Gaming revenues increased in May at the Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, Kansas, according to a report presented today to the Kansas Lottery Commission.
Keith Kocher, director of program assurance and integrity for the Kansas Lottery, said the gaming revenues for May at Hollywood Casino were about $12.56 million, an increase of about 2 percent. In April, the gaming revenues at Hollywood Casino were about $12.25 million.
May gaming revenues at the other Kansas state casinos included:
• $3.2 million, Boot Hill, Dodge City, Kan., down from $3.67 million in April;
• $14.75 million, Kansas Star Casino, Mulvane, Kan., down from $16.26 million in April;
• $2.4 million, Kansas Crossing Casino, Pittsburg, Kan., down from $3.1 million in April, according to Kansas Lottery reports.
Cumulatively, total revenue for fiscal year 2017 from the casinos was down about 1.17 percent for the year, Kocher said. There are a few weeks left in the fiscal year.
The state of Kansas receives a percentage of the gaming revenues. The Unified Government here receives 3 percent of the gaming revenues from the Hollywood Casino.
Since its opening in 2012, the Hollywood Casino has paid $160.7 million in gaming taxes to the state of Kansas, according to lottery records. The Unified Government has received $21.9 million from Hollywood Casino in gaming taxes since its opening.
Sherriene Jones-Sontag, deputy executive director of the Kansas Lottery, said lottery ticket sales are down slightly for fiscal year 2017.
Lottery officials were hoping for a large jackpot run during the year, as they had the previous year, but didn’t really get a large rolling jackpot, she said.
The sales were still good compared to previous years, she added.
The lottery launched the Lucky for Life game in November, which came in at double the predicted revenue, she said. The lottery also launched a player loyalty program in January, and it reached more than 100,000 members in April, she said.
Jones-Sontag, who will be leaving for a new job soon, and who was the governor’s former press secretary, told the Lottery Commission that legislation has passed the Kansas Legislature and is awaiting the governor’s signature that will allow Kansas Lottery tickets to be sold in electronic vending machines.
The bill also will allow charitable organizations such as the American Legion to have bingo vending machines, and those charitable bingo machine operations will be overseen by the state Department of Revenue, she said. The charitable organizations will be able to sell bingo pull-tab tickets. The amendment concerning charitable bingo machines was the idea of the charitable organizations, she said.
Lottery vending machines will be limited to no more than two per location, she added.
Terry Presta, executive director of the Kansas Lottery, said Mega Millions will be changing its game significantly on Oct. 28. The cost of the ticket will go up to $2.
The Kansas Lottery will be adding the Lotto America game, which is a $1 ticket, he said. The new game will start Nov. 15. That is about two weeks after Mega Millions tickets go from $1 to $2.
Also, the Kansas Lottery is planning to end the Hot Lotto game in October, he said.
There is also a plan for an add-on to Powerball, going into effect April 15, 2018, which is an all-or-nothing, winner take all game, he said.