Hollywood Casino at the Kansas Speedway reported $9.3 million in gaming revenues for February, according to Keith Kocher, director of program assurance and integrity for the Kansas Lottery.
He made his report at the Kansas Lottery Commission meeting Wednesday. The Hollywood Casino, at 777 Hollywood Casino Blvd. in Wyandotte County, reported $10.5 million in gaming revenues in January.
The February 2021 gaming revenues were down 33.4 percent when compared to February of 2020, according to a written report to the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission by the casino’s vice president and general manager, Rick Skinner. In 2020 the February revenues were $13.9 million.
Admissions at the casino in February 2021 were down 43 percent compared to February of 2020, according to Skinner’s report.
Kocher said the four Kansas state-owned casinos, including Hollywood, were all off substantially compared to last year’s figures.
In February 2020, it was pre-COVID-19, and the casinos had not yet closed or limited their attendance.
Kocher also mentioned two more reasons – one is that February 2020 had a leap day, one more day than 2021, and the day was on a Saturday.
The other reason Kocher cited was the extremely cold weather during one week of February 2021.
The state’s casinos now through the fiscal year are just short of 16 percent lower than last year, he said.
The state receives 22 percent of the gaming revenues, while the Unified Government receives 3 percent.
Stephen Durrell, Kansas Lottery executive director, said the casinos have tried very hard to make sure they are a safe environment for patrons and employees.
“I do think casinos deserve a lot of credit for embracing the protocols needed to keep patrons and staff safe,” he said at the Lottery Commission meeting.
There haven’t been any COVID-19 hotspots at any of the state-owned casinos, he said.
The weather has been improving, and there were strong attendance numbers over the weekend, he said.
With vaccinations increasing in the state, he said he hopes people will feel safe to go back. Some municipalities are evaluating their safety protocols, Durrell said, and the casinos are asking for consideration of loosening some of the restrictions.
Durrell also reported that lottery ticket sales were good, especially where games had high jackpots recently.
He also discussed a few bills in the Kansas Legislature on sports wagering and internet lottery games.
The Senate has passed one bill, he said, while the House was working on another bill. There is some optimism that a bill will pass, according to Durrell.
He said the Kansas Lottery is neutral on all bills. It has done a lot of research and has answered questions about it during the past year, he added.