Missouri Casinos in June Experience Revenue Drop From May
@jdtomlin68
Missouri’s 13 commercial casinos drew $155.8 million in adjusted gross revenue (AGR) in June, a 10.1% drop from May but an 8.8% increase over June 2019.
The 13 Missouri casinos are all on riverboats, with all but one based near the border with Illinois to the east or the border with Kansas to the west.
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The exact figure from June was $155,806,041 in AGR, with $135.2 million coming from slot machines and nearly $20.4 million from table games throughout the Show-Me State, according to figures from Missouri Gaming Commission financial reports. In May the total revenue statewide came to $173,289,752. In June 2019, the AGR was $143,240,728.
Comparisons to 2019 figures are more relevant than comparisons to 2020 figures because, like everywhere else in the country, Missouri casinos were closed for a chunk of last year as the COVID-19 pandemic spread.
Breakdown of Missouri Casino Figures
The Ameristar Casino in St. Charles led the state in AGR for June 2021 with $24.85 million, followed by the River City Casino in Lemay at $19.68 million. Both sites fell off from the May figures; Ameristar dropped about $2 million in a month-over-month comparison and River City decreased by more than $1.1 million.
The only facility in the state to see its AGR rise from May to June was the Mark Twain Casino in LaGrange, where the figure increased 0.9%, from $3.316 million to $3.345 million.
Sports Betting and VGT Update
The possibility of Missouri sports betting seems destined to wait until 2022.
A bill called SB 98, which would have allowed all 13 Missouri casinos to offer sports betting as well as video game terminals (VGTs), stalled in the state legislature in April.
Missouri has four neighbors already offering sports betting in some form: Iowa, Tennessee, Illinois and Arkansas. All but Arkansas allow mobile sports betting; in fact, Tennessee’s market is mobile only in a state with no casinos. Two other states bordering Missouri – Nebraska and Kansas – have made some legislative progress toward legalizing sports betting.
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.
