Pie in the Sky Projections? New York’s Gambling Revenue Slower than Expected, but Growing
In 2013, New York voters approved a measure that amended the state constitution to permit Las Vegas-style casinos. Previously, gambling was restricted to race tracks and tribal casinos. Ever since this legislation was inked into state law, casinos have projected revenue estimates.
Until recently, these projections have been less than what the actual revenue numbers proved to be true. However, recently these pie in the sky projections have gravitated towards becoming more accurate. In fact, within the first few months of 2019, New York betting revenue has set new records. These numbers will likely change in the near future to include sports betting . As reported, the New York State Gaming Commission approved a form of sports betting for upstate casinos .
June 2021
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,211,837 $760,662 N/A $147,197 $7,119,695
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,168,619 $1,839,265 N/A $626,478 $11,634,362
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,583,432 $2,916,259 N/A $770,122 $14,269,813
Resorts World Catskills $10,750,154 $6,079,817 $330,036 $314,845 $17,474,852
Totals $36,714,042 $11,596,003 $330,036 $1,858,642 $50,498,722
May 2021
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $7,086,884 $787,534 N/A $85,550 $7,959,967
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,368,597 $2,290,461 N/A $555,855 $12,214,912
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,888,593 $3,348,620 N/A $641,102 $14,878,315
Resorts World Catskills $12,123,484 $6,255,484 $97,247 $307,607 $18,783,821
Totals $39,467,558 $12,682,099 $97,247 $1,590,114 $53,837,015
April 2021
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March 2021
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,992,676 $468,914 $0 $122,877 $7,584,467
del Lago Resort and Casino $8,822,723 $1,156,142 $0 $697,149 $10,676,014
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,398,973 $2,668,566 $0 $821,649 $13,889,187
Resorts World Catskills $9,387,364 $4,189,737 $0 $204,010 $13,781,110
Totals $35,601,736 $8,483,359 $0 $1,845,685 $45,930,778
February 2021
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,110,672 $559,069 N/A $156,397 $5,826,137
del Lago Resort and Casino $6,673,037 $752,858 N/A $376,118 $7,802,012
Rivers Casino and Resort $7,737,032 $2,089,667 N/A $463,663 $10,290,362
Resorts World Catskills $7,044,226 $3,085,636 N/A $157,098 $10,286,959
Totals $26,564,967 $6,487,230 N/A $1,153,276 $34,205,470
January 2021
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,307,097 $479,947 N/A $390,346 $6,177,390
del Lago Resort and Casino $6,240,134 $501,246 N/A $1,270,812 $8,012,192
Rivers Casino and Resort $7,940,978 $2,053,912 N/A $1,429,140 $11,424,030
Resorts World Catskills $7,782,398 $3,324,895 N/A $479,557 $11,586,849
Totals $27,270,607 $6,360,000 N/A $3,569,855 $37,200,461
December 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $3,829,430 $416,729 N/A $277,301 $4,523,460
del Lago Resort and Casino $4,967,002 $998,541 N/A $922,718 $6,888,260
Rivers Casino and Resort $6,163,662 $2,003,749 N/A $949,804 $9,117,216
Resorts World Catskills $5,902,801 $4,107,663 N/A $108,948 $10,119,411
Totals $20,862,895 $7,526,682 N/A $2,258,771 $30,648,347
November 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $4,231,114 $369,946 N/A $347,089 $4,948,149
del Lago Resort and Casino $5,805,847 $833,045 N/A $949,710 $7,588,601
Rivers Casino and Resort $6,755,147 $2,302,542 N/A $1,048,553 $10,106,243
Resorts World Catskills $6,800,152 $3,537,561 N/A $274,324 $10,612,036
Totals $23,592,260 $7,043,094 N/A $2,619,676 $33,255,029
October 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $4,533,154 $147,292 N/A $307,458 $4,987,903
del Lago Resort and Casino $7,594,188 $1,001,189 N/A $771,299 $9,366,676
Rivers Casino and Resort $7,788,321 $2,106,399 N/A $1,074,631 $10,969,350
Resorts World Catskills $8,878,023 $4,411,642 N/A $470,076 $13,759,741
Totals $28,793,686 $7,666,522 N/A $2,623,464 $39,083,670
September 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $3,182,454 N/A N/A $96,164 $3,278,619
