It could have been that people were excited to be off of work or people were just plain bored, but whatever the case may be, Pennsylvania saw the second highest level ever in slot machine wagering over the Labor Day weekend. This is an amazing feet as the economy is down and players are not frequenting the casinos as they normally would.

During the week of Labor Day, Pennsylvania saw a nine percent rise in slot machine wagers. Across the state, the total amount of gained was $449.2 million. Tax-producing gross terminal wagers were up almost twelve percent with $36.4 million. The payout rate for the state dropped to 91.1 percent. This is the lowest payout rate since October 2007.

Mount Airy had $4.6 million in gross terminal revenues which provided the state with more working capital to run their operations and more tax revenue. Mount Airy also passed the $2 billion mark in total wagers since they opened last year. The casino has only been open ten months and last week’s betting reached the second highest in its short history, at $56.3 million.

Right behind Mount Airy Casino is the Mohegan Sun. They earned $50.3 million in wagers which was a thirteen percent increase. Gross terminal wagers were at $4.4 million which was an eight percent increase.

During the Labor Day week, casinos in Pennsylvania averaged $1,762 on the low end and as high as $2,849 per machine. The weekend was very profitable for the state. Dr. Anthony Ceddia, the trustee overseeing the Mount Airy casino, has stated that they would be working to cut costs to battle the economic conditions but would do so without major layoffs.



- 2008-09-05