Gambling revenue in Pennsylvania hits record high

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s commercial casinos reached a new high in revenue last year, state regulators said Thursday, a record boosted by an aggressive new expansion of gambling authorized by state lawmakers and Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board said revenue at the state’s 12 casinos, as well as through fantasy sports contests and video gambling terminals at truck stops, rose in 2019 by $146 million, or 4.5%, over 2018 to above $3.4 billion.

It was the fifth straight calendar year that casino revenue grew in Pennsylvania.

Slot machine revenue was the lion’s share of the revenue at almost $2.4 billion, but shrank about $7 million. Revenue from table games rose by about $25 million to above $900 million.

The 2019 figures had the benefit of the first results from online gambling, sports betting and video gambling terminals at truck stops.

Online gambling through the licensed casinos contributed almost $34 million while sports betting contributed $84 million. Video gambling terminals at truck stops contributed $2 million while fantasy sports contests contributed almost $26 million, up by $10.5 million from 2018.

Pennsylvania’s commercial casinos are No. 2 in the nation in gross revenue, after Nevada’s. Pennsylvania is No. 1 state in tax revenue from the casino industry, at about $1.5 billion.