Casino Revenue Reports Show US Gaming Could Be Cooling Amid Economic Uncertainty

Posted on: October 13, 2022, 10:35h. 

Last updated on: October 13, 2022, 05:41h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More

Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Casino revenue reports issued from commercial gaming states in recent days suggest play is cooling across the nation.

After more than a year of robust action, with numerous states reporting unprecedented casino revenue, the latest numbers are beginning to align with Wall Street unease.

After Maryland casinos last week reported that their gross gaming revenue (GGR) was almost 4% lower in September 2022 from September 2021, Detroit’s three properties relayed additional concern.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board said Wednesday that MGM Grand Detroit, MotorCity, and Greektown collectively won $100.8 million in September from their retail slot machines and table games. That’s almost 6% lower year over year.

September marked the fifth consecutive month that Detroit GGR was lower in 2022 than in 2021. But because the beginning of the year benefited from ongoing pent-up demand, 2022 casino revenue through nine months is still slightly higher. It’s now at $948 million, compared with $940 million won during the three quarters of 2021.

Economic Worries

Wall Street indexes continue to tumble, resulting in retirement and investment savings dwindling.

More bad news came Thursday, with the US Labor Department reporting that the Consumer Price Index, a broad measure of the average cost of common goods and services, rose an additional 0.4% from August and climbed 8.2% annually. Both data points exceeded consensus expectations among economists.

Gallup polling shows that most Americans see economic woes as the country’s biggest problem today. Robert Frick, a corporate economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, said the September Consumer Price Index “virtually guarantees” that the Fed will increase interest rates by another 75 basis points in November and likely another 50 basis points in December.

Though the country is already amid a recession, depending on who you ask and what defining parameters are used, President Joe Biden downplayed the nation’s economic fears during an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Tuesday.

I don’t think there will be a recession,” Biden said. “If it is, it will be a very slight recession. Look, it’s possible. I don’t anticipate it.”

However, Americans might be anticipating it, which could be the reason for casino gaming revenue beginning to trend south. Nevada will provide more insight when its September casino numbers are released in the coming days.

Some Play Moving Online

Though Detroit casino revenue has lowered from 2021 in the past five months, there’s a bit more to the brick-and-mortar GGR story. Michigan legalized iGaming — online slots and table games — in 2019.

iGaming has been strong throughout the pandemic and into 2022. September numbers will be reported later this month, but online gambling revenue totaled $130.9 million in August. That was 3.4% better than July and 34% higher than August 2021.