Pennsylvania’s new fiscal year began with a bang for PA online casino revenue, bringing in more than $100 million in gross revenue for the fifth straight month.
The state’s iGaming gross revenue for July was more than $104.5 million, down slightly from $110.7 million in June and the record $111.6 million from March.
Taxable online casino revenue jumped 63% compared to July 2020. The increase for overall taxable gaming revenue from July 2020 when some virus closures and restrictions persisted was a walloping increase of 49.7% year-over-year. Compared to July 2019, overall gaming revenue increased 51% in July 2021.
PA online gaming crosses $500 million in taxes for PA
Of the total revenue in July, $79.1 million came from online slot games, $22.9 million from online table games, and nearly $2.6 million from poker.
Slots accounted for the majority of the monthly increase, up from $72.4 million in June. Table games online were down from $26 million in June. Poker saw a small uptick from $2.4 million in June.
But online poker was down by 13.1% compared to a year ago, despite more sites to choose from now.
Tax revenue from iGaming in July was $38.2 million. In the two years since they launched, the Keystone State’s online casinos and online poker options have brought in $508.1 million in state and local taxes.
FY 2021/22 begins with strong July revenue numbers overall
Total revenue in July 2021 generated from all forms of gaming regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board including fantasy contests was more than $423.6 million – a new record.
Land-based casino games continued their recovery from the height of the pandemic with monthly table games achieving a record for revenue and monthly slot machine revenue placing 4th all-time.
But recovery for brick-and-mortar casinos was uneven according to the PGCB figures.
Rivers Pittsburgh (102.6%), Rivers Philadelphia (100.5%), Hollywood Casino at Penn National (92.3%), and Valley Forge Casino (86.0%) had the biggest bounce-backs. Note that Rivers Pittsburgh was closed for seven days in July 2020 and Rivers Philadelphia was closed for 16 days that month.
On the other hand, Harrah’s Philadelphia saw a decrease of just more than 29%, and Mount Airy Casino (-7.3%) and Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin (-4.5%) were also down, though only by a small percentage.
Other gambling verticals also up
The video gaming terminal segment was up more than 80% and daily fantasy sports revenue was up nearly 70%.
Sports wagering stayed strong with taxable revenue during July 2021 for sports wagering at more than $19.8 million compared to just more than $8.1 million last July. That’s an increase of 144%. Online sports wagering accounted for more than $17.1 million. FanDuel Sportsbook, under Valley Forge Casino, remains the clear leader in handle and revenue.
PA online casino operator revenue in July 2021
| Licensee | Online Brand(s) | Total Revenue | Mkt. % | Slots Revenue | Table Games Revenue | Poker Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hollywood Penn National | Hollywood | DraftKings | BetMGM | Barstool | $36,873,371 | 34.0% | $27,869,397 | $8,713,391 | $290,583 |
| Rivers Philadelphia | SugarHouse | BetRivers | Borgata | $30,919,663 | 29.8% | $26,674,205 | $4,160,848 | $84,611 |
| Valley Forge | FanDuel | Stardust | $15,284,242 | 14.8% | $8,289,812 | $6,994,430 | $0 |
| Mount Airy | PokerStars | $7,178,627 | 7.3% | $3,930,394 | $1,268,700 | $1,979,533 |
| Parx | Parx | $5,004,888 | 4.0% | $4,624,029 | $380,859 | $0 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | Unibet | $2,885,655 | 2.9% | $2,431,628 | $454,027 | $0 |
| Harrah's Philadelphia | Caesars | $2,091,427 | 2.3% | $1,551,338 | $298,397 | $241,691 |
| Wind Creek | Wind Creek | $1,991,196 | 1.7% | $1,790,077 | $201,120 | $0 |
| Presque Isle | TwinSpires | $1,244,782 | 1.6% | $1,118,069 | $126,713 | $0 |
| Live Philadelphia | PlayLive | Betway | $1,065,465 | 1.3% | $804,838 | $260,627 | $0 |
| Total | $104,539,316 | $79,083,787 | $22,859,110 | $2,596,418 |
Online revenue leaders in July with Penn National at the top
Penn National’s Hollywood Casino with Hollywood, DraftKings, BetMGM, and Barstool brands continued dominance in PA with aggregate online revenue topping $36.8 million. More than $27.9 million came from slots, $8.7 million from table games, and nearly $291K from poker.
Rivers with the brands SugarHouse, BetRivers, and Borgata was a strong second online at nearly $31 million. Online slots accounted for $26.7 million. Table games kicked in $4.2 million. Poker anted up nearly $85K.
Valley Forge rounded out the top three with $15.3 million in total online revenue via FanDuel and StarDust. Slots accounted for about $8.3 million while table games added nearly $7.0 million.
Lead image credit: AP Photo/David Goldman