Pennsylvania Slots Revenue Weathers Harsh January

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- January slot machine revenue from Pennsylvania casinos saw a slight drop from the previous year due to the harsh winter weather that affected travel.

The amount of gross revenue generated in January 2011 through the play of slot machines at Commonwealth casinos decreased 3.73% over the previous year, according to figures released today by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

In releasing the monthly revenue figures, Board Executive Director Kevin O'Toole said casino management has expressed to him that weather played a key part in holding down monthly revenue.

"In my recent visits to casinos, primarily those in the eastern portion of the Commonwealth, operators explained that the crippling weather in January held down attendance at their facilities and affected revenue," O'Toole explains.  "We expect slot revenue numbers to rebound if the weather improves."

O'Toole emphasized the point by additionally stating that this was the first time that an overall monthly revenue figure from slot machine gaming had fallen from the same month in the previous year.

The play of slot machines at the ten operating casinos produced $177,317,920 in gross revenue in January 2011 compared to $184,214,974 in January 2010.  Tax collections by the Commonwealth on that amount last month was $97,056,310, a per-day average of $3.13 million in tax revenue.

In a comparison of the revenue for just the nine casinos operating in January 2011 that were also open for the full month of January 2010, there was a decrease of 9.22%.

Gross revenue for each of the casinos operating in January 2011 is as follows, with percentage change reflected for those casinos that were operating in January of both years:

The average number of operating slot machines operating daily at these facilities was 26,841 in January 2011 and 25,538 in January 2010.  

About the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board was established in 2004 with the passage of Act 71, also known as the Race Horse Development and Gaming Act.  Pennsylvania's first new state agency in nearly 40 years, the Gaming Control Board is tasked to oversee all aspects of the state's casino industry.  To date, with ten casinos in operation, legalized gaming in the Commonwealth has created, or helped race track facilities retain, over 14,000 living wage jobs, provided property tax reduction in each of the past three years for all homeowners, produced revenue that has reinvigorated Pennsylvania's horse racing industry, and provided a new stream of tax revenue to local governments that has funded scores of community projects.  A wealth of information about the Gaming Control Board and Pennsylvania's gaming industry can be found at www.pgcb.state.pa.us. At this web site, visitors can view videos of Board meetings and on the operation of the PGCB, obtain  information on identifying a gambling problem and gaining assistance, look up future meeting schedules and past meeting transcripts, access an interactive map of casino locations, request a speaker for their group, along with much more information.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board