Las Vegas East
When Bethlehem was chosen as a site for one of the first legal casinos in Pennsylvania, there was quite an uproar. “We will become another Las Vegas or Atlantic City! There will be prostitutes, pawn shops, and derelicts on every corner! Our churches will be converted into tittie bars! They may as well film the next “Hangover” movie here!”
Plenty of “campaign contributions” from the gaming industry and promises of a veritable bonanza of cash flowing into the State Treasury overcame those fears. How did it all work out?
Pennsylvania’s seventeen casinos hauled in $5.5 billion (with a b) in the fiscal year ending last month. That averages about $460 gambled away by each of PA’s 12 million residents. One of the more realistic fears raised by gambling opponents was that if it were legalized and state-sanctioned, there would be a lot more of it. That must be the case. It’s hard to believe that “Fat Tony” and his mafia pals were hauling in $5.5 billion back in the day. It is true that Social Security Automatic Deposit Days are the busiest each month. The slot machines would get a real workout on the second Wednesday of the month if I were so inclined.
The PA Treasury received a $2.3 billion (again with a b) cut of those casino profits. That’s a little under $200 that each Pennsylvanian doesn’t have to pay in taxes. The gaming industry fulfilled its promises from all those years ago.
Bethlehem’s own Wind Creek Casino led the state in Table Game Profits at $236 million last fiscal year. It ranked third in Slots Profits at $278 million. Lehigh Valley folks love their Blackjack and their Wheel of Fortune Slots. We aren’t that big on Sports Wagering. Wind Creek’s Sports Book saw a mere $15 million in profit last year while Valley Forge’s Sports Book racked up $255 million. That profit would have been a lot less if the Eagles had won the Super Bowl.
Bethlehem did not become Las Vegas East or Atlantic City on the Lehigh River. The fears of gambling opponents were not realized. In fact, gambling revenues probably reduce Pennsylvanians’ tax burden. Gambling did work out for Pennsylvania.
By Ed Dufton
