For Pennsylvania casinos, March was a lion of a month.
The state’s casinos generated $462.7 million in revenue in March — the highest monthly haul ever.
The total, the amount gamblers lost, beat the previous record of $432.5 million set last November.
According to the state gaming control board, the drivers behind the largess were internet casino-style gambling, whose monthly revenues topped $110 million for the first time, and retail table games, whose monthly revenues exceeded $90 million for the first time.
In addition, sportsbook wagering totaled $714.9 million in March, a high for a month without professional football, according to PlayPennsylvania, which monitors the state’s gambling industry.
Even with the various new forms of gambling, casino stalwarts slot machines and table games both had big months.
Slots revenue, at $214.7 million, was up 7.7%, and table games, at a record $94.2 million, was up 32.1%.
Richard McGarvey, a gaming board spokesman, said table game revenue at land-based casinos had never topped $90 million in a month before March’s big haul.
And while slot machine revenue did not set a record, it finished in the top 10 in terms of monthly totals.
“It really shows that retail slots are holding their own even with all the new forms of gaming,” Mr. McGarvey said.
While sports produced a lot of wagering, revenues, at $30.4 million, were up just 3.57%.
“You can have lots of wagering but it doesn’t always amount to more revenue,” Mr. McGarvey noted.
Three of the casinos in the region rode the hot streak of a month to produce gains of their own.
Rivers Casino on the North Shore generated $35.5 million in revenue for March, up nearly 20.2% for the same month last year. Live! Casino Pittsburgh in Hempfield produced $10 million in revenue, up 19.8%.
Lady Luck Casino at Nemacolin garnered $2 million in revenue in March, up 2.8%
On the other hand, Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington County saw its revenues fall 2.1% to $20.5 million last month compared to March 2021.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.
First Published: April 18, 2022, 6:04 p.m.
