Slot revenue up in Pa.; officials credit table gaming

Slot revenue figures from Pennsylvania’s nine casinos suggest traffic has increased in the month since table games were first introduced.

Slot revenue figures from Pennsylvania’s nine casinos suggest traffic has increased in the month since table games were first introduced.

Slot machines generated $116 million in tax revenue for the state last month.

Of the eight casinos open this time last year, six saw increased figures, compared to July 2009.

The Sands Casino’s slots revenue jumped 25 percent, while Philadelphia Park’s increased by 19 percent.

Gaming Control Board spokesman Doug Harbach attributes the slots uptick to table games.

“It certainly looks like the increased traffic that is being produced by the introduction of table games very well might be assisting in bringing the slot figures up,” Harbach said. “But it’s still a bit too early to make those type of assumptions.”

Earlier this week, the Revenue Department announced table games produced $1.6 million worth of tax money in July.

That’s below the $6.2 million monthly estimate, but Harbach says the figure covers only a stretch of about two weeks, and the full July revenue from table games won’t be available until later this month.