Someone will have to explain this one to me.
Gambling was supposed to be recession-proof. Not in Atlantic City. The shore gambling mecca is being battered by a bad economy and new competition from slots operations in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
But here in Pennsylvania, the money continues to roll in – with one exception. Sort of.
Six of the seven slots parlors operating in Pennsylvania showed gains in March 2009 over the same month in 2008, according to figures released yesterday by the state Gaming Control Board.
Guess which was the only Keystone State casino to show a drop in revenue? That would be our very own Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. Revenue along the Chester waterfront was off more than 7 percent from March 2008.
Of course, this is all relative. Yes, Harrah’s take was down, all the way to $29 million and change this year, as opposed to $31 million last year. We should all be struggling along that way.
Still, it’s a part of a recent trend at the Chester location, where the numbers have been trickling down since last summer, aside from a spike around the holidays.
In the meantime, the other six slots operations in the state continue to post increases. Play at Philly Park was up 6 percent; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs was up 36 percent; Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racecourse jumped 30 percent.
However, it should be noted that Harrah’s Chester’s total take of $29,269.145 in March was second only to Philly Park’s $32,706.513.
Maybe Harrah’s struggles are just one more sign of the economy. But if that’s the case, why aren’t the other Pennsylvania gaming operations showing similar decreases?
And this comes while the two locations awarded to Philadelphia remain mired in controversy. Eventually, two more sites will open somewhere in this area, and that certainly will not help Harrah’s bottom line.
For their part, Harrah’s is not talking about the declines. Neither is anyone at the state Gaming Control Board.
I can’t blame Harrah’s. They’re likely too busy counting their money. It just doesn’t take as long as it used to.
Gambling was supposed to be recession-proof. Not in Atlantic City. The shore gambling mecca is being battered by a bad economy and new competition from slots operations in Pennsylvania and Delaware.
But here in Pennsylvania, the money continues to roll in – with one exception. Sort of.
Six of the seven slots parlors operating in Pennsylvania showed gains in March 2009 over the same month in 2008, according to figures released yesterday by the state Gaming Control Board.
Guess which was the only Keystone State casino to show a drop in revenue? That would be our very own Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack. Revenue along the Chester waterfront was off more than 7 percent from March 2008.
Of course, this is all relative. Yes, Harrah’s take was down, all the way to $29 million and change this year, as opposed to $31 million last year. We should all be struggling along that way.
Still, it’s a part of a recent trend at the Chester location, where the numbers have been trickling down since last summer, aside from a spike around the holidays.
In the meantime, the other six slots operations in the state continue to post increases. Play at Philly Park was up 6 percent; Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs was up 36 percent; Hollywood Casino at Penn National Racecourse jumped 30 percent.
However, it should be noted that Harrah’s Chester’s total take of $29,269.145 in March was second only to Philly Park’s $32,706.513.
Maybe Harrah’s struggles are just one more sign of the economy. But if that’s the case, why aren’t the other Pennsylvania gaming operations showing similar decreases?
And this comes while the two locations awarded to Philadelphia remain mired in controversy. Eventually, two more sites will open somewhere in this area, and that certainly will not help Harrah’s bottom line.
For their part, Harrah’s is not talking about the declines. Neither is anyone at the state Gaming Control Board.
I can’t blame Harrah’s. They’re likely too busy counting their money. It just doesn’t take as long as it used to.
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