As part of my project to analyze trends in slot machine payback, I turn my attention to Pennsylvania, home of quite a few casinos, including new options that have opened up in recent years.
Pennsylvania is different from some markets, such as Connecticut, in that payback isn’t reported by denomination, but just as an overall average. You can still expect that higher denomination slots pay back better, but you don’t have as much insight as to how each casino breaks down payback denomination.
On the other hand, you at least have an idea about how the casino pays relative to others in the market. Per state gaming regulations, all gaming machines in Pennsylvania must pay back at least 85 percent as well, so there is a floor.
Here’s each of the Pennsylvania casinos and their overall payback for the fiscal years of 2019-2022, which ends on June 30 of each year.
| Casino | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 |
| Mohegan Sun Pocono | 89.86% | 89.91% | 89.89% | 89.90% |
| Parx Casino | 90.33% | 90.38% | 90.61% | 90.70% |
| Harrah’s Philadelphia | 89.78% | 89.69% | 89.80% | 89.82% |
| Presque Isle | 89.51% | 89.62% | 89.35% | 89.31% |
| Hollywood at The Meadows | 90.35% | 90.25% | 90.13% | 90.14% |
| Mount Airy | 90.27% | 90.10% | 90.36% | 90.31% |
| Hollywood at Penn National | 89.73% | 89.66% | 89.41% | 89.38% |
| Wind Creek | 91.22% | 90.12% | 90.14% | 90.09% |
| Rivers Pittsburgh | 89.73% | 89.80% | 89.82% | 89.87% |
| Rivers Philadelphia | 90.38% | 90.18% | 90.20% | 90.68% |
| Valley Forge | 90.63% | 90.55% | 90.47% | 90.68% |
| Nemacolin | 89.79% | 90.07% | 89.34% | 89.34% |
| Live! Pittsburgh | 89.77% | 90.13% | N/A | N/A |
| Live! Philadelphia | 89.54% | 89.77% | N/A | N/A |
| Hollywood York | 90.41% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Hollywood Morgantown | 90.04% | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Here are some of the things we can learn from this data:
- The payout percentages remained quite consistent across the board over a four year window, despite a pandemic and other factors. Some players feared a reduction in payouts after the pandemic closures, but the data doesn’t bear that out.
- The range between the best paying casinos and worst paying ones was generally a percentage point or so – It’s a pretty narrow range overall.
- Some of the biggest casinos in terms of overall money gambled were among the ones that paid the best. Wind Creek Bethlehem and Parx are among the top casinos from a total wagered point of view, and had overall payouts above 90 percent all four years.
- The addition of four new smaller casinos didn’t seem to impact the payouts in either direction.
You can see monthly breakdowns and other stats at the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board website.
