Thanks to Mississippi gamblers, statewide revenue from casinos increased by nearly 4 percent in September.
According to the state Revenue Department, the $171 million won from gamblers in the state’s casinos last month was up 4 percent from the $165 million for the same time last year, as reported by the Associated Press. At the state’s 12 coastal casinos, unlucky gamblers lost some $98 million during the month. That’s a 7 percent increase from September 2015, making it the 23 for coastal casinos over the last 28 months.
Meanwhile, the 16 Mississippi River casinos did not do quite as well, with revenue increasing less than 1 percent to slightly over $73 million. However, that is a good result considering the fact that in the last 51 months only eight of those months saw an increase in casino revenue along the river.
The figures from the state Revenue Department do not include Choctaw Indian casinos because they are not required to report winnings to the state.
In other news for the Magnolia State, which in August celebrated its 25th anniversary of legalized casino gambling, the State Gaming Commission recently made the decision to forgo changes to current gambling regulations. As the law stands, casino gambling is restricted to those who have properties that border the waterfront, however, gaming regulators had been considering amending the law and allowing casino gaming to extend to sites where the property does not come in contact with the water.