Delaware’s Casinos Revenue Down While Lottery Expands
Delaware’s Video Lottery Advisory Council met this week to discuss the impact of increased competition from neighbouring states on Delaware’s casino industry.
Delaware casinos are suffering due to the increased competition from neighbouring states’ casinos.
May marked the one-year anniversary of Maryland Live!, the casino took a vast chunk of the money they were making from slot machines, about 90% of their revenue. In February revenue was down by 22% from the year before however, by June it was down to 11%.
The situation has improved slightly each month, but revenues are still down from last year before Maryland Live! existed.
Table games are also starting to take a hit, Maryland Live! introduced them in May and it offers far more tables than any of Delaware’s casinos.
Ed Sutor, the CEO of Dover Downs, said that it’s “Just the sheer size of it, the proximity they have to a high population base gives them a real competitive edge.”
Meanwhile the state lottery is expanding its services, it has doubled the number of businesses offering sports betting for the upcoming NFL season and there is a focus being placed on the southern part of the state. Another aim is to have internet gambling in place by the end of September.
