- Casinos and poker have posted the strongest gaming results in May, with a cumulative $110 million in gross revenue
- Sports betting continues to slow down as the Super Bowl and March Madness season are over
- Gaming remains the biggest driver of revenue for regulated gambling markets
Pennsylvania’s online casino results continue to dwarf sports betting as the state is also slowly listing more poker events.
PA Poker and Online Casinos Lead the Way
Online gambling in Pennsylvania is picking up with casinos and poker rooms posting solid returns for the Keystone State. A total of $110 million gross revenue entered gaming websites in the state, with online casinos and poker rooms reporting a 54.6% growth year-over-year.
In comparative terms, online gaming in May 2020 stood at merely $71.6 million, despite the higher demand for entertainment products. May 2021 though didn’t quite catch up to the record set by March 2021 with $111.6 million.
The total handle was impressive, with May’s reporting $3.3 billion going in and out of Keystone State casinos, once again up from May 2020 and even April. According to Valerie Cross, an analyst for PlayPennsylvania, online casino revenue continues to dwarf sports betting.
Gaming may have been less spoken about, but for the longest time, there has been a very good argument for legalizing iGaming alongside sports betting as it’s the key driver of revenue for any state that dabbles in gambling.
Online casinos have been far more successful with gaming audiences, even though the debate around sports betting has taken national proportions. If anything, sportsbooks accepted $447.5 million in wagers in May, still down from the $479.4 million in April.
Naturally, seasonal events such as the Super Bowl and March Madness have been drivers of interest in sports betting, but without them, the summer months will be slow before the NBA and NFL return in early September. Online betting brought in $407.4 million of the total amount wagered during the month.
Poker Getting Underway in Pennsylvania as Well
While casinos and sports betting seem to hold the spotlight for the longest time, poker is also making a dent. BetMGM Poker PA is putting its first series this weekend. Sunday will see a $270,000-guaranteed event played across a ten-event festival, which will also be available through the sister skin, Borgata Poker PA.
While revenue from poker has not been too impressive, it has certainly been steady against a backdrop of companies that have been joining the Keystone State. Meanwhile, the Online Series hosted by BetMGM will run through June 27 and will bring over the company’s experience in other jurisdictions. There will be a $1,060 buy-in with $75,000 on the line in guaranteed prize money.
