Illinois‘ casinos got kicked in the pants last month, as revenues and foot traffic were down 9% each. The lone bright spot was Caesars Entertainment, which beat expectations, up 1%. True, Harrah’s Metropolis was off 22% but strong numbers at Harrah’s Joliet (up 14%) pushed the company’s numbers into the “plus” column. Despite being by far the highest grossing casino in the Land of Lincoln — $35 million — Rivers Casino slipped 13%. Penn National Gaming had a terrible month at all its properties: -11.5% at Alton Belle, 15% at Empress Joliet and -13% at Hollywood Aurora. Wrote J.P. Morgan’s Joseph Greff, “these results are generally reflective of the well-known softness in the lower-end regional gaming consumer.”
It gives one an idea how little is expected from Illinois that Boyd Gaming‘s Par-A-Dice slid 5% and still beat analyst expectations. In any event, operators need to find out what Harrah’s Joliet was doing last month and give it a try themselves.
G2E redux. Miss Global Gaming Expo? The Las Vegas Review-Journal‘s Howard Stutz makes you feel like you attended the whole damn thing. One can almost taste the stingray patties.
Objections to the expansion of casino gambling in New York State are coming from an unexpected direction — venues that specialize in the 
performing arts. “Because of casino revenues, they can subsidize all the acts, which means they can pay the performers more or they can charge less for tickets, and I think that can undermine the community based organizations that really add to the quality of life and add arts and culture to the community,” complained Albany Colonie Chamber of Commerce President Mark Eagan. He wouldn’t find that true of Las Vegas, but that latter is a one-off in many respects with regard to the casino industry.
Trickle-down economic effects of Penn National’s Hollywood Casino Columbus have been slow to materialize … but the place has only been open a year. Critics should show a little more patience.
