VLT Play Rises Slightly at Austintown Racino in May

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Wagers placed at video lottery terminals in May at Hollywood Gaming at Mahoning Valley Race Course showed a modest rebound from April, the monthly report released Monday shows.

Credits played at the Austintown racino’s VLTs totaled $75.60 million last month, up about 1% from $74.88 million reported the month before, according to the Ohio Lottery Commission.

Credits won last month totaled $67.33 million, up from $66.59 million in April. Win per VLT per day was $290, down from $298 in April.

From its September opening through last month, VLT wagers there have totaled $624.19 million, and credits won totaled $554.67 million.

At the Hollywood Gaming at Dayton Raceway, credits played at VLTs rose by about half a percentage point from the month before, to $78.97 million in May from $78.63 million in April. The Dayton racino opened in August 2014, the month before the Mahoning Valley racino’. Credits won there totaled $70.44 million last month, up from $70.22 million the month before.

VLT play statewide totaled $801.11 million in May, up from $756.56 million in April, and totaled $7.77 billion to date for the fiscal year, which began in July 2014.

Penn National Gaming Inc., the Wyomissing Pa. company that owns the Austintown racino, doesn’t comment on monthly results but in general continues to be pleased with how business is trending, said spokesman Bob Tenenbaum.

May included two major evens in the horse racing industry, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. Penn National didn’t anticipate any “significant increase” in VLT play despite the crowds watching the events on the Austintown simulcast screens. Simulcast betting revenues were “much higher” both May dates, as well as Saturday for the Belmont Stakes, Tenenbaum said.

“We had a big crowd on hand for our Belmont Stakes party in the racing grandstand and patio on Saturday, as we expected because of the high level of interest in American Pharaoh’s Triple Crown quest,” he reported.

Net win – net revenues remaining after payout of prizes to players and less promotional play credits – totaled $7.79 million for the Austintown racino in May. Out of that, $5.16 million went to Penn National as the racino’s operator and $2.61 million went to the lottery commission, which oversees VLT play. So far, Penn National has received $43.64 million from VLT play at Austintown since its opening, and the lottery commission $22.10 million.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.