Gambling in the USA
Gaming Executives Positive on Current Business Conditions, Cautious on Future Growth Expectations
Overall Balance Sheet Health, Access to Credit Continue to Improve
In the face of slowing revenue expansion, gaming industry leaders continue to hold an overall positive view of the current business situation, with a notable improvement in credit conditions, according to the latest American Gaming Association (AGA) Gaming Industry Outlook.
The majority of respondents (88%) view the current state of the gaming industry as either good or satisfactory. Meanwhile, executives have a more conservative outlook on future business conditions, with respondents split on whether they expect conditions to improve over the next three-to-six months (3% net positive) and many expecting a decrease in customer activity (28% net negative).
“After years of very strong consumer gaming spending growth, expectations around customer activity over the next three to six months have cooled considerably,” said AGA Vice President of Research David Forman. “Still, gaming businesses remain well positioned, with executives touting strong balance sheets and more viewing access to credit as easy than restrictive for the first time in two years.”
Gaming Executive Panel
Since Q1, gaming executives’ sentiment has shifted, with a greater number of respondents now expecting a decline in customer activity over the next three to six months (28% net negative, up from 4% net negative in Q1). Despite this, panelists foresee improvements in overall balance sheet health (34% net positive).
Additionally, more executives reported access to credit as easy (19%) rather than restrictive (3%) for the first time in two years, and fewer cite interest rates as a major limiting factor than in the spring.
Hotel (56%) and food and beverage facilities (56%) continue to be the main and growing focus of capital investment among operators, followed by live entertainment (28%) and casino floor slots (22%).
Meanwhile, gaming equipment suppliers now believe their pace of capital investment and game sales will decelerate (13% net negative).
These expectations are impacted by evolving macroeconomic challenges, with uncertainty of the economic environment vaulting to the top of executive concerns (56%, up from 34% in Q1), followed by state regulatory concerns (31%), and inflationary or interest rate concerns and geopolitical risk (both 34%).
The Current Conditions Index
The Current Conditions Index for Q3 2024 was 97.3, which is consistent with real annualized contraction of 2.7 percent. The Current Conditions Index measures real economic activity in the industry, as measured by gaming revenue, employment and employee wages and salaries.
The Future Conditions Index
The Future Conditions Index, a leading indicator of changes in industry conditions, measured 98.9 in Q3. This indicates an environment in which real economic activity in the gaming sector, after controlling for underlying inflation, is expected to moderately decrease over the next six months (1.1% annualized rate).
Gambling in the USA
Detroit Casinos Report $101.98M in September Revenue
The three Detroit casinos reported $101.98 million in monthly aggregate revenue (AGR) for the month of September 2024, of which $101.23 million was generated from table games and slots, and $755,519 from retail sports betting.
The September market shares were:
• MGM, 47%
• MotorCity, 31%
• Hollywood Casino at Greektown, 22%
Monthly Table Games, Slot Revenue, and Taxes
The casinos’ revenue for table games and slots for the month of September 2024 increased 1.2% when compared to the same month last year. September’s monthly revenue was 8.6% lower when compared to the previous month, August 2024. From Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, the Detroit casinos’ table games and slots revenue increased by 1.0% compared to the same period last year.
The casinos’ monthly gaming revenue results were mixed compared to September 2023:
• MGM, up 6.6% to $47.68 million
• MotorCity, up 0.5% to $31.17 million
• Hollywood Casino at Greektown, down 7.8% to $22.38 million
In September 2024, the three Detroit casinos paid $8.2 million in gaming taxes to the State of Michigan. They paid $8.1 million for the same month last year. The casinos also reported submitting $12.5 million in wagering taxes and development agreement payments to the City of Detroit in September.
Monthly Retail Sports Betting Revenue and Taxes
The three Detroit casinos reported $22.02 million in total retail sports betting handle, and total gross receipts were $771,751 for the month of September. Retail sports betting qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR) were down by 52.0% in September when compared to September 2023, and down by 55.4% when compared to August 2024.
September QAGR by casino was:
• MGM: $601,794
• MotorCity: $11,817
• Hollywood Casino at Greektown: $141,908
During September, the casinos paid $28,559 in gaming taxes to the state and reported submitting $34,905 in wagering taxes to the City of Detroit based on their retail sports betting revenue.
