Posts Tagged ‘Pennsylvania’
Wednesday, December 1st, 2010
Pennsylvania is a state that has long held high profile racing for a number of years now. The gaming in the state is slowing down though. It is no secret that race track gambling has been down since the recession. More and more people are cutting gambling out of their weekly budgets, and racing is one major part of that. Race track owners have been trying to come up with ways to spur on their numbers and revive their markets. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is doing just that, but noted that racing in the state is down by 25% since the same time two years ago. Numbers are so far down that owners are worried that the market cannot be restored without some serious changes and modifications of what they offer. In the year 2009, Pennsylvania brought in $235 million in gambling revenues thanks to the racing industry. That was a huge amount and many legislators and comptrollers started to rely on that money. They earmarked it for the future budget items and counted on it to be a steady form of revenue. Unfortunately that was not to be. Legislators quickly learned that racing is as reliable as gambling in the market. It is dependent on discretionary funds and when customers ended up in the unemployment lines, gambling was one of the first things cut out of their budgets. This put race tracks in defensive positions with few ways to turn things around.
The only thing that is offering hope to the state’s control board is slot machines. Slots are credited with keeping the racing market of the state alive, if not kicking. The market is suffering and slots seem to be the only thing that is making even a dent in it. If anything can save the market, slots should be it. Pennsylvania is not alone though—it seems that tall states right now have race track markets that are dwindling. It may take time to spur on the market, or it could be necessary for companies to increase their slots gaming and diminish their racing altogether. It is possible that racing is a dying sport and there are no ways to revive them post recession.
Tags: PA, Pennsylvania, racing, racino, track
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Monday, November 15th, 2010
There are many city legislators in the market who are debating legalizing gambling. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania is no different. It has been over a year now that a casino has been built in the area but it has already made a huge affect on the market. The casino has caused more traffic to local stores and most are voicing their pleasure with the casino location. It is the Rivers Casino that was erected just a year ago. It is proof of how the market is ready for gambling again. It may not be wagering at the rates it was in previous times before the recession, but things are moving once again to hefty levels of growth in the market. Some businesses have seen growth rates in their own revenue streams as a result of added traffic. This was the hope when casino operators were first petitioning for permission to put the casino up over two years ago. They promised that it would be a sure fire way to bring in revenue of millions every month in tax revenue dollars—money that could eventually find its way into the market and fund various public programs, education and expansion within the state.
Still there are some local residents who aren’t thrilled. They say that they were forced to improve their businesses so they “looked” better but have not yet received the promised increase in business as a result. They state that though their businesses cater to the public visiting, their own revenue streams have not changed. For example, a local bed and breakfast owner stated that the casino has brought no new overnight patrons to his business despite being in a convenient area to the casino. Still the city overall is happy with the change. They believe that it could take some time for things to revive and most are ready to wait for tangible and lasting changes. Now they are not only looking for increased revenues, but also they are looking for job creation as a result of the casino’s success and eventual expansion. In today’s market bringing in more games is a top way to revive interest in various projects.
Tags: casino, gambling, legal, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh
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Friday, November 12th, 2010
Cordish Cos has had a difficult time with bringing gambling to the market in Pennsylvania. It has been a long time since the market has been pushing for change in the area. The Anne Arundel Mills mall slots parlor is projected to bring in millions of dollars for gamers. This means that they can turn their own markets around that much quicker. Consider what a million dollar revenue increase would mean to a state if it was coming in every month. The projection is not outrageous. For example, Hollywood Casino opened and in just four days of operations it was able to bring in over $2 million in revenue in that time—that’s a half-a-million in revenue per day! Think about what it is going to do by the end of a full month of revenue, or six months, or a year! It is numbers like this that are making slots gaming so popular for markets everywhere. Slots offer the unique chance for gambling companies to continue to push for more and more revenue streams. Some of the plans though are not without issues. For example, there were opponents to the Anne Arundel Mills project. A considerably large group of people joined together to stave off gambling and make sure that people are educated on the negative aspect of bringing in gambling.
