Casinos in Illinois nudged up a point last month, garnering $155 million. Take away underachieving Fairmount Park ($1.5 million) and they were flat with November 2024. Newfangled Hollywood Joliet continued to tear up the marketplace, vaulting 51% to $11 million. Three casinos in Chicagoland were reeling—and we’re not referring to their slot machines. Market leader Rivers Des Plaines got walloped 13.5%, spiraling down to $37.5 million. Bally’s Casino downtown didn’t have a chance to gloat, also getting clocked 13.5% to $8.5 million. Even so, Bally’s Corp. and Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. remain (delusionally?) convinced that $2 billion Bally’s Chicago will be a barnburner.
New Hollywood also put a kibosh on nearby Harrah’s Joliet, which plummeted 18% to $8.5 million. Even loyal customers of Hollywood Aurora appeared to be defecting, as that ancient riverboat sank 11% to $8 million. Hard Rock Rockford had an unheard-of adverse month, slipping 4% to $11 million. Wind Creek Southland, meanwhile, held onto second place with $15.5 million and Grand Victoria was close behind in Elgin with $12 million. The Temporary at American Place continued to validate management’s faith in it, up 8% to $10 million.
Downstate, Bally’s Quad Cities dipped 3.5% to $5 million and Par-A-Dice was up 3% to $5 million. Argosy Belle was flat at $3 million, DraftKings Casino Queen hopped 7% to $7.5 million and Harrah’s Metropolis slipped 3% to $4.5 million. Golden Nugget Danville leapt 15% to $3 million and Walker’s Bluff Casino was flat at $3 million.
Across the Big Muddy, in Missouri, casinos rose 3% for the month, grossing $158.5 million. Foot traffic was flat but patrons spent 2.5% more apiece. Unlike Illinois, there were no dramatic shifts. Ameristar St. Charles was up 5% to $24 million and nearby Hollywood St. Louis jumped 8% to $21 million. Sister property River City did even better, up 4.5% to $22 million, whilst Horseshoe St. Louis leapt 11.5% to $13 million. Despite a 2% dip, Ameristar Kansas City prevailed in its market with $16 million. Argosy Riverside was down 2.5% to $13 million, Bally’s Kansas City hopped 3.5% to $10.5 million and Harrah’s North Kansas City was up 3.5% to $14 million. Outstate, Century Casinos had a rare reverse in Caruthersville, down 4.5% to $5 million and was off 6%, to $6 million, in Cape Girardeau. Revenue was up 2.5% to $7.5 million at Isle of Capri Boonville, up 6.5% to $2.5 million at slots-only Mark Twain Casino and up 2% to $4 million at St. Jo Frontier.
Casinos in the Free State did even slightly better than those in Illinois and Missouri, with a Maryland haul of $159 million, despite being flat for the month. MGM National Harbor (above) hopped 5% to $69 million and Maryland Live slipped 4.5% to $57.5 million. Horseshoe Baltimore was up 2.5% to $14.5 million and Ocean Downs was down 2% to $6.5 million. Hollywood Perryville fell 8% to $6.5 million while Rocky Gap Resort climbed 5% to $4.5 million, further evidence that Century Casinos has snapped the place out of a long swoon. Sports betting brought in a whopping $95.5 million (jumping 19%) on handle of $707 million, for a tight hold of 13.5%. For its last hurrah, ESPN Bet tallied $2 million, against $2 million for Caesars Sportsbook and $6.5 million for BetMGM. FanDuel predominated with $48 million and DraftKings booked a tidy $26.5 million.
Crime in the streets. It’s kind of a dark problem for sunny Florida, where illegal slot parlors are proliferating like vermin. Law enforcement has its hands full trying to contain the gambling dens, especially as it’s a high-risk/low-reward proposition for the lawmen. We took a deep dive into the matter for Casino Reports. Enjoy.
Quote of the Day: “The choice of a casino is interesting in itself. It’s a place where the odds are stacked against you, and you’re basically on your own. A casino doesn’t say, ‘I’m on your side,’ but rather, ‘I expect that you will keep losing money.'”—columnist Conor Lamb on the choice of venue for a stump speech yesterday by Donald Trump at Mount Airy Resort.