The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board last week received requests from three different casinos to reduce their respective slot machine totals as part of gaming floor enhancements.
Presque Isle Downs Casino, the Meadows Casino, and Rivers Casino asked permission to reduce their slot counts. Presque Isle is asking to remove 41 slots, bringing its total to 1,525; the Meadows wants to remove 485 slots, dropping its total to just over 2,500; and Rivers is asking to remove 158, dropping its total to just over 2,600.
The PGCB approved the plans after each casino gave a presentation, but some state officials expressed concern, with slots accounting for 73 percent of total casino revenues last year—half of which goes to the state.
“Just in general, because I’m here for the state treasurer, and obviously revenues are the most important thing, and this isn’t just for the Rivers (Casino),” said a representative of state Treasurer Joe Torsella at the board hearing, “It is very concerning to me, and very concerning to us… (Slot machines) aren’t here because we wanted to add new businesses to Pennsylvania. It was a means to an end. It’s just very concerning to me that it seems that the casinos, when they want to change something, their immediate response seems to be to eliminate slot machines.”
According to the Penn Bets report, Presque Isle asked to remove more than 66 machines, but that would have put the casino under the 1,500-slot minimum.
Rivers officials told the board that fewer slots doesn’t necessarily mean less slot revenue, but is instead a housecleaning of slots that are old or under-played. “’Our slot machines are old…’ I don’t know, buy new ones, the Treasury official said. “But at the end of the day, I find it very troubling that it seems to be the solution.”