The group is now petitioning the Attorney General to investigate the recent vote for slots by the public. The group “No Slots at the Mall” is contending that Cordish Cos had a big hand in pushing the issue for people. They believe that the company possibly offered ownership stakes to local businesses in exchange for allegiance to the casino project. If this is true then the group wants Cordish Cos to be investigated for illegal activities with the issue. It is now up to Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler to follow through with the investigation and make sure that things are on the up and up in terms of procedures. Cordish Cos I seeing that it has a longstanding issue with the casino in the area and it has more fighting to do if it is to bring the issue to completion.
Tags: Anne Arundel, No Slots at the Mall, Pennsylvania
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Friday, November 5th, 2010
The Annenberg Adolescent Communication Institute is located at the University of Pennsylvania. The organization is one that has formed to do studies on young people and their gaming habits. It was interesting to see what their studies have shown because it points to the young market as one of the most quickly growing in the world. Now that young people are gaming at such a record rate, this is putting them in the foreground of gambling companies. It is difficult because gambling companies are seeing a huge advantage here—they can move in on the new market and make millions of dollars over any given month. They are taking on the same tactics as credit card companies did a few years ago. If you recall, some credit companies were under fire because of their targeting of the young college market. They set up booths and events on college campuses to attract new customers. Many credit card company executives looked at college-aged students as their “new market.” Unfortunately there was a repercussion to that. A few years later there was a rise in the number of bankruptcies being filed by consumers in their mid- to late twenties. It wasn’t hard to see what happened. Credit card companies gave young and uneducated people access to thousands of open credit and then they used it, with no regard to how they were going to pay it back. Experts are warning the same disaster could come to the youth now that gambling is being offered to then on this scale.
The survey done at University of Pennsylvania is showing that more young people are venturing into the world of gambling than ever. Of high school students in on the survey, 6.2% admitted to wagering on a monthly basis. This number is up from 2.7% last year. This means that in just one year the number of young people logging in illegally to wager at online websites has doubled. Likely that could open the door to a lot of problems in the future for them because of the dangerous nature of managing money. Without some safeguards built into the system, this survey shows that more disastrous financial results could come to the market soon.
Tags: gambling, Pennsylvania, study, underage
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Monday, November 1st, 2010
Pennsylvania is ready for some good news. The state has long been under a financial strain due to the economy of the last two years and now it wants to turn things around. It was first earlier in 2010 that legislators approved table games to be used in the state for revenue. It was a good move, or that is what the signs are pointing to thus far. Though it has only been a few months, Pennsylvania is already taking over as a gambling hotspot on the East Coast. Legislators were right that if they brought table games in it would turn things around and open up a door for new revenue. Officials heard about how successful gambling had been for other markets and decided to give it a try for their own. Table games have long been popular in the gambling market. People love to get in on a good poker, blackjack or roulette game. There are a vast amount of options today and a good casino will bring in a lot list and a good selection of games for any visitor. This is exactly what Pennsylvania is doing and it is paying off.
Pennsylvanian operators are excited about their decision and the way it seems to be sorting itself out. Not only is the state seeing a great revenue stream, but it also is proving to be able to compete with Atlantic City. That is huge news. For years Atlantic City has had the market on gambling in the East Coast but it has been quickly losing that title since the onset of the recession. Its operators have been scrambling to find ways to reinvigorate the market but it hasn’t been easy. Now with the added competition of Pennsylvania gambling is in the mix, it could make things very difficult. Pennsylvania isn’t fretting though. The state’s operators are rejoicing at the table games and their success in the market so far. They know that this most likely is just the beginning of their revenue stream and they are looking forward to gaming revenues to come. Overall it was just another example of how gambling can be used to turn a market around completely.
