There were a number of intriguing headlines relating to the casino industry this past week. Let’s take a closer look at the key headlines we’ve been tracking:
MGM National Harbor Helps Market Become 4th-Largest in U.S.
The MGM National Harbor casino has been a juggernaut of revenue ever since it opened its doors. At first, many thought it would cannibalize the market, pulling players away from other casinos, but as it turns out, there’s a huge appetite for gaming in the neighborhood. That’s why the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore corridor has now become the fourth-largest casino market in the United States. This finding emerged in the American Gaming Association’s annual report, as measured by gaming revenue.
Taking a closer look at the findings, the state of Maryland increased its gaming revenue to an extent that the D.C.-Baltimore corridor boosted its revenue by 34.2 percent in 2017. The D.C.-Baltimore combined market has two of the top 20 United States commercial properties located outside the state of Nevada. The aforementioned MGM National Harbor is third on that list of 20 while Maryland Live at Arundel Mills is ninth.
MGM National Harbor took in $608.6 million in gaming revenue last year, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all gaming revenue in the state of Maryland. Other prominent state casinos lost revenue as a result, but the overall numbers still reflected a considerable gain, a sign of MGM National Harbor’s clout and success as a magnet destination for casino gamers.
The three markets ahead of D.C.-Baltimore: Las Vegas remains No. 1, Atlantic City remains No. 2 and Chicago is No. 3.
Borgata Begins Taking Sports Wagers On Android Phones
It’s a new era in sports betting in the United States. Court rulings have opened the door for sports betting to become legal in the states that wish to make betting legal. The federal prohibition of sports betting has been weakened, enabling states to seek added revenue to boost budgets. A product of all of this was seen last week when the Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, took advantage.
The Borgata has begun taking sports bets via mobile phones – specifically Android phones. The casino said it would soon be able to take bets from other mobile phones via its playMGM NJ Sports app.
The Borgata was the first Atlantic City casino to take sports bets this past June. Other casinos and racetracks have since followed suit, and others are trying to gain official approval from state regulators. New Jersey gambling establishments raked in $40.6 million in sports betting income in July, the first full month in which sports betting was legal in the state.
Vegas Couple Wins Over $102,000 In Slot Game
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but this is a very different case of that. A Las Vegas couple experienced a thrill last week when one lucky pull on a slot machine earned them $102,008.13 in winnings. The slot was located at Sam’s Town Gambling Hall in Vegas.
It seems to be the right place to play as another player won over $762,000 on a separate slot at the same Sam’s Town location at the end of July.