Harrah’s Philadelphia, Mount Airy Casino Resort, Hollywood Casino at Penn National, and Hollywood Casino at The Meadows have removed or are currently removing 1,201 one-armed bandits. The Wind Creek request follows similar ones that were filed and approved last year by four others. This is done taking into consideration the increased desire for social distancing and no anticipated negative impact on revenue to the state. In a filing it submitted last Thursday, it explained that it wants to reduce the number of permanent slots machines based on lower utilization to provide a better experience for patrons.
The Poarch Band of Creek Indians in Alabama owns the casino. It has submitted a request to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) to reduce its slot count by 655 from 2,973 and 2,318. However, more casinos have opted to reduce their slot complement since COVID-19 came in, and the Wind Creek Bethlehem in Pennsylvania is joining this group. They’re easy to play, always attract a lot of attention and don’t require full-time staff like table games do. Slot machines have always been viewed as a guaranteed money-maker for casinos.
