The closure of Rhode Island’s two casinos for much of December led to the state’s sportsbook handle and revenue falling during the month.
The Bally’s Corporation-owned venues were closed from 29 November to 21 December amid a surge in novel coronavirus (Covid-19) cases in the state.
Once they were permitted to resume operations, opening hours were limited to between 6am and 10pm from Sunday to Thursday, and until 10:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
This had a significant impact on sports betting stakes, which declined to $22.8m, a 28.1% year-on-year decline, according to the latest figures from the Rhode Island Lottery.
This also represented 35.1% drop from November 2020’s $35.1m handle.
After player winnings of $20.2m, this left gross revenue of $2.5m. While revenue was down only marginally compared to the prior year, it fell 59.7% month-over-month.
Having been closed for much of December, Twin River saw stakes plummet 82.7% from the prior year, to $3.3m. Players won back $3.2m, leaving gross revenue of just $64,027.
Tiverton Casino fared slightly better. While handle was down 71.4% from December 2019, player winnings of $933,147 left revenue of $237,676, down just 32.4% year-on-year.
Mobile, on the other hand, posted growth in customer staking, though high payouts saw revenue fall from November.
Amounts wagered via the channel were up 114.0% year-on-year to $18.3m – and 16.8% month-over-month. Players won back $16.1m, leaving revenue of $2.2m. While this represented a 263.7% improvement on the prior year, it was also a 14.3% sequential decline.