Lady Luck Nemacolin continues its losing ways, passing up on Internet gambling licenses. Lady Luckless already balks at paying the fee that would open its casino to non-guests and this latest
non-move smacks of the same boneheaded mentality that makes it the most piddling casino in Pennsylvania. Mind you, it’s not alone in its online myopia: Pinnacle Entertainment is passing it up at The Meadows racino. These choices, and a few others, have made seven licenses (one each for slots, table games and poker) available to out-of-state operators. Even a non-American operator like The Stars Group would be eligible, hypothetically.
If you’ve got $4 million per license to play around with and a tolerance for Pennsylvania’s high slot-tax rate, an online license could be yours for the asking, provided that you’re in good standing. Columnist Steve Ruddock has a long list of nominees for the remaining seven licenses, too long to recapitulate here but the bottom line is that it’s anybody’s game, even for non-casino companies like DraftKings and FanDuel. It’s going to be an interesting scrumdown to watch.
Speaking of licenses, Harrah’s Philadelphia has applied for a sports-betting one. That makes it only the third casino in the Keystone State to do so. As long as we’re on the subject of
terrestrial casinos, table-game revenues have been folded into the monthly total for August and, despite grossing only $73 million (down 1%) at the tables, slot play buoyed the gambling houses, up 3% to $275 million. Parx Casino ($52 million) gained 8.5%, besting Sands Bethlehem, whose $44.5 million couldn’t stave off a 1.5% slippage. Rivers Casino jumped 8% to $30 million, while SugarHouse Casino gained 7% to $24.5 million.
Harrah’s Philadelphia’s 2% uptick was good for a $21 million haul but The Meadows lost 5% to finish with $20 million. Hollywood Casino also grossed $20 million, a 6% gain, but
Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs tumbled 5.5% to $19.5 million. Mount Airy Casino was up 2.5% to almost $18 million, while Presque Isle Downs was flat at $11 million. In its last month before Boyd Gaming‘s takeover, Valley Forge Casino Resort jumped 7% for a $10.5 million finish and Lady Luckless slid 4% to hang onto its much-prized last-place status with just under $3 million. Keep up the good work, boys.

I am surprised that the Lady Luck passed on the license and continues to slip; especially since it is now owned by Eldorado. They have plenty of experience in the state. Maybe it just not an asset they are focused on.