Annual revenue for gaming in Pennsylvania during the combined fiscal year 2024/2025 reached a record of nearly $6.4 billion. This amount is 8.5% higher than the previous record high in 2023/2024 of $5.8 billion. The fiscal year in Pennsylvania runs from July 1 to June 30, and total revenue encompasses all forms of gambling regulated by the Pennsylvania Gambling Control Board (PGCB).
The surge in revenue meant that gambling tax revenue was also at an all-time high, with the state collecting around $2.80 billion. The funds support programs like school property tax relief, the agricultural industry, and Pennsylvania’s General Fund.
Retail slot machine revenue
Pennsylvania’s land-based casinos are still resilient in spite of challenges from online gambling and unregulated skill machines. However, revenue from retail slot machines was quite flat and only increased by 0.08% to $2.44 billion. Parx Casino led the field, bringing in nearly $378 million in slot revenue. Parx also operates a PA online casino where players can play a wide range of slots, table games, and live dealer games for real money. Wind Creek Bethlehem and Rivers Casino followed Parx. The Casino at Nemacolin had the largest percentage increase and was up 16.0% from the previous year.
Table game revenue
Table games had the worst performance. Gross revenue from table games at the casinos was $928.9 million, a 3.04% decrease in revenue from the previous fiscal year. Wind Creek Bethlehem and Parx brought in the most revenue, but both posted slight year-on-year declines. Valley Forge showed a 10.3% gain, bucking the trend, but various casinos experienced declines in the double digits.
Online gambling revenue is increasing
Online gambling contributed most to the increase. With the use of AI, personalization is possible, and this increases player engagement. Online gambling brought in $2.47 billion in revenue, which was up around 27% from the previous year. The tax revenue from online gambling was over $1.09 billion.
Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course was the top earner with $935.8 million in online gambling revenue. Valley Forge Casino Resort followed with $675.2 million, and in third place was Rivers Casino with $411.7 million. Another notable result was Golden Nugget’s increase to $79.7 million, which was up 102.9% from the previous year.
Sports betting handle is up, but revenue is flat
While online gambling was up, sports betting results were mixed. In the 2024/25 fiscal year, revenue from sports betting reached $487 million and was 0.22% less than the revenue from the previous year. This was despite a rise in total wagers from $8.17 billion to $8.72 billion.
Valley Forge Casino brought in $250.3 million, which was an increase of 0.37% and accounted for over half of the state’s sports wagering revenue. Hollywood Casino at the Meadows was next with $131 million, revealing a decrease of 4.34%.
The increase in wagering and flat revenue indicates a decline in operator margins. This could be due to higher payouts and competitive promotions.
Video game terminals
Video game terminals at truck stops earned $41.4 million, a 0.70% increase in revenue. This was from 75 VGT facilities, whereas there were 74 in the previous year. The operators were led by Marquee by Penn, which brought in $27.6 million in VGT revenue.
Fantasy Sports Contests
These contests generated over $19 million in revenue, but it was a decrease of 0.66% from the previous year. DraftKings brought in the most revenue, $13.3 million, which was down 1.67% from the previous year. FanDuel brought in $3.2 million, which was down 10.70%.
Fourth consecutive year of gaming revenue growth
The United States is the world’s largest economy according to its GDP ranking, with over $30 trillion. The growth of gambling contributes to the economy, and since the expansion into online and sports betting markets in Pennsylvania, total gaming revenue has increased significantly. This makes Pennsylvania one of the strongest contributors to the US economy from gambling.
The monthly revenue in June this year was $544.7 million, which was an increase of 15.4% from June last year. Gambling has performed very well for the first six months of the year, and Pennsylvania could have a record year. This is the fourth consecutive fiscal year in which gambling revenue has continued to grow.