NJ's No Longer Top Slot Dog
By JAN SCHACHT
Updated 7:01 PM EDT, Thu, Jan 21, 2010
Gamblers are putting more money into slot machines in Pennsylvania than they are in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City’s perch atop the East Coast gaming industry is in jeopardy -- slot revenues in Pennsylvania passed New Jersey for the first time in history.
Atlantic City’s gambling business already dropped about 13 percent in 2009 but there was even worse news.
In December gamblers pumped about $2.12 billion into Pa. slot machines compared to $2.03 billion in AC.
The news was even worse for the "win" number or amount of money lost by slot players. Pa. gaming halls made about $189 million in December -- about $10 million more than AC, according to KYW Newsradio.
The overall revenues are still higher in the Garden State, which allows table gaming. But, that might not last long -- Gov. Ed Rendell signed a bill that allows table games in Pa. earlier this month.
Slot parlors in Pa. just expanded with recent openings like the new Parx Casino in Bensalem so the news in AC could be getting worse as Pennsylvanians won't need to drive down the shore to get their gambling fix.
First Published: Jan 21, 2010 3:54 PM EDT
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