Page 6 - MGHA - Annual Report, 2018

• In 2017, gaming taxes paid over the industry’s 25-year history reached $6.5 billion — enough to fund the state budget for an entire year.
• In 2017, Mississippi’s commercial casinos generated total revenue of $2.8 billion and $2.080 billion in gaming revenue. Compared to prior year, statewide gaming revenue declined 2 percent, but the Gulf Coast region increased slightly and had its best year in gaming revenue since 2008.
• In 2017, the Mississippi gaming industry supported an estimated 20,000 direct jobs with a payroll of nearly $650 million and benefits of nearly $200 million for a total of more than $840 million.The operators donated thousands of employee hours and made more than a million dollars in cash donations to local charities while also making countless non-cash donations in the way of food, drinks, prizes and more to a variety of events and charities operating within local communities.
• The industry generated $723 million in non-gaming revenue in 2017 continuing to expand and invest in more amenities including the new spa and remodeled hotel rooms at the Horseshoe in Tunica and the new hotel, restaurants and
spa added along the Gulf Coast at Island View. Also, new restaurants and hotel rooms came online at the Silver Slipper and at Harrah’s Gulf Coast, just to name a few.
• To attract visitors from out-of-state, in 2017, the operators spent more than $83 million on advertising and promotions bringing more that 13.5 million visitors to Mississippi from nearly all 50 states.These efforts seem to have helped overall visitation as the Mississippi Tourism office (Visit Mississippi) estimated that in 2017 there were increases in both the total number of visitors and spend in 2017 (23.15 million visitors to Mississippi with an estimated total spend of $6.343 billion).
• Several acquisitions occurred in 2017 with Penn National Gaming (Penn) acquiring two additional properties in Mississippi during early 2017.This acquisition brought Penn’s casino properties to a total of five casinos in Mississippi, including the newly rebranded 1st Jackpot Casino in Tunica.
• In December 2017, Penn entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Pinnacle Entertainment. Once the transaction with Pinnacle has closed, Penn will stand as one of the largest gaming companies in the world. Also, following the
completion of the transaction, Boyd Gaming will acquire from Penn the Ameristar casinos located in St. Charles and Kansas City, Missouri as well as the Belterra Casino Resort and Belterra Park.
• Eldorado Resorts expanded its operations into 10 states in 2017, following its acquisition of the assets Isle of Capri Casinos, Inc. Eldorado now operates the Lady Luck Casino in Vicksburg, as well as the Isle of Capri in Lula, Mississippi.
• New air service began flying from the Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in 2017.The Mississippi Legislature’s passing of HB 1074 and the creation of the Economic Development Infrastructure Fund (EDI Fund) made the air service possible. The legislature appropriated $2.5 million to the EDI Fund (from the BP Settlement) to promote air service. Operators and other tourism leaders will look to the legislature for continued support of such efforts to increase visitation to Mississippi.
It was on Aug. 1, 1992, when Isle of Capri opened its doors in Biloxi giving it the distinction of being the first dockside riverboat casino to open in the United States. On Aug. 1, 2017, Mississippi celebrated 25 years of gaming. This event was celebrated during the Southern Gaming Summit held in May 2017 where some of the Pioneers of Riverboat Gaming gathered to share stories of how “legal” gaming got started in Mississippi. Pictured are (from left) Tim Hinkley, Jack Binion, Sen. Tommy Gollott, Larry Gregory and Lyle Berman.
MILESTONES
STATE
OF THE INDUSTRY
HIGHLIGHTS