After six years, it’s Pennsylvania’s turn.
Since the first Pennsylvania casino opened in late 2006, the state has experienced nothing but year-on-year increases in slot revenue. Until this year. Saturation of the Pennsylvania casino market and increasing competition from New York, Ohio and Maryland resulted in the first year-on-year decline in gross slot revenue for Pennsylvania casinos.
Slot revenues in Pennsylvania, which several years ago surpassed New Jersey as the second-largest revenue-producing jurisdiction in the industry, declined 3.5 percent in 2013, to less than $2.4 billion. Table games, first introduced in July 2010, still demonstrated strong growth in 2013, increasing year-on-year for nine of the first 11 months of 2013.
“There continues to be increased casino competition from all of Pennsylvania’s bordering states, and that certainly is affecting year-over-year revenue,” said Doug Harbach, spokesman for the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board.
