Illinois takes a dive; Okada gets nabbed
Illinois casinos had been bumping along nicely in the Trump economy until they hit a plain old speed bump last month, with revenues down almost 4%, on a gross of $119 million, $39 
million of which was generated by Rivers Casino alone. Rivers was one of the few revenue-positive casinos, up a point. Gamblers spent 6% more statewide but that wasn’t enough in the face of a 9.5% plunge in foot traffic. Reporting positive results were Harrah’s Joliet ($15.5 million, +1.5%) and …
luck was on their side last month and most jurisdictions reported revenue-positive results. Room rates in Las Vegas, however, dipped 1.5% to an average of $126, with revenue per available room of $115. The numbers would have been worse without the Infocomm and American Water Works Association conventions, which brought 58,000 attendees to Sin City. Even so, midweek occupancy was down 3% for a monthly average of 90.5%.