A casino in Pennsylvania has written a petition to Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to permanently remove over 650 slot machines from its casino floor. Wind Creek Bethlehem is owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians based in Alabama. The commercial casino cited that changes in patrons’ behaviors contributed to the decision to reduce slots on its gaming floor.
Currently, Wind Creek Bethlehem has 2973 slot machines and wants to reduce to 2318, a 22 percent decrease. The Indian group aired its needs through its Wind Creek Hospitality unit.
The hospitality unit insists that the number of these slot players is fewer each passing day. It suggests that the removal of these machines will create a better experience for its clients.
Wind Creek Bethlehem casino floor will also have more social distancing space. Wind Creek Hospitality also noted that removing the 655 slot machines would not affect revenue generation to the state.
A casino in Pennsylvania has to seek approval from the state’s gaming regulator to reduce its slots by over two percent. Wind Creek Bethlehem is one of the three commercial casinos with over 2000 machines in the state. The others include Parx Casino with 2372 and Rivers Casino Pittsburgh with 2559 machines.
Meanwhile, the casino plans to increase its betting floor by 2566 square feet. It intends to use the floor to host 17 poker tables upon Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board approval. The poker room will stand where the former Burgers and More stood.
Seeking a Second Chance
Wind Creek Bethlehem previously went by Sands Bethlehem. It was sold by the Las Vegas Sands in May 2019 for over $1 billion to Poarch Indians. Unfortunately, the timing was not right because the Coronavirus came sweeping through the country, affecting the casino industry a few months later.
When the casino was still Sands Bethlehem, it was the best performing in the state. With new leadership, the casino has lost its glory to Parx.
One of the reasons that might have affected its performance is that Wind Creek was a foreign brand. This led to Pennsylvanians preferring to play at Philly casinos. Previously, Sands used its buses to move patrons from New York City and North Jersey to play at its Bethlehem casino.
Despite its poor performance in 2020, Wind Creek started recovering last year. It generated $264.9 million from slot machines, a 76 percent increase from 2020. It also generated over $185 million from card games, a 78 percent increase from the previous year.
These numbers were the second-best among all the casinos in the state. Unfortunately, the parent company is struggling in other areas of gambling.
Last year, Wind Creek lost almost $500,000 from its sportsbook. Its internet gaming revenue was only $12.5 million, much less than the $418 million Penn National made from tables and slots.
A New Independent Sportsbook Restaurant in PA
While Wind Creek awaits the gaming regulator’s decision, residents can now bet outside betting facilities. In 2017, Pennsylvania authorized gaming expansion allowing betting outside betting facilities as long as a racetrack casino operates them.
On Wednesday, the state launched its first sportsbook and racebook at Chickie’s & Pete’s in Malvern. The venue hosts four betting booths and a full-board counter.
100% up to $3,000 Bonus
Bovada is our most recommended ONLINE CASINO and POKER ROOM for US players with excellent deposit options. Get your 100% signup bonus today.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.