#HARRISBURG

Pennsylvania casinos set new annual record for gambling revenue. The state's casinos won more than $5 billion in the 12 months through June 30. Online gambling, in its fourth year, grew again to pass $1.2 billion. Sports betting added $325 million in revenue to the state. Pennsylvania is No. 1 in tax revenue from gambling.

It's the first time revenue figures have eclipsed the $5 billion mark. The previous high for gaming revenue and tax revenue in a fiscal year was during 2020/2021. Table games revenue increased by a record amount. iGaming, Sports Wagering, iGambling and Video Gaming Terminal (VGT) markets also increased.

Pennsylvania's gambling revenue rose above $5 billion for the first time. The rebound continues after pandemic-related shutdowns sapped casino revenue in 2020. Online gambling, in just its fourth year, grew again to pass $1.2 billion. Sports betting added $325 million in revenue. Pennsylvania legalized both sports betting and online gambling in 2017.

Pennsylvania set a new annual record for gambling revenue. The state's casinos won more than $5 billion in the 12 months through June 30. Online gambling, in its fourth year, grew again to pass $1.2 billion. Sports betting added $325 million in revenue to the state. Pennsylvania is No. 2 in commercial casino revenue behind Nevada.

Gambling self-exclusion from gambling is a confusing topic. PA Casinos explain what it is and what the consequences are.

Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course's poker room will not reopen after a March 2020 shutdown. The casino will hold a draw at the end of July to give away over $440,000 from its poker "bad beat" jackpot.

Live! Casino Pittsburgh, a restaurant at Parx Casino in Bensalem and a gaming manufacturer were fined $32,500 for different breaches.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports that the revenue generated from all forms of gaming and fantasy contests during May 2022 was $447,794,294.

There was a data breach at MGM Resorts affecting 30 million customers. The population of the United States is 332 million people. The data breaches at Home Depot and MGM are not common. Nelson Worldwide is planning a mini-casino at the Nittany Mall. He has never stayed at an MGM Resort. It's odd that almost 10% of U.S. population could be affected by a breach.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has set a deadline for residents to weigh in on a proposed Category 4 casino at the Nittany Mall. Written comment will be accepted until 5 p.m. on June 12.

Wind Creek Bethlehem has been fined $20,000 for allowing a person on the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board's self-exclusion list to gamble for 4 days. The PGCB offers self exclusion programs to help people with problem gambling distance themselves from the temptation of gambling. Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, Inc., operator of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, was fined for a self exclusion violation. Underdog Sports, Ltd., was also fined.

Pennsylvania gaming revenue in April 2022 was $187.6 million. The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County had the most revenue with $65.5 million, followed by Valley Forge Casino Resort, Upper Merion with about $57.4 million and Hollywood casino in Morgantown with almost $5.1 million in revenue. Parx Casino, Bethlehem had revenue of $ 57. 1 million for the month, down 9.34% from a year ago. Mount Airy Casino resort in Mt. Pocono had $20.0 million revenue for April, which was down 15.35% on last year.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has released gaming revenue figures for April of 2022. All forms of gaming generated $461,624,617 in revenue last month. Hollywood Casino at Penn National in Dauphin County had the most revenue with $65 million.

Rivers Casino Philadelphia installed metal detectors in February. The devices are used to screen patrons for weapons. Rivers and Valley Forge are having licensing renewal hearings before the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.  

Pennsylvania allowed mini-casinos in 2017. Local opposition has delayed the development of some of them. State College Casino is likely to open despite the opposition.

Gaming revenues in Pennsylvania reached a record high in March. The previous high revenue month occurred in November 2021 at $432,490,129.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approved consent agreements with two licensed manufacturers and four casino operators. The Board also approved the placement of another adult on its Involuntary Exclusion List for choosing to gamble in a casino while leaving a young child in the car.

Report shows casino lobbyists wrote a bill that would have made unregulated "games of skill" illegal in Pennsylvania. The bill was never considered. Speeches about the issue continue in the current legislative session in Harrisburg. Skill games are not regulated by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. They are different from truck stop video gaming terminals that are legal in that state. The companies operating them do not pay taxes.

