BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
INDIANAPOLIS -- With the turn of a calendar page and the passing of the busy summer tourist season, both admissions and gross revenue dropped last month at Indiana's eight casinos.
There were 5.8 percent fewer passengers on the riverboats last month than in August, and those people lost 2 percent less money at table games and slot machines, the Indiana Gaming Commission reported Tuesday.
All together, the casinos recorded an average of 92,860 admissions and $3.75 million gross revenue per day. They paid a daily average of $1.03 million in admission and wagering taxes.
In the Greater Cincinnati market, Argosy Casino Lawrenceburg recorded a 7.2 percent drop in daily admissions and a 3.7 percent dip in daily gross receipts in September. Yet, it is still the top performing riverboat casino in the country.
About 6.4 percent fewer people visited Grand Victoria Casino & Resort in Rising Sun last month -- but the boat's gross receipts fell by just .8 percent. On average, each passenger playing Grand Victoria's table games lost more money than they had at the same spots during August.
"One month you win a little more, and the next month you win a little less -- and, eventually, it all averages out," said Manny Corrao, Grand Victoria's assistant marketing director.
Arnold Block, general manager of Argosy, said that he expected the seasonal downturn.
"We experience that in the fall. We've seen the two tourist months, July and August, as the strongest months of the year," he said.
Gearing up for the slower autumn season, Argosy has gradually been increasing the number of slot machines it offers and adding more high- and low-end stations.
The casino will soon have about 2,000 slot machines -- up from about 1,700 in June -- and include more that play with 5-cent, 50-cent and $1 wagers.
Grand Victoria, which marked its second anniversary Oct. 4, is sticking with its current mix of slots and table games. And it will continue to offer concerts and other non-gambling attractions designed to lure guests.
