Parx On line casino, one in all two absolutely smoke-free casinos in Pennsylvania, continues to dominate the state gaming trade when it comes to retail play.
Parx On line casino, a smoke-free property, continues to dominate the Pennsylvania gaming trade when it comes to brick-and-mortar income. Pennsylvania casinos can designate as much as half of their gaming house for indoor smoking. (Picture: Go to Philly)
Parx made the choice to stay smoke-free within the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. The on line casino north of Philadelphia is owned and operated by Greenwood Gaming & Leisure. Greenwood opened Parx On line casino Shippensburg, a Class 4 “mini-casino,” in February, additionally and not using a designated smoking part.
The first Parx On line casino, situated in Bensalem, generated brick-and-mortar gross gaming income (GGR) from its slots and desk video games of roughly $50.1 million in August 2023. That was tops among the many state’s 18 land-based casinos. Wind Creek Bethlehem was second at $45.2 million.
Regardless of not permitting smoking, Parx was the highest land-based earner final yr, with GGR of roughly $598.6 million. That bested Wind Creek by virtually $83 million.
Smoking Dialogue
Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Alleghany) this week launched laws that might finish the indoor smoking loophole supplied to the state’s business casinos. That’s carried out by means of the Pennsylvania Clear Indoor Air Act of 2008.
Throughout a Home Well being Committee listening to this week, on line casino trade veteran and former regulator Richard Schuetz — who, throughout his 52-year profession, labored alongside the late Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn, two of a very powerful figures in making the Las Vegas Strip what it’s at present — testified that smoking must be proven the exit door.
“What we find out about smoking, we’ve got recognized for effectively over a decade. Secondhand smoke inside casinos is a poisonous substance that impacts well being,” Schuetz informed the committee.
Schuetz cited CDC analysis concluding that air flow techniques don’t remove secondhand smoke well being hazards. He went on to query how politicians and on line casino executives proceed to permit people who smoke to blow poisonous smoke into sellers’ faces.
It’s a breakdown in morality that I simply don’t perceive,” Schuetz declared.
Schuetz additionally mentioned on line casino smoking sections are like “throwing out a welcome mat for downside gamblers.”
Pennsylvania Gaming Roundup
The Pennsylvania Gaming Management Board this week introduced a $45K high quality levied towards a Pilot Flying J after an underage particular person gambled on the truck cease’s video gaming terminals (VGTs). The high quality additionally lined the truck cease’s failure to have a PGCB-credentialed worker on obligation whereas the VGTs had been in operation at its Smithton location.
In different regulatory issues, the PGCB introduced it banned 4 extra adults after they had been decided to have left kids unattended of their automobiles whereas they gambled. One of many instances concerned a feminine patron who left a ten, 14, and 15-year-old unattended in her working car within the parking storage of Hollywood On line casino at Penn Nationwide Race Course. That’s whereas whereas she gambled on slot machines for greater than two hours.
Lastly, Mohegan Pocono introduced this week that it plans to take away about 120 slot machines from its on line casino ground. The removing will depart about 1,500 slots.
Mohegan executives mentioned the 120 terminals being eliminated are due to the continued proliferation of unregulated “ability video games” throughout the commonwealth. Mohegan Pocono President Anthony Carlucci informed the PGCB that “there’s a direct correlation” between the on line casino’s slot quantity decline and the rise of ability gaming machines within the Wilkes-Barre area.
