Tropicana Evansville’s slot machines and table games paid out more in customer winnings last month than a year ago, but the casino still saw its gaming revenue increase because customers did more gambling overall.
“We were real happy with our volumes,” said Tropicana’s General Manager, Jason Gregorec.
According to the Indiana Gaming Commission’s October revenue report, Tropicana customers wagered $6.1 million on table games in October and $87.8 million on slot machines last month. Those numbers represent increases of 9 percent and 6 percent, respectively, over what they spent in October 2013.
Most of what customers wager gets paid back out in winnings, and casinos keep the rest as revenue.
Last month Tropicana’s table games paid out 77.57 percent of what customers wagered, as compared to 75.09 percent in October 2013. The casino’s slot machines paid out at a rate of 90.27 percent, as compared to 90.15 percent a year earlier.
The variation, Gregorec said, is attributed to the luck of the draw.
But even with the higher payout rate, Tropicana still saw its gambling revenue increase because customers wagered more overall.
Tropicana’s gaming revenue totaled $9.9 million last month, up 4 percent.
The casino also saw its customer count rise 8 percent last month, to 96,351.
As has been true in months past, Tropicana outperformed the state average.
Taken as a group, Indiana’s casinos saw 1.6 million customers in October, a drop of 6 percent from a year earlier. Those customers wagered a combined $184.7 million, down 5 percent.
Gregorec attributed Tropicana’s gains to its continued focus on facility improvements, guest service and marketing.
One of those facility improvements is a renovation at Cavanaugh’s, a steakhouse restaurant located in The Pavilion adjacent to the riverboat.
The renovation work should be complete by the end of this month, Gregorec said.