Hollywood Casino revenues up in March

Hollywood Casino at Kansas Speedway revenues were up in March, according to Kansas Lottery officials.

Hollywood Casino reported revenues of $13.46 million for March, said Keith Kocher, Kansas Lottery director of assurance and integrity, at the Kansas Lottery Commission meeting Wednesday.

That compares to $11.77 million in February, according to Kansas Lottery figures. The amount also was up compared to March of last year. Slots revenue was up 6.3 percent while table games revenue was down 7 percent.

In a written report to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission, Hollywood Casino officials stated that the 4.4 percent increase over the previous March was attributed to special promotions for St. Patrick’s Day and the “Max Bet Mayhem Promotion.”

The Hollywood Casino also reported an influx at the casino from out-of-town visitors to the Big 12 basketball conference championship and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen regional tournament at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Missouri.

Two other casinos, Boot Hill and Kansas Star, also increased revenues during March. Other casino revenue figures in Kansas included Boot Hill Casino, Dodge City, $3.6 million; Kansas Star Casino, Mulvane, $16.79 million; and Kansas Crossing Casino, Pittsburg, $556,389.

It was the first revenue report for the Kansas Crossing Casino, which opened during the last week of March, according to Kocher.

The new casino in Pittsburg, Kansas, held a controlled opening March 27, and then had a soft opening March 29-30, followed by an official opening March 31.

“It’s a handsome casino,” he said, adding he was pleased with the way it looks.

In other lottery news, lottery officials reported that sales of lottery tickets are about 7 percent behind sales from a year ago.

The Kansas Lottery is planning a Powerball 25th anniversary special promotion at the end of next week, with a free Powerball ticket given to anyone who purchases a Powerball ticket, for the first 25,000 tickets.

Lottery officials also reported that membership in the PlayOn player loyalty program is picking up.

According to Kansas Lottery officials, Mega Millions will change its ticket price from $1 to $2 on Oct. 28, similar to a change that Powerball made a year and a half ago.

The Lucky for Life game, launched last November, now has a second-prize winner from Olathe, Kansas, Darryl “D.J.” Hestand, according to lottery officials. He won $25,000 a year for life in a drawing on April 10.