Pennsylvania Sports Handle Cranks Back
Sports betting in Pennsylvania slowed to its lowest level since September 2020, an expected drop as the sports calendar has thinned substantially.
April revenues produced $25.5m in state taxes and $13.1m in local share assessments and county grants. Penn National topped the market with $36m in revenue.
PENNSYLVANIA SPORTS BETTING
Sports betting in Pennsylvania slowed to its lowest level since September 2020, an expected drop as the sports calendar thinned substantially. “Sports betting is following normal seasonal patterns seen in almost every legal jurisdiction, so it might be until September before the state’s sportsbooks begin to challenge the state record books again,” said Dustin Gouker at
PlayPennsylvania.com. “With the Olympics and the NBA Playoffs later than usual this year, this will still be a summer that is better than a typical year.”
Pennsylvania’s online and retail sportsbooks accepted US$479.4m wagers in April, snapping a streak of four consecutive months above $500m. April’s volume was down 14.4 per cent from $560.3m in March and the lowest since sportsbooks generated $462.8m in September. Despite this, handle was up dramatically over the $46m in bets taken in April 2020. Sportsbooks won $36m in gross gaming revenue of April’s wagering, up 1,025.1 per cent from $3.2m in April 2020 though down 13.9 per cent from $41m in March. April’s receipts produced $26.3m in taxable revenue, yielding $8.9m in state taxes and $525,930 in local share
Konami and
Bet.Works launch advanced casino loyalty solution
US
Konami Gaming and
Bet.Works have announced a joint integration to introduce advanced casino loyalty conveniences to the player sports betting experience.
Interfaces between
Bet.Works and Konami’s SYNKROS casino management system provide land-based casinos the ability to easily validate age eligibility, automatically enroll online and mobile sign-ups into a loyalty programme, and award casino loyalty points for all wagers, whether placed online, via mobile device, at point-of-sale (POS), or at a kiosk.
Elite Casino Resorts has successfully launched these conveniences across its ELITE Sportsbook and three Iowa gaming resort destinations:
assessment. Local interest in the playoff runs of the Philadelphia 76ers and Pittsburgh Penguins, helped shallow the seasonal lull.
“Local teams performing well, such as the Sixers and Penguins, are always a powerful incentive for bettors in any state," said Valerie Cross from
PlayPennsylvania.com. “In the case of Pennsylvania, it was a key difference between meeting expectations and falling short in April."
Online sports betting accounted for $439.1m of April's handle, or 91.6 per cent. FanDuel/Valley Forge led online operators again with $167.6m in online wagering. Retail sportsbooks generated $40.3m in handle in April. Tat was down from $45.9m in March. April's action produced $4.8m in gross revenue, while Rivers-Philadelphia topped the retail market with $7.7m in bets.
“Retail betting, whether casino games or sports betting, continues to inch toward normal, while the gains in online revenues made over the last year continue to hold,” Cross said. “Tat has created an overall gaming market that easily surpasses pre-pandemic level, even if retail betting is not quite where it was.”
Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort, and Rhythm City Casino Resort. “As a multi-site, multi-channel operator, we believe a consistent and convenient loyalty experience is especially important. Te interface between Konami and
Bet.Works allows us to achieve this aspect while expanding our entertainment offering,” said Karlyn Ollendick, CCO at Elite Casino Resorts.
“Player response and adoption has exceeded expectations, and we’re anticipating continued growth as SYNKROS and
Bet.Works continue to work together to drive engagement and rewards through ELITE Sportsbook.”
“Te result of this joint integration is truly a turn-key solution for casinos to extend their loyalty experience in and throughout the sports betting module,” said
Bet.Works SVP of Business Development, Marc Brody.
New Jersey
Atlantic City casinos’ profit surged in the first quarter of 2021 to over US$95m, more than triple the amount earned last year when the pandemic saw casinos shuttered for half of March with only Bally’s generating an operating loss. Te New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement confirmed that eight of the nine casinos posted increases in their gross operating profit. Te quarter's results were also 11 per cent higher than the first quarter of 2019 prior to the onset of the pandemic. Just over 50 per cent of Atlantic City’s casino hotel rooms were occupied in the first quarter of 2021. James Plousis, Chairman of the New Jersey Casino Control Commission, said: “Te strength of internet gaming and the return of tourists are a powerful combination. Te lifting of capacity restrictions bolsters confidence for a strong recovery this summer.”
CALIFORNIA – Win-River Resort & Casino kicked off month-long celebrations of its 28th anniversary in May with Aristocrat Gaming helping to mark the special occasion at the grand opening of both a Lightning Link Lounge and a Dragon Link Den at the northern California property.
Win-River’s Director of Gaming Gary Hayward, Jr. said, "Win-River is northern California's most exciting entertainment and gaming destination, and the new Lightning Link Lounge and Dragon Link Den will push the excitement level even higher. The opening of these two new slot areas – filled with games Win-River players love – is a fantastic way to start our 28th anniversary celebration.”
“Everyone at Aristocrat Gaming congratulates Win- River on 28 exciting years, and what better way to celebrate with their players than to create new spaces dedicated to their favourite games, Lightning Link and Dragon Link,” said Jon Hanlin, Aristocrat’s SVP of Commercial Strategy and Business Analytics. Win-River’s Lightning Link Lounge is home to 38 Lightning Link games and the Dragon Link Den has 20 Dragon Link games.
VIRGINIA – Kindred Group has entered into the next phase of its US expansion by adding Virginia to the list of successful entries in the fast growing US gambling market. Unibet Sports & Racebook will soon offer customers in Virginia an online sportsbook experience.
Unibet Interactive, Kindred Group’s US arm has been awarded a direct market access mobile sports betting permit in Virginia. After successful launches in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Indiana and with signed agreements for an additional eight states, Virginia will be a key state in Unibet´s East Coast expansion. Virginia is one of the largest states in the U.S. market and mobile sport betting is expected to reach over $370m in annual revenues at maturity.
INDIANA – Musicians and politicians joined casino executives for a star-studded, grand opening for the new US$300m Hard Rock Northern Indiana Casino in Gary.
The casino replaces the Majestic Star Casino operated on Lake Michigan’s Buffington Harbor for the last 25 years. The casino floor has 150,000sq.ft dedicated to gaming, including blackjack, roulette and craps, along with slot machines and video poker. There is a special baccarat area, an exclusive high limit room, Pai Gow poker and Spanish 21.
The casino offers just shy of 1,600 slots, 80 gaming tables, restaurants, a theater and a live performance venue and is being heralded as the beginning of a promising future for the city.
WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS P23
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