Pa. lawmaker worked with casino lobbyists to author gambling bill. Lawsuit claims that the lobbyists acted as a lawyer for Pace-O-Matic and Parx Casino. In Pennsylvania, 1,150 registered lobbyists represent a wide array of businesses and industries. Good-government experts say having partisan interests writing bill language harms public confidence in government. They say elected officials should be representing the public interest, whereas lobbyists are representing their clients' interests.

The 5-year slot machine operator license held by Valley Forge Convention Center Partner LLC is up for renewal. The public will be allowed to comment at the April 27th hearing. It will take place in the Upper Merion Township Building, 175 W. Valley forge Rd. in Pennsylvania. A separate public hearing will also take places in Harrisburg. The board oversees all aspects of gambling involving the state’s 16 land-based casinos, online casino games, retail and online sports wagering, and video gaming terminals at qualified truck stops.

Thousands of tourists are back in Las Vegas enjoying St. Patrick's Day festivities and the NCAA Tournament. The pre-pandemic crowds returned to the Fremont Street Experience. Las Las has the highest share of employment from the tourism industry at nearly 30%.  

State Rep. Dan Frankel and Sen. Jay Costa want to change the law to ban casino smoking. The 2008 law bans smoking in restaurants and other public spaces, but it allows casinos to allow smoking on up to 50% of the gaming floor. Parx Casino, the state's largest, requires smokers to go outside to light up. Mount Airy Casino Resort has also initiated its own ban. The state revenue figures suggest that the ban does not harm the casinos. It is a health issue for non-smokers. They prefer to be in venues where they don't have to deal with cigarettes nearby.

Rivers Casino is not taking a stand against or for the proposal to ban smoking in casinos. Legislators argue that secondhand smoke is a danger to casino employees. Some casinos have decided not to bring back smoking since masking was lifted. The American Lung Association and the Breath Free PA Coalition want to close loopholes in the PA Clean Indoor Air Act. They say people have the right to breathe clean air. It can cause lung cancer and exacerbate other lung health issues. The county executive wants to make sure that casino workers are protected. "Pennsylvanians should not have to choose between their jobs and their health," Frankel says.

March is National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. The theme is Awareness + Action. Jen Smith, Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary, is joined by the Pennsylvania Lottery, the PGCB, Council on Compulsive Gambling of Pennsylvania, problem gambling treatment provider Empowerment Resources Associates and an individual in long-term recovery from problem betting.

Today marks the beginning of the 18th annual National Problem Gambling Awareness Month. According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, January's gaming revenue generated this January was over $390 million. Roughly $108 million of that revenue is from interactive gaming. 11 percent of Pennsylvanians participated in online gambling in the past year.

In January, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that total revenue from gaming and fantasy contests was $393.1 million. The Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County had the most profitable facility with $57.2 million in revenue. Hollywood casino York had revenue of $6.6 million, with nearly $5 million generated from slots.

First report on Pennsylvanian’s online gambling behaviors released. Interactive gaming became legal in Pennsylvania in 2017. Report will assist Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs in addressing compulsive and problem gambling within the commonwealth.

Pennsylvania set another annual record for gambling revenue in the era of online gambling and sports betting. Casinos and other operators won more than $4.7 billion from gamblers in calendar year 2021.

Parx Casino's holding company has been granted a license to open a mini-casino in Shippensburg Township, Cumberland County. Parx expects to build the 73,000-square-foot casino on the site of the shuttered Lowe’s Home Supply store in the Shipper Towne Center.

Four parents banned from Pennsylvania casinos after leaving their children in the car or hotel room. They were placed on the Board’s Involuntary Exclusion List.

The state's Gaming Control Board approved another mini-casino for Shippensburg.

November 2021 gaming and fantasy contest revenue in Pennsylvania reached a record $432,493,349.

