Those who argue that Iowa is saturated with casinos found plentiful ammunition in the latest set of revenue numbers from the state. True, Hard
Rock Sioux City is doing far better than its predecessor, Argosy Sioux City. Also, Harrah’s Council Bluffs, long one of the problem children of the Caesars Entertainment brood, is on the comeback trail, up 5%. There’s not much good news beyond that: a 2.5% lift at Catfish Bend, and flat results at the Isle Casino & Hotel at Waterloo and Terrible’s Lakeside. Otherwise, the dips ranged from 1% at Isle Lady Luck to 18% at Wild Rose Clinton (above).
Except for Ameristar Council Bluffs (-2%), none of the casinos grossed nearly as much as two of the racinos: Horseshoe Casino & Bluffs Run Racetrack (-5% but the highest gross in the state) and Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino (-2%). Boyd Gaming had the roughest month of all the major operators, off 8% at its two casinos. Isle of Capri Casinos was down 4% and Caesars got off with a 2% decline. Still, the Hawkeye State is so jam-packed with casino product that it’s difficult to figure where they’d put any more. I’ve not been back to my home state since gambling was legalized but I still can’t wrap my Vegas-ized mind around the juxtaposition of casinos and corn fields.
* Congratulations to Bally Technologies for winning the “Deep Understanding of the Customer Award,” part of the 2014 Gaming & Leisure Industry Excellence Awards, presented by Gaming & Leisure 
Magazine during Global Gaming Expo. Bally Senior Vice President of Customer Services Sridhar Laveti responded with a statement. “This award is recognition of Bally’s customer-centric focus. We are committed to listening to the needs of our casino partners to provide them with solutions and services that engage their players and deliver a strong [return on investment]. These partnerships have helped us be the best provider of innovation and technology to the gaming industry.”
