Missouri Casino Revenue Rises to $162 Million For October
@jdtomlin68
Revenue at Missouri’s 13 commercial casinos rose about 6.5% in October compared to the previous two months, hitting $162 million.
The exact total adjusted gross revenue figure of $162,039,309 was almost $10 million more than August and September, both months in which the casino AGR in the Show Me State was at $152 million. The September figure of $152.1 million was the lowest in this fiscal year through four months.
October’s revenue number was 21.1% higher than 12 months earlier; in October 2020, Missouri casino revenue hit $133.8 million.
More than $30 Million for Education
The amount of gaming money earmarked for education initiatives in Missouri exceeded $30 million in October. An additional $3.2 million went toward local governments.
For the 2021-22 fiscal year, which began in July, about $120 million in Missouri gaming revenues has gone toward education, according to Missouri Gaming Commission figures. The state steers 18.9% of gaming revenue toward education funding.
Missouri Sports Betting Gets Major Backing
A drive to implement legal sports betting in Missouri has gotten a push from some major power players.
The St. Louis Dispatch reported that pro sports teams in the state – including MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and Kansas City Royals, the NHL’s St. Louis Blues and the St. Louis City Soccer Club – have filed a total of nine initiatives for statewide voting on the legalization of sports wagering.
The initiatives must gather enough signatures for the issue to appear on a ballot and several sports betting proposals have already died at various stages in the Missouri legislature. The same would hold true for any measure to implement real money online casinos in the Show Me State.
Breakdown of State Gaming Revenue
The AGR from slot machines statewide in October was $139.5 million and table games accounted for $22.36 million. Hybrid games, which are only available at Ameristar St. Charles, brought in $180,000. The hold for slot machines was 9.8% and the hold for table games was 21.1%.
The aforementioned Ameristar location, outside of St. Louis, led the state in October gaming revenue at $26.6 million. That derived from $21 million in slots and $5.5 million with table games.
Two other casinos in the St. Louis area, River City and Hollywood Casino, were second and third for the month in revenue. River City reported $21 million in AGR and Hollywood had nearly $19.2 million.
Ameristar Kansas City led the K.C. market for the month at $16.5 million, followed by Argosy at $15.25 million.
Most riverboat casinos in Missouri are on the eastern or western borders (near St. Louis and Kansas City, respectively).
Contributors
Jim Tomlin has more than 30 years of experience in sports journalism as an editor and writer. He has covered pro and college sports from football, baseball, basketball, soccer, golf, motorsports and more for publications such as the Tampa Bay Times, SaturdayDownSouth.com, SaturdayTradition.com and FanRag Sports. He now lends his expertise to TopUSCasinos.com, among other duties.
