Despite the surge in Covid-19 cases statewide, West Virginia Lottery Director John Myers told the Lottery Commission gross revenue from the state’s casinos and Limited Video Lottery locations has remained steady.
“The casinos and LVL have stayed flat. We haven’t seen a severe drop-off, but we haven’t seen it come back completely from where we were trending when we took the Covid-19 restrictions off last summer,” Myers said.
In August, Myers said the surge in cases possibly could hurt revenue at the state’s five casinos, which were shut down from mid-March to early June 2020, and then reopened under capacity restrictions that extended into early summer. As Covid-19 cases more than tripled, Myers said, “We’re all concerned. I think everyone is.”
New figures showed August revenue from racetrack video lottery and more than 1,200 LVL locations remained about the same as July, when Covid-19 cases reached the lowest levels since March 2020. August racetrack video lottery gross revenue of $39.6 million was down slightly from $40 million in July, but increased 12.6 percent from $35.16 million in August 2020.
LVL grossed $40.7 million for August, a slight increase from $40.53 million in July, and up 6.5 percent from $38.21 million in August 2020.
Revenue from the state’s 12,786 racetrack video lottery and LVL machines
accounts for more than 75 percent of total state lottery revenue.
In August, casino table games revenue hit $2.94 million, up from $2.68 million in July, and $2.05 million in August 2020, as casinos gradually began to return to normal.
The lottery grossed $105.05 million in August, down slightly from $105.48 million in July, but up nearly $11.5 million over August 2020. The state received $46.12 million, down from $49.4 million in July, but up $5.4 million from August 2020.
For the budget year-to-date, the lottery posted gross revenue of $216,93 million, up from $187.58 million during the same period in 2020. The state’s share of year-to-date profits was $95.91 million, up $14 million from the same point last year.
Also at the Lottery Commission meeting, Myers said the Lottery is on track to net slightly more than $1 million a year from the new 6 a.m. daily starting time for LVL machines. A law that took effect May 10 allows bars and clubs to open at 6 a.m. daily; the previous opening time was 7 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. in counties with approved Sunday brunch ordinances. The machines, controlled from a central computer in Charleston, shut off at 3 a.m. Myers said from May 10 to August 31, the state netted $270,588 due to earlier play. He said currently 72 of the state’s 1,250 LVL locations are taking advantage of the early start-up time.
