Two Pennsylvania casinos receive approval to reduce slot machine count
Hollywood Casino Morgantown and Lady Luck Nemacolin have received approval from the Pennsylvania gaming regulator.
US.- The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) has granted Hollywood Casino Morgantown and Lady Luck Nemacolin approval to reduce their slot machine count and modify their gaming floors.
Hollywood Casino Morgantown will remove 30 slot machines from its gaming porch to leave 117. In a presentation made to the PGCB by general manager Marc Guastella and legal representative, Michael Fabius of Ballard Spahr, the casino said the slots had an occupancy less than a third of other slots on the gaming floor. Gaming porch slot machines have a win per unit per day that is almost 75 per cent less than other games.
In January 2022, Hollywood Casino Morgantown removed 17 slots, and in December, it removed a further 15 machines from the gaming porch. Tax revenue increased by roughly $400,000 following the first reduction and by roughly $1m in March 2023. The new reduction will leave Hollywood Casino Morgantown with 697 machines overall.
The property does not believe the loss will negatively influence operations, with Gaustella telling the PGCB that the casino’s business “continues to grow year over year.” Hollywood Casino Morgantown is looking at non-gaming options to fill the space, and no staffing will be affected.
Lady Luck Nemacolin is installing 81 new slots while removing 100, which are owned by Churchill Downs Incorporated. Since renewing its licence in June, Lady Luck Nemacolin has been operating seven days a week. It has several renovations on the horizon.
General manager John Gibboni said the venue could add more slots after the gaming floor redesign. Casino officials said the property intends to add a coffee bar and an entertainment area. No staffing changes are expected.
