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Revenue at Maryland's three casinos reached nearly $42.9 million in September, down from $44.6 million the month before, according to figures released Friday by the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency.
The results showed the continuing strength of Maryland Live Casino, which the agency said had $32 million in revenue last month, with an average daily take of $247.44 per slot machine. Maryland Live, which opened in June at Arundel Mills mall, had 3,717 machines for the first 11 days of September and increased that to 4,750 for the rest of the month.
But the Anne Arundel County casino's results come, at least in part, at the expense of the Hollywood Casino Perryville.
"Hollywood Perryville continues to take a hit, probably from competition in other states and with Maryland Live," said James Karmel, a gambling analyst and history professor at Harford Community College.
The Cecil County casino's stiffest competition is Delaware Park, which is about 40 minutes away and also offers table games, Karmel said.
Delaware hasn't released figures for September yet, but Delaware Park's revenues appear to be trending upward, Karmel said.
Hollywood's revenue, though, was down by about 35 percent from a year ago, the Maryland gambling agency said. The casino's revenue was $5.99 million last month, down $3.3 million from a year earlier. The casino runs 1,500 slot machines, with its daily take per machine averaging $133.17 last month, the agency said.
Meanwhile, the Casino at Ocean Downs saw its revenue rise by about 5 percent last month from a year earlier. Last month, the Eastern Shore casino's revenues reached $4.9 million, up $227,876 from the previous September. The 800-machine casino realized daily revenue of $204.37 per machine last month.
"Ocean Downs is on an upswing," Karmel said, adding that it has "something of a monopoly" in the beach region.