Missouri Casino Numbers Drop Across The Board In April

Missouri’s casinos generated just over $35 million in tax revenue in April, the third highest amount in the last 12 months. April’s total adjusted gross revenue of $167.1 million was 5.5% less than March’s $176.8 million.

Admission numbers at all 13 casinos fell in April compared to the month before. In total, there were 203,248 less patrons at casinos in April compared to March. Admission numbers, however, are mostly in line with the typical admission statistics during April in prior years.

Slots players fared well in April, as only three casinos saw an increase in hold percentage from slot machines during the month.

April dip more about big numbers in March at Missouri casinos

All 13 of Missouri’s casinos are technically on riverboats. Missouri online casinos are still prohibited, and there’s no real move to change that. Missouri lawmakers have been focused on trying to legalize sports betting. Unfortunately, those efforts failed again in 2023.

The top three casinos in terms of tax dollars generated for the state of Missouri were all in the St. Louis area.

Ameristar Casino Resort Spa, St. Charles, $5.6 million
River City Casino Hotel, St. Louis, $4.6 million
Hollywood Casino and Hotel, St. Louis, $4.5 million

After a big boost to casino admissions in March – likely because of improving weather – admission numbers fell across the board in April. None of the 13 casinos saw month-over-month increases in that category. Hollywood Casino and Hotel saw the biggest drop, with nearly 35,000 less admissions in April. Ameristar and River City both saw month-to-month drops of more than 20,000 admissions.

This drop-off in April is more indicative of just how busy March was in comparison to a typical month for Missouri casinos. When comparing April numbers to February, 10 casinos saw a boost in admissions. Horseshoe St. Louis, meanwhile, was the only casino that saw a year-over-year increase in admissions from April 2022. More than 215,000 people came through the doors, up slightly from 214,000 and change the previous year.

Overall, Missouri casinos had nearly 2.5 million people pass through their doors in April. That brought the total admission for the last 12 months to 25 million.

Other takeaways from April casino numbers

April was a good month for slots players. Ten of the 13 casinos saw their hold percentage drop in April compared to March.

The casino with the lowest hold percentage in Missouri was River City Casino Hotel. Its hold percentage was just 8.9% from slots play.

Other casinos saw significant year-on-year hold drops in slot play. Harrah’s Kansas City saw an 11% drop in hold from April 2022. Mark Twain and Argosy Riverside weren’t far behind, dropping nine and eight percentage points respectively from this month last year.

On table games, four casinos led the pack in terms of total table drop in April.