Record online gambling and sports betting revenue in October drove overall market revenue in Pennsylvania up 12.9% year-on-year, according to new figures from the state Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Statewide gambling revenue for the month totalled $320.2m, up from $283.7m in the same month last year, and also 12.7% higher than $284.2m in September this year.
Growth within the state’s online gambling market was one of the main reasons for this increase, with igaming revenue rocketing from $4.9m in October 2019, the first full month in which online casino was available to $59.8m. This represents highest ever monthly total for the vertical, surpassing the previous record of $57.0m set in September.
Online slots revenue reached $40.3m, while internet table games revenue totalled $17.0m, and revenue from online poker – which is currently only offered by PokerStars, via Mount Airy Casino Resort – amounted to $2.4m. A total of $24.9m was generated in tax revenue from igaming activities in the month.
Looking at individual operator performances, Rivers Casino Philadelphia again ranked first in terms of revenue, posting $16.6m for the month, up 564.0% from $2.5m last year.
Penn National and partner DraftKings placed second with $15.5m in revenue, an increase of 761.1% on October 2019, then Valley Forge Casino Resort on $10.0m, with no year-on-year comparable as it did not launch igaming until January this year.
Other stand-out performers included the Mount Airy Casino Resorts with $6.9m in revenue, Parx Casino on $5.9m and the Mohegan Sun Pocono with $2.6m.
Turning to sports betting and monthly revenue here also reached a record high of $36.8m, which was 147.0% higher than October last year and also 484.1% up on September’s total.
Retail revenue for the month amounted to $30.5m, while retail revenue stood at $6.3m. Operators paid a total of $13.2m in sports betting taxes.
The PGCB also noted that the state’s market set a new monthly handle record in October, with consumers spending a total of $525.8m on sports wagering, up from the previous record of $462.8m set in September this year.
The Valley Forge Casino Resort and FanDuel retained top spot in the market with $15.6m in revenue, up by 169.7% from $5.8m last year, some way ahead of the Meadows Casino on with revenue of $6.8m, some 3,732.2% higher than in 2019.
The Hollywood Casino at Penn National saw its revenue jump 878.0% to $3.4m, while revenue at Parx Casino also climbed 44.5% to $3.3m. Only two operators saw a decline in October, with revenue at Rivers Philadelphia slipping 9.8% to $2.5m, while the Mohegan Sun Lehigh Valley posted a $317,835 loss.
Meanwhile, the PGCB also noted that daily fantasy sports revenue for the month was down slightly by 3.0% to $3.2m. DraftKings led this market with $1.8m in revenue, ahead of main rival FanDuel on $1.4m, with all approved operators paying $480,451 in tax.
In terms of land-based casino activities, the PGCB reported further declines for both table games and slot machines, as venues continue to face restrictions related to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
Revenue from land-based slot games amounted to $154.7m, down 17.2% on the same month last year, while table games revenue also slipped 13.4% to $63.3m. Tax from slot machines in October reached $80.1m and table games $10.2m.
Elsewhere, video gaming terminal gross revenue stood at $2.4m from $26.9m in total wagers, with tax from these machines amounting to $1.3m.
Looking at how this impact Pennsylvania’s year-to-date performance, revenue for the state’s entire gambling market in the 10 months to the end of October was $3.9bn.
Year-to-date online gambling revenue stands at $466.9m, with sports betting revenue at $183.2m, land-based slots contributing $2.35bn and table games $884.6m.