Sands opening boosts Pennsylvania gaming revenues in May
According to Pennsylvania gaming regulators, the new Sands Bethlehem Casino had very good opening 10 days. Which means, the state’s tax coffers had a very nice May.
The $743 million casino, built by Las Vegas Sands Corp. on the site of the historic Bethlehem Steel Mill, opened Memorial Day Weekend to huge crowds.
According to the state, Sands Bethlehem’s 3,000 slot machines collected almost $10.7 million in gaming revenues in just 10 days.
To put those figures into perspective, the Mount Airy Casino in the Pocono Mountains collected $15.3 million in gaming revenue the entire month.
Pennsylvania said gaming revenues from state’s eight casinos and racinos was $178.4 million, a 17.9 percent increase from a year ago. The state collected $98.1 million in tax revenues based on the total.
The taxes are being used to fund various economic development projects in the state, as well as reducing property taxes paid by Pennsylvania homeowners.
“With more expansion scheduled in this new industry over the next year, revenue dedicated to assisting homeowners will continue to increase,” Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board Chairman Greg Fajt said.