Cirque sacrifies “Zumanity”; Gaming recovery vs. Covid

Derek Stevens is flying customers in the friendly skies again. The D has teamed with Spirit Airlines to hold a contest. The objective: Win a one-way flight to Las Vegas, leaving Orange County at 7 a.m. tomorrow. “Be one of the first 150 people to reserve your seat and fly free on Spirit Airlines, receive a special swag bag, discounted room rates here at #theD and plenty of in-flight fun,” The D tweeted. It’s a very short hop from behind the Orange Curtain to Sin City, so we don’t know how much in-flight revelry is possible … but hey, freebies are never to be sneezed at.

Speaking of sneezing, the exponential resurgence of Coronavirus threatens a positive trend outlined by the American Gaming Association. Third-quarter revenues reached 81% of pre-pandemic levels. Slot sufferings (-19%) and table game debility (-31%) were offset by humongous gains in sports betting (47%) and Internet gambling (232.5%). That’s $9 billion over all and 294% from a near-nonexistent second quarter. Cautioned AGA President Bill Miller, “There is a long road ahead, especially as state and local officials introduce reclosures and restrictions, making urgent Congressional action on additional COVID-19 relief even more crucial. The AGA continues to advocate for a package that aids employee retention and rehiring, provides liability protections for responsible operators, supports tribal nations, and jumpstarts the travel and tourism industry.” He also warned of a far-worse-than-average lag in gaming’s performance (-35%) per the GDP. Miller has clearly not booked passage on the LSD trip that Caesars Entertainment CEO Tom Reeg has been taking.

94% of U.S. casinos are presently open and Ohio continues to be the coffee achiever, up 7.5% on average. Dimmer receipts from the tables were offset by slot gains in Arkansas (1%), Mississippi (3%) and South Dakota (7.5%). Slots and tables tumbled 18.5% in Pennsylvania but the introduction of Internet play (+1,898%) and the continuance of sports betting (73.5%) lifted the Keystone State 4%. Nationwide sports betting handle was $6 billion, translating into $352 million of revenue. Internet play continues its jailbreak, generating $435 million (excluding Nevada) although the growth rate slowed as terrestrial play—97% of overall revenue—came back into business.

Bet the home team this weekend. That’s the NFL advice from aggregating service TheLines.com. It has the Kansas City Chiefs seeking redemption over the Las Vegas Raiders, the former favored by seven. And the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers continue to feel the love, given a 10.5-point edge over … well, it is the Jacksonville Jaguars, after all. Those are the only two road favorites. The only coin-flip is the unappetizing face-off between the Cincinnati Bengals and the “Washington football team.” If you like high-scoring games, K.C./Las Vegas should be the ticket, with a projected 56-point over/under, outdone only by the Arizona Cardinals/Seattle Seahawks 57.5.