The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has ruled Mount Airy Casino lacks the appropriate funding to build a mini-casino in Big Beaver.
Developers had intended to construct the mini-casino off the Pa. Turnpike northeast of
Pittsburgh.
Mount Airy originally announced its plan to build a casino in Beaver County last August.
The casino would have featured 750 slot machines and 30 table games.
The company’s decision to expand its casino presence in the state may have been premature.
Mount Airy was one of a number of Pennsylvania casinos to see its revenue decline for 2018.
Its Pocono casino and resort saw revenue drop to $41.8m for 2018, down more than 16% from the previous year.
Pennsylvania took in a record $3.2bn in casino gaming last year, up $22m from 2017.
Of the state’s 12 casinos that offered slot machine and table gaming in 2018, Mount Airy placed fifth and took on the largest year-on-year revenue decrease.
The state’s Gaming Control Board likely took those numbers into consideration in its decision to deny the company’s proposal to build another casino.
The ruling comes amid a period of change in the Pennsylvania gaming landscape.
The rise of online sports betting brought the state’s sports wagering handle to a record $241m in October.
Pennsylvania is also only a few weeks removed from the launch of online poker.
