Missouri casinos had a very strong month in March, mirroring the revenue rise that took place 12 months earlier.
It’s welcome news at a time when advocates are trying to get legal Missouri sports betting across the finish line.
March saw the state’s 13 commercial casinos combine for $176,744,848 in revenue, up 21.3% compared to the $145.8 million in February. That was the best month for Missouri casinos since at least June 2017, which is as far back as records go at the Missouri Gaming Commission website.
Here are three takeaways from a big March in Missouri gaming.
March Similar Year Over Year
In March 2021, Missouri casinos recorded $176,679,325 in revenue, according to numbers reported by the MGC. That was an increase of more than $50 million from the $122.6 million recorded the previous month. March also began a run of three consecutive months of revenue exceeding $170 million as the weather got warmer last year.
March 2022 provided a very similar story.
Last month’s $176.7 million represented a 0.04% hike over the figure from 12 months earlier in a year-over-year comparison.
The total proceeds going to education programs last month came to $33,404,776. According to the MGC, casino revenue proceeds given toward education programs has exceeded $7.23 billion since inception.
St. Louis Market Tops Again
The four casinos in the St. Louis market once again led the state.
Ameristar Casino in St. Charles recorded $26.7 million in Adjusted Gross Revenue for March. The facility made $21.56 million from slot machines, nearly $5 million from table games and $173,000 from hybrid machines, which are only available there and at Argosy in Kansas City.
Another St. Louis casino, River City, was second in Missouri for the month with $23.6 million AGR. Hollywood Casino & Hotel St. Louis also exceeded $20 million for the month, hitting $22.1 million.
Ameristar Casino Kansas City toped that city’s market in March with $18.45 million in revenue, followed by Harrah’s Kansas City at $16.93 million.
Five Missouri casinos are classified as “out state” locations (being in neither the St. Louis or Kansas City markets). Isle Casino in Boonville led that category in March with $7.94 million in revenue.
Missouri Sports Betting Update
The major professional sports teams in Missouri are helping the effort to get sports betting legalized in Missouri.
Representatives from the NHL’s St. Louis Blues, MLB’s St. Louis Cardinals and NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs attended a hearing this week in the Missouri Senate to speak in favor of a sports betting bill that’s in committee.
Those teams plus the Kansas City Royals and the St. Louis City Soccer Club all favor the measure, House Bill 2502, which would make Missouri the latest state with legal and regulated wagering on sporting events.
The House passed two bills on March 24 (2502 as well as HB 2556) but the proposal has yet to receive a vote in the State Senate Appropriations Committee.
