The board of directors of the Dubuque Racing Association, the nonprofit license holder for both Dubuque casinos, recently released February gaming figures. They said due to freezing winter weather, casinos there reported declines in gaming revenue and attendance, with a few days of below-zero temperatures for the high. Q Casino General Manager Brian Rakestraw said, “February was a tough month in relation to overall revenue, especially with Mother Nature affecting things.”
February attendance at Dubuque casinos was a combined total of 79,062 people, a 45.9 percent decrease in attendance compared to February 2020. Diamond Jo Casino was visited by 41,969 people in February, a drop of 47.9 percent compared to February 2020; 37,093 people visited Q Casino, a decline of 43.5 percent.
The two casinos posted $8.6 million in combined gaming revenue, a 17 percent drop compared to February 2020, the last full month casinos were open before Covid-19 closures. They reported a combined 11.5 percent drop from January. Diamond Jo had $5 million in gaming revenue, a 15.1 percent drop from $5.9 million generated in February 2020 and Q Casino brought in $3.6 million in revenue, a decline of 19.4 percent compared to $4.4 million February 2020.
Despite decreases in revenue and attendance, officials remain optimistic about 2021. So far in 2021, the casinos have reported more than $10.3 million in gaming revenue despite certain Covid-19 restrictions still in place. Q Casino Chief Executive Officer Jesus Aviles said, “The numbers of January and February so far have been very reassuring. We are moving in the right direction. We’ve had pretty good months these past two months, even when comparing to 2019.”