Penn National Gaming's $111 million Hollywood Casino Morgantown will open Wednesday. It is the company's fourth casino in Pennsylvania and the first in Berks County. The casino will be open around the clock on weekends and from 9 a.m. to 4 a morning on weekdays.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board decided on Wednesday to renew the operator’s license of Harrah's Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, operator of the Harrares Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack. The Board”s decision was based on a process typically used by the regulator. A public input hearing was held on June 30th, 2021 in the casino “s host municipality, the City of Chester. Since its opening in January 2007, HarRAres has generated $4.2 billion in gross revenue from the play of slot machines, table games, sports wagering and iGaming. It currently employs nearly 700 workers.

Harrah's Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack in Chester, Pennsylvania has had its license renewed for an additional five years. The board unanimously voted to renew the license. Since its opening in January 2007, Harrah’s Philadelphia has generated $4.2 billion in gross revenue from the play of slot machines, table games, sports wagering and iGaming. It also returned $2.37 billion to the Commonwealth. It currently operates 1,700 slot machine, 77 table game, Caesars retail and online sport wagsering, and an online casino including the WSOP.com poker site.

Dignitaries break ground on new Walker’s Bluff Casino Resort. Governor Pritzker, State Sen. Fowler and Walker's Bluffs Winery owner Cynde Bunch are celebrating the beginning of construction on the new $147 million casino resort investment. The resort will be located near the Walkers bluff Wineries in Carterville. It will include a 116-room hotel, a gaming floor, event center and multiple restaurants. Construction is expected to take 14 months and the grand opening is planned for early 2023.

Hollywood Casino Morgantown will open on December 22. It will be Penn National's fourth casino in the state. The casino is located at the intersections of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76), I-176, and the Morgantsown Expressway (Rt. 10). It is close to the company's headquarters in Wyomissing, Berks County. It features 750 slot machines, 30 table games, a climate-controlled outdoor gaming terrace, Barstool Sportsbook with a jumbotron, an outdoor firepit and a Red Lotus Asian Kitchen.

Record revenue reported in October for Pennsylvania gaming. Total gaming and fantasy contests revenue generated in the Commonwealth during October 2021 was $425,916,762.

Scott Long of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania won $544,904 playing poker at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Wednesday. Long plans to pay off his mortgage and college tuition.

Pennsylvania man wins more than $500,000 with royal flush during Las Vegas trip. Scott Long will pay off his mortgage and college tuition. He will also spend some of the money on family fun.  

Pa. senator will introduce a bill to legalize and tax slot-like games. The company behind them threw a party at the Federal Tap House in Harrisburg on Tuesday. They have been operating in legal limbo for years. Senator Tommy Tomlinson says the company has been running an illegal operation for many years and now they want to be legal. The Pa. lottery says skill machines have siphoned $500 million in sales. Pennsylvania National Gaming says Senator Yaw's proposal would “reward bad actors”

Mountainview Thoroughbred Racing Association, the operators of Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in Dauphin County, was fined $25,000. Two of the four underage people who tried to gain access to the gaming floor gambled at a slot machine. A second fine was approved for $57,500 against hollywoodcasino.com and barstoolsportsbook.

The Board of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board took action related to the permitting of underage gambling at a casino and children left by parents in cars in the parking lot of a casinos. Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, Inc., operator of Parx Casino in Bucks County, was fined $10,000 for allowing an 18-year-old to enter the gaming floor and gamble on slot machines. Three people were placed on the PGCB's Involuntary Exclusion List for leaving their children in a car in parking lots.

Parx Casino in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, was fined $12,500 for allowing an underaged gambler to sneak in and play slot machines. The incident was discovered when the gamblar left the Bensalem casino and set off firecrackers in the parking lot. He was caught by the police and charged with disorderly conduct and unlawfully entering a casino. Parx also banned him permanently from its properties. The gaming board said the penalty was standard for an offense involving an underage gambling. Commissioner Sean Logan voted against the agreement.

Unregulated gambling devices proliferating across Pennsylvania are cutting into player demand and state revenue. Mount Airy Casino executives cited unfair competition from unlicensed gambling device as a major reason there is lessening demand for their slots.