Fantasy Contests
For August 2024, fantasy contest operators reported total adjusted revenues of $613,448 and paid taxes of $51,530.
Gambling in the USA
Zula Casino Kicks Off its Spectacular 1-Year “Zula-versary” with a Month of Events and Promotions
Zula Casino launched its online social casino in the US exactly a year ago delivering more. More games. More rewards. More free-to-play entertainment through a personalized experience. Zula Casino marked its one-year launch by crossing the 1000 casino-game threshold – a milestone that positions it among the top platforms nationwide.
The month-long birthday bash intends to go over the top to give back to its amazing player community that helped make this first year so incredible. With its advent calendar format, players can unlock a special surprise each day ranging from a “Win-a-Vacation” event, a carnival event, free spins and new exclusive games, and a prize pool of over 25 billion Gold Coins (GC) plus 150,000 Sweeps Coins (SC) to be given out throughout the month. Over this period, Zula Casino will run other special events, including surprise happy hours with special coupons, various social media contests, and special giveaways.
“We’re incredibly proud of the player experience we’ve built over the last 12 months. The platform has garnered a substantial and loyal pool of players, and it’s not just because we offer one of the largest game selections from leading global providers, but also the exclusive experiences we’re providing, and the platform’s continued evolution with enhanced promotions, personalization, and seamless user experience,” said Tamar Laypan, Program Manager of Zula Casino.
Zula Casino has added over 1000 games across all categories over the past 12 months, including slots, jackpots, fish, table, plinko, megaways, crash, hold and win, tumble games, and more. These additions include top games like Big Bass Vegas and Fire Stampede, as well as branded exclusives like Gold Gold Gold 5000, supplied by Booming Games, and Sweet Bonanza 1000 by Pragmatic Play. With recent additions, Zula Casino now boasts 25 game providers, including Relax Gaming, Habanero, Evoplay, Pragmatic Play, RubyPlay, Gamzix, Let Us Entertain You Inc., to name a few.
Zula Casino flourished in a tough and highly competitive market, launching its proprietary-integrated platform in September of last year. With an average TrustPilot score of 4.6 and almost 9K reviews, the online social casino is among the highest-rated free-to-play sites in the market.
Zula Casino was also previously shortlisted for the prestigious Global SBC Awards in the category of “Rising Star in Casino”.
Gambling in the USA
NCPG Welcomes Diana Goode to the Board of Directors
NCPG has announced the appointment of Diana Goode to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Board of Directors. Diana, who has served as the Executive Director of the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) since May 2018, brings over 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience to this role.
In her time with CCPG, Diana has championed initiatives that address problem gambling and promote responsible gaming across Connecticut. Additionally, she has played an active role on the NCPG Affiliates Committee, contributing valuable insights from her years of experience.
Before joining CCPG, Diana held executive roles in nonprofits focusing on poverty alleviation and financial literacy in Connecticut. Her academic credentials include a degree from Dartmouth College and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from the University of Connecticut. She resides in the Greater Hartford area, where she remains deeply engaged in her community.
Diana will serve an interim appointment in the Affiliates seat on the NCPG Board of Directors until Spring 2025.
-
Compliance Updates4 days ago
Stake approved by Brazil’s Ministry of Finance, included in list of authorised operators
-
Latest News4 days ago
Optimove Launches OptiPromo: The First Solution for B2C Marketers to Deliver Dynamic, CRM-Powered Promotions and Rewards Tailored to Each Customer
-
Canada4 days ago
BetConstruct to Help Partners Acquire Tobique Gaming Licence
-
Latest News3 days ago
United States Online Gambling Industry Research 2023-2029: Cryptocurrency Gains Momentum, Rising Popularity of Esports, Operators Capitalize on Mobile-First Platforms
-
Latest News5 days ago
Movers and Shakers: Creating noise in the shark tank: what it takes to build a successful slot studio
-
Latest News4 days ago
QCI and Context Networks Partner to Explore a New Revenue Stream in the Digital Marketplace
-
Latest News5 days ago
EveryMatrix gains AIEJA Mexico gaming Association membership
-
eSports6 days ago
CS2 Intel Extreme Masters Rio 2024 SuperComputer: NaVi to bounce back after Blast Fall Final loss