August revenues from the five casinos in Maryland increased by 3.7% year-on-year to reach just over $100.3 million thanks to favourable economic conditions and the increasing effectiveness of marketing.
According to official figures from the Maryland Lottery And Gaming Control Agency, the result represents the fourth time since the eastern state’s first casino opened in 2010 that total monthly revenues have topped the $100 million milestone while moreover marking a ninth consecutive month of growth.
Leading the way was the Maryland Live! Casino in Anne Arundel County near Baltimore as the venue’s 3,923 slots and 206 gaming tables brought in revenues of $55.9 million for August, which represented a rise of 7.25% year-on-year. The state’s largest casino is owned by local firm The Cordish Companies and saw unit gross daily gaming revenues for its slots reach $273.38 while the figure for its banked table games came in at $4,309.85.
The nearby Horseshoe Casino Baltimore saw its overall revenues for the 31-day period improve by 0.5% year-on-year to arrive at $27.7 million with daily individual takings for its 2,202 slots averaging $198.39 while its 154 banked table games each brought in $2,827.97 per day.
August was also a positive month for the Rocky Gap Casino Resort in the west of the state after it saw monthly revenues rise by 3.4% year-on-year to in excess of $4.5 million. The Allegany County venue is located just over eight miles from Cumberland and operates 634 slots alongside 17 banked table games with unit daily gross gaming revenues for August hitting $200.53 for slots and $1,149.10 for table games.
Continuing the good news and Worcester County’s Casino At Ocean Downs generated overall August revenues of $6.2 million, which represented a swell of 2.1% year-on-year, with its 800 slots posting daily unit gross daily gaming revenues of $249.98.
However, it was not a good month for every Maryland casino as the Hollywood Casino Perryville generated overall August revenues of $5.9 million from its 850 slots and 22 table games. This represented a year-on-year decline for the Cecil County venue owned by Gaming And Leisure Properties Incorporated of 9.5% with its slots averaging $194.34 a day in revenues while the figure for its non-banked table games hit $252.83.
The Maryland casino market is set to be joined in December by the $1.3 billion MGM Casino National Harbor in Prince George’s County near Washington, DC, while the Maryland Lottery And Gaming Control Agency declared that contributions from the gambling industry go to the Maryland Education Trust Fund and moreover support “small, minority and women-owned businesses, local impact grants and the state’s horseracing industry”.