As profit centers in Pennsylvania casinos, table games and slot machines are going in opposite directions, according to a report by Moody’s Investor Service.
The report shows a steady increase in table game revenue per unit and in the number of table games over the past 12 months, which Moody’s says is indicative of an ongoing shift in consumer preferences nationwide. The report noted that casinos in Maryland have also seen growing table revenue.
In Pennsylvania, table games brought in $890.7 million last year, up from $853.2 million in 2016. Meanwhile, slot revenue was around $2.34 billion in 2017, down from $2.36 billion in 2016, a continuation of stagnant results since slot income peaked at $2.47 billion in 2012.
“That’s really the takeaway from this report,” said Keith Foley, a senior vice president with Moody’s, told the Allentown Morning Call. “People talk about market saturation—it’s the slots, which are a large portion of the market, that are saturated.”
The report also noted that there is still room for growth in Pennsylvania table games. “In effect, the favorable relationship between the supply of tables and demand for tables will continue,” the report reads. “However, the degree to which table game revenue improvement will continue to compensate for future slot revenue declines will dwindle.”
Table games account for 27.6 percent of total gaming revenue in Pennsylvania, up from 23.4 percent in 2013.
