Only Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs and Lady Luck Nemacolin saw revenue declines at the slot machines last month. All other 
Pennsylvania casinos were revenue-positive, especially Parx Casino, up 10.5% to $35 million. Another overachiever was Valley Forge Resort Casino, vaulting 18% to $7.5 million (incoming owner Boyd Gaming will be happy to see those numbers). Pocono Downs was down 3%, grossing $16 million. Regional competitors Sands Bethlehem (+3%) and Mount Airy (+5.5%) pulled in $25 million and $13 million respectively. Third in the state in slot revenue, with $23 million, was Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, up 7%. Parx’s domination of the crowded Philadelphia market didn’t come at the expense of Valley Forge, nor of Harrah’s Philadelphia ($17 million, +4%) or of SugarHouse ($15 million, +5%).
Presque Isle Downs banked $10 million, up 10%, which will be music to buyer Churchill Downs‘ ears. Penn National‘s titular racino and The Meadows did not perform quite so impressively. The Hollywood Casino at Penn was up only 1.5%, to $17.5 million, and Meadows eked out a 2% improvement to $17 million. No sweeping conclusion can be drawn other than, when it comes to slot play, Sands Bethlehem is feeling no ill-effects for Resorts World Catskills‘ presence on the scene.
* Slot routes continue to eat casinos’ lunch in Illinois, having grossed $4.8 billion since 2012. Five video-poker machines have made a big difference for Effingham American Legion Post 120. Before that “We were holding raffle after raffle just to keep afloat,” recalled finance manager Bill Copple. The slot revenues are keeping the flag flying at veterans’ posts that are otherwise seeing little interest from younger veteran demographics. It doesn’t hurt that you have to have a liquor license to qualify for the slots. What is surprising is how few major casino operators have tried to crash the party, with only Penn National and Boyd having bought any slot routes in the Land of Lincoln.
