Gambling in August climbed over the prior year, with much of the haul for Pennsylvania taxpayers coming from online games.
But the August total was a slight drop compared to revenue in July, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
Gaming raked in $457.15 million in August, a year-over-year increase of 7.47%. Last month’s total dipped slightly from July’s total of $467 million.
Online casino games generated gross revenue of almost $145 million during August, an increase of 35.27% compared to last year, according to the gaming board.
Sports wagering totaled $393 million, or 8.25% above last year.
“Pennsylvania sports betting saw a slight boost in action this August,” said PlayPennsylvania analyst Chris Imperiale. “This was more than a 16% increase from the previous month, and about an 8.3% jump up from a year ago in August 2022. This is a sign of things to come, as the return of football betting should rejuvenate the Keystone State going forward.”
While sports betting rose, the tax revenue to the state didn’t beat online gaming’s tally. Taxable revenue from sports betting was $22 million, or 35.13% lower compared to last year.
This summer closed the book on the 2022-23 fiscal year for the state. The June figures showed a record haul from gamblers — more than $5.5 billion. Losses from players also meant record tax revenue for the state.
The fiscal year tallied $2.37 billion in tax revenue. A portion of the revenue is used to reduce school property taxes.
