More Casino Table Games Equals Less Tax Revenue

A published report on the Philadelphia Inquirer website Tuesday said Pennsylvania casinos, including Sands Bethlehem, continue to add table games to their gambling inventory while spurning additional slot machines. 

That, according to the report, cuts revenue flow to state coffers as table games are taxed at a much lower rate than slot machines.

The report states Sands Bethlehem has increased its table game inventory by 29 games since January, according to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, while adding no slot machines. 

The report states that 55 cents of every dollar wagered on a slot machine in Pennsylvania is directed to state coffers and directed to property tax relief, the horse racing industry and town host fees. In the Sands case, a portion of the slot money is funneled to the town of Bethlehem.

Conversely, according to the report, table games are taxed at 16 percent with that level set to reduce to 14 percent in mid-2012.