There are currently four land-based Pennsylvania casinos that have reduced slot numbers. This is the largest down-sizing of slot machines since gaming began nearly 15 years ago.

Monthly Pennsylvania Gaming Revenue Tops $400 million for second straight month. The combined total revenue in April 2021 generated from all forms of gaming regulated by the Board was $404,105,692. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, all casinos were closed during the entirety of April 2020, so no revenue was generated by slot machines, table games or retail sportsbooks. Video Gaming Terminals were also not in operation last April.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports that the total revenue in June 2021 was $388,892,795. The Board is providing a comparison of this year's revenue against that of June 2019 when Covid-19 restrictions were not in place and casinos operated for the entirety of the month. The chart compiles all revenue generated in 2021 by casinos, fantasy contests and video gaming terminals operated by other vendors.

July 2021 revenue from all forms of gaming regulated by the Board was $423,657,956. Table games achieved a record for revenue and slot machines placed 4th all time for a month.

The state Gaming Control Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed casino in the Nittany Mall, in College Township, Centre County, on August 16 at 4 p.m. The meeting will be livestreamed. Ira Lubert, the former Penn State trustee, is the president of SC Gaming OpCo LLC, which wants to build a Category 4 casino. Bally Corporation announced it was partnering with Lubert on $120 million project.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board held a public hearing on the proposed Penn State casino. Ira Lubert obtained a category 4 casino license last September for $10 million. Bally plans to convert Nittany Mall into a casino with up to 750 slots machines, 30 table games, and a sportsbook. PGCB is planning to hold a meeting in Harrisburg and further evaluate the NITTany mall casino project.

Hollywood Casino York opened on its opening day. It was packed. The 38,000 sq. ft. gaming floor with 510 machines is small.

Unlicensed and unregulated gambling machines attract crime. Authorities have ignored the consequences of allowing the proliferation of the machines. The state has done nothing to keep underage children away from the gambling machine locations.

PA's first mini-casino opened in November at Westmoreland Mall. It generated $45.1 million in gaming revenue in first four months. The second one is due to open in two weeks. Sean Sullivan is the general manager of Live! Pittsburgh. He has worked in executive capacities at numerous casinos, including Meadows Racetrack & Casino. Live!' Pittsburgh is on pace to make nearly $100 million this year.

Pennsylvania smashed its record for gambling revenue. The state took in nearly $3.9 billion in the last fiscal year. Every category of wagering grew. Online gambling grew to nearly $900 million in just its second year and sports betting grew to $309 million. Pennsylvania dropped behind New Jersey in traditional casino gambling revenues in 2020. A Game Commission employee was run over by an ATV on Monday morning. He suffered a serious leg injury. A juvenile will be charged with the accident. It happened on a gravel road near the State Game Lands 326 in Butler Township.

Pennsylvania reports nearly $3.9 billion in the last fiscal year. Every category of wagering showed growth in one of the nation's largest casino and gambling states.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board will host a hearing at the Pen State Conference Center Hotel in State College on Monday, August 16th at 4 pm. SC Gaming Op Co., LLC has applied for a Category 4 casino to operate at Nitani Mall in Center County College Township. The deadline for registration of testimony statements or submissions is noon on Thursday, 12 August 2021.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board fined three casino operators $284,000 Wednesday for violating state regulations.

The iLottery is a growing source of cash for the Pennsylvania Lottery. The state began offering iLotto games in 2018. Online games will surpass $900 million in sales this fiscal year. The casinos' lawyer is considering their legal options. He argued that the ilotto uses functions like random number generators that are either used by casino games or patented by them.

$6 million settlement fund for 3,125 past and present hourly employees of Wind Creek Bethlehem Casino has been approved by a federal judge. A former casino dealer filed a lawsuit in March 2020. Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama are the owners of the Pennsylvania casino.

Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports total gaming and fantasy contest revenue at $310,717,728.

There are 11 online casinos in Pennsylvania. Recently, a couple won a $139,283 Divine Fortune jackpot at HollywoodCasino.com.