Maryland aside, gambling revenues continue to trend upward. Even in Iowa, where they nudged only 1% higher from last year (undoubtedly due to new competition from Nebraska) but were high heavens (+38%) over 2019, aka the good old days. Indiana’s gain was also a modest 1% from 2022 for a $199 million haul. Hard Rock Northern Indiana surged 9% to $34.5 million, while Horseshoe Hammond‘s decline slowed to 1.5%, bagging $28 million. Ameristar East Chicago slid 8% to $16.5 million and Blue Chip was up 4.5% to $11 million. To the south, Horseshoe Indianapolis galloped 8% faster, winning $26 million, while Harrah’s Hoosier Downs cantered +1.5% to $17.5 million.
Best of the non-racinos (other than Horseshoe Hammond) was Caesars Southern Indiana, grossing $21.5 million for a 9.5% gain. Bally’s Evansville peaked at $14 million and a couple of its competitors got hit hard. Rising Star fell 20.5% to $3 million and Hollywood Lawrenceburg tumbled 14% to $13 million. Belterra Resort rounded out the unfortunates, down 7.5% to $6.5 million. French Lick Resort climbed 8.5% to $6.5 million, enabling us to end on a positive note.
Hoosier State sports betting won $28 million for operators on handle of $356 million. FanDuel led the field with $13 million, trailed by DraftKings ($9 million), BetMGM ($3 million) and Caesars Sportsbook ($2 million). Luck was not with Barstool Sports, which barely made a nickel.
Missouri usually underperforms the Midwest but its casinos enjoyed an 8% jump last month. Revenues were $157 million. Ameristar St. Charles didn’t cede first place, grossing $25.5 million on a 9.5% climb. Neighboring Hollywood St. Louis surged 10% to $19 million, sister property River City was up 7% to $21 million and Horseshoe St. Louis‘ (above) rebranding continued to show results, up 11% to $12.5 million. To the west, Bally’s Kansas City ($10 million, +12%) continued to take market share from everybody but Harrah’s Kansas City ($13 million, +14%). Argosy Riverside was flat at $14 million. Also becalmed was Ameristar Kansas City, which posted $16 million. Downstate, all casinos were revenue-positive, with Century Carurthersville up 2.5% to $4 million and Century Cape Girardeau jumping 11.5% to $6 million.
Online sports betting winnings in New York State last month were $108 million on handle of $1.5 billion. Promotional amounts are undisclosed, so it’s impossible to know how much of the store is still being given away. FanDuel was again first with $54 million, then came DraftKings ($33 million) and erstwhile market leader Caesars Sportsbook, now with a mere $8 million. BetMGM also made $8 million, followed by PointsBet ($2 million) and BetRivers ($2 million). WynnBet and Resorts World only made a million between them, and BallyBet made nothing.
Arizona, meanwhile, is only getting around to reporting December’s sports betting data, in which operators made $54 million on handle of $571.5 million. Free play and promos represented a $17 million giveaway. Although 17 brands are nominally operating in Arizona, only four appear viable at this point, with 13 small fry fighting over $7 million in revenue. FanDuel was yet again dominant with $21 million, followed (again) by DraftKings’ $13 million, BetMGM’s $11.5 million and Caesars Sportsbook’s $5 million. Barstool garnered $1 million and nobody else came close. And DraftKings loudmouth Matt Kalish should think twice before he trash-talks FanDuel again.
As Atlantic City‘s low-roller casinos fight for market share, one is being a George and the other a stiff. We are reliably informed that a frequent player got a $200 gift card from Bally’s Atlantic City but had her $50 Golden Nugget one revoked to $25. There was also no sauce on the pasta that she ordered. Is this the new austerity regime at the Nugget? As for Bally’s it’s still struggling to move Monkey Knife Fight merchandise, despite a 30% markdown. Bally’s Corp. may have written off the Monkey Knife Fight purchase but will long have t-shirts and tchotchkes to remind it of Lee Fenton‘s folly.
No long shots came in at the 95th annual Academy Awards, as hyper-imaginative Everything Everywhere All At Once proved the bookies right and steamrolled the competition. Betting markets were spot-on in forecasting the winners. Back in 2019, we predicted that 2020 might be the year that the Academy discovered Asian Americans. Well, it took until 2023 but better late than never. Las Vegas-oriented Elvis faded down the stretch and went home empty-handed, as did several better films (The Banshees of Inisherin, Tar). And Netflix is no longer the new N-word, taking home Oscars for Best Animated Feature, Best Documentary Short and four statuettes for dreadful All Quiet on the Western Front. It caused us to no pain to see TV girlfriend Michelle Yeoh win a little gold man (the first Bond girl to ever do so) to go with her other awards-season hardware either. Oh, and sore loser James Cameron, who boycotted the ceremony, still hasn’t been forgiven for being an uncontrollable egomaniac. Host Jimmy Kimmel made fewer Babylon jokes (one) than Cameron jibes (too many to count).
Jottings: One of downtown Reno‘s most venerable casinos is getting a makeover and name change. The Sands Regency will be rebranded J Resort. That’s as in CEO and owner Jeff Jacobs, who bought the place four years ago and has been gradually fixing it up at a projected cost of $400 million. “I see this as a top-tier gaming property in Nevada when it’s done,” Jacobs said … The Boston Red Sox‘s first sports betting partnership is with BetMGM. Hopefully, some of the latter’s success will rub off on the woebegone Sawx, whose most recent fan festival saw team execs lustily booed at MGM Springfield … Internet gambling has died yet again in Indiana, as conservative lawmakers flinched from pushing it through the Lege. A quid-pro-quo insistence by bars for slot routes also helped kill the bill, as did anemic revenue projections … Support for U.S. sports betting continues to warm. A Seton Hall poll shows 54% of Americans in favor of it, up from 47% a year ago … A nascent Hard Rock International casino bid for Flushing on Long Island may get flushed. Seems Hard Rock has some corporate ties to Russia that are irksome to local residents … Remember the oft-promised United Kingdom “White Paper” on gambling? Tory Minister of Culture Lucy Frazer says it will be released “soon.” Which could mean any day or never in British politics … No sports betting for Georgia: Legalization died in three separate committees of the Lege. If the Peach State can’t get sports betting then casinos are beyond the pale.