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Nineteen Iowa casinos generated $144.72 million in revenue in July.
Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino has reported the highest gross gaming income again, according to the Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission (IRGC).
Key takeaways
- The money Iowa casinos collected in July represents a 2.82% monthly increase but a 3.55% drop from last year.
- Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino was the month’s top earner, winning over $19.93 million.
- Regarding monthly growth, Catfish Bend Casino and Casino Queen–Marquette were July’s most successful Iowa Casinos.
- While online sports betting is legal in Iowa, online casinos are not. A bill that would legalize Iowa online casinos (HSB227) was introduced last year but didn’t pass.
Iowa casino revenue has been a roller coaster ride in 2024
Win for casinos in Iowa declined in January but continued to increase in February and further improved in March. Revenue then dropped in April, came back up in May, and then fell once again in June to increase again in July.
To provide further context, here is how Iowa casinos’ adjusted revenue totals fluctuated since the beginning of the year:
- Iowa casinos’ January revenue: $116.40 million
- Iowa casinos’ February 2024 revenue: $143.30 million
- Iowa casinos’ March 2024 revenue: $164.30 million
- Iowa casinos’ April 2024 revenue: $143.84 million
- Iowa casinos’ May 2024 revenue: $148.75 million
- Iowa casinos’ June 2024 revenue: $140.74 million
- Iowa casinos’ July 2024 revenue: $144.71 million
Although July 2024 revenue is the third best this year, showing a 2.82% monthly increase from June 2024’s $140.74 million, the number is still a 3.55% decline from July 2023’s $150.04 million.
Most Iowa casinos showed improvement in monthly revenue in July
Of the state’s 19 casinos, twelve saw their revenue increase month-over-month in July, with Catfish Bend Casino and Casino Queen-Marquette seeing double-digit rises.
Here’s a bigger picture, according to the IRGC’s July 2024 revenue report:
| Iowa Casino | July 2024 Revenue | % Change Month-over-month | % Change Year-over-year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prairie Meadows Racetrack & Casino | $19,936,215 | 3.28% | 4.05% | |
| Horseshoe Casino Council Bluffs | $16,544,551 | 6.93% | -2.98% | |
| Ameristar II | $15,534,611 | -0.09% | -0.08% | |
| Riverside Casino and Golf Resort | $11,200,394 | -1.08% | -3.29% | |
| Rhythm City Casino | $9,737,224 | 3.04% | 0.01% | |
| Diamond Jo – Worth | $8,950,587 | 8.19% | 1.79% | |
| Grand Falls Casino Resort | $8,110,846 | 6.45% | -7.11% | |
| Isle Casino Hotel Waterloo | $7,773,753 | 6.88% | 0.85% | |
| Hard Rock Casino | $7,371,014 | -1.25% | -5.22% | |
| Diamond Jo – Dubuque | $6,344,756 | 0.57% | -4.97% | |
| Isle of Capri – Bettendorf | $5,774,992 | 5.69% | -2.07% | |
| Harrah’s Council Bluffs Casino & Hotel | $5,718,781 | -3.57% | -7.13% | |
| Lakeside Casino | $4,309,711 | 3.73% | 2.40% | |
| Q Casino | $3,896,618 | -4.46% | -11.07% | |
| Catfish Bend Casino | $3,756,119 | 13.87% | -5.12 | |
| Wild Rose – Jefferson | $3,025,777 | -2.39% | -4.13 | |
| Wild Rose – Emmetsburg | $2,455,754 | 2.03% | -19.24% | |
| Wild Rose – Clinton | $2,430,532 | -7.81% | -18.47% | |
| Casino Queen – Marquette | $1,837,967 | 12.47% | -2.05% | |
Iowa online casinos remain illegal
Iowa’s online sports betting launched in 2019. Since then, every major US sportsbook operator, including BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel, has entered the market.
Meanwhile, Iowa online casinos are illegal. State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann introduced and sponsored a bill, HSB227, last year but did not make it out of committee.
