Coast casino revenue sees big drop in May
Something unusual happened at Mississippi casinos in May.
At the River casinos, which have struggled in recent years due to competition, gross casino revenue improved to $73.2 million from $72.0 million a year ago.
The 12 Coast casinos, which saw improved revenue in March and April, weren’t as lucky in May. Revenue dropped by $7.7 million, to $96.2 million from $103.9 million in May 2016.
That’s a 0.4 increase for the river casinos and a 7 percent decrease for Coast casinos.
May 2016 was particularly strong in South Mississippi and the best since May 2008. The slide in revenue for May 2017 puts the Coast market $10 million, or 2 percent, behind the same January through May period last year. The first five months of 2016 the Coast casinos had $510 in gross casino revenue compared to $500 million this year.
Casino revenue in millions
Gross revenues | May 2017 | May 2016 | % Change |
Coast | $96.2 | $103.9 | -7.4% |
River | $73.2 | $ 72.9 | +0.4% |
State | $169.4 | $176.8 | -4.2% |
Source: Mississippi Department of Revenue, Gaming Commission
This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Coast casino revenue sees big drop in May."