Detroit Casino Revenue Plummets Due to Worker Strikes

In the month of November, revenue from Detroit's three land-based commercial casinos plummeted, falling from $101.8 million to $79.1 million compared to the same period last year. This 22.3% decline in revenue was also a 4.5% drop from October's figures, which stood at $82.8 million.

The decline in revenue was primarily attributed to the strikes that hit Detroit's casino industry. Starting on October 17th, some casino workers were on strike for a significant portion of November. It wasn't until mid-November that an agreement on pay was reached. This shortage of staff severely impacted the operations of the MGM Grand, Greektown, and MotorCity casinos.

Out of the total revenue generated by the three casinos in November, $76.0 million came from table games and slots, marking a 23.9% decrease from the previous year and a 7.0% drop from October 2023. The remaining $3.1 million in revenue was attributed to sports betting qualified adjusted gross receipts (QAGR), showing a significant increase of 63.2% compared to November 2022 and 181.8% ahead of October this year.

In terms of sports betting, players in Detroit wagered $15.3 million at casinos in November. While this was a decrease of 15.5% from the same period in 2022 and October 2023, sports betting continued to contribute to the casinos' revenue.

MGM remained the leading casino in Detroit with a 34% market share in November, although this was a drop from the 46% share it held in October. MotorCity, with a 34% market share, closed the gap on MGM. Hollywood Casino at Greektown held a 27% share of the market.

The three casinos paid $6.2 million in gaming tax to the state of Michigan in November. Additionally, they contributed $9.4 million in wagering taxes and development agreement payments to the city of Detroit. Sports betting tax for the state of Michigan amounted to $116,769, with an additional $142,718 in wagering taxes paid to the city of Detroit.