News and Analysis

PA Market Hits New Highs for 2022-23

The financial year has drawn to a close, leaving the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to announce record-breaking figures in what has been a fantastic year for the market - here are the stats:

• Total gambling revenue for the year was $5.51bn, up 10% from 2021-22's $5.04nb. This is the most ever recorded by the PGCB.
• Retail slots generated almost half the income at $2.45bn, 1.7% ahead of the previous year, but not the highest on record (2011-12 at $2.48bn).
• Land-based table game revenue dropped by 4.1% YoY.
• iGaming grew 24.4%, with revenue at an all-time high of $1.53bn.
• The top three online casinos were Hollywood, BetRivers, and FanDuel.
• For June, the total market was up 13.% YoY, but down 8.1% from May 2023.

Keep up the hard work, Pennsylvania! Learn more about the competition and other online casinos in PA in our complete guide.

Playtech Expands: Making Good on US Plans

Playtech entered the US market in 2020 and shortly after, in 2021, opened a live dealer studio in Michigan. Since things have been relatively quiet, well, this week, the studio announced the launch of a new NJ live casino studio, with the first title to hit casinos, "Adventures Beyond Wonderland."

Playtech Live Chief Exec Edo Hatin described the expansion and debut as the first true game show experience in the US, adding: "Live casino is not just part of the gambling industry, but also part of the entertainment industry. It's here to stay. In the current gaming landscape, players rightfully expect and deserve cutting-edge, experiential content that provides enjoyable moments of entertainment. Adventures Beyond Wonderland not only meets but surpasses these expectations, delivering an innovative and captivating experience that lives up to all the excitement surrounding it."

Until now, Evolution Gaming has dominated the US live dealer industry, so further expansion from Playtech is a welcome diversification for operators.

Maine Announces Winter Sports Betting Launch Date

Maine's Gambling Control Unit has told the press that the legal sports betting market will launch by the end of 2023, with hopes set for November and Thanksgiving. The news comes despite internal upheavals that saw the MGCU Director, Milt Champion, placed on one week's leave due to two "controversial" tweets from his personal Twitter account. 

The MGCU has been preparing the market infrastructure since Governor Janet Mills passed the new sports betting legislation in May 2022. The MGCU does not expect the Director's absence to affect the expected November launch date for sports betting.

Delaware and New Jersey Revenue on the Rise

In Delaware, players spent the least last month of the entire financial year, but that hasn't stopped the overall year of gains for the state as iGaming rose 8.3% for the month YoY. This is, however, 14.3% lower than in May 2022.

Meanwhile, in New Jersey, the picture is very much the same: gambling revenue increased to $457.2m YoY for June (up from $401.5m in June 2022), with a month-on-month drop of 13.9%. Land-based revenue remained the primary source, up 5.4% YoY, with slots taking the most. 

In NJ iGaming, revenue rose 12.1% YoY, with Golden Nugget Casino leading the market, followed by Borgata, then Resorts Casino. Sports Revenue increased by 69.1% YoY up to $66.4m.

Slot Game of the Week

Chests of Gold Power Combo, All41 Studios (DGC Casinos) RTP 96.4%

If you're all about your slot stats, we'll kick off by telling you this game has a 38.79% hit frequency, variable RTP of 96.4%, a max win of 11,650x, and it costs only $0.20-20 to spin - got your heart beating? Us too.

Chests of Gold is a brand new slot game at US online casino, but it was first released in April 2023. It's the follow-up slot to hit spinner Kings of Crystal. It's got 5x4 reels and 40 lines, so a more traditional setup, but that's where the classic comparisons stop, as this game is feature and graphically rich. 

You can make line wins for up to 5 of a kind, and there's a wild that subs on reels 2-4, plus Chest Scatters that come in blue, green, or red, with each connected to a different feature. When a Chest lands, it produces a Coin, which is added to the corresponding color meter. The coin may or may not trigger the corresponding free spins round.

• Blue: Blue Chests trigger 5 free spins where each has a random multiplier of 2,3,5, or 10x applied to wins. Additional Scatters grant more spins.
• Green: Green is for gold! This Scatter triggers the jackpot spins round that starts with 10 free spins. When additional Coins land, they reveal a multiplier of 1-10x plus a letter corresponding to a jackpot (grand, major, minor, or mini). Spell out a jackpot, and you win; if not, the multiplier is applied to any line that wins.
• Red: This gives 5 free spins on a 7-row, 100-line reel set. Land additional Scatters for more spins and wilds, which can nudge to fill the entire reel.

This simple yet charming slot knows how to deliver excitement and a great maths model. Ready to hit the reels? Then take Chests of Gold Power Combo for a spin at these top DGC online casinos.