Casino winnings in Indiana came up just a few increments short of $200 million last month, a 13% gain on 2019. Hard Rock Gary came out of the blocks fast, grossing $26 million, although Horseshoe Hammond climbed 7% to retain supremacy at $34.5 million. Consigned to third place in the northern tier, Ameristar East Chicago won $21.5 million, still a 20% surge from 2019. Blue Chip, on the other hand, suffered. It was down 15% to $11 million. It’s Horseshoe’s ballgame to lose.
Farther south, it was more of a mixed bag. Two big gainers were Indiana Grand, up 15% to $24.5 million, and Harrah’s Hoosier Downs, galloping +16% to $18 million. Caesars Southern Indiana also put in a strong showing, up 11.5% to $19.5 million. Hollywood Lawrenceburg ceded 2% to $13 million, while Belterra Resort slipped 9% to $8 million. Tropicana Evansville edged 3% higher to $12 million, Rising Star eked out $4 million, a 6.5% downturn, and French Lick Resort tumbled 17% to $7 million.
Sports books made $25.5 million ($27 million before promotional deductions) from $246 million handle. FanDuel was the revenue leader with $9 million, followed by DraftKings‘ $6 million and William Hill‘s $4.5 million. Also-rans were BetMGM ($3 million) and Barstool Sports ($1.5 million). It was a bit of a setback for DraftKings, which had 31% of handle, while FanDuel followed closely with 27%, then BetMGM (12%), William Hill (10%) and Barstool (6%). Eating dust were PointsBet, BetRivers, TheScore, Unibet, WynnBet, Twin Spires and BetWay, which lost 25 bucks. If the results seem scant, blame the Indiana Pacers, who made a peremptory exit from the NBA playoffs, precipitating a long, dry summer for Hoosier State sports wagering. Still, said PlayUSA analyst Jessica Welman, “Indiana’s sportsbooks have performed well over the last three months compared with other Midwestern states, which have so far experienced steeper declines in betting volume.”
In Missouri, gambling revenue rose 9% over 2019 to close the month at $156 million. Slots were responsible for $135 million of that. Like Indiana’s, the Show-Me State’s casinos were open for part of June 2020 but that doesn’t make for a fair comparison. Ameristar St. Charles easily led the state with $25 million, up 3%. Nearby Hollywood St. Louis slipped 7% to $19 million, while River City neared $20 million for an 18% leap. Lumiere Place gained 3% to $14 million. Ameristar also held first place in Kansas City, grossing $17 million in a 7.5% hop, followed by Harrah’s North Kansas City‘s $15 million (+2.5%) and Argosy Riverside‘s $14 million (+3%). Bally Corp. is effecting a quantum improvement at the former Isle of Capri Kansas City, vaulting 44.5% to $8 million. All the outstate casinos performed outstandingly, save for Isle of Capri Boonville, ‘only’ jumping 13% to $7 million.
Score one for nonsmokers. Shreveport‘s city council has ash canned a proposed casino exemption to the citywide smoking ban that goes into effect Aug. 1. It looked like the carve-out had some momentum but it flamed out during a marathon hearing. This will only impact two casinos: El Dorado Shreveport and Sam’s Town but, with so many alternatives in Bossier City, it could hit them hard. Still, we hope the council’s (in)decision holds, if only for the sake of casino workers’ health.
A federal judge has struck down New Jersey‘s preposterous prevention of casino executives from donating to political campaigns. In a masterpiece of hairsplitting, Judge Brian R. Martinotti says that employees can’t make direct donations to political candidates but can do so to affiliated PACs. “What’s important is that the spending does not flow into a candidate’s campaign coffers, which would be a direct contribution,” academic John Froonjian told Global Gaming News. The Martinotti ruling is somewhat complicated and doesn’t entirely remove the stigma from casinos. According to the American Gaming Association, it’s also the case in 15 other states, a situation that is overdue for reform. A blanket Pennsylvania ban has already been voided in court. As former Trump Organization executive Gloria Soto says, “You don’t check your constitutional rights at the doorway.”
There aren’t many buffets open in Las Vegas. But for those that are, it’s pretty much business as usual. “The point of a buffet is you get to decide what you want and how much of it you want,” South Point General Manager Ryan Growney told the Huffington Post. “You lose some of that when it is a staff-served buffet. There were a few people that would have liked the servers in place, but the majority of our customers are delighted it is back to normal.” If you have a strong stomach, the HuffPo’s story of how Covid-19 can spoil the buffet experience will probably give you pause before you reach for the crab legs. Opines a Wynncore exec, “We had strict health and sanitation practices prior to the pandemic, so really it’s just an added extra half an hour that we have to do our sanitation, but I’m OK with that.” Us too.
A stopped watch is still right twice a day and Philippines despot Rodrigo Duterte has had a change of mind regarding gambling. As one might predict, it was a fiscal crisis that did the trick. “Go ahead and gamble,” said a chastened Duterte. “Now that we need money, the most sensible thing is really just to encourage those activities.” As long as operators pay their taxes, that is. He’s even softened on the online casinos he used to despise. Not surprisingly, casino stocks leapt at the news. Now if only Duterte would experience a similar come-t0-Jesus moment on human rights.
Vegas theatre has lost one of its greatest luminaries. Actor Ronn Williams has died far too young, a life force who illuminated plays from Hellcab to Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. I had the privilege of playing Polonius to Ronn’s King Claudius in a modern-dress Hamlet directed by Troy Heard, and it was an experience I will never forget. Sin City is much the poorer today … and I will sign off with a heavy heart.
Note that the Caesars properties in Missouri underperformed everybody else.