Casino revenue was down 4% last month in Indiana but, with one less weekend than last year and a 6% decline in foot traffic, I’m disinclined to read too much into the results. 
However, just for the record, let’s look at what went down (in more senses than one). For starters, the $173 million gross implies that customers were wagering slightly more than in 2016. Several big operators took it on the chin. Penn National Gaming/GLPI‘s Hollywood Lawrenceburg ($13 million) was off 8%, while Pinnacle Entertainment‘s Belterra dove 9%, to $8 million. By contrast, Rising Sun ($4 million) was only 2% off the pace and Tropicana Evansville ($10 million) was 2% up. So was French Lick Resort ($7 million).
Caesars Entertainment dominated its respective markets, with Horseshoe Southern Indiana grossing $19 million (down 5%) and Horseshoe Hammond hauling in $34 million (off 4%). Ameristar East Chicago was not so fortunate, down 9% to $17 million. Majestic Star I ($7 million) stayed afloat, off only 1%, but Majestic Star II took a hit below the waterline, down 12% to $5 million. Boyd Gaming‘s Blue Chip grossed $12 million, 5% off the pace. As for the racinos, Hoosier Park (-1%) was scarcely affected, bringing in $16 million, while Indiana Downs (+2%) had a decidedly good month, grossing $21 million. Now that casino expansion is back on the table, the question must be asked whether the Hoosier State has the necessary elasticity. The answer would seem to be “not much.”
* Has the tidemark moved in Biloxi? Would-be casino developers RW Development aren’t going that far with their arguments in favor of reconsideration of their once-rejected casino plan but it’s an issue they have to finesse. RW, which is nothing if not determined, first proposed a casino in 2008 but the Mississippi Gaming Commission deemed the location (the same one currently being pitched) too close to the shoreline. Perhaps the lessons of Hurricane Katrina are no longer fresh in people’s minds but RW is banking on a newly constituted Commission to grant the permission that was denied nine years ago. They’ve also been assiduously lining up support from Biloxi-area businesses, which may be the tipping point this time around. One booster’s statement that the casino would be “the pinnacle of Biloxi” seems to go a bit far. Has Beau Rivage suddenly vanished?
* As casinos creep closer to New Hampshire, legislators are trying for the umpteenth time to legalize casino gambling in the Granite State. As usual, state Sen. Lou D’Allesandro (D) is leading the charge, although he’s having trouble lining up bipartisan support. Only one of his cosponsors hails from the GOP. He also no longer has gaming-friendly U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D) in the governor’s mansion. Still, there’s reason for hope, if only because past pro-casino pushes have fallen short in the Lege by the narrowest of margins.
* One gaming pundit is peddling the right idea — legalize sports betting — for the wrong reason, namely, that it would improve TV ratings for NFL games. In other words, you’d be augmenting regular fans with point-spread fans. (Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose but whether you covered the spread.) He estimates that the NFL’s television audience would swell from 40 million to 57 million. Are there really that many people who’d watch the games if they had money on them but are essentially boycotting football telecasts now? Color me skeptical. Unfortunately, there’s a glitch in the American Gaming Association Web site today, so I can’t direct you to the actual study.
