Casino revenues were booming last month in Ohio, leaping 10.5% to $169.5 million. People flocked to the racinos, which vaulted 13%. Hollywood Columbus gained 2% to $19 million and Hollywood Toledo inched 1% to 
almost $18 million. As for the tracks, Hollywood Dayton gained 13% for $9.9 million while Hollywood Mahoning Valley rocketed 18% upward to $11 million. Boyd Gaming was up 9.5% at Belterra Park ($8 million) and Eldorado Resorts hopped 12% ($17 million) at Scioto Downs. At erstwhile Hard Rock Rocksino, now MGM Northfield, $22 million was grossed on a 9% increase. Churchill Downs was 15% higher at Miami Valley Gaming, grossing $15.5 million. Jack Thistledown galloped 17% ahead to $13 million. In the major cities, Jack Cleveland pulled in 15% ($18 million) and Jack Cincinnati grossed $19 million, up 11%. When the news is this good there’s not much need to say anything more.
Speaking of good news, Missouri had it too, unlike becalmed Illinois across the river. Show-Me State casinos grossed $152.5 million, a 5% gain and one not to be explained away by an extra weekend day in May. Kansas City was going great guns, up 12.5%. More specifically, Harrah’s North Kansas City 
soared 30% to $17.5 million, Argosy Riverside gained 7% to $14.5 million, Ameristar Kansas City edged up 3% to $17 million and even Isle of Capri got in on the fun, bouncing 10.5% to $6 million. St. Louis was more varied, with River City flat at $18 million, Lumiere Place 3% down to $14 million but gains at Ameristar St. Charles (6%, $23.5 million) and Hollywood Casino St. Louis (6%, $21 million). Outstate, the Isle of Capri flotilla was flat except in Boonville (up 3%, $7 million), while revenue drops at Mark Twain Casino (-14%) and St. Jo Frontier (11.5%) were probably related to flooding. St. Jo Frontier just lost several June days to flooding so look for it to get hammered when the next revenue report is issued.
* MGM Resorts International rolled out its Hunger Games exhibition—and it was a flop. The best MGM could do by way of a bonafide Hunger Games actor was Elden Henson (I know: Who?), while the top local celeb in attendance was Frank Marino. They couldn’t even get Hans Klok. One might say the event was strictly from hunger.
* On the subject of movies, a P.G.-rated Las Vegas Strip (as in Post-Godzilla) is featured in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, which gives you an obscene amount of fun for your entertainment dollar. All your favorite movie monsters (except Gammera) are on hand, plus there’s added value in the lovely form of Vera Farmiga, who is always a pleasure to watch. On the other hand, fans of the X-Men movies will want to pretend that Dark Phoenix never happened. It shouldn’t have … and attendance in the theater was sparse while Godzilla was packing them in down the hall.