Tags: East Coast, market, PA, Pennsylvania
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Wednesday, October 6th, 2010
Pennsylvania is yet another state that is looking for financial redemption to come from gambling. The state debated the issue for a long time and has opened the door to casino gambling. They are now growing to be one of the biggest money makers for the state and legislators couldn’t be happier. The casinos are all premiere locations for gambling and they include a great variety of games for visitors to have fun with. You can find poker, blackjack, craps and slots in the casinos. The state’s Gaming Control Board announced recently that the table games alone brought in $34.6 million in August of this year, which calculates out to $4.8 million in tax revenue dollars for the state. No one can argue that gambling is lucrative, but with numbers like this it is no wonder why legislators are making more of a push for gambling in the market. They want to further expand gambling and bring it to gamers because they know that if they “build it they will come.”
The world of gambling is changing and more states are becoming dependent on gambling money for the funding of various programs and expansion for the states. In Pennsylvania Mount Airy Casino brought in $3.4 million in revenue just on table games in August and that is a 24% growth jump since the month prior. That is huge and great news for the state. The recession left states with hefty deficits and big expenses, along with few ways to pay them. Now that gambling is making such a good showing, it could means the financial stress may be over. States are already portioning out their gambling funds to various expenses like building, expanding police forces, education, and roads. They need the funds and with gambling being so accommodating it is a great solution. The games that are proving to be most lucrative for the Pennsylvanian market are craps, roulette and blackjack. This is a surprise to operators, but they are also happy about the change. The casinos in the area feature over 2,500 of the biggest and best slot machines available in the market too and they are also performing top-dollar returns.
Tags: gambling, market, PA, Pennsylvania
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Sunday, September 26th, 2010
If you have followed the business market at all then you know who Donald Trump is. Known affectionately as “The Donald” to many close confidantes, Trump of course is a billionaire businessman who has made waves in the market. Not only is he a top-dollar developer, but he also has built a brand. Much like the Paris Hilton like activities, Trump parlayed his business career into a world of fame. He makes public appearances and has his own prime time television show. He is on late night talk shows and has created a persona for himself. That reputation for celebrity with a mind for business has grown his brand to one of the most highly recognizable ones in the business and entertainment market today. Now Trump is looking to expand his gambling entities, but may have some hurdles to overcome before the gambling plan is possible to move forward with.
Trump and his organization was looking to move in on Pennsylvania and its gambling market by getting one of the licenses for gaming available. Unfortunately, it lost the bid for the games this past week. It was Trump-owned Keystone Redevelopment Partners that was looking to get the license but it as Foxwoods that won it. The Foxwoods however ended up being unable to fulfill the contract for a casino due to the recession and its difficult financial repercussions. Once Foxwoods put the plan on hold, the Trump organization started their own pining for the license. The court denied keystone’s plan though. The company wanted to reopen the process of bidding. The Gaming Control Board believed that the bid was unsatisfactory and rejected it. Only time will tell what happens, but surely the Trump Organization is not done with its fight for a casino in Pennsylvania. Owners know how lucrative the market is right now and want to quickly move in on areas throughout the country where they can develop gaming facilities to attract millions. The future will show how the organization continues to push into the market, but most likely it will be a premiere location and an aggressive plan for gaming.
Tags: casino, develop, PA, Pennsylvania, Trump
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Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Pennsylvania is another state that is looking to become a gambling hub in the states. So far it has expanded its gambling casinos and is looking to maximize revenue coming in from the hobby. Now that the state is open to gaming, the Gaming Control Board is trying to support casinos in every way they can. Part of that support is to find viable ways of eliminating illegal gambling. Gambling of course is lucrative but illegal gaming is a huge threat. It can considerably cut down on the revenue legally brought into the market. To protect the legal market, the Pennsylvanian Gaming Board recently issued three grants that will go to law enforcement agencies. The purpose is to arm them with the money needed to fight and prosecute illegal gambling rings. Those grants totaled $300,000.
