The Pennsylvania Game Control Board reported total gaming revenue at all casinos in the state was $3.24 billion, about $22 million above the $3.22 billion in the prior year, a record for itself. That brought state and local governments revenue of about $1.4 billion.

 

But on Monday, The Courier Express decided to rain on the PGCB's parade. It pointed out that given inflation, this figure isn't really too hot. In fact, it had the worst year for Pennsylvania casinos since table games were introduced in 2010.

 

Using an inflation calculator provided by the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, Courier Express found that the casino market has actually contracted 6% since 2012, when inflation is taken into account

 

 

market slowdown

Despite all the talk of record sales, unadjusted "growth" has been minimal over the past few years, and in fact the market has been slowing for some time.

 

Growth in table game sales has slowed every year since 2014, with sales actually declining in 2018. Slot revenue, meanwhile, peaked at $2.47 billion in 2012 and is down year-on-year, but increased slightly in 2018.

 

Especially for slots, it's 54% taxed, while table games are only 16% taxed, while revenue declines are a concern for the state.

 

Pennsylvania is currently implementing an extensive gambling expansion package. A new full-fledged casino resort is being developed in Philadelphia's sports complex district, with sports betting on casinos and the launch of online games, and five satellite casinos will soon be established in small communities across the commonwealth. VGT will also be installed at truck stops.  슬롯사이트 순위

 

All of this has the potential to add thousands of slots and taxes.

 

a risky business

But Jake Holk and Frank Gamrat, director and senior researcher at the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, respectively, suggest that the equation may not be as straightforward and called the expansion "dangerous."

 

Pennsylvania's neighbors - Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia - are all gambling, so fewer visitors are visiting casinos across state lines. That means the majority of casino visitors must come from within the state, which raises the simple question of supply and demand in a market that will soon become more congested.

 

"Obviously, you have to answer the question of 'saturation'," Halk and Gamrat told Penn Live last year. "Can the population and economy of Pennsylvania support 22 casinos, airports, truck stops and the internet in a profitable way?"