State commission says January casino gaming numbers down in Southeast Missouri

Missouri Gaming Commission has released its latest report on the 13 casinos operating in the Show Me State and available for public review.

The $140 million Century Casino Cape Girardeau, which was licensed and opened for business as Isle Casino on Oct. 30, 2012, has 38,600-square-feet of gaming space, with 842 gaming devices and 23 table games.

The commission reports Century Casino has a total workforce of 243 employees — with 108 female workers and 41 minority staff.

The Cape Girardeau casino, managed by Lyle Randolph, after seeing admission increases of 9% to 37% month-to-month compared to 2020 during the preceding six months of July to December 2021, saw its numbers drop 18% in January, from 102,968 to 84,178.

"I think [the drop] has to do with it being winter," Mayor Bob Fox said Monday. "When the weather is iffy, people just don't get out as much."

The City of Cape Girardeau uses money derived from a long-term agreement with the casino for its Riverfront Development Fund, with the amount based on the number of patrons who pass through the turnstiles.

Lyle Randolph, Century Casino's general manager, said there was an unusual "dynamic" in January 2021 that inflated the turnstile numbers.

"Last year, one of our competitors in Metropolis, Illinois, was shut down for part of the month due to COVID, which impacted us. Also a year ago, stimulus payments were still being received," he said.

Century Casino announced plans Feb. 7 to build a $26 million hotel on the site at 777 N. Main St., which will house 75 to 80 rooms.

Caruthersville

The other gaming facility in Southeast Missouri, $66 million Century Casino Caruthersville, opened as Lady Luck Casino on April 27, 1995. The Pemiscot County facility has 21,400-square-feet of gaming space, with 530 gaming devices and nine table games.

Missouri Gaming Commission reports Century Casino Caruthersville has a total workforce of 170 employees — with 91 female workers and 54 minority staff.

In Caruthersville, as in Cape Girardeau, admissions also dropped notably last month after registering monthly gains of 7% to 26% compared to 2020 during July through December 2021.

January's figures at the Caruthersville location were down 25% from 63,172 to 47,271.

Problem gamblers

The commission maintains a list of "disassociated persons for problem gamblers."

The problem gambling list, created in 1996, said the commission, provides problem gamblers with a method to acknowledge they have a gambling problem and to take personal responsibility.

The method, said the Missouri Gaming Commission, is the following: problem gamblers must agree to stop visiting riverboat casinos in the state for the rest of their lives, with the commission providing a one-time option to petition to remove a name from the list of problem gamblers five years after initial placement.

The commission will next meet Wednesday in Jefferson City.

The full report from Missouri Gaming Commission may be viewed at www.mgc.dps.mo.gov.