Having grown up in Pennsylvania, my wife and I jumped at the opportunity to return home when offered the chance to serve as General Manager of Parx Casino Shippensburg.
With 30+ years in the gaming industry, I have been fortunate to have worked in a variety of jurisdictions like Florida, Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky. I am proud of the fact that I was involved in the 2004 effort to expand gaming to allow slot machines at racetracks in Pennsylvania and have been able to build on that experience while advancing in a dynamic industry.
But my wife and I were born, raised, and educated in Pennsylvania and as the old saying goes, “there’s no place like home.” In a short time, I learned we have a great team here at Parx Casino Shippensburg and that we enjoy strong support in the community.
It is especially gratifying that after just two years of operation, business leaders recognize the enormous economic impact our business has on the regional economy.
Earlier this month, the Shippensburg Area Chamber of Commerce honored Parx Casino with its 2024 Large Business of the Year Award.
I was pleased to share the stage with Amanda Smith, founder of Circle of Love, who received the Chamber’s Person of the Year. Circle of Love is a non-profit that provides invaluable support to families and individuals in need, including food, clothing, and shelter.
Circle of Love is just one of the many nonprofits we are happy to support. We marked our second anniversary by awarding $100,000 to community partners in the Greater Shippensburg area.
We have donated $400,000 to our community partners since opening in 2023. Recipients include police, fire and EMS companies and foundations as well as non-profits that provide food, transportation, and clothing to our neighbors.
Our support continues with our quarterly community partner program known as “Play It Forward.” We take our charitable mission seriously and our team looks forward to making a continued positive impact.
Our casino is a significant economic driver in the region. We employ 175 Pennsylvanians. We partner with dozens of vendors, suppliers, and other businesses. Our casino generates an estimated economic impact of $43 million every year in central Pennsylvania.
Our 73,000 square foot casino features 500 slot machines, 48 electronic table games and a sportsbook. We offer a full restaurant with sports bar and recently added a new multi-purpose room for live entertainment. Already, The Side Pocket is attracting great crowds and generating community buzz.
We have been updating our casino floor with new games and continue to refresh our offerings to meet guest expectations.
Our job is to create fun-filled experiences for people and add life to their day. Still, this casino is a business, and we need to make sure it remains viable. Parx paid an $8 million license fee and invested approximately $80 million to turn an empty storefront into a thriving business, employer, and asset for all Pennsylvanians.
This investment, our jobs and contribution to the regional economy, are facing a significant threat posed by the proliferation of untaxed and unregulated skill games. There is no question these machines are draining slot machine revenues – and state tax revenues.
In fact, we pay a 54% state gaming tax on slot machine revenues, which means your readers and every taxpayer is the majority owner in our slot machine business!
Skill games have been cited in numerous crimes, including an armed robbery at a Franklin County shopping center where hundreds of thousands of dollars of skill game cash was stolen from security guards at gunpoint.
In many locations, skill games do not have any safeguards to prevent children from gambling and the machines operators and distributors provide no resources to mitigate problem gaming.
Parx Casino, along with the entire casino industry, continues to encourage lawmakers to pass legislation to tax and regulate so-called “skill” games consistent with the Commonwealth’s regulated video gaming terminals and slot machines, if not eliminate them.
I have seen similar threats in Florida, Virginia, and Kentucky and, in each case, elected officials have acted to restore the integrity of legalized, regulated, and supervised gaming. Strong legislation will protect public safety, prevent underage gaming, and continue to deliver meaningful tax revenues to benefit all taxpayers.
As we look ahead here in Pennsylvania, we have every confidence our legislators will take the necessary action to end this threat to our communities.
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