Ohio Gamblers bet less for second straight month

Published: 9/8/2012

Report: Ohio casino wagers show 11% drop from July

Gamblers bet less for second straight month

BY TYREL LINKHORN
BLADE BUSINESS WRITER

Gamblers bet less money at Ohio's two casinos for a second straight month in August, with statewide wagers falling about 9 percent from July.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission released its monthly statewide casino gambling report Friday.

The numbers show Hollywood Casino Toledo took in $168.2 million between its table games and slot machines last month, down 11 percent from $189.1 million in July.

[This represents money sucked from the local economy.]

The casino paid back about 90 percent of that in winnings, with the commission reporting gross revenue after payouts at Hollywood Toledo of $17.4 million on the month. In July, the casino posted a gross revenue after payouts of $19.1 million. The figures relate to gambling income only and do not include food, drink, or other merchandise sales.

Officials with Penn National Gaming, which operates Hollywood Toledo, didn't return calls seeking comment.

Currently, two of the four approved Ohio casinos are up and operating -- Hollywood Casino Toledo and Horseshoe Casino in downtown Cleveland.

Casinos in Columbus and Cincinnati are expected to open this fall and next year, respectively.

Gamblers in Toledo and Cleveland wagered a total of $349.8 million in August, down from $383.8 million in July.

In June, the first full month of operation for both casinos, gamblers wagered $417.8 million.
Tama Davis, communications director for the casino control commission, said the regulatory body expects it will take some time to establish what is normal in terms of revenue and wagers.

"We're very early into this process in growing this industry in Ohio," Ms. Davis said. "I think the baseline is going to come when all four are open and have been open for a certain period of time."

The vast majority of gambling in Toledo was done in slot machines -- just 10 percent of August's wagers were made at the casino's 80 table games. Horseshoe's table games were a little more popular, with the casino's 94 table games making up about 23 percent of total wagers.

The commission report shows both casinos paid out a higher percentage of wagers at the slots. Toledo's August slots payout was 91 percent, while the table games payout was 78 percent. In Cleveland, the slots paid out 89 percent, while the table games paid out 82 percent of wagers.

Cleveland's adjusted gross revenue was $22.8 million in August, down about 5 percent from $23.9 million in July.

http://www.toledoblade.com/business/2012/09/08/Report-Casino-wagers-show-11-drop-from-July.html