Casinos find smoking a hard habit to kick

Pennsylvania casinos have posted their first annual slots revenue increase in three years.

The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reported that the state’s dozen casinos reported slots revenue of $2.335b In the 12 months ending June 30, the close of the state’s fiscal year. That’s a gain of just under $15m (0.7%) from the previous fiscal year, marking the first annual increase since fiscal 2011-12. The numbers were boosted by a 2.7% year-on-year increase in the month of June.

MARYLAND’S SLOTS & CIGS COMBO A WINNER

Across the border in Maryland, the state’s five casinos reported revenue up nearly 27% to $92.4m in the month of June. However, if you exclude contributions from Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, which hadn’t yet opened last June, revenue at the four other casinos declined 5.1%.