As of this writing the presidential race is neck and neck between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and by the time you read this the winner will have been selected. I have not made up my mind as to who will be the best candidate, however, in full disclosure I lost money not once, but twice on Trump stock in the 80s when he went bankrupt on my naïve, but hopeful investments. So I am not about to make any predictions at this time, but enough about politics and onto something we know is a certainty.
Unemployment Numbers
The latest U.S. unemployment figures, September 2016, show a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 5.0% with 7.9 million people unemployed. Referring to Table 1, we can take a look at year-ends gone by.
The economy certainly has made a dramatic comeback in the last four years. Is that something we attribute to President Obama? Perhaps, but enough about politics! This article and accompanying charts are intended to give a broad view of gaming in the United States.
Slot Machines
According to Casino City’s Gaming Business Directory, nationwide there are a total of 834,863 slot machines, which is up by 4,399 year-over-year (YOY). There are 1,378 casinos currently open with at least one slot machine, which is down by 68 casinos YOY. These include: commercial casinos, land-based, riverboat, dockside, racetrack casinos (racinos)and Native American properties, as well as small bars and stores with slot machines. Consistent with what we have done for the last 12 years, here is our breakdown for the properties we review:
- Small Casino: 300-999 machines
- Midsized Casino: 1,000-1,999 machines
- Large Casino: 2,000-2,999 machines
- Mega Casino: More than 3,000 machines
Utilizing this chart, we find there are a total of 647 casinos in these categories, down by 3 YOY. There are 344 small casinos (down by 3); 200 mid sized casinos (up by 1); 78 large casinos (down by 2); and 25 mega casinos (up by 1).
Mega Casinos
Four of the top five mega properties in the United States are Native American owned, and for the sixth year in a row WinStar holds the top position, while the other four remained in the top five.
- WinStar World Casino, Oklahoma – 7,471 machines (down by 16)
- Empire City at Yonkers Raceway – New York, 5,300 machines (no change)
- Mohegan Sun Casino, Connecticut – 5,000 machines (down by 581)
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa, Florida – 5,000 machines (no change)
- Foxwoods Resort & Casino, Connecticut – 4,800 machines (down by 860)
In the last two years, the two massive casinos in Connecticut have removed more than 1,600 machines off the casino floor. This was a needed business adjustment due to new competition from their surrounding states allowing, or expanding, casinos. Just as a comparison in size, this year there aren’t any casinos in Las Vegas with more than 3,000 slot machines. The largest slot floor belongs to Boulder Station with 2,900 machines.
Table Games
In the U.S. there are a total of 21,811 table games, which is down by 326 YOY. Let’s utilize this chart to classify table games (excluding poker):
- Small Casino: 1-19 tables
- Midsized Casino: 20-69 tables
- Large Casino: 70-149 tables
- Mega Casino: More than 150 tables
Breaking down the numbers, in the U.S. there a total of 849 properties that house at least one table game (down by 18 YOY). Of these there are 544 small casinos (down by 15); 224 mid sized casinos (down by 4); 67 large casinos(up by 4); and 9 mega casinos (down by 3).
Of the five largest mega properties, the top two are Native American owned while the remaining three are publicly traded companies:
- Mohegan Sun Casino, Connecticut – 300 tables (up by 20)
- Foxwoods Resort Casino, Connecticut – 256 tables (down by 94)
- Wynn Las Vegas, Nevada – 268 tables (down by 36)
- Sands Casino Bethlehem, Pennsylvania – 200 tables (new to list)
- Borgata Casino, New Jersey – 184 tables (new to list)
Poker Tables
In the U.S. there are a total of 528 properties that house at least one poker table, which is down by 20 casinos YOY, with a total of 6,481 poker tables (down by 304). Here are the parameters for the poker tables chart:
- Small Casino: 1-9 tables
- Midsized Casino: 10-19 tables
- Large Casino: 20-59 tables
- Mega Casino: More than 60 tables
Utilizing these figures there are a total of 384 small casinos (down by 19); 109 midsized casinos (down by 3); 85 large casinos (up by 2); and 12 mega casinos (no change). The five largest mega casinos, poker table games-wise, are listed below. The top three are large card clubs in California, then a Native American owned casino, and rounded out by a publicly owned (MGM Resorts) company. There is no change YOY in the number of tables:
- Commerce Casino, California – 152 tables
- Hawaiian Gardens, California – 106 tables
- Bicycle Club, California – 105 tables
- Foxwoods Resort Casino, Connecticut – 100 tables
- Borgata Casino Hotel, New Jersey – 75 tables
Executive Wages
From 2007 to 2013 salary ranges in the casino industry had basically been flat, however, in the last couple of years have inched up significantly. It appears that they are back to pre-recession numbers, which brings up the good news/bad news scenario. The good news is for candidates looking at new opportunities. If employed, they are being a lot pickier about which positions they will jump ship to. And just like the pre-recession days, will accept a counter-offer for more money or better title from their current employer to stay on board. The bad news is for employers looking for new candidates.
As you view the Salary Index charts above, please remember that this is just a broad-brush overview of the industry. Many factors come into play which affect these salary ranges including: location, competition, taxes, bonus potential, benefits, etc. Depending on the organizational chart and/or size of the property, titles can be a matter of semantics where the Manager title could be interchangeable as a Director, or even a Vice President title.
I hope this information is helpful, and I welcome all comments. One long-time Native American General Manager friend/reader suggested creating another category, or putting an asterisk by the number of slot machines, to account for the seasonal shutting down of machines due to rough winters. His observation, for example, was that this could affect the salary ranges of a large property being re-categorized down to a midsized property. He is correct on this point, so please note a mental asterisk for any regional properties that may be adversely affected by weather. Thank you for the suggestion Michael!
Marc Weiswasser is Managing Member of CasinoRecruiter.com, an Executive Recruiting firm for the gaming & hospitality industry. He can be reached at 702-798-0180, Marc@CasinoRecruiter.com or www.CasinoRecruiter.com.