Bethlehem Sands Casino Travel tips
Quote: sanchopanzaThat curious figure for Harrah's table games stands out. It is symptomatic of the attitude of that casino toward table players in general, notably craps players. It is one of the very few casinos I've seen that puts the craps pit off to the side and uncomfortably up against the wall.
Follow up: In all fairness, I should report that Harrah's Resort has opened a far more commodious craps pit toward what I consider the back of the floor near the hotel check-in that seems to be the operational default.
August 24, 2012
The introduction of table games at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem has been a straight flush for Easton.
The city was left out of the local share of taxes on the casino's thousands of slot machines, but came away with a 25 percent cut of local table gaming taxes. The casino's tables are the most popular in the state.
The city budgeted $560,000 in table games money this year, a slight uptick from 2011's $530,000 haul, yet Easton could see more than $700,000 if the boom in south Bethlehem continues.
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Perhaps Pennsylvania is being more generous with various localities than New Jersey was with Atlantic City.
Quote: FleaStiffThe city budgeted $560,000 in table games money this year, a slight uptick from 2011's $530,000 haul, yet Easton could see more than $700,000 if the boom in south Bethlehem continues.
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Perhaps Pennsylvania is being more generous with various localities than New Jersey was with Atlantic City.
Bethlehem Sands Casino crushed in table games for the month of August setting an all time record. Although slot revenue is still much higher, the 55% tax rate on slots vs the 14% tax rate on table games means the casino operator is now making more money on table games (after taxes) than slots.
Accounting for August 2012
Slots : $24,889,821 - $13,412,200 taxes= $11,477,622
Tables:$14,183,868 - $1,985,742 taxes = $12,198,127
If the state of PA is more generous with local government than NJ, it is partly because they are taxing the casinos at a much much higher rate than NJ.
Look at the numbers. The state took in more than $15 million in one month alone from this one casino. The city of Easton is getting $560K - $700K for the year.
Mount Airy casino is almost the exact same driving distance to northern NJ and NYC as Sands Bethlehem. Yet Mt Airy took in a mere $3.1M in table games compared to Bethlehem Sands $14.2 million.
Mt Airy is allegedly based on old style Italian mafia (Buffalino crime family), while Sands is modern casino management that knows how to play to the Chinese gambler in NYC.
Former Mt Airy operator:
Table Game Revenue is what makes the big profit in Pennsylvania, as slots are taxed at 55%. The table game revenue (in millions) for the last six months was clearly led by Sands Bethlehem.
Western PA
$35.23 THE RIVERS
$17.05 THE MEADOWS
$07.62 PRESQUE ISLE
Central, East, Northeast PA
$21.53 MOHEGAN SUN
$19.90 MOUNT AIRY
$18.52 PENN NATIONAL
$79.30 SANDS BETHLEHEM
Philadelphia Region PA
$51.64 PARX
$40.59 HARRAH'S PHILADELPHIA
$41.51 SUGARHOUSE
$14.30 VALLEYFORGE
$347.20 TOTAL Table Revenue for PA Casinos final 6 months of 2012
$424.45 TOTAL Table Revenue for NJ Casinos final 6 months of 2012
PA table game revenue is up 2.06% from the previous 6 months, while
NJ table game revenue is down 2.01% from the previous 6 months.
At this rate it will take 2.5 years for PA to catch NJ in table games.
This photo came with the headline Coca-Cola Park will have first urinal gaming system in North America Coca Cola Park is a minor league baseball stadium a few miles from Sands Casino.
It turns out that the local news outlets use "gaming" in the sense of "video games". Not in the sense of "gambling". The "games" are very short, as you can imagine.
Quote: pacomartin
This photo came with the headline Coca-Cola Park will have first urinal gaming system in North America Coca Cola Park is a minor league baseball stadium a few miles from Sands Casino.
It turns out that the local news outlets use "gaming" in the sense of "video games". Not in the sense of "gambling". The "games" are very short, as you can imagine.
I can't think of any situtation that I would want to touch those touchscreens. I'm not that much of a clean freak and even will but my drink on the top of urinals but those screens could just get gross.
Quote: kenarmanQuote: pacomartin
This photo came with the headline Coca-Cola Park will have first urinal gaming system in North America Coca Cola Park is a minor league baseball stadium a few miles from Sands Casino.
It turns out that the local news outlets use "gaming" in the sense of "video games". Not in the sense of "gambling". The "games" are very short, as you can imagine.
I can't think of any situtation that I would want to touch those touchscreens. I'm not that much of a clean freak and even will but my drink on the top of urinals but those screens could just get gross.
