First Penn National Race Course and then SugarHouse Casino opened sportsbooks in each of the past couple of months.
Parx Casino in Bensalem is launching a sportsbook on Thursday, January 10 at 1pm. SugarHouse Sportsbook launched last month, so Parx Casino is the second Philadelphia-area casino to offer sports betting.
Pennsylvania legalized sports betting last year after the US Supreme Court gave individual states the right to regulate sports betting in a May 2018 decision.
The Supreme Court ruled the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was unconstitutional on the grounds of equal sovereignty and commandeering clauses of the U.S. Constitution.
Over the past three months, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) processed gaming applications and began to license sportsbooks one-by-one: Hollywood Casino near Hershey, SugarHouse Casino, and now Parx Casino.
Parx Sportsbook Press Release
Matthew Cullen, the senior vice president of Interactive Gaming & Sports at Parx Casino, said of the rollout, “Parx Casino is thrilled to launch legalized sports betting on the property next week.”
“Sports betting will first go live at our main property, and then roll out in the South Philadelphia Turf Club and then later at the Valley Forge Turf Club.”
The Valley Forge Turf Club could become an important sports betting hub for Parx Casino eventually. The Turf Club is only a few hundred feet from Philadelphia’s biggest sports stadiums, including Lincoln Financial Field (Eagles/Temple U), Citizens Bank Park (Phillies), and Wells Fargo Center (76ers).
Parx Casino Sportsbook Launch
Local sports bettors can make wagers at Parx Sportsbook before the Thursday rollout. From 2pm to 10am on Tuesday and Wednesday, the sportsbook will have a soft launch to allow the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to grade the operations’ compliance with Pennsylvania gaming laws.
If all goes well, then the grand opening takes place on Thursday. Parx Casino opens late in the NFL season, when the most business is transacted. The sportsbook will take bets on the NFL’s divisional round, championship games, and the Super Bowl.
US Sports Betting Calendar
Along with wagers on NBA and NHL games, the NCAA Football National Championship Game, and the Australian Open tennis tournament, January offers a variety of lucrative sports betting events. The Super Bowl, often called the Big Game by groups not sanctioned by the NFL, is the biggest betting event of the year.
Still, sports betting is a way to drive new customers to the casino throughout the year. The various sports associations find a way to time their events every year to divide viewership throughout the year. A week or two after the Super Bowl, NASCAR season begins with the Daytona 500.
2019 March Madness Betting
March Madness ends around the time Major League Baseball ends its regular season. As the NBA and NHL playoffs end, golf tournaments like the US Open and (British) Open take place, while big tennis events like Wimbledon take place midsummer.
As the biggest golf and tennis seasons wind down, the NFL begins to dominate the news. October is one of the biggest months, because the NFL regular season is in full swing, while the MLB Playoffs are taking place. At the same time, the NHL and NBA regular seasons launch. Through it all, MMA and boxing matches take place — often with the biggest boxing matches timed for May and September each year.
Penn National Race Course
Penn National Race Course, associated with Hollywood Casino near Herschey, generated $1.4 million in turnover in its first two weeks of operation. That produced $508,996.60 in revenue for the Penn National Gaming and $183,239 in tax revenue for the state.
Once all of the Pennsylvania’s sportsbooks are in operation, the state could generate $1 million a week in tax revenues. As the year continues, more local casinos will launch sportsbooks.
The benefits will be indirect, as well. While sports betting has a low margin, it generates traffic for the casino. Sports bettors often are sports fans who do not normally visit casinos, but they might rent a hotel room, buy food and drink, or play a few casino games while in the location to make a sports bet. Also, sports betting draws a younger demographic, which casino operators hope to attract.
