Flashing, neon lights. Festive theme songs blaring from the speakers— a casino floor would not be complete without rows upon rows of slot machines.

“At one point this property was at 2,600 games on the floor,” Gary Hendricks said, general manager and vice president of Presque Isle Downs. 

However, more games does not guarantee more revenue.

“Over time, we've reduced our scale based on what our demand is,” Hendricks said. “Currently at 1500 games, we have about 500 games on average that don't receive any play.”

The casino cannot remove those unused games though, because state law requires a minimum of 1500 slot machines on the floor of large casinos. The law dates back to 2004, when slot games for legalized in the state.

“In 2004, the desire was to make sure that properties came in and invested the right amount, and opened a casino that was viable and brought in jobs to the community,” Hendricks said. “And it made sense when we were the only operators in the area. Today, it just doesn’t make sense."

Hendricks added that Pennsylvania is one of the few jurisdictions with a minimum on slot machines. Most other areas have a maximum limit.

The unused machines are a cost burden on utility bills—especially for a casino with overall revenues trending down. Looking to ease expenses, Sen. Dan Laughlin introduced Senate Bill 666. 

“The intent of this bill is more to just help the overall health of the casino, which will protect the jobs that we do have up there,” Laughlin said.

The bill would get rid of the minimum machine number. Casinos would still need permission from the gaming control board to remove or add machines.

“It gives us a lot more flexibility in what we can do on the floor, how quickly we can react to changes; to putting new games in and taking old games off the floor,” Hendricks said. "It allows for more comfortable gaming space for our patrons. We'll be able to spread things out considerably.”

Hendricks says that making the slot machine area less crowded could lead to revenue increases based on industry research.

“It should help the casino become a little bit more profitable,” Laughlin said.

The bill passed out of Senate Community and Economic Development Committee last week—Laughlin has high hopes it will be voted on in the full chamber in the next few weeks.