Bad weather is being blamed for dismal attendance figures at St. Louis-area casinos. Those on the Missouri side were down 11%, while Casino Queen in East St. Louis and Alton 
Belle were off 17% at the turnstile. Statewide, revenue was down 7%, with the St. Louis market much more adversely affected than Kansas City. In the former, Pinnacle Entertainment‘s Lumiere Place slipped 12% while its River City fell only 2%. Pinnacle’s St. Charles casino was down 8% but Penn National Gaming‘s nearby Hollywood St. Louis dropped 13%, good enough for the #1 and #2 top-grossing spots in the Show-Me State, respectively. Nobody’s fall was as dramatic as that of Isle of Capri Casinos‘ Cape Girardeau property, down 27% and ruining Isle’s month. The company’s other results were a mixture of small declines and a 2% uptick in Boonville.
Pinnacle’s Ameristar Kansas City (-4%) topped that market. Harrah’s North Kansas City (-3%) grossed $14 million to Pinnacle’s $16 million, and Penn’s Argosy Riverside came in third with a $12 million gross. Despite Isle’s wipeout in Cape Girardeau, Penn’s 10% decline in February was the worst for any operator, Caesars Entertainment‘s 3% the least. Meanwhile, lawmakers are hoping against hope that it’s just a dry spell. If not, lawmakers may try to fund veterans home through … a lottery.
Indiana casinos were visited less (-19%) and grossed less (-12%) than last year, despite 9% higher per-visitor spend. The numbers at Penn’s Hollywood Lawrenceburg were a catastrophic -41%, as new, Cincinnati-area competition sucked it dry like Count Dracula feasting on a young virgin. Rising Star was bled, too, down 31%. Belterra and French Lick were both 18% off last year’s pace. Only Casino Aztar, well to the west, was sheltered from competition, up 3%. The state’s two racinos also posted positive comparisons.
To the north, Horseshoe Hammond took a hit, down 20% while Ameristar East Chicago was off only 2%. In terms of sheer dollars, Horseshoe Hammond is still the biggest dog on the block, grossing $36 million. Given the downfall of Penn’s Lawrenceburg casino, Caesars now has two top-grossing casinos in the Hoosier State, with the close-behind Indiana Grand racino rounding out the top three. Boyd Gaming‘s Blue Chip got through the month with only a 5% decline.
* Former Rep. Michael Oxley (R-OH) boils down the American Gaming Association‘s case for online gambling: Keep it ‘rare, safe and legal.’
