Maryland Casino Revenue Up 45% In September

The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency has announced its casino results for September, showing the state’s four casinos generated $65 million in revenue during the month. The latest figure represents an improvement of 45% compared to this time last year,  excluding the Rocky Gap Casino which only opened in May, and further promotes Maryland’s position as a solid casino market surrounded by a sea of struggling gambling states.
As expected, Maryland Live! continued to drive the state’s growth accounting for $50.4 million of September’s tally, and up by a staggering 57.8% from a year earlier. Next, the Hollywood Casino in Perryville reported a 10.4% increase in revenue to $6.6m; followed by the Casino at Ocean Downs, up 3.9% to $5.1m; and Rocky Gap Casino Resort ($3.1m).
Commenting on September’s impressive figures, Harford Community College casino analyst, James Karmel, said: “What you are seeing is a fairly level revenue picture..and positive for Maryland.”
Overall, more than $25 million in casino gambling taxes was collected by Maryland’s Education Trust Fund in September.
However, the story in nearby Ohio was less positive with Ohio’s four casinos generating 3% less revenue in September at $68.9 million. So far this year, Ohio’s casinos have now generated $908 million in revenue, falling about $227 million short of projected figures by a 2011 state study by Gov. John Kasich. Accounting for much of the less-than-expected revenue haul is the one-year old Hollywood Casino Columbus, which was supposed to provide a massive boost to Ohio’s casino industry. However, it has so far generated only $190 million in revenue this year, a long way off from the 2011 study’s prediction that Hollywood Casino Columbus would easily generate more than $382 million for the 2013.