Pennsylvania Gaming Revenue Sets Monthly Record as Gamblers Lose More Than $601 Million
In May, Pennsylvania's gaming revenue hit a new monthly peak as bettors faced unprecedented losses.
On Wednesday, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) announced that May 2025 was the peak month in history for the state’s various gaming interests.
Gross gaming revenue, which refers to the funds kept by the 17 physical casinos, iGaming sites, retail and online sportsbooks, video gaming terminals, and fantasy sports, reached over $601.8 million. This indicated an almost 16% increase from the previous year, amounting to $80.8 million.
May was the inaugural instance in Pennsylvania’s gaming history where monthly revenue exceeded $600 million. The previous monthly record for the state was established in March when GGR reached $574.5 million.
With $601.8 million, Pennsylvania's GGR for May is the third highest in the country. Last month, New Jersey's GGR reached $614.6 million. Nevada has not published its May figures yet, but it is expected to exceed $1.2 billion.
iGaming Drives Records
May was nearly universally favorable for eight gaming sectors in Pennsylvania — retail slots, retail tables, iGaming slots, iGaming tables, iGaming poker, sports wagering, VGTs, and fantasy sports. The outliers included fantasy sports, which experienced a 5% drop in contest fees to $1.1 million, retail tables, declining 4.5% to $79.9 million, and VGTs, decreasing 0.08% to $3.7 million.
Retail slot income increased by 5% to reach $224.8 million, while bookmakers retained 34% more funds totaling $59.4 million. Nonetheless, it was internet gaming that primarily drove the record-breaking month.
Online slots produced revenue of $177.2 million, a 40% increase from May 2024. Online table wins increased by 18% to reach $52.9 million. Poker rake, or fees imposed by online poker sites, increased by 21% to reach $2.7 million.
The total iGaming revenue of $232.8 million was nearly $58.8 million higher than in May 2024 when online companies recorded GGR just above $174 million.
Skill Game Munitions
May was undoubtedly a lucrative month for Pennsylvania’s gaming sector, but the outstanding results could serve as ammunition for skill gaming advocates aiming to establish a regulatory basis for the slot-like terminals.
Skill games are marketed as entertainments that are not subject to the state’s gambling regulations since their results aren’t determined solely by luck. In contrast to a slot, which instantly informs a player about winning or losing spins, a skill game requires the player to recognize matching payout symbols.
State legislators are still evaluating bills to permit skill games, frequently located in restaurants, bars, convenience stores, and gas stations. Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) advocates for the legalization of the terminals to create new tax income.
The casino sector has consistently urged state legislators, claiming that skill games siphon players from their businesses. However, with around 67,000 unregulated skill games still functioning in the commonwealth, and the regulated gaming sector showing record earnings, that assertion may lose some significance.
