Since its launch, Pennsylvania online casinos have been picked on like a younger sibling. Players groused about no online poker, small game libraries, and not enough Apple and iPhone options.
PA online casinos hit back in a big way with the release of August casino numbers. According to data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB), the three casino sites more than quadrupled revenue month over month.
Yes, July only had two weeks of action, but the growth is still impressive. August’s PA online casino revenue for slots and table games was $3.4 million. The big jump shows the potential and profitability of mobile casinos.
PA’s three online casinos are already outearning PA’s four online sportsbooks. Online betting generated $2.5 million in taxable revenue in August.
SugarHouse is sweet
SugarHouse combined its strength in New Jersey, reward program and first-to-market appeal to propel itself to an early lead in Pennsylvania.
SugarHouse earned almost $1.4 million in slots revenue in August, which is quite a huge leap from just $261,000 in July. An additional $286,000 in table games revenue resulted in total revenue of $1.65 million for the site.
It made SugarHouse the clear leader of the trio of PA online casinos. Parx finished second with $1.09 million in total online revenue.
SugarHouse has fewer online slots than its competitors. However, it has the first progressive slot in PA, Divine Fortune. Four players have hit the Divine Fortune jackpot on PA’s PlaySugarHouse.com, so far, this month.
The popular slot game is proving to be a winner for players and SugarHouse.
Mattias Stetz, COO of Rush Street Interactive, the site’s operator, said:
“Divine Fortune is a very hot game right now on PlaySugarHouse.com in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This slew of wins proves that jackpots can hit often and on any type of bet. With all of these recent progressive slot wins, we’ve seen increased play on Divine Fortune at PlaySugarHouse.com and we expect the excitement to continue.”
PA online casino numbers in August
Here’s how each of the three PA online casinos performed last month:
| Casino | Total revenue | Slots revenue | Table games revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| SugarHouse | $1,648,426 | $1,362,585 | $285,841 |
| Parx | $1,095,761 | $543,647 | $552,114 |
| Hollywood | $684,452 | $619,493 | $64,959 |
| Total | $3,428,640 | $2,525,726 | $902,914 |
FanDuel rules PA, NJ
It’s only the third full month for online sports betting in Pennsylvania. Although it’s still in its infancy, it’s skipped crawling and is off and running. Fueled by online sportsbooks, the PA sports betting handle reached six figures for the first time.
Pennsylvania is following in the footsteps on neighboring New Jersey when it comes to sports betting:
- Online wagers accounted for 76% of total handle. (Close to 85% of wagers are made online in New Jersey.)
- FanDuel takes the lead. The leader in NJ now takes the top spot in PA with $35 million online handle/$2 million online revenue.
FanDuel, under the license of Valley Forge Casino, in August handled $37.8 million in wagers. A staggering amount ($35.3 million; 93%) came via the website and mobile app.
A FanDuel spokesperson weighed in on the stellar PA debut:
“The FanDuel Sportsbook is the clear market leader for online sports betting in Pennsylvania with nearly half of the state’s handle and revenue, an incredible achievement in only six weeks of operation. Having expanded our leadership position across New Jersey and now Pennsylvania, we will continue to bring our top mobile betting platform to the expanding US market.”
The rest of the PA online sports betting field
SugarHouse was the first online sportsbook in PA. It quickly lost its crown to FanDuel. Still, it was a good month for SugarHouse sports betting. SugarHouse generated $25 million in online bets, up from $22.2 million in July. That generated $1.7 million in revenue for SugarHouse.
Parx online sportsbook rounded out the top three. Its online revenue more than doubled in August.
PA sportsbook numbers in August
Here’s how each PA sportsbook performed last month:
| Casino or Off-Track Betting Facility | Total Handle | Total Revenue | Online Handle | Online Revenue | Retail Handle | Retail Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley Forge Casino Resort | $37,822,688 | $2,217,754 | $35,279,681 | $2,042,424 | $2,543,007 | $175,330 |
| SugarHouse Casino | $30,390,890 | $1,232,058 | $25,023,833 | $415,290 | $5,367,057 | $816,768 |
| Parx Casino | $10,988,663 | $1,223,926 | $6,028,173 | $500,982 | $4,960,490 | $722,945 |
| Rivers Casino | $21,762,952 | $212,515 | $16,877,630 | ($418,497) | $4,885,322 | $631,012 |
| Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course | $2,055,786 | $309,171 | 0 | 0 | $2,055,786 | $309,171 |
| South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook | $1,997,420 | $337,680 | 0 | 0 | $1,997,420 | $337,680 |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | $1,879,243 | $251,296 | 0 | 0 | $1,879,243 | $251,296 |
| Presque Isle Downs | $1,197,553 | $282,384 | 0 | 0 | $1,197,553 | $282,384 |
| Oaks Race and Sportsbook | $942,856 | $48,230 | 0 | 0 | $942,856 | $48,230 |
| Statewide Total | $109,038,051 | $6,115,016 | $83,209,317 | $2,540,199 | $25,828,734 | $3,574,817 |
More competition comes to PA
Not listed in the August report but a key player in the future of PA online sportsbooks is Fox Bet. With an early September launch and brand recognition, it will be interesting to see initial numbers and impact. Mount Airy Casino is the property behind the PA betting site.