Although all but two of its casinos were revenue-negative last month, Illinois gaming revenues were flat. The primary driver was Rivers Casino 
in Des Plaines, leaping 11% to $42 million (or over 1/3 of the state’s $120 million gross). Long-suffering Argosy Belle also had a good month, up 14.5% to $4 million. In the northern tier, Harrah’s Joliet was down 5% to $14.5 million, Empress Joliet also missed 5% to $10.5 million and Hollywood Aurora was down 3.5% to $10 million. Grand Victoria fell 8% to a $14 million gross. Jumer’s Casino Rock Island was 3.5% off, grossing $6 million. Par-A-Dice in Peoria also grossed $6 million, also 3.5% down, while Harrah’s Metropolis‘ $6 million gross represented an 8% decline. In East St. Louis, Casino Queen toppled 10% to $9 million. Foot traffic overall was down 7.5% but, once you got them inside the doors, players gambled 8% more. Legislators should get their heads screwed on right if they still think gambling expansion is economically advisable.
* Florida‘s Miccosukee Tribe has a date with the IRS now that a federal appeals court has ruled that revenue distributions from the tribe’s casino are taxable income, which means that The Man could be looking at a $1 billion collection. Tribal member Sally Jim tried to claim that she both forgot to file a 2001 tax return and received tribal advice not to file. (So which is it?) A lower-court ruling found this narrative “not credible.” The 2016 ruling also held that tribal Chairman Billy Cypress “instructed its members, including Jim, to take active measures to conceal from the IRS their distributions.” Jim’s lawyer was unrepentant, saying, “We’re disappointed. We’re looking at our options, including an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.”
* Las Vegas aspires to be the capital city of e-sports but it’s got some work to do. According to WalletHub it’s only the 8th-best city for gaming. It’s fifth-best for e-sports but only 18th for average Internet speed. Come on, Sin City, you can do a lot better than this.
