While the U.S. experienced record-breaking quarter two gaming revenues, Mississippi saw a decline in earnings.
A record of $16.07 billion was acquired from gaming institutions throughout the U.S., according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) commercial gaming revenue tracker. The total outpaced Q2 2022 by 8.1 percent and marked the 10th consecutive quarter of annual growth for the commercial gaming industry.
Though most states experienced increased gains in revenue, Mississippi’s $617 million in Q2 earnings was a 6.2 percent decrease from last year and the highest drop-off of any other state.
“I would say with the uncertainty of the economy, gas prices, the beginning of summer, and expansion sports betting around us would be some of the reasons we would be down,” Mississippi Gaming and Hospitality Association Executive Director Larry Gregory told SuperTalk Mississippi News.
Experts with the AGA speculate that the state’s slowdown continues to be most noticeable in the northern region, where traditional gaming revenue saw a 13.3 percent decrease through the first half of the year.
Serving an increasingly competitive Memphis area, north Mississippi casinos reportedly continue to lose shares to Southland Casino across the Arkansas border which saw a revenue surge of 19.3 percent in the first half of 2023 and is now one of the highest-grossing casinos in the country outside of Nevada.
Mississippi’s central and coastal regions also faced slight declines. The central region is 3.5 percent behind earnings from this point last year and the coast has seen a 1.9 percent drop thus far in 2023.
