Pennsylvania online casinos rallied to their second-highest mark for revenue in May.
The market continues to show resilience. May was the third consecutive month — and the fifth of the last six months — where revenue topped the $130 million mark, according to data from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
Overall revenue totaled $138.5 million in May, up 2.9% sequentially ($134.5 million) and up 25.3% year-over-year ($110.5 million). The market was down 4.7% from its record high of $145.3 million, set in March.
Unlike March — when five operators, including the top three — had record revenue, only one licensee, Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino and Racetrack, broke its previous record in May. But that was likely because Harrah’s welcomed Tropicana Casino PA in April.
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Valley Forge Hangs On For Second Place
The top three groups of operators in the vertical remain those on the Hollywood, Valley Forge, and Rivers-Philadelphia casinos licenses. But PGCB data show the top three lost a whole percentage point of market share in May — slipping to 84.8%, down from 85.8%.
Hollywood Casino — partnered with Barstool, BetMGM Casino PA, DraftKings Casino PA, and Hollywood Casino PA — led the field and grossed $58 million in May. Revenue was flat from April but up 28.3% from a year ago ($45.2 million). The group has led the vertical for 30 consecutive months since December 2020.
Hollywood finished north of $50 million for the eighth consecutive month. May was also Hollywood’s fourth-highest month for revenue overall.
Valley Forge, whose partners are FanDuel Casino PA and Stardust Casino, held onto second place in the vertical — barely. Revenue declined 5.4% month-over-month and landed at $29.5 million in May, down from $31.2 million in April. Despite the setback, Valley Forge was up 39.5% year-over-year ($21.2 million).
Rivers came less than $265k from grabbing second place. Partners BetRivers Casino PA, Borgata Casino PA, and SugarHouse Casino PA combined for $29.3 million of revenue in May, up 12.6% from April ($26 million). The group saw revenue climb 9% from the year-ago month ($26.9 million).
May was also Rivers’ third-best month on record.
All three top licensees, plus Wind Creek Casino, were removed two months from record revenue in March.
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Coming Next Month: Bally Casino PA
The four casino licensees in the middle of the pack — Parx Casino, Mount Airy Casino, Harrah’s, and Live! Casino — finished May in that order in terms of revenue, the same as April. All four also saw revenue increase month-over-month.
Caesars Casino PA and Tropicana Casino PA lifted Harrah’s to a record $4.7 million. Meanwhile, Live! had its second-best month overall, with $3.7 million in revenue.
PokerStars Casino, partnered with Mount Airy, grossed $3.9 million and barely held off Live! for sixth place. The latter fell about $147k short.
Starting in June, the PGCB will begin reporting online casino revenue from Bally Casino PA, which launched in early June. Bally will be unique to the market because PGCB granted it status as a Qualified Gaming Entity (QGE) in February. Under the state’s gaming law, QGEs are exempt from partnering with a land-based casino.
