brought in $3.2 million, data show.
Sports betting
Betting volume at Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks in September was the second-most-all-time for the state, nearly hitting $580 million, which can be attributable to the first full month of the football season.
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks drew $578.8 million in wagers in September, according to official data released Tuesday. September’s volume was up 25.1% from $462.8 million in September 2020 and up 66.1% from $348.5 million in August.
However, according to PlayPennsylvania, the surge in both sports betting and online casino gambling is indicative of a growing industry.
Analyst for PlayPennsylvania.com, Katie Kohler, explained: “Nothing stirs the sports betting drink like football, even when the Steelers and the Eagles get off to slow starts. Penn State made a difference in boosting interest, which certainly helps. The bottom line is every sportsbook wants a strong start to the football season, and that is exactly what Pennsylvania’s industry got in September.”
Operators generated $48.1 million in gross revenue in September, up 163.2% from $18.3 million in September 2020 and up 90.1% from $25.3 million in August. That created $28.3 million in taxable revenue, generating $10.2 million in state taxes and local share assessments.
Through the first nine months of 2021, bettors have placed $4.3 billion in wagers, or 45.6% of the $9.4 billion wagered in Pennsylvania since sports betting opened in November 2018.
Dustin Gouker, analyst for the PlayUSA.com Network, added: “Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks are in a position to generate more in wagering this fall than the $1.5 billion that was bet in all of 2019. The industry will in all likelihood continue to grow in the months ahead, gaining steam in October with baseball’s postseason and the opening of the NBA season. Sports betting should produce some eye-popping numbers over the next few months.”
Online sportsbooks accepted $527.4 million in wagers in September. FanDuel claimed 34.8% of the online market with $183.7 million in wagering. Revenue rose to $21.2 million. DraftKings was second with $164.7 million in wagers, which yielded $5.1 million in gross revenue.
Penn National’s Barstool-branded app celebrated its first anniversary by attracting $52.8 million in wagers in September. Those bets produced $2.6 million in gross revenue. Since launching in September 2020, the Barstool app has generated $52.9 million in revenue on $647.7 million in bets.
Retail sportsbooks drew $51.3 million in wagers in September, up from $48.7 million in September 2020. Those wagers created $7.2 million in gross sports betting revenue, up from $5.1 million September 2020. Rivers Pittsburgh topped the retail market with $7.9 million in bets.