Connecticut: Casino slots take double-digit hits in August

Casino slots take double-digit hits in August
By Brian Hallenbeck

Irene's impact was felt again Thursday, this time when the region's casinos reported double-digit declines in their August slot-machine revenues.

The tropical storm that whacked the Northeast the weekend of Aug. 26-28 took a toll.

Foxwoods Resort Casino, including MGM Grand at Foxwoods, "won," or kept... down 11.8 percent over August 2010. Mohegan Sun's slots take for the month was ... 10.6 percent less than in the same month a year earlier.

It was the first time Mohegan Sun had experienced a double-digit decline since January, when severe winter weather was blamed for much of a 12 percent fall-off in the casino's slots win.

Foxwoods' "handle," the total amount wagered on its machines, fell 12.4 percent in August, while Mohegan Sun's handle plunged 15.4 percent.

Irene had a far more severe effect on the Connecticut casinos' competitors in Atlantic City, which shut down around 8 p.m. the Friday before the storm and remained closed until noon the following Monday. The down time caused the biggest year-over-year decline in gaming revenue in Atlantic City's 33-year history of legalized gambling.

Total gaming win for Atlantic City's 11 casinos fell 19.8 percent in August, according to New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement. Slots win was down 20.9 percent while table-games win dropped 17 percent.

Data made available Thursday show Foxwoods patrons redeemed $7.7 million worth of free-play coupons during August, while Mohegan Sun gave away $6.2 million in free slots play. Foxwoods' 6,408 machines averaged a daily win of $262.75; Mohegan Sun's 6,304 machines generated an average $306.58 daily win.