Mississippi Gaming Revenue

[ko king]

Not surprised to see the following information when it comes to Mississippi gaming revenue still falling like a rock. Even as the economy appears to be doing better the casinos don't seem to be following suit. While there is competition from a few small casinos in Mo. they too are experiencing a drop in revenues. The only local casino in the state of Ar. are actually seeing a rise in revenue which comes as no surprise to me, they're doing a very good job when it comes to gaming.

Tunica,Ms. gaming revenue for 2014- $988,462,005.69
Tunica, Ms. gaming revenue for 2013- $1,072,299,767.36
Tunica, Ms. gaming revenue for 2012- $1,156,300,984.35

Tax revenue from gaming has been on the same steady fall. All this is still going on despite the closing of the biggest casino in that area. What amazes me is their failure to recognize or failure to amend what ails the area which is the value we see from our gaming dollars. As the price of gambling went up their revenues both casinos and states went down. Now I'm no rocket scientist but even I can figure out why they're dropping like a rock. The local casino in Arkansas is packed on an almost daily basis and the jackpots are everywhere, people aren't afraid to play the $5 video poker machines and high limit slots and they're attracting the bigger players away from the other casinos because of the value they provide. I've spoken to several Ms. casino employees over the years and they even say people just aren't coming like they used to because the machines don't pay like they used to. Take the local Ar. casino that has went thru two expansion projects during the last few years and are now preparing to build a huge hotel, this casino provides no free alcohol regardless of who you are or how much you play and they're still kicking their butts without offering any real comps. What they do offer is gaming that seems to be better and players see that as the most important value when it comes to their gaming dollars spent.

[notes1]

kk, thanks for info. the first post i ever made was about the cost of gambling increasing, so i agree with your statement voicing the same. you have made many posts about the tunica area and the reduction of business and your feeling it was due to reduced payouts. my sole trip there was enough and will not go back, unless things change. the revenue numbers certainly support your observation about decreased business. tunica is in trouble. just the number of posters on this site, some who are low rollers, who are getting free offers, some including plane, indicates they are hurting for business.  

[FloridaPhil]

We are done with the Beau Rivage and Mississippi all together until they improve their video poker odds.  The hotel is wonderful, but there is no way you can justify playing there at any level except single coin quarters.  We aren't asking for 100% games, but they need to be competitive and they aren't even close.   Why would we go there when our local Florida casino offers a 3% better chance and free rooms to boot.   Make no sense.  

[ko king]

I hadn't even thought to look the info up but I was working around the area Monday and decided to stop in for a while and there may have been 30-40 people playing in the casino. How sad is that, I remember when all the casinos were drawing pretty big crowds on weekdays (my favorite time to play) and it was standing room only on the weekends. I had a couple about my age who had accepted an offer to Tunica ask if I was from that area because they wanted to get away from the casinos because they were getting killed, both were playing video poker. I made a few suggestions like Beale St., maybe the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum, eat some good Bar B Q and listen to some blues at one of the clubs. They were surprised to see how dead the casinos were, right off the bat I could tell these were folks who play a lot because they understood pay tables for most all of the games offered, both agreed the pay tables were pretty decent, they just couldn't hit a thing. I introduced them to my theory about small market gaming which says you shouldn't expect big things from small things, you have to adjust the way you play in this area or they will clean your clock fast, drop down to quarters, maybe even nickels, you probably still won't hit much of anything but your money doesn't disappear so fast. Wished I could have offered them some hope and possibly something better to do a little closer but all I had were cold hard facts based on my experiences. What kills me is while I look at the numbers on falling gaming revenues and believe I know and understand why it is happening, the casinos seem to looking at it as no big deal, they still seem to think it's the economy. Makes me want to get in the faces and yell "it's no us, it's you, you offer a crappy product". Give me just one of the casinos for a year and I'd have that place jumping and packed with people because I know what it takes. But no, they seem to be content with busing in a few seniors on days trips and chipping away from their retirement fund while they push and pound away at penny and nickel machines, maybe the seniors like the quiet (almost dead) atmosphere and lack of excitement.

[rascal]

I stopped playing at Tunica long ago. That is a total wasteland. Bad casinos, bad paytables, bad area, bad! bad! bad! But the Mississippi Coast still has some competitive VP. Try the Silver Slipper just past Waveland. Only problem is that their "high" denom is $5 --- that's as high as they go. It's a small, out of the way casino and they know they have to have good paytables to attract players. As far as Beau Rivage, as I have posted before, I refuse to play there on principle because of the greedy paytables. If only more players would refuse to even walk through the doors of casinos with greedy paytables maybe something would change. IP in Biloxi at one time was the top video poker casino in Mississippi, but no longer. Their paytables are not as bad as the Beau (nothing is!) but they are not as good as they once were. However, as long as people crowd into the Beau (and they do!!) things will not change.

[MPD001]

As far as Beau Rivage, as I have posted before, I refuse to play there on principle because of the greedy paytables. If only more players would refuse to even walk through the doors of casinos with greedy paytables maybe something would change. However, as long as people crowd into the Beau (and they do!!) things will not change.
There is no doubt that the paytables on VP are not statistically appealing. If you played VP daily in that environment, I would agree with your observations.
As an out-of-state visitor, though, I believe that their comps and offerings more than overcome the paytables. If your style is grinding out JOB or DW for hours and hours to get a 1% gain, then The Beau is probably not for you. If, however, you are a casual player, and play some of the more top-heavy paytables, like DDB and TDB, then with a little good fortune, you can have a great gaming trip.

[jc1656]

I have been on this site for years but post very little, my question is: IF YOUR JOB IS IN THE CASINO BUISNESS WOULDN'T YOU MONITOR SOME OF THESE SITES TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING?
I for one would think if they do monitor these sites they should offer an explanation of why the trend of losing revenue and never changing paytables to bring people back never happens? Las Vegas does just fine and still has great paytables!

[Tedlark]

Casino executives don't adjust their video poker based on what informed people write and read on forums like this one here because uneducated players who don't care about such things as poor paytables still outnumber the educated players.

[notes1]

not an expert in casino management, but, i think the problem is complex. most states are in desperate need of revenue and it must seem like a quick fix to allow new or additional casinos to open. the politicans take credit for a brief surge in construction hires, some long term casino jobs and an increase in tax revenue. the problem is sooo many states are doing this and there are only so many gamblers out there. the mystique of going to a casino is gone as they become more common. too many places to play and not enough customers, especially in a slow growth economy.  what further adds to the problem is the model of mega, high priced properties that require large fixed costs. combine a boom in casino building with a high fixed cost structure and slow growth economy and i just do not think there is a lot of wiggle room for casinos to elevate ther payouts. also, do not believe that casinos are reporting much in the way of profit growth, especially after years of losing money.   i think tunica is unique. it is a casino destination city, with not much else to offer. vegas a lot to offer and biloxi does have the gulf. not qualified, but i would think tunica has seen it's best days.  

[notes1]

Casino executives don't adjust their video poker based on what informed people write and read on forums like this one here because uneducated players who don't care about such things as poor paytables still outnumber the educated players.
 bingo! you win the prize for the correct answer.  just like educated and uneducated voters.