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Despite February possessing three fewer days in the month, all eight New England casinos were able to exceed January’s slot revenue tally.
Year-over-year slot revenue was down across the region, as the impact of MGM Springfield and Twin River Tiverton continues to take its toll on the existing southern New England casinos.
Rhode Island goes mobile but sports betting stalls across the region
Rhode Island is still the only game in town for sports bettors. And with the state recently legalizing mobile wagering, bettors will no longer be tasked with a trip to one of the two Twin River properties to place a bet.
That could be a major boon for Rhode Island, as sports betting efforts in Connecticut and Massachusetts appear to be running out of steam.
In the same way, New Jersey casinos can draw customers across from New York City, Rhode Island will be able to attract even more Massachusetts and Connecticut residents across the border by saving them an extra 20 or minute drive to a casino.
New Hampshire considers multiple gaming expansions
The best candidate to join the New England sports betting market is New Hampshire.
A sports betting bill has already cleared the house in the Granite State. With the Senate already voting to authorize two casinos, it appears there’s a bit of an appetite for gaming expansion.
A closer look at New England slot revenue
New England slot revenue for February 2019:
- Mohegan Sun Casino, CT: $43,524,776
- Foxwoods Casino, CT: $34,154,363
- Twin River Lincoln, RI: $34,505,575
- MGM Springfield, MA: $14,526,578
- Plainridge Park Casino, MA: $12,594,203
- Twin River Tiverton, RI: $7,606,701
- Oxford Casino, ME: $5,762,718
- Hollywood Casino, ME: $3,017,709
Here’s how each facility stacks up:
| # Slot Machines | Average RTP | |
|---|---|---|
| MGM Springfield | 2,550 | 92% |
| Plainridge Park | 1,200 | 92% |
| Foxwoods | 4,100 | 92% |
| Mohegan Sun | 4,800 | 92% |
| Twin River Lincoln | 4,200 | 92% |
| Twin River Tiverton | 1,000 | 92% |
| Oxford Casino | 950 | 90% |
| Hollywood Casino | 725 | 90% |
A closer look at New England table game revenue
Table game revenue for February 2019:
- Twin River Lincoln, RI: $12,071,814
- MGM Springfield, MA: $6,974,299
- Twin River Tiverton, RI: $2,103,014
- Oxford Casino, ME: $1,368,248
- Hollywood Casino, ME: $566,886
Here’s how each facility stacks up:
| # Table Games | # of Poker Tables | |
|---|---|---|
| MGM Springfield | 120 | 23 |
| Plainridge Park | N/A | N/A |
| Foxwoods | 250 | 100 |
| Mohegan Sun | 300 | 42 |
| Twin River Lincoln | 93 +48 Stadium Games | 23 |
| Twin River Tiverton | 32+18 Stadium Games | N/A |
| Hollywood Casino | 18 | 4 |
| Oxford Casino | 28 | N/A |
State-by-state New England casino revenue breakdown
Massachusetts
MGM Springfield was up over $20 million for the month. That’s a good sign for the property.
Billed as a destination resort, MGM Springfield, is preparing for its first spring and summer season. The hope is the property will be an economic engine for the city during the warmer months.
And then there’s the Encore Boston Harbor project. The casino is supposed to open in June, but the ongoing investigation into Wynn Resorts suitability following allegations against former CEO Steve Wynn could mean a delay.
A near-200-page report was released for the April 2 hearing. Suitability wasn’t voted on during the hearing. The MGC said it would make those determinations in its written report.
Commissioners won't state whether each person vetted will be found suitable until the commission's final written report is publicly delivered.
— Rick Velotta (@RickVelotta) April 2, 2019
Connecticut
Connecticut’s two tribal casinos continue to be the hardest hit by the casino expansion taking place across the region. The good news is the cannibalization has been less than expected.
With the East Windsor satellite casino still up in the air, and the legalization of online gambling and sports betting looking like long shots this year, the negative impact of Massachusetts casinos is going to get kicked up a notch (or two) when Encore Boston Harbor opens in June.
Rhode Island
Rhode Island’s two casinos took a bath on the Super Bowl. That aside, the casinos’ operator, Twin River, seems to have found the secret recipe for success in the New England casino market.
Despite being smack dab in the middle of its competitors, Twin River Lincoln has avoided being cannibalized by MGM Springfield and continues to be one of the top-performing casinos in the region.
It will be interesting to see if it remains relatively unaffected when the closer in proximity Encore Boston Harbor opens.
Maine
Maine’s casinos have quietly grown into a $10 million per month industry, and the state could be getting a third casino in the not-too-distant future.
A long-sought-after tribal casino is back on the legislature’s radar. The bill is opposed by the state’s commercial casinos, despite a provision that requires a 50-mile buffer zone around the existing casinos.
