Pennsylvania gaming revenue hits another record high

It was another record year statewide for legalized gaming.

Total gaming revenue generated in Pennsylvania in 2022 was a half billion dollars higher than the previous year, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.

The board reported that combined revenue of slot machines, table games, sports wagering, internet gaming, video gaming terminals and fantasy contests in Pennsylvania amounted to more than $5.2 billion in 2022 compared to about $4.7 billion in 2021.

That resulted in record combined tax revenue production from gaming in 2022 of more than $2.1 billion compared to about $1.9 billion in 2021.

Mohegan Pennsylvania in Plains Twp. generated more than $243.3 million in total gaming revenue in 2022, a slight 0.35% increase from 2021, according to the board’s numbers. That included more than $185 million in slot machine revenue.

Anthony Carlucci, president and general manager of Mohegan Pennsylvania, said 2022 slot revenue growth was strong, coming in at a nearly 4.4% increase over 2021.

“This positioned us fourth out of 16 statewide casinos and we’re certainly encouraged by that mark,” Carlucci said.

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, table games revenue at Mohegan Pennsylvania dropped nearly 7.3% from nearly $33 million in 2021 to about $30.6 million in 2022.

Sports wagering revenue at the Plains Twp. casino dropped about 18% to about $3.2 million in 2022 and internet gaming revenue dropped about 14.6% to about $22.9 million in 2022.

Mohegan Pennsylvania partnered with Unibet for its internet gaming and online sports betting products. While the larger internet gaming operators account for the majority of online revenues, Carlucci said Mohegan Pennsylvania saw a “solid increase” in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“This quarter was the best performer of our last six,” Carlucci said. “We’re excited to build off that momentum this year, especially as we assist Unibet in a changeover to solely in-house technology on Mohegan Pennsylvania igaming platforms.”

While gaming revenue hit an all-time high statewide, total gaming dropped nearly 7.7% at Mount Airy Casino Resort in Monroe County from about $267.6 million in 2021 to about $247 million in 2022.

According to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, slots revenue at Mount Airy increased nearly 1.4% from nearly $142.5 million in 2021 to about $144.5 million in 2022.

Table games revenue at Mount Airy, however, dropped about 7.7% to about $39.75 million in 2022 while internet gaming revenue dropped nearly 20.6% to about $57 million and sports wagering revenue dropped more than 43.5% to about $5.76 million.

A spokesperson at Mount Airy did not respond to questions about to why gaming revenue dropped.

Gross revenue from slot machines at all 16 casinos in Pennsylvania in 2022 totaled nearly $2.4 billion, a 4.5% increase from 2021. Table games revenue at all the casinos in 2022 was nearly $990.6 million, a 7.1% increase from 2021. Internet gaming revenue amounted to about $1.36 billion, a 22.6% increase from 2021. Sports wagering revenue in 2022 was about $401.2 million, nearly an 18% increase from 2021, according to the board’s numbers.

The board reported that total revenue generated from all forms of gaming along with fantasy contests in December 2022 was nearly $475 million, the highest month total to date and nearly a 17% increase from December 2021.

PlayPennsylvania analyst Chris Imperiale said the Pennsylvania online casino market continues to dominate the national betting landscape as it set another all-market U.S. internet gaming record with nearly $167 million in gross revenue in December.

“This marks the third consecutive month that Pennsylvania casinos have set a national record, taking the lifetime tax revenue above $1.1 billion, more than any other state,” Imperiale said. “This new all-time high for Pennsylvania online casinos also propelled the state to its best overall gaming revenue for a single month with $475 million, an increase of nearly 17% year over year.”

Imperiale added that although the year-over-year growth within the state’s sports betting market is leveling off, figures were strong in December.

“Pennsylvania sportsbooks accepted $754.8 million in total handle, thanks to a lot of attention on the Eagles and the NFL,” he said. “This ended up about 5.3% shy of October’s record showing, but still marks a slight uptick in wagers compared to December 2021.”