Casino Revenue Hits $4.67M For September

BERLIN -- After falling in August for the first time since the facility opened earlier this year, the Casino at Ocean Downs’ final numbers for September released this week showed revenues stabilized or even increased slightly last month.

The Maryland Video Lottery Commission, which oversees the two existing slots facilities in the state, released the final numbers for September for the Casino at Ocean Downs on Wednesday, and while the revenue figures did not exactly spike upward from August, they certainly held their own after a month of going in the opposite direction.

The gross gaming revenue for the Casino at Ocean Downs in August dropped for the first time in the facilities existence, thanks in large part to Hurricane Irene, which closed the slots venue for two days during the height of the summer season.

After peaking out at $5.3 million in July, the figure dropped to $4.6 million in August at Ocean Downs. However, during the month of September, the gross gaming revenue at the Casino at Ocean Downs stayed steady at $4.67 million.

Each month since the casino opened on Route 589 just south of Ocean Pines, the monthly revenue increased from $3 million in January to $3.1 million in February to $3.2 million in March and from $3.5 million in April to $3.7 million in May to $3.8 million in June. In July, the revenue totals for the Casino at Ocean Downs spiked up considerably to $5.3 million, representing the first real peak in what had been a steady ascent.

For two straight months, the revenue totals for the Casino at Ocean Downs have held steady around the $4.6 million mark for August and September.

A look at the average daily gross per machine follows a similar pattern. For the month of July, the average daily gross per machine came in at $215.64, up from the $168.35 reported in June and the $158.61 reported in May. In August, the number dropped back down to $196.66 and held steady again in September, coming in at $194.88.

Since opening Jan. 4, the Casino at Ocean Downs has generated nearly $35 million, while the year-to-date total for the fiscal year that began July 1 in now just under $15 million.

In September, the Berlin casino generated $2.27 million for the Education Trust Fund, bringing the fiscal year total to just over $7 million. The total local impact grant for September came in at $257,241, bringing the fiscal year total to just over $800,000.