In Arkansas, the Department of Finance and Administration announced the state’s three casinos lost $1.4 billion in revenue due to Covid-19. Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort in Hot Springs, Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff and Southland Casino Racing in West Memphis closed in mid-March. Governor Asa Hutchinson allowed them reopen in mid-May, with limited occupancy and strict new health and safety requirements.
During the closure at Oaklawn, gaming terminal revenue fell by $700 million compared to the same period in 2019. Southland revenue dropped $743 million year-over-year. Saracen, which opened in September 2019 and therefore doesn’t have a previous year comparison, took in $128 million from mid-March to mid-May, 42 percent lower than the $312 million it received in the first five months of operations.
However, since reopening, Oaklawn started up 780 gaming terminals and took in $52 million in May, $104 million in June and $120 million in July. July’s numbers were about 80 percent compared to July 2019, even with only half of the machines operational.
Southland also turned on about half of its gaming machines—about 1,108– when it reopened in May. It reported $92 million in wagers that month, $200 million in June and $242 million in July—about 90 percent of July 2019 figures.
Operating with 300 terminals in a temporary facility while its main building is under construction, in May Saracen posted $14 million in wagers, $35 million in June and $42 million in July.
In July 2019, Arkansas received $4.5 million in tax revenue from Oaklawn and Southland. The same amount went to the state this past July, even with one more casino operating and greatly reduced capacities. As a result, Department of Finance and Administration spokesman Scott said, “The state economy, in general, is outperforming our expectations. That carries over to the casinos. I think within the next two to three months, we could see the normal levels of revenue we saw this time last year.
