An extra weekend day may have made all the difference for Illinois, where gross gaming revenues rose 2% last month. The good news was 
spread pretty evenly throughout the market, except at Jumer’s Casino Rock Island, which slipped 6%, to $6 million, and Boyd Gaming‘s Par-A-Dice, down 7% to $6 million. Gaming & Leisure Properties‘ Casino Queen dipped 2.5% to $8.5 million. All the Penn National Gaming-managed riverboats were shipshape: Argosy Belle was flat, at $4 million, Empress Joliet gained a percentage point to finish at $10 million and Hollywood Aurora leapt 3% to $9.5 million.
In dollar terms, of course, Rivers Casino was as ever the champ, grossing $35 million (up 2.5%) but in percentage terms the headliner was Grand Victoria, where MGM Resorts International booked a 16% increase in business, to $14 million. Not to be counted out were Harrah’s Joliet, up 2% ($15 million), and Harrah’s Metropolis, gaining 2% ($6 million).
* If business was good in Illinois, it was even better in Missouri, despite flat table game revenues. Slots carried the state to a 4% increase. Tropicana Entertainment was firmly on the comeback trail at Lumiere Place, leaping 17% to $12 million. Market dominance in St. Louis, however, continued to be divided between Pinnacle Entertainment and Penn National. The latter garnered $19 million 
(up 5%) at Hollywood St. Louis, while Pinnacle did $21 million (+5%) at Ameristar St. Charles and $18 million (flat) at River City. Pinnacle did not fare so well in Kansas City, down 3% to $15 million. Penn’s Argosy Riverside was up 5.5% to $12.5 million, while Harrah’s North Kansas City leapt 10% to $15 million.
Both at Kansas City and in three rural locations, Eldorado Resorts fared well with its Isle of Capri– and Lady Luck-branded casinos, a flat month at Boonsville being the worst it had to report. Affinity Gaming did not do so well, down 2% to $3 million at Mark Twain Casino.
* A 10% increase in slot wagering drove Ohio casino takings up 6.5% last month. Pinnacle’s Belterra Park continues to be a schizoid case, 
last in the state ($7 million) but consistently improving its results — +6.5% — despite subpar slot/win/day of $168. Hard Rock Rocksino continues to lead the state, hauling in $19.5 million, up 9%. Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli doesn’t break out individual numbers for Eldorado’s Scioto Downs, but it had a bully month, up 10% to $13 million. Privately held Miami Valley Gaming was close behind, grossing $12 million an an 11% increase.
Dan Gilbert‘s Jack-branded casinos reported mixed results, mostly positive. Cleveland was 8% down, to $15 million, while Cincinnati gained 9% to $15.5 million and Thistledown Racetrack was up 4% to $9.5 million. Gilbert’s casinos gave the Penn-managed ones a run for their money. Hollywood Toledo grossed $16 million, up 3% (slot/win/day $219) while Hollywood Columbus rose 6% to $18 million, slot/win/day of $185 million. As always, Hollywood Austintown was the star performer, grossing $305 win/slot/day, for a $9.5 million tally (24% up [!]), while Hollywood Dayton was no slouch, averaging $253 win/slot/day and grossing $8 million, for a 10.5% increase.
* Not to be left out of the June bounty, Indiana was up 5%. Not surprisingly, Horseshoe Hammond was tops in the state, grossing $32 million and up 11%. Horseshoe Southern Indiana pulled in $20.5 million (+6.5%) but it got pipped at the post by Indiana Downs, grossing $21.5 million and up 3%. Only Ameristar East Chicago came close, grossing $18 million on 9% growth. Everybody else was back in the pack. Grossing a feeble $4 million (-2.5%), Rising Sun does so poorly you have to wonder why Dan Lee bothers with it. True, Hollywood Lawrenceburg has never recovered from the advent of Ohio casinos but it still grosses $14 million (-3.5%).
Symmetrically, Belterra was up 9% to $9 million, while French Lick 
Resort was up 9% to $7.5 million. Hoosier Park gained a more-than-respectable 7.5% to finish in the money with $17 million. Majestic Star I grossed slipped 2.5% to $7.5 million while Majestic Star II, perhaps hexed by its erstwhile association with Donald Trump, slid 13.5% to $5 million. Boyd’s Blue Chip was up 4.5% to $13 million and, construction notwithstanding, Tropicana Evansville was up 2.5% to $10 million.
* It looks like gambling expansion in Pennsylvania, including Internet wagering, will fail yet again. Why am I not surprised?