Thankfully they're not touch screens. The player directs his stream to control the game. Errant shots would be my concern. What say you ladies, are you going to demand equal rights? There's always the need for batgirls. :-)
Despite Bethlehem being the most successful casino in PA, it only represents 4.1% of Sands casino earnings worldwide.
Sands PA makes $1.27 million per day in gaming revenue, while Sands NV makes $1.60 million. While they seem remarkably close, the slot machines in PA are taxed at 50% which is the state's cut for guarantee that no other casino can open nearby. What makes Sands PA the most successful in PA is they have by far the largest amount of table games which is only taxed at 14%. Of all the casinos on the NJ border, they are the most successful in busing in people from the large Asian community in NJ and NYC.
It was always assumed that Adelson would try to sell the casino before table games are legal in New York.
Tropicana seems like an unlikely buyer, as Icahn has never before purchased a casino that was not in distress.
Quote: pacomartinSands Bethlehem casino to be sold to Tropicana?
Despite Bethlehem being the most successful casino in PA, it only represents 4.1% of Sands casino earnings worldwide.
Sands PA makes $1.27 million per day in gaming revenue, while Sands NV makes $1.60 million. While they seem remarkably close, the slot machines in PA are taxed at 50% which is the state's cut for guarantee that no other casino can open nearby. What makes Sands PA the most successful in PA is they have by far the largest amount of table games which is only taxed at 14%. Of all the casinos on the NJ border, they are the most successful in busing in people from the large Asian community in NJ and NYC.
It was always assumed that Adelson would try to sell the casino before table games are legal in New York.
Tropicana seems like an unlikely buyer, as Icahn has never before purchased a casino that was not in distress.
The sole reason Sands is most popular with the NYC chinese population is one:
they have Asian busses that bring people in - the other casinos do not with exception of Mt. Airy but that only has two or three busses a day
AND the busses offer $45 free-play for a fifteen dollar bus ticket
AND no ID is required to get that free-play(the only casino I know that does that--other busses coming from the PA. area to the Sands do require ID for people to receive their comps.)
Okay, I guess that's three reasons not just a sole reason.
Quote: pacomartin
Mount Airy casino is almost the exact same driving distance to northern NJ and NYC as Sands Bethlehem. Yet Mt Airy took in a mere $3.1M in table games compared to Bethlehem Sands $14.2 million.
Well, either the books are being cooked or a lot of gamblers sure prefer the cocktail waitress costumes at the Sands.
Is that ALL busses, or just the once that cater to Asians (I assume coming from Chinatown NYC...)? If it's all busses, I might have to look into it.Quote: darkozAND the busses offer $45 free-play for a fifteen dollar bus ticket.
As long as we're starting to compare Sands to Mt Airy, I prefer Sands because it has a better poker room, and in general, seems like a friendlier place. But the biggest reason I prefer Sands can be explained in two words: Parking Garage. Mt Airy is just surface parking. If you're not there first thing in the morning, parking can be as much of a PITA as going to the mall during Christmas season.
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I reviewed this thread and stumbled upon something that needs correcting.
Quote: TiltpoulQuote: pacomartin
The sign was a derrick crane that used to work the ore pit.
There is something about that Sands sign that gets me when I see it. Perhaps because it's really the last bit of Vegas still alive, albeit in PA. But think about it... Dunes, Sahara, Aladdin... they all had iconic fonts on their signs and they are all gone.
Well, the Sands PA logo is new. Not sure when they started using it. Probably after tearing down the Sands LV. It's the same logo as used on the Sands LV Convention Center, but it is NOT the classic Sands LV logo.
Quote: DJTeddyBearIs that ALL buses, or just the once that cater to Asians (I assume coming from Chinatown NYC...)? If it's all buses, I might have to look into it.
Decamp from Essex County offers Ticket Price $25 Casino Bonus $35 but I would get on at the last stop in NJ (Halsted &Brick Church Plaza in East Orange). Presumably there is a better rate if you are Chinese.
If you can get a group of 36-40 people you could save money chartering the bus.
Quote: Henry Tamburin on Page 51 of July 2014 Casino Player Magazine
...According... BJ Pro...Sands has.. one of the best bj games in the country...it's a 2-deck game... house edge... a measly .....-0.083%.
There must be a catch on the above 2-deck game... which yields an +EV of $2.2289/round with a $100,000 bankroll. So what's the catch? Is it a trap set up to catch APs? Has any AP been 86ed from Sands for playing the above 2-deck game so far?
Quote: FortalezoThere must be a catch on the above 2-deck game... which yields an +EV of $2.2289/round with a $100,000 bankroll. So what's the catch? Is it a trap set up to catch APs? Has any AP been 86ed from Sands for playing the above 2-deck game so far?
They are counter traps! Only losers are welcome at these tables.
