Spin Cycle: Casino Job Projections, Pennsylvania Skill Proposal Highlight Week In Gambling

Welcome to “Spin Cycle,” Casino Reports’ weekly Friday roundup of all things impactful, intriguing, impressive, or idiotic in the gambling industry. Pull up a chair, grab a stack of chips and a glass of your beverage of choice, and take a spin with us through this week’s news cycle …

Gambling job numbers breaking even

OysterLink, which bills itself as “the fastest growing restaurant and hospitality job platform,” published analysis Tuesday of new projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and reached the conclusion that overall casino/gambling employment levels are likely to remain fairly steady through 2034.

The most significant projected change is a 6% drop in sportsbook writers and runners. That’s balanced in part by an expected 2% increase in first-line supervisors. But overall, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported total industry employment of 150,600 in 2024 and anticipates 150,100 in 2034, a negligible change of 0.3%.

As with so many sectors, roles are evolving due to technological advances, but reduced demand in some job types will balanced by increased opportunities in others.

“Looking only at total job growth misses the bigger workforce story,” OysterLink co-founder and GM Milos Eric said alongside the report. “Our analysis shows thousands of openings every year and strong salary potential in leadership roles. Casino careers are not disappearing. They are becoming more specialized, more digital, and more focused on advancement.”

Gov. Shapiro: Tax skills to pay the bills

While other 2026-27 state budgets are making news in the gaming industry for the efforts therein to raise operator tax rates, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s budget includes — for the third year in a row — a proposal to tax so-called “skill games,” gaming machines that are presently available at assorted establishments in the Keystone State.

Shapiro’s “Budget in Brief” includes the following passage:

“This budget proposal seeks to level the playing field in Pennsylvania’s gambling industry by legalizing and regulating games of skill by defining them as Video Gaming Terminals. Skill games are prevalent across Pennsylvania, with previous estimates of as many as 70,000 skill game terminals, including 12,000 terminals in Pennsylvania Lottery retailers. Under the proposal, the PGCB will regulate both existing Video Gaming Terminals — which are currently legal and operating in the state — as well as games of skill, allowing 40,000 total combined machines in establishments in 2026-27. With a maximum number of five machines per establishment, this proposal would see gross terminal revenues taxed at an effective rate of 52 percent, with all the proceeds after funding for compulsive gambling support and local share transfers deposited into the General Fund.”

Combining taxing skill games with legalizing cannabis (medicinal is allowed in Pennsylvania, but recreational is not), Shapiro estimates an additional $2 billion in state revenue will be generated.

The truck-stop VGTs that are currently regulated in the state produced $41.5 million in revenue in 2025, and, at a tax rate of 52%, added $21.6 million to state coffers — the proverbial drop in the bucket compared to what Shapiro is pushing for.

Hard Rock cranking it up in AC

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City announced Monday a $50 million upgrade project for the Boardwalk property, with the majority of the work to be completed by the end of 2026. The renovation includes:

• More than 700 refurbished guest rooms
• New East-Indian restaurant Sitar
• The opening of Federal Donuts and Chicken, a popular Philadelphia eatery
• New electric vehicle chargers
• New carpets on casino floor
• South Tower exterior restorations

Hard Rock International already spent $500 million on renovations when it re-opened what had previously been the closed-down Trump Taj Mahal in 2018. Hard Rock ranks second in revenue among the nine Atlantic City casinos most months, behind only Borgata.

House Rules: Insights from around our network

DEFINITIVE STATEMENT: Everything is gambling and we’d be better off admitting it [by Jeff Edelstein]

LOCKE STEP: Virginia iGaming bill advances to full Senate [by Chris Altruda]

IN THE KITCHEN: Powerball teams with pickleball in latest venture into niche sport partnerships [by Eric Raskin]

KINGS OVERTHROWN: Kalshi overtakes DraftKings in valuation after sportsbook giant’s shares plunge [by Daniel O’Boyle]

NO CHARGE: FanDuel to stop accepting credit card payments [by Jeff Edelstein]

GUIDING THE GUIDANCE: Predictions, sweeps explosions helped trigger Nevada’s new suitability standard [by Brett Smiley]

MOMENTUM, MAYBE: Ruddock Report: Will Maine surprise have a trickle-down effect? [by Steve Ruddock]

NOT IN THE CARDS: California approves regulations damaging to cardrooms, hands gaming tribes major win [by Brian Joseph]

PUFF PIECE: The definitive ranking of online Huff N’ Puff slots [by Eric Raskin]

A MAN OF MANY MENTORS: You can’t stand still if you want to learn the gambling business [by Richard Schuetz]

THE AMERICAN WAY?: Somewhere between Bill Maher and Lucky Larry, gambling lost its soul [by Jeff Edelstein]

SUNSHINE, SPORTS, AND SLOTS: Florida committee advances comprehensive gambling bill to House floor [by Brant James]

Small stakes and hot takes

This week on the Casino Reports podcast Low Rollers, I welcome Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter David Danzis for a conversation covering perception and reality when it comes to the Las Vegas economy, why Danzis is confident the A’s move to Vegas and the construction of their baseball stadium on the Strip will indeed be completed, what it’s like raising a family in the Vegas area, and more.

I also offer my thoughts on the latest efforts in Michigan and Arizona to hike up taxes on online gambling, plus I look ahead to a 2026-27 NFL futures bet that could serve as a nice emotional hedge for me.

Full episode:

The Shuffle: Other news and views

BINGO, BABY!: Strip casino bringing ‘fun’ back to Las Vegas with return of old-school game [Las Vegas Review-Journal]

HOOSIER HOPEFULS: Indiana casino relocation bill clears Senate, but Indianapolis hopes fade [iGaming Business]

SOCIAL DISTORTION: How Facebook profits from ‘predatory’ casino games [Tech Transparency Project]

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS: Nevada delegation pushes for creation of tourism working group with Canada, Mexico [Las Vegas Sun]

WHAT’S YOURS IS OURS: Aristocrat announces the acquisition of Gaming Analytics, Inc [press release]

ALABAMA STAKES: Two House Democrats push for gambling, lottery bills as session nears halfway point [News From the States]

LAND GRAB: Bally’s sells Rhode Island casino land, obtains construction financing [CDC Gaming]

COMING TO CAROLINA: Catawba Two Kings Casino nears first phase opening in Kings Mountain [WCNC Charlotte]

The Bonus Round

Completing the Spin Cycle with some odds and ends and our favorite social media posts of the week.

• When the guy who hired you appears on an industry podcast and does a great job on that industry podcast and you want to kiss his butt, it is advisable to write all of the preceding words in your Friday roundup column and then link to his podcast appearance. So here is Third Planet Media founder Adam Small talking affiliates on this week’s episode of Zero Latency, for your listening pleasure:

• BetMGM announced on Wednesday a series of “special events” featuring iCasino ambassador Brian Christopher that are coming between now and May. The first of them is already running and goes through Sunday, featuring “Bonus Drops” and a “Power Hour” streaming live from New Jersey. On March 10-11, Christopher will host a pair of roulette events. And from May 21-24, BetMGM is co-sponsoring the Roaring ‘20s-themed “BC Slots Diamond Jubilee Gala” in Las Vegas.

• Always fun to finish the week with some jackpot tales. First, at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Feb. 5, Nicholas Dandrea, a tourist from New York, won $1.66 million on a spade royal flush at the Three Card Poker table — a handsome return on a $5 side bet. And at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa on Saturday, a player who only shared his first name, Michael, pocketed $1.2 million with a royal flush in a hand of Ultimate Texas Hold’em.