Atlantic City is weathering the winter months about as well as can realistically be hoped. Same-store revenues were down 8% last month but up 9% overall. Ocean Resort ($12.5 
million) actually crept past Bally’s ($12 million) and up on Resorts Atlantic City (just under $13 million). Resorts, however, was the only revenue-positive casino, up 9%. Bally’s was down 5%. Borgata hauled in $50.5 million, a 5% dip, while Caesars Atlantic City got bushwhacked, down 21% to $17 million. Harrah’s Resort slid 8.5% but still booked $21.5 million. Things do not look as good for Hard Rock Atlantic City, down to $15.5 million for the month and a long way from target Tropicana Atlantic City ($21 million, -8.5%). However, it bested the Golden Nugget, down 9.5% to $14.5 million.
Slot revenues were up 15% (down 3% same store) while table games slipped 3% (off 20% same-store, which we think reflected Caesars getting cleaned out). Borgata table win was up 16.5% despite 8% less in wagering. Caesars Entertainment‘s slot coin-in dropped 6% but win was only 2% off. Obviously the Ocean Resort numbers are encouraging and the Hard Rock ones somewhat alarming. Has the novelty worn off so fast?
Sports books saw $385 million change hands but only held $18 million — a 21% increase from December but hardly surprising in view of the NFL playoffs. PlayUSA.com 
analysts tried to play up the January in numbers rather than the Super Bowl‘s $35 million handle and $4.5 million loss, a big egg on the face of Garden State sports books. PlayNJ.com‘s Dustin Gouker took the glass-half-full view, saying, “anecdotal evidence suggests visitation to Atlantic City for the weekend of the Super Bowl was way up. All in all, it was a successful first season of the NFL for New Jersey’s sportsbooks.” DraftKings ($7 million) and FanDuel ($6 million) cleaned up online, leaving only crumbs — $196 at the Trop — for everyone else. Terrestrial sports books were led by FanDuel at The Meadowlands ($1.2 million), followed by Monmouth Park, Borgata, Resorts and Bally’s, etc.
* Across the border in Pennsylvania, slot revenues were up 1%. In terms of performance, Boyd Gaming‘s Valley Forge Casino led the state with an 18.5% vault to $8 million. Of the big boys, Parx Casino was up front with $33 million, up 7%, 
although it was bested in percentage numbers by Rivers Casino, jumping 11% to $23.5 million. Sands Bethlehem continued to feel the effect of Resorts World Catskills, down 7% to $21 million, while Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs tumbled 9% to $14 million. Mount Airy fell 7.5% to $10 million, while Penn National Gaming‘s Harrisburg flagship dipped 1.5% to $15 million. Penn’s other property, The Meadows, gained 3.5% to $15.5 million and Presque Isle Downs dropped 3% back to $7.5 millions. As for the other Philadelphia-area casinos, SugarHouse gained 5% to $14.5 million while Harrah’s Philadelphia slipped a percentage point, to $15.5 million. If anyone still cares, Lady Luck Nemacolin plummeted 20% to $1.5 million. How it stays open is anybody’s guess.
* January was kind to the Detroit market, up 1.5%. MotorCity had a rare off month, down 1.5% to $37.5 million. MGM Grand Detroit gained 4.5% to $50 million and Greektown was flat, just shy of $26 million.
