Is Pennsylvania already falling out of love with slots?
You remember that magic elixir foisted off on the state by then Gov. Ed Rendell to fix one of the most perplexing questions that has hounded the Commonowealth for years, that being property taxes.
Rendell rode out to Harrisburg with a plan to fix the problem. He wanted to expand gambling in the state with casinos, in particular slot machines.
How much tax relief actually was delivered is debatable. What is not is that just a few years into this grand experiment, the state seems to be losing its love affair with slots. Revenue is down. Again.
Slots revenue at Pennsylvania casinos was down almost 4 percent in March, as opposed to the same time period last year. At Harrah's down in Chester, the numbers were even more stark. Play there was off 7.4 percent.
Maybe more people are sitting at the tables, where table games are going great guns. But there is little question that slot machines seem to be losing their luster.
Don't cry for the casinos. They're still raking in the bucks. They're just not taking in as much. And this is now no longer a one-time thing. That's especially true at Harrah's, where slots play has been consistently down now for more than a year.
If you have an idea why you think slots play is off, let me know. Post a comment on this blog. I'm interested in why slots play is falling off, so soon. And what it means to the future of legalized gambling in the state.
Rendell rode out to Harrisburg with a plan to fix the problem. He wanted to expand gambling in the state with casinos, in particular slot machines.
How much tax relief actually was delivered is debatable. What is not is that just a few years into this grand experiment, the state seems to be losing its love affair with slots. Revenue is down. Again.
Slots revenue at Pennsylvania casinos was down almost 4 percent in March, as opposed to the same time period last year. At Harrah's down in Chester, the numbers were even more stark. Play there was off 7.4 percent.
Maybe more people are sitting at the tables, where table games are going great guns. But there is little question that slot machines seem to be losing their luster.
Don't cry for the casinos. They're still raking in the bucks. They're just not taking in as much. And this is now no longer a one-time thing. That's especially true at Harrah's, where slots play has been consistently down now for more than a year.
If you have an idea why you think slots play is off, let me know. Post a comment on this blog. I'm interested in why slots play is falling off, so soon. And what it means to the future of legalized gambling in the state.
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