del Lago Resort and Casino $4,693,363 $241,233 N/A $398,497 $5,333,093
Rivers Casino and Resort $6,221,907 $931,170 N/A $623,587 $7,776,664
Resorts World Catskills $6,911,121 $2,535,474 N/A $285,295 $9,731,890
Totals $21,008,845 $3,707,877 N/A $1,403,543 $26,120,266
March 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $3,066,139 $546,510 $18,984 ($32,926) $3,598,707
del Lago Resort and Casino $4,596,479 $1,695,362 $108,633 $53,861 $6,454,335
Rivers Casino and Resort $5,031,277 $1,889,755 $156,512 $81,883 $7,159,427
Resorts World Catskills $4,270,612 $2,524,222 $173,796 ($3,304) $6,965,326
Totals $16,964,507 $6,655,849 $457,925 $99,514 $24,177,795
February 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,315,623 $862,408 $52,142 ($94,030) $7,136,144
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,557,508 $2,679,487 $244,352 $98,247 $12,579,594
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,910,165 $3,992,030 $419,884 ($38,802) $15,283,278
Resorts World Catskills $10,240,208 $9,075,371 $403,852 ($145,008) $19,574,423
Totals $37,023,504 $16,609,296 $1,120,230 ($179,593) $54,573,439
January 2020
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,893,749 $871,718 $57,924 $158,445 $6,981,836
del Lago Resort and Casino $8,789,127 $3,396,917 $240,725 $610,250 $13,037,019
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,927,214 $3,555,386 $398,776 $778,997 $15,660,372
Resorts World Catskills $8,494,392 $6,930,820 $417,787 $395,659 $16,238,659
Totals $34,104,482 $14,754,841 $1,115,212 $1,943,351 $51,917,886
December 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,584,638 $824,679 $52,104 $68,071 $6,529,492
del Lago Resort and Casino $8,663,355 $3,056,727 $230,569 $335,283 $12,285,934
Rivers Casino and Resort $9,365,894 $3,572,527 $421,529 $311,828 $13,671,778
Resorts World Catskills $8,425,909 $7,670,539 $385,255 $65,236 $16,546,939
Totals $32,039,796 $15,124,472 $1,089,457 $780,418 $49,034,142
November 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,675,850 $1,053,627 $52,441 $61,618 $6,843,536
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,219,898 $3,394,216 $242,550 $230,092 $13,086,755
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,141,151 $3,501,931 $413,725 $549,230 $14,606,037
Resorts World Catskills $9,452,820 $6,774,883 $393,073 $467,356 $17,088,132
Totals $34,489,719 $14,724,657 $1,101,789 $1,308,296 $51,624,460
October 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,975,119 $747,275 $52,043 $152,696 $6,927,133
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,601,847 $2,888,826 $245,683 $572,410 $13,308,766
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,073,676 $3,294,580 $421,025 $1,001,741 $14,791,022
Resorts World Catskills $9,336,082 $6,192,456 $367,056 $506,380 $16,401,975
Totals $34,986,724 $13,123,137 $1,085,807 $2,233,227 $51,428,896
September 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,768,351 $897,125 $45,868 $161,834 $6,873,178
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,375,822 $3,744,741 $237,257 $836,929 $14,194,748
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,076,406 $3,505,842 $415,339 $903,892 $14,901,479
Resorts World Catskills $10,476,208 $6,961,355 $377,339 $381,210 $18,196,112
Totals $35,696,787 $15,109,063 $1,075,803 $2,283,865 $54,165,517
August 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Sports Gaming Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,246,387 $916,451 $56,315 $132,030 $7,351,183
del Lago Resort and Casino $10,420,449 $2,397,796 $246,253 $182,950 $13,247,448
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,750,438 $3,625,125 $478,098 $445,291 $15,298,953
Resorts World Catskills $11,150,277 $10,775,423 $464,885 $67,881 $22,458,465
Totals $38,567,551 $17,714,795 $1,245,551 $828,152 $58,356,049
July 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,113,230 $861,921 $62,992 $7,093,363
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,682,223 $4,360,098 $221,474 $14,263,795
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,083,186 $3,287,653 $424,424 $14,089,513
Resorts World Catskills $11,721,108 $8,615,364 $428,414 $20,764,886
Totals $37,599,747 $17,125,036 $1,147,304 $56,211,557
