As the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports an all-time high monthly revenue driven by increases in sports betting, profits also are on the rise at Western Pennsylvania casinos.
The state Gaming Control Board reported November revenue of more than $562 million — a 26% increase from November 2023.
Rivers Casino Pittsburgh and Hempfield’s Live Casino Pittsburgh each saw a more than 6% increase in revenue when comparing November 2023 to last month.
Rivers Casino reported $30.3 million in revenue, and Live Casino turned a $9.1 million profit.
Sports betting across the state saw a nearly 500% increase from November 2023 to last month, raking in more than $77 million. This includes nearly $2.8 million from Rivers Casino, which reported a nearly 380% increase in sports wagering when comparing November 2023 to last month.
Live Casino’s biggest spike was in slot machine revenue, which saw a more than 9.5% increase across Novembers.
“We saw some good growth,” Live Casino general manager Sean Sullivan said. “We saw some measurable growth, and we’re happy with that.”
Steelers, Penn State expected to draw crowds
Though Live Casino saw a $70,000 dip in its sports wagering revenue when comparing November 2023 to last month, Sullivan said the casino sees an increase in attendance when relevant professional and college sports teams have winning seasons — including the 10-4 Steelers and 11-2 Penn State Nittany Lions.
Sullivan expects the casino to be packed Saturday with football fans.
Penn State will face off against Southern Methodist University at noon in the first round of the college football playoffs, and the Steelers will travel to Baltimore for their second game of the season against the Ravens. The Steelers beat their AFC North rivals by two points last month.
“The excitement of the winning records of these teams always bolsters viewership, attention,” Sullivan said. “So that generates more people interested, which generally correlates to more people wagering on those games and so on.”
Casino concludes expansion project
The increase in Live Casino’s November revenue comes on the heels of a $3 million expansion project that started in July.
The project added a high-limit gambling space — featuring slot machines and three tables — and shifted an existing poker room to the first floor, adjacent to the gambling area near the mall entrance to the casino.
The former 1,600-square-foot poker room across from the Sports & Social restaurant and bar was turned into a bar, restaurant and lounge area for themed casino events and private gatherings.
The renovated spaces have seen high traffic since their opening in October, Sullivan said.
The casino also might spend nearly $1 million in the new year to buy new slot machines, he said.
“Part of it,” Sullivan said, “is you have to continue to invest in your amenities so that customers continue to come.”
