Maryland Casino Revenue Falls To $45 Million In August

The US state of Maryland has released its casino result for August revealing a fall in revenue to $44.6 million from $48 million the previous month.
The Mid Atlantic state which shares  borders with Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware, entered the casino business in 2010 when the Hollywood Casino Perryville opened its doors for the very first time, followed by the Ocean Downs in Berlin. Since then, Maryland Live! the state’s largest casino costing $500 million has also entered the fray with further expansion of the state’s gambling program planned for the future.This includes considering the addition of new casinos in Maryland, as well as  allowing casinos to add table games to its slots offerings.
Nevertheless, initial optimistic predictions stating Maryland would generate around $660 million each year have proved to be way of track as just $390 million in revenues has been generated since 2010.
Breaking August’s figures down further, the Ocean Downs was up 24% to $5.67 million for the month, compared to $4.57 million last year, while the Hollywood Casino in Perryville recorded a 24% fall in revenue to $6.5 million, down more than $2 million from the same period in 2011. In its 2nd month of operations, the Maryland Live Casino proved once again to be the jewel in Marylands crown, generating around $32.5 million in August having taken $35.4 million in its opening month. Without Maryland Live’s contribution, casino revenues in Maryland would have actually fallen by 7% in August compared to the same month in 2011
The reasons behind the fall in revenue wasn’t immediately clear, but severe weather, as well as the fact that many people choose to go on holiday in August, may have been significant factors according to Maryland State Lottery Agency director Stephen Martino.