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%

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• 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

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• 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.

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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.

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Fantasy Contests

For August 2024, fantasy contest operators reported total adjusted revenues of $613,448 and paid taxes of $51,530.

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.

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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.”

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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).

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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).

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