Harrisburg, PA, Feb. 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pace-O-Matic, the leading name in skill game entertainment, is tipping its hat to the fat cats of the gambling world for yet another record-breaking year. The U.S. casino industry recently reported a record $66.5 billion in winnings for 2023.
That includes Pennsylvania, the second largest casino market in the country behind Nevada. While casino reps curiously blame skill games for “losses”, in 2023, Pennsylvania casinos brought in a record $5.7 billion in revenue from gambling. That equates to a 9.3% increase year over year.
"On behalf of the local small businesses, restaurants, bars, and fraternal organizations that the casino industry is determined to put out of business, we extend the warmest congratulations to big casinos for their $66.5 billion in winnings," said Michael Barley, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Pace-O-Matic. "It's not every day you see such record profits. Now our only question is, where are these losses the industry, and specifically casinos in Pennsylvania, are claiming to be connected to skill games?”
The Pennsylvania casino industry also saw a 28% increase in iGaming year over year as well as a 4.08% increase in slot machine revenue last month across the Commonwealth over last year.
Regardless of what big casinos say, Pace-O-Matic remains committed to its mission of providing engaging skill-based entertainment to players while supporting the heart and soul of America – local small businesses. Skill games bring supplemental, sustainable income to bars, restaurants, VFW halls, American Legion posts, and other small businesses across Pennsylvania. These businesses use income from skill games to pay bills, make charitable donations, provide health benefits, pay competitive wages, and more.
"The casino industry continues to attack skill games for loss of revenue, yet these losses don’t seem to appear in any of their reporting. While they spin misleading information, we will stick to the facts. The fact is, that skill games are a legal source of income that Pennsylvania’s small businesses rely on every day to make ends meet.” Barley added.
On the heels of a unanimous Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruling that found skill games to be legal, and Gov. Josh Shapiro including skill game revenue in his 2024-25 budget, it’s clear that support for regulating skill games is growing among lawmakers and the public. Sen. Gene Yaw has proposed legislation, Senate Bill 706, that would tax and regulate skill games, establishing a framework for the legal games to continue to operate.
Pace-O-Matic is a leading developer of legally compliant games of skill in the United States. Its games are played in thousands of small restaurants and bars, along with many social halls such as American Legion and Veterans of Foreign War posts. Pace-O-Matic games generated millions of dollars in revenue for businesses and clubs in Pennsylvania last year.
