Maryland casinos record second biggest tally in April

April’s impressive results follow last month’s bumper takings in which Maryland casinos reached their highest ever monthly tally of US$ 78 million, over half of which was collected by the state in the form of taxes. Nevertheless, April’s total is still the state’s second-best month on record.

Breaking April’s figures down further, the Free State’s biggest casino Maryland Live generated 21% more revenues at US$ 56.5 million, meaning the casino’s 4,322 slot machines and 177 table games helped rake in almost US$ 10 million more compared to the same month in 2013. Poker accounted for US$ 2.1 million of the casino’s overall tally.

However, both Maryland’s other two casinos open for more than a year reported declines in growth. Hollywood Casino Perryville generated US$ 7.7 million from its 1,158 slot machines and 22 table games, down 8.8% from a year earlier; while Casino at Ocean Downs with its 800 slot machines generated 8.6% lower revenues at US$ 3.6 million in April. Finally, Rocky Gap Casino Resort generated US$ 3.6 million from its 577 slot machines and 16 table games.

The state subsequently collected more than US$ 35 million in gambling taxes, with over US$ 28 million earmarked for Maryland’s Education Trust Fund. The state’s four casinos have now funneled around US$ 270 million to the education fund during the present fiscal year.

Looking ahead, the state’s casino market is scheduled to expand further come September when the new US$ 442 million Horseshoe Casino opens in downtown Baltimore. The venue will be located about a dozen miles north of Maryland Live, which employs around 3,000 people, with the Horseshoe Casino having already started advertising to fill the 1,700 vacancies needed to help operate its casino.

Another casino, the MGM National Harbor in Prince George, is then expected to open its doors in 2016.