Atlantic City casinos in April produced another of those months where their numbers went up, or not, depending on your choice of accounting.
Revenues rose by 5.8 percent over April 2016 if you count the dollars from the seven surviving casinos.
But if you include Trump Taj Mahal, which closed last fall, industry revenues fell 1.6 percent. I prefer this number because then you’re comparing total revenue (the split goes away once we’re comparing vs a month in 2016 when Trump Taj Mahal had already closed).
That said, the industry’s total revenues are up 3.8 percent for the first four months of 2017 vs the same period in 2016.
“The win from table games declined last month, in large part because players were luckier this April than in last April,” said Casino Control Commissioner Matthew Levinson. “Swings like that have to be expected. It is, after all, gambling.”
“One thing that is particularly heartening is that for the first four months of the year, revenue from slots, tables and internet each increased,” he added in a statement.
Tropicana was the biggest overall winner for April, up 16.6 percent. The biggest loser? Harrah’s, down 7.2 percent.
Meanwhile, online poker numbers tumbled 23.9 percent, to $1.97 million. If it’s any consolation, that’s a far more typical number than the $2.6 million recorded last April.
The other online games – mainly slots – were up 31 percent, which is pretty typical. It will be interesting to see how long that trend can last as that industry matures.