Jeff Favre, the new general manager at Presque Isle Downs & Casino, is willing, for now, to blame the weather on the casino’s drop in slot-machine and table games revenue in January.
But Favre, who introduced himself to elected officials, the media and other guests Tuesday night, said he might not be quick to use the weather as a culprit in the future.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board this week released the state’s table games revenue report for January, and it showed a revenue drop of 12 percent at Presque Isle Downs in January. Revenue dipped from nearly $1.2 million in January 2013 to $1 million this January, the gaming board reported.
Statewide, table games revenue dipped 1.1 percent at the 11 casinos that were open in January 2013 for comparison purposes, the board said.
The report comes on the heels of the gaming board’s earlier release of the slot-machine revenue report showing Presque Isle Downs with a decline of 14 percent and a statewide drop of 8.7 percent.
Presque Isle Downs’ revenue has slumped in the past two years because of competition from Ohio casinos, but this year’s severe winter weather has contributed to the decline.
«As you’re well aware, weather hasn’t been a friend of ours,» said Favre, who officially took over as general manager Feb. 2.
«Does that mean that we always get to blame it on weather? Probably for now, but in the future, I’m not going to be so easy to say that it’s always weather because I think there’s things that we can to do to mitigate that,» he said.
Richard McGarvey, a spokesman for the gaming board, said casino operators throughout the state cited weather as the main reason for the drop in slot-machine revenue and to a lesser extent, table games revenue.
In January, the local share of revenue from table games at Presque Isle Downs was $20,821, raising the total to $1,275,134 since the casino started offering the games in July 2010.
JOHN GUERRIERO can be reached at 870-1690 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNguerriero
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