Illegal gambling is a problem within the world. Money is a great encouragement for people to push for gaming on their own terms. No one can argue that gambling is a billion-dollar industry and people want in. it is a much-coveted thing to position a company in the right spot at the right time. Though gambling is being slowly legalized, there is still a good number of illegal operations. Pennsylvania changed a law earlier this year that elevated the amount of Local Law Enforcement Grant Programs. Since that amendment, the amount is up to $2 million per year. This money is ear marked to investigate all illegal operations. The biggest chunk of the money is $250,000 and that is going to the State Police Department. An additional $23,000 goes to the Freeland Police Department and the remainder is going to Swatara Township Police department. The three departments are large and expected to use the money for supporting authorized gambling locations. This money is a big push for gaming and its security. It also is a sign of how important gambling is to the state’s market and how much they are going to put into protecting it from illegal activities. This also means that legislators expect gambling to rise consistently in coming months. They know how much expansion is expected and want to be ready for the changes.
Tags: gaming, grant, PA, Pennsylvania
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Saturday, September 18th, 2010
Gambling operators are working hard to come up with new ways of bringing gamers into their casino doors. The world of gambling is difficult to break into—there are so many companies out there that each one has to fight hard to maintain their current customers and bring in new ones. With the amount of specials out there, it is hard to sort through all of the possibilities. For online gaming companies it is equally as hard to get noticed. That is why operators are putting hours of focus on building new advantages for gamers. Casinos in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware are putting together a totally new goal—they want to bring premiere dining as a draw for the gamers who visit gambling casinos.
The casino operators in the three states recently announced that they are going to offer huge buffet tables for gamers. These aren’t the normal flat-fee buffets either! These are set to rival the biggest holiday spread in variety and cost. Gaming companies are hoping that this will provide an additional draw for gamers who come in to their facilities to play the game tables, blackjack, craps and roulette. The true focus of the changes is to draw in Asian Americans to the casino floors. Namely it is the visitors in Atlantic City that operators have their sights on. They are hoping they can attract them to the New Jersey area. There are still a good number of travelers who set their focus on the Atlantic City area and New Jersey is hoping to sway them just a few hours away. This could prove to be a great way to bring them in if gamers see the dining experience as an important part of their overall gaming experiences—and history has proven that they do. The Asian-American market is growing and tourists are visiting the US and its gaming locales in record numbers. This is why operators are focusing on the group and trying to woo them into their doors. Overall offering a great dinner benefits all parties so it should have a positive influence on everyone who visits.
Tags: Delaware, dining, Pennsylvania, West Virginia
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Tuesday, August 24th, 2010
Pennsylvania is now hot in the market of gambling. It seems that almost everyone wants a piece of the pie in the state now that it is looking to bring gambling in. The state’s gambling officials are setting their sights high and hoping to compete with Atlantic City for gamers and win. Atlantic City of course is a hub of gambling in the US and has long held the title of best gambling hot spot in the area. Now Pennsylvania is hoping to dethrone the location and build its own gambling community for tourists to frequent. So far there are four different developers looking to move in on Pennsylvania gambling and secure the last gaming license up for grabs in the state. So far here are the areas where the casino developers want to put new casinos in:
• Two developers want to bring a casino to the Poconos. The Poconos of course is already a tourist area that draws in millions every year. Having a casino at the location will only increase the number of patrons. If they can commit to a state of the art casino that will only increase the numbers and make the Poconos even more popular to a wider customer base of visitors.
• One other developer wants to put a casino at a Holiday Inn located near Harrisburg Pennsylvania. This is the same developer that wants to use the Gettysburg tourist location as a draw. They want to tie the casino into US history and use that as the attraction for their casino. This location now also has the support of the Gettysburg Historic Society also.
The fourth developer has yet to release information on the casino location. Due to the successful numbers gambling has brought in throughout the past few months this is an opportune time to bring in a new casino to Pennsylvania. Whoever does end up winning the bid most likely is going to see success due to the recent burst of gambling on the scene and its overwhelming growth in the areas. Plus, the locations announced so far are heavy traffic areas that bring in millions of tourists already. Hopefully they will continue to serve the gaming public and see success.
Tags: casino, development, PA, Pennsylvania
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