So far this year, stories of breaking Maryland online casino revenue records became like a broken record themselves. August 2021 represents a deviation from that as far as the monthly win went, but the figures were nothing to sneeze at.
While revenue from MD’s six casinos dropped nearly $12 million month-over-month, the total was actually just shy of March’s win, which at that time was a record for the state. August’s performance also keeps MD casinos on pace for a record-breaking year.
Not another Maryland casino revenue record
According to the MD Lottery and Gaming Association, the six casinos reported more than $168.4 million in win in August.
The record total in July was more than $180.1 million. That means a decline of about 6.5% between those two months.
| Facility | Slots Win | Table Games Win | Total Win |
|---|---|---|---|
| MGM National Harbor | $40.1 million | $27.4 million | $67.5 million |
| Live! Casino & Hotel | $41.9 million | $17.5 million | $59.4 million |
| Horseshoe Baltimore | $11.7 million | $6.4 million | $18.1 million |
| Ocean Downs Casino | $8.6 million | $1.2 million | $9.8 million |
| Hollywood Casino Perryville | $6.7 million | $1 million | $7.7 million |
| Rocky Gap Resort Casino | $5.1 million | $0.8 million | $5.9 million |
| Totals | $114.1 million | $54.3 million | $168.4 million |
Although MGM National Harbor held onto its top spot in August, its revenue fell by about 6.7%. Statewide, the majority of the July to August downturn came at the slot machines, which experienced a 7.1% month-over-month downturn.
Hollywood Casino Perryville saw the greatest monthly decline at around 11.5%. Slot win was down around $900,000 for the month at that facility. Revenue dropped by between 5 and 7 percent at the other properties.
Had the state’s casinos managed to top the July numbers, it would have been the fourth time this year they would have broken the monthly revenue record. Still, the total is just about $700,000 short of March’s total.
So while industry veterans will have to wait until September’s numbers come out to see if 2021 produces another monthly record, the year still looks fabulous as a whole. The best measurement is the same month two years ago.
August 2021 beats out its predecessors
While this year’s version of August numbers is a 12.6% improvement compared to 2020, that requires a grain of salt. COVID-19 restrictions such as capacity limits and spacing requirements artificially hampered August 2020. Thus, it’s a better idea to look at August 2019.
That month, total win came to $154.2 million. So, the casinos are up about 8.5% now. That represents a great middle-ground for a year-over-year comparison between 2021 and 2019. July 2021 was up around 17.2% as compared to July 2019 while June 2021 represented a 4.2% increase from June 2019.
The calendar year to date is another good frame of reference. From January through August of this year, casinos have held nearly $1.3 billion. The same nine months of 2019 produced just over $1.1 billion in revenue.
With the current fiscal year only two months old and nearly $349 million already on the books, the chances for MD’s first $2 billion hold annual cycle look great. Even when monthly records aren’t the subject of conversation, MD casinos’ performances are still something to talk about.
