Report: Commercial casinos' gaming revenues continue to recover

Commercial casinos’ gaming revenues increased for the second consecutive year in 2011, according to a report released today by the American Gaming Association.

The association’s “State of the States,” its annual survey of casino entertainment, shows gross gaming revenues last year totaled $35.64 billion, up 3 percent over 2010’s figure, which was up just under 1 percent over 2009’s.

“These positive 2011 economic figures are welcome news to our industry, our employees, and the communities where we operate,” Frank Fahrenkopf Jr., the AGA’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement. “While the recovery is ongoing and the commercial casino industry is not monolithic, the data paint an optimistic picture.”

No commercial casinos operate in Connecticut, which is home to two tribally owned casinos, the Mashantucket Pequots’ Foxwoods Resort Casino, including MGM Grand at Foxwoods, and the Mohegans’ Mohegan Sun.

The AGA also reported that in 2011, the commercial casino industry directly employed more than 339,000 people who earned $12.9 billion in wages, tips and benefits. Commercial casinos contributed $7.93 billion in tax revenues to gaming communities across the country — 4.5 percent more than in 2010.