Taking a sharp dip in the harsh month of January were Pennsylvania casino grosses. The $252 million of revenue represented a 12% falloff from last year and a 1% dip from 2019. Factor out newer casinos and the picture worsens: -13% from 2023 and -18% from 2019. With the exception of Parx Shippensburg ($2.5 million, +438%), everybody got walloped and some pretty hard. Parx Casino led the state with $44 million but took a 13% hit. Other Philadelphia casinos fared better with the exception of Harrah’s Philadelphia, which plunged 21.5% to $10.5 million. Valley Forge Resort inched a few dollars ahead of Harrah’s (above), grossing $10.5 million, while Live Philadelphia ($20 million, -9%) bested Rivers Philadelphia ($18 million, -8%).
Best of the rest, as ever, was Wind Creek Bethlehem, down 6.5% but $41 million richer. Pittsburgh saw Rivers Casino winning the battle ($25 million) but losing the market-share war (-11.5%) compared to Hollywood Meadows ($14 million, -9%), if not Live Pittsburgh ($8.5 million, -15%). Mohegan Pocono tumbled 16% to $15 million, Mount Airy fell 15.5% to $13 million, while Lady Luck Nemacolin, which had the most to lose ($1.5 million) ceded the least (-2%). Two racinos that took it on the kisser were Presque Isle Downs ($6 million, -27%) and Hollywood Penn National ($11 million, -26%). Satellites of note were Hollywood York ($7.5 million, -13%) and Hollywood Morgantown ($5 million, -16.5%).
Sports betting winnings in the Keystone State were robust, with $98 million grossed off of $858 million in handle. After promotions, the former number dwindled to $70 million. FanDuel dominated with 43% market share, followed by DraftKings (24%), ESPN Bet (9%), BetRivers (6%), BetMGM (5%) and Caesars Sportsbook (5%). Internet casinos brought in $149.5 million, with $50.5 million going to the Hollywood Casino flotilla (Penn Entertainment, DraftKings, BetMGM) and $41.5 million to FanDuel, while BetRivers faded to $29.5 million, still good for a fifth of the proceeds.
Internet casinos did spectacular business in Michigan last month, up 18% to $182 million. It was a three-way battle for supremacy, pitting incumbent BetMGM ($48 million) against DraftKings ($43 million) and FanDuel ($43 million). The latter two deserve to gloat over how much i-casino marketing share they’ve captured, considering that they were a couple of DFS providers not so long ago. Others factoring into the i-gaming picture were BetRivers ($11.5 million), Caesars Digital ($10 million), Hollywood Casino ($5 million), FoxBet ($3 million), WynnBet ($3 million) and BetGLC ($2 million). Sports betting shot up 42% to $48 million in revenue, on handle of $577 million. Alas, promo outlays were extremely George, 61% of revenue, meaning that the books only took home $19 million. FanDuel fairly clobbered the competition with $27 million. After that came DraftKings ($11 million) and BetMGM ($6 million). ESPN Bet, Caesars Sportsbook and Fanatics each had only a million bucks to show for themselves, and BetRivers couldn’t even scrounge up that much.
Doing its bit for Black History Month this year was Bally’s Dover. It booked Rev. John G. Moore Sr. (pictured) to deliver a lecture entitled “Echoes of a Prophet” on Feb. 19 … but didn’t send the e-mail announcement until Feb. 20! Yup, it’s another typical Bally’s Corp. screwup and yet another diss of Black history, which is consigned to the shortest and coldest month of the year.
In other Bally’s news, Bally’s Atlantic City continues its war on disabled people with the inadequate mobility-aid bars shown above. The question of how a handicapped person will get into or out of the tub is begged. Wouldn’t showers be disabled-friendlier? (We welcome your viewpoints on the matter.) Oh, and cigars are restricted on the casino floor (below). Try telling that to the cigar smoke, which goes wherever it likes.
