Del Lago Resort & Casino sets revenue record despite COVID-19 pandemic

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Del Lago Resort & Casino sets revenue record despite COVID-19 pandemic
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The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic did not stop del Lago Resort & Casino from having its best year since opening in 2017. 

The Seneca County casino reported $158.9 million in gross gaming revenue in the 2021-22 fiscal year, which ran from April 2021 through March 2022. The gross revenue total is a record for the casino — its previous high was $152.9 million in the 2018-19 fiscal year. 

Del Lago rebounded after a sluggish 2020-21 fiscal year in which the casino was closed for the first five months due to the pandemic. At the time, the state ordered several types of businesses, including casinos, to close.

Casinos were among the last businesses to reopen after the COVID-induced shutdowns. Del Lago reopened in September 2020 and reported $55.6 million in gross revenue in 2020-21. 

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The casino's latest performance was largely driven by slot machines and electronic table games. The slots and electronic table games generated $119.8 million in gross revenue, another record for del Lago. 

Del Lago had $31.8 million in gross revenue from table games and $1.8 million from poker tables. The casino's sportsbook reported $5.3 million in gross revenue. 

While del Lago benefited from its big year — its net revenues topped $119 million — state and local governments also reaped the rewards of the casino's success. 

According to the state's revenue reports, del Lago paid a 30% gaming tax on its slot and electronic table game revenue and 10% on its table game and sports wagering revenue. The state keeps 80% of the tax revenue for education aid and property tax relief, while the remaining 20% goes to local governments. 

In 2021-22, the state's share of the tax revenue was $32.1 million. As the host municipalities, Seneca County and the town of Tyre each received more than $2 million. The five other counties in del Lago's gaming region — Broome ($2.1 million), Chemung ($426,279), Schuyler ($106,312), Tompkins ($1.1 million) and Wayne ($209,127) — also received a share of the tax revenues. 

Del Lago is off to a good start in the current fiscal year. In April, the first month of the new fiscal year, the casino had over $14 million in gross gaming revenue. It's the ninth time since the casino opened in February 2017 that it has topped $14 million in monthly gross revenue. Five of those months were in the last fiscal year.