Parx Casino has announced the closure of its South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook.
Formerly known as the Turf Club, South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook was a small off-track betting property located near the professional sports stadiums and Live! Casino Philadelphia.
Parx Casino is directing customer to bet via betPARX Sportsbook PA or download another racing app.
South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook closes up shop
South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook 50-year run has come to a close, Parx Casino said in a statement:
“Thank you for your years of patronage at the South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook (as well as the Turf Club before that). Unfortunately, due to business conditions, we have made the difficult decision to close the facility. If you wish to continue making sports wagers, please visit Parx Casino in Bensalem or download the betPARX app.
“If you wish to continue making racing wagers, please visit Parx Racing or download your favorite racing app.”
The South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook was established in 1974 as a retail horse betting location. It started taking bets on other sports in 2019, after Parx launched its PA online sportsbook.
Parx directed customers on how to cash any outstanding winning bets:
“If you have uncashed winning tickets, you may cash them at Parx Casino or mail them in for payment by following the instructions on the back of the ticket.”
South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook revenue performance
South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook likely did not produce sustainable revenue totals to stay in business. During Q4 2023 months, here’s how the property fared:
- October: $1.9 million handle; $226,503 in revenue
- November: $1.7 million; $161,918
- December: $1.6 million; $246,679
Those numbers dip drastically in the summer, as they do with other sportsbooks, because baseball is the only major sport in progress. July handle at the South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook was $937,500 and revenue was $200,388.
Parx Casino has the option to move its off-track horse betting license to Chickie’s & Pete’s in South Philadelphia, which is located less than a mile from the South Philadelphia Race & Sportsbook.
Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustments had initially denied Parx from relocating its retail sportsbook and off-track horse betting location to Chickie’s & Pete’s, which is near a residential area. However, the Commonwealth Court reversed the decision earlier this year.
Parx Casino did not immediately respond to questions about whether it would, in fact, be moving its operations to Chickie’s & Pete’s.
Regardless, the closure of the South Philadelphia Race and Sportsbook is another Pennsylvania sports betting operation that has shuttered within the year — albeit this time it is a retail location. The previous three, Fox Bet, Unibet and Betway, were each online platforms.