June 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,884,746 $1,056,951 $61,205 $7,002,902
del Lago Resort and Casino $10,083,729 $2,529,084 $204,100 $12,816,912
Rivers Casino and Resort $9,989,869 $3,555,900 $372,570 $13,918,339
Resorts World Catskills $11,840,758 $8,154,979 $355,366 $20,351,103
Totals $37,799,102 $15,296,914 $993,241 $54,089,256
May 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,312,808 $1,020,236 $71,691 $7,404,735
del Lago Resort and Casino $10,427,197 $2,733,634 $238,214 $13,399,045
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,231,229 $3,086,929 $416,931 $13,735,088
Resorts World Catskills $11,123,384 $3,003,857 $362,108 $14,489,348
Totals $38,094,618 $9,844,656 $1,088,944 $49,028,216
April 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,925,366 $946,982 $61,458 $6,933,806
del Lago Resort and Casino $10,298,686 $2,754,114 $250,477 $13,303,277
Rivers Casino and Resort $10,006,797 $3,544,336 $409,991 $13,961,124
Resorts World Catskills $9,072,794 $7,523,617 $363,194 $16,959,605
Totals $35,303,643 $14,769,049 $1,085,120 $51,157,812
March 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $6,712,334 $1,133,434 $104,072 $7,949,840
del Lago Resort and Casino $11,115,867 $3,357,748 $293,964 $14,767,579
Rivers Casino and Resort $11,211,754 $4,245,021 $517,695 $15,974,470
Resorts World Catskills $10,821,394 $6,855,502 $434,037 $18,110,932
Totals $39,861,349 $15,591,705 $1,349,768 $56,802,821
February 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total
Tioga Downs Casino $5,468,959 $1,044,911 $76,316 $6,590,186
del Lago Resort and Casino $9,068,305 $2,576,760 $244,148 $11,889,212
Rivers Casino and Resort $8,686,561 $3,705,352 $414,655 $12,806,568
Resorts World Catskills $8,610,768 $5,278,400 $369,376 $14,258,544
Totals $31,834,593 $12,605,423 $1104,495 $45,544,510
January 2019
Casino Slot Revenue Table Game Revenue Poker Revenue Total Revenue
Tioga Downs Casino $4,813,696 $792,228 $70,242 $5,676,166
del Lago Resort and Casino $7,922,626 $2,547,445 $247,446 $10,717,516
Rivers Casino and Resort $7,722,856 $3,195,252 $436,756 $11,354,863
Resorts World Catskills $7,618,414 $5,102,679 $350,519 $13,071,612
Totals $28,077,592 $11,637,614 $1,104,963 $40,820,157
Lofty Expectations?
When casinos began applying for licenses with the New York Gaming Commission, they had to post estimated revenues. For the first three years, many of the facilities were proving to have vastly underestimated these numbers. A vast majority of these projections were over 50-percent off the mark.
Many thought the eagerness of these gambling facilities purposefully inflated estimates to gain access to casino player’s pocket books. However, the operations themselves quickly pointed to the stat sheet. Even though numbers were below original projections, revenue was still climbing.
While early revenue projections were low, the money being funneled into the New York State Treasury was growing steadily. One problem was insisting that the individual casino revenue estimates somehow reflected poorly on the 2013 amendment to permit the growth of such operations. The latest numbers certainly reflect a vastly different picture.
New Year Brings New Hope for New York Betting Revenue
As the calendar flipped to 2019, most state betting revenue numbers still reflected the same picture. While projections seemed to consistently be less than projected, the revenue was still growing.
Tioga Downs Casino is one classic example. After peaking at a high mark for gross credits played in April 2018, numbers bounced up and down for the next 11 months. However, this past March total gross revenue from gaming credits jumped over $17 million in a 30-day period.
This was the largest increase between any two months in the last three years. Some are drawing a connection with a growing push to legalize sports betting as proof of public sentiment for all forms of gambling in the Empire State.
To further support this theory, all we have to do is look at one other New York casino. The Rivers Casino and Resort experienced the same boom in business in March. They set their own benchmark for revenue from total game credits , topping February by $25 million.