Gaming revenue down at Plainridge in Plainville
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PLAINVILLE — Gambling revenues at Plainridge Park Casino dipped for the second month in a row in May, according to state figures released Wednesday.
Gross gaming revenue at the slots parlor was $11.7 million for the month, according to the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. That’s down from the $12.9 million the casino reported in April. The figure is also off compared to the nearly $12.5 million the site saw in May of last year.
Gross gaming revenue is the difference between what patrons bet at the casino and what they take home; it’s comparable to profit in other industries.
The amount players laid out at Plainridge was down as well from the prior month. In April, patrons pumped nearly $178.7 million into electronic games at Plainridge compared to $166.8 million in May. Plainridge, unlike the state’s other two casinos in Springfield and Everett, does not offer live table games such as blackjack or poker, although it does have electronic versions.
Since reopening in July of 2020 after three months of pandemic imposed shutdown, Plainridge — like the other gaming venues in the state — has seen customers gradually return.
Since last spring, a year after the shutdown, revenues at Plainridge have generally hovered between $11 million and just over $12 million a month. January saw a dip to just $9.8 million but March and April revenues rebounded to just under $13 million.
Penn National, the Pennsylvania-based company that manages Plainridge, does not comment on the monthly revenue reports.
Despite the slight falloff in revenue for the month, the total did push Plainridge past a significant milestone — the casino’s total revenues since opening nearly seven years ago now stand at just over $1 billion.
Plainridge, as a so-called category 2 slots parlor, is taxed on 49% of gross gaming revenue under state law. Encore Boston Harbor in Everett and MGM Springfield, which are designated as resort casinos, are taxed on 25% of gross gaming revenue.
Plainridge was not the only gaming venue to see a slowdown.
Last month, according to the Gaming Commission, the state’s three casinos had revenues of approximately $91 million, down from $99 million the month before.
