Casinos report 15 percent gain in February slots revenue

March 15, 2016 12:00 am • Last Updated: March 16, 2016 3:21 pm

By Brian Hallenbeck
Day Staff Writer

Slot-machine revenue was up in February, with both Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun reporting Tuesday that their winnings for the month increased about 15 percent over the same month last year.

Foxwoods “won,” or kept, $36.2 million wagered at its machines, $4.6 million more than it kept in February 2015, a 14.7 percent increase.

Mohegan Sun’s win of $48.4 million was up $6.3 million, or 15 percent.

The casinos benefited from an extra day in February 2016, a leap year, as well as from the fact that the month’s weather was much milder than it was in February 2015.

“I think if you look at the way we’ve been trending since the start of our fiscal year, you’ll see we've been trending favorably,” Ray Pineault, Mohegan Sun’s president and general manager, said. “Yes, the weather was better and we had a 29th day. You add the three of those up, and then you have the impact of our marketing …”

Mohegan Sun’s fiscal year began Oct. 1, 2015. It posted small year-over-year declines in slots revenue in November and December. In January, its win was up 10 percent.

Foxwoods has now posted year-over-year increases for three consecutive months. Felix Rappaport, the casino’s president and chief operating officer, was unavailable to discuss the numbers.

Both casinos also reported that their February slots “handle” — the total amount wagered at their machines — was up around 15 percent.

Mohegan Sun’s handle of $587.7 million increased 15.7 percent over February 2015, while Foxwoods’ $441.3 million handle was up 15.3 percent.

Mohegan Sun forwarded $12.1 million of its February slots win to the state, while Foxwoods turned over $9.2 million.

The Indian tribes that own the casinos, the Mohegans and the Mashantucket Pequots, respectively, are jointly pursuing a plan to develop a third Connecticut casino in the Hartford area.

b.hallenbeck@theday.com