Overall brick/mortar growth for properties (especially regional properties) open a year or longer has been slightly negative to slowing compared to the prior year.
- As compared to last year, this month’s calendar showed losing a Monday and gaining a Thursday which would result in an expected (+0%) calendar change to last year.
- July 2025 shows GGR changing (+5%) to last year, thus it is above the calendar expectations.
- For states without expansion, the rate (+1.8%), is above the calendar’s expectations.
Some issues to keep in mind, especially for those states showing above the mean growth:
- AR added new casino property and included sports betting in the gaming tax figures.
- KY and VA have both opened in 2018-2019 for HHR games. Their growth, while extraordinarily strong, is at least as much due to new facilities and additional games continually being added.
- VA continues to add new commercial gaming in 2023/2024.
- In late 2022, Nebraska (NE) opened commercial gaming and is adding more properties.
- NH added HHR games.
- DE reports sports/igaming in their monthly results subsequently we believe their year-to-year results to be distorted upward.
READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY JAY SARNO IN THE FALL 2025 EDITION OF GAMING & LEISURE MAGAZINE.