With land-based gaming options unavailable during the entire month of May, Pennsylvania operators continued to see substantial increases in activity through online options for casino type games, according to the state Gaming Control Board.
May revenue for online casino-type games, which include slot machines, table games and poker, jumped 30% over the previous month of April.
Further emphasizing the significant increase in online play during the COVID-19 shutdown of casinos is the jump in revenue in just two months. The $55,838,789 May online casino-type revenue figure was more than double the revenue generated from those games in March, when revenue stood at $24,884,830.
All casinos in Pennsylvania were shut down in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of the Commonwealth’s 12 casinos have re-opened thus far in June, with three more scheduled for re-opening in the next week. Re-opening dates for the other six casinos will be established based on Gov. Tom Wolf’s county-by-county plan to phase in business openings.
Other available games during the coronavirus shutdown include online sports wagering and fantasy contests.
Overall gaming revenue was down 79% in May of this year compared to May 2019. Tax revenue from all forms of gaming in May was $25,762,836.
The Board has posted separate reports for various types of gaming on its website,
gamingcontrolboard.pa.gov/.
Casino games offered online generated gross revenue of $55,838,789 during May. That figure is 30% higher than the previous month of April when revenue was $43,067,881.
Tax revenue generated from internet gaming play during May was $23,976,574.
May total sports wagering revenue from 13 retail and nine online outlets was $4,828,989, or 40% higher than April’s total of $2,883,471. The retail outlets were not operational during May but continued to make some payouts on earlier determined wagers.
Tax revenue generated from sports wagering during May was $1,738,436.
Fantasy Contests revenue was $318,840 in May, a decrease of 82% over May of last year when revenue was $1,803,056.
Tax revenue collected from the play of Fantasy Contests in May of this year was $47,826.
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