August was a good month for Iowa, as casino revenues rose 4%. The big winner was Pinnacle Entertainment‘s Ameristar Council Bluffs, up 7% with a $15 
million gross. Caesars Entertainment had mixed results, with Horseshoe Casino ($16 million) down 3% but Harrah’s Council Bluffs, which used to be the poor relation of the company, up 6%. It grossed $7 million. Embattled Isle of Capri Casinos also had good news to report. Its Iowa properties posted a 3% increase in revenue. The news was less good for Boyd Gaming, whose Diamond Jo Worth and Diamond Jo Dubuque riverboats sprang leaks, metaphorically speaking. The duo was down 6%, grossing $13 million. The total for Iowa is minus Argosy Sioux City, which closed Aug. 1 but plus Hard Rock Sioux City, which notched a boffo $7.2 million in its first full month of operation.
* Comparatively, Illinois‘ situation is one of “It could have been worse.” The state’s casinos declined 5.5%, which isn’t that bad considering the spread of slot routes across the state. Foot traffic, however, was 7.5% off and customers spent 2% less than a year ago. Penn National Gaming‘s Empress Joliet was the only casino to post a gain, up 5% ($11.5%). Even the redoubtable Rivers Casino was 1% off, though it grossed $36 million. Its closest competitor was Harrah’s Joliet, down 6% but grossing $18 million. MGM Resorts International‘s Grand Victoria went into a tailspin, down 15% for a $15 million gross. Boyd’s Par-A-Dice grossed $8 million, down 7%.
Penn’s two other Illinois properties didn’t fare as well as Empress Joliet. Marginal Argosy Alton grossed $5 million, down 11.5%, while Hollywood Aurora raked in a healthier 11% but was still 9% off last year’s pace. Penn in-law, East St. Louis‘ Casino Queen grossed $9.5 million for owner GLPI but was still down 10%. At least Harrah’s Metropolis has eased its slide, winning $7 million and slipping only 4%.
* Trump Plaza isn’t going so gently into that good night. Tenant Rainforest Cafe says it can operate as a standalone — provided that it’s given three months to hook up the requisite infrastructure. (Its ingress and egress are off the Boardwalk.) The dispute will land Trump Entertainment Resorts in a familiar place … court.
