Online casinos in Pennsylvania generated gross revenue of nearly $55.9 million during August, an increase of $1.5 million over July’s revenue of $54.4 million.
And they set a new monthly record. PA iGaming’s previous peak revenue of $55.8 million for online poker, slots and casino games came in May.
Last August, the gross revenue for online offerings was just about $3.7 million. There was no online poker then, and many fewer online gaming options.
Poker added $2.7 million to online revenue in August.
Online slot games accounted for $39.6 million and online table games just under $13.6 million.
Total gambling revenue tops $310 million despite reduced capacity
Overall August revenue was more than $310 million, according to Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) figures for total gaming and fantasy contests.
That’s despite continued reduced capacity due to COVID-19 restrictions.
During July, it was just under $283.1 million. That month was the first since virus restrictions began in mid-March in which all 12 casinos operated for most of the month.
The monthly figure is an increase of almost 6% over revenue generated in August 2019, when it was more than $293.4 million.
Sportsbooks roar back to life
PA sports betting handle reached nearly $365 million in August, setting a new all-time high and a 122% month-over-month increase in handle for the books. Taxable revenue was $18.4 million, up 126% over July’s $8.1 million.
Even with retail books reopened, 88% of wagers were placed online. FanDuel Sportsbook continues to dominate the space, taking in around 45% of all sports wagers placed online during the month. The operator also broke a single-month record for revenue with nearly $8.9 million via online alone.
DraftKings sportsbook was next best, accounting for 26% of all online bets, $86.8 million in handle and $1.1 million in revenue.
Poker continues slide from April peak
Online poker continued to slide despite the ongoing closure of in-person poker rooms, with August revenue at just above $2.7 million.
Online poker was at just under $3.0 million in July versus $3.2 million in June. In May, poker revenue was $4.6 million, slightly down from its peak of nearly $5.3 million in April.
PokerStars PA remains the only provider of online poker in the Keystone State.
August online casino breakdown by PA operator
A complete breakdown of August revenue, including slots and tables games by operator (online gaming license holder), can be found here:
| Casino Operator | Total Revenue | Slots Revenue | Table Games Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rivers Philly* (SugarHouse & BetRivers) | $17.1 million | $15.2 million | $1.9 million |
| Valley Forge (FanDuel) | $8.7 million | $4.4 million | $4.3 million |
| Parx Casino | $7.5 million | $6.1 million | $1.4 million |
| Mt. Airy (PokerStars & Fox Bet) | $6.9 million | $2.4 million | $1.7 million |
| Penn National (DraftKings Casino) | $6.6 million | $3.4 million | $3.2 million |
| Penn National (Hollywood Casino) | $5.2 million | $4.7 million | $579,000 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono (Unibet) | $3.0 million | $2.6 million | $409,000 |
| Harrah's Philly (Caesars) | $724,000 | $700,000 | $24,000 |
| Wind Creek Casino | $214,000 | $239,000 | ($25,000) |
| Presque Isle Downs (BetAmerica) | $33,000 | ($50,000) | $83,000 |
| Live! Casino Philadelphia (launched Aug. 14) | $25,000 | $24,000 | $600 |
| Totals: | $53.2 million | $39.6 million | $13.6 million |
Rivers, Valley Forge and Parx tops in online revenue
Rivers Philadelphia, which is the combination of SugarHouse and BetRivers, topped the month of August with revenue of $17.1 million, with $15.2 million from online slots.
Valley Forge Casino and its operator FanDuel were second in overall online revenue with $8.7 million, split nearly evenly between slots and table games.
Parx Casino was third with $7.5 million, and it was second only to Rivers in slot revenue with $6.1 million.
Presque Isle Downs and its operator BetAmerica were next to last with just $33,000 in revenue after losing $50,000 on their slot play. They had online table revenue of $83,000 to offset the slot loss.
Live! Casino Philadelphia was the newby player, operating for just half the month of August. Unlike all the others, its physical casinos, in Philly and near Pittsburgh, are not yet even open. Live! had revenue of just $25,000, almost all of it in slots.