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Gaming floors inside Missouri casinos haven’t been as active as they have been in the past. Regardless, the state’s 13 licensed gambling properties are tracking with their 2022 monthly revenue numbers, which represented records for the state.
In May, the casinos reported a 4% year-over-year decline in their admissions but the difference in revenue in the same comparison declined by just half of that amount. Missouri casinos are outperforming their figures from 2022 in terms of the amount of money they are winning from the players they are seeing.
Missouri casinos report almost $161 million in May revenue
According to the latest report from the Missouri Gaming Commission, the 13 casinos accumulated $160.9 million in May adjusted gross revenue (AGR). That’s a 2% drop from the $163.5 million they collected in May 2022. As a result, the state collected $33.8 million in taxes on gaming activity and $4.7 million in admission fees.
Both of those figures also represented minuscule drops from 2022, of 1.2% and 4.1% respectively. About half of the state’s casinos did see minimal improvements in their AGR compared to May 2022. Bally’s in Kansas City led the way there, posting a 6% annual increase as it continues to work on a significant expansion of its property.
The other seven properties saw statistically insignificant declines of no more than 5% in their AGR. Declines in admissions from May of 2022 to the same month this year were more drastic at individual licensees, however.
For example, Harrah’s in Kansas City saw its admissions drop by 11% in that comparison. That statistic highlights how a more sparsely populated gaming floor for these casinos hasn’t translated into similar declines in revenue, however.
Missouri casinos increase their win per admission in May
Further comparing May 2022 to the same month this year shows that Missouri casinos are, for the most part, making more money off fewer players. Only Century and River City posted a higher win per admission figure in May 2022 than they did in May 2023.
Bally’s in Kansas City is a pristine example of getting guests to play more. While its admissions dropped by 2% year-over-year, its same-month AGR rose by 6%. This has become a trend in the current fiscal year for Missouri casinos, as April also saw admissions drop at a larger rate than revenue.
While casinos would prefer to see increases in both metrics, staying on par with record revenue numbers is the more important consideration. May was another month in which Missouri’s gaming facilities did just that.
