Casino Revenue Drops Slightly

BERLIN -- It was good news, bad news this week when the February revenue figures were released for the Casino at Ocean Downs.

The Casino at Ocean Downs grossed just over $3.4 million in February, up from the $2.9 million recorded in January, which was the lowest one-month total in the history of the facility on Route 589 just south of Ocean Pines. The Casino at Ocean Downs’ February 2013 total came in at around $59,000 lower than the same month last year, continuing a trend of decline over 2012.

A look at the per-machine, per-day totals for the Casino at Ocean Downs in February tell a similar story. The casino’s 800 video lottery terminals generated an average of $154.82 per day in February, which came in considerably higher than the $118.10 recorded in January.

Overall, the state’s three operating casinos grossed around $47 million in February with the Maryland Live facility in Anne Arundel County continuing to be the driving force. Maryland Live generated over $38 million in February and its 3,991 video lottery terminals generated an average of $302.28 per machine, per day.

Maryland Live’s success continues to take its toll on the state’s first casino to open, the Hollywood Casino in Cecil County, which saw its downward spiral continue in February. The Perryville casino grossed $5.9 million in February, which represents a decline of around $5.5 million over February 2012, or a total of over 48 percent. Perryville’s 1,148 machines took in an average of $185,59 per machine, per day in February.

Help might be on the way, however, for the Hollywood Casino, which this week became the first casino in the state to offer real table games with live dealers. Hollywood Casino debuted its 20 table games, such as craps, blackjack, roulette and various forms of poker, on Tuesday for Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission officials and the media and was expected to open the table games for the public on Thursday. Maryland Live is expected to debut its 122 table games as soon as April 11 and will remove 400 slot machines to accommodate them.

Meanwhile, Ocean Downs is eligible to add table games at any time, but appears to be in no rush to implement a program, which would likely require an expansion or reconfiguration of the space. Casino at Ocean Downs spokesman Doug Eppler of Tipton Communications said this week the casino is not yet prepared to make any statements about those plans.