Gambling operators in PA saw a strong end to 2024, as they notched up another excellent month of Pennsylvania betting revenue following November’s figures. The gambling sector overall brought in $533.1 million in revenue to close out the year.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) confirmed the news in a recent press release. This confirmed that iGaming had seen the biggest jump in the sector, with online slots, table games, and poker games all faring well.
Slots, table games, and poker games are popular with many online casino players. This was borne out by the major jump in revenue, which totalled $223.6 million across all three sectors in the final month of 2024.
| iGaming Game Type | December 2024 Revenue | Increase Over December 2023 Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| Slot games | $164.3 million | 40.5% |
| Table games | $56.8 million | 24.2% |
| Poker games | $2.5 million | 2.9% |
This is in stark contrast to sports betting in the state for the same month, which brought in $21.9 million in Pennsylvania betting revenue, a drop just shy of 70% compared to December 2023. However, this is in keeping with the sports betting picture seen across other US states, so the current status of many online PA sportsbooks is no different to those operating in other US states.
These figures show the popularity of the huge online casino arena in the Keystone State. Online casinos were legalized in 2017, with the first sites launching just two years later. The intervening years have certainly seen plenty of growth in this area. The above figures point to a huge jump year-on-year from 2023 to 2024 though, so it will be interesting to see whether this trend continues through the coming year.
Despite reporting a record-breaking $77.1 million of Pennsylvania online betting revenue during November 2024, total PA sports betting revenue for the year was down by 69.9% compared to 2023.
The figures for December 2024 were at least partially to blame, as betting revenue for the month was just $21.9 million, of which $21.6 million was accounted for by online sportsbooks. Pennsylvania ended December with a hold of just 2.45%, but it was not alone, as other US states, including New Jersey and New York, also witnessed a similar level of decline.
There seems little doubt that the accessibility and versatility of iGaming will continue to be a major draw in the Keystone State. There were slight dips in revenue for land-based casinos, with slot gaming dropping by just 2.7%. However, with a continued strong performance for the online casinos, it seems likely that this trend might continue through the coming months and well into 2025.
