Alessio Crisantemi of GiocoNewsCasino.it analyses the fortunes of four gaming houses over the last month and reveals positive signs for three of them.
May was a fundamentally positive month for Italian casinos, with the exception of Campione d'Italia, the town on the south shore of Lake Lugano.
Gioco’s examination starts with the strongest performance, one which has reversed the general trend of first five months of 2018.
The Casino di Sanremo on the Italian Riviera has reported strong results due to recent investment. May heralded a rise in revenue to €3,416,127, or 11.04 per cent more than the same period last year. Slots performed well, with growth of 12.38 per cent to €2,712,444 and table games too reported largely positive signs: fair roulette rose to €144,113, a 625.83 per cent rise. French roulette had a lower percentage rise but enjoyed higher absolute volumes, €388,255 and a 14.41 per cent rise.
On the slide were punto banco revenues, losing 46.86 per cent to come in at €49,595, and entrances fell by 13,526, or 4.59 per cent less.
So, revenue of the first five months of the year rose to €17,787,734 - 3.84 per cent less than in 2017, but it still strongly reduces the decline, while in the 12 months not coinciding with the calendar year, the casino collected €44,079,472, or 3.07 per cent less.
Results from Venice see it dropping to second place after its leading performance for the five months leading to May for the Casino di Venezia, ending the period with collections of €7,378,957, 10.85 per cent more than last year. Slots returned well, recording a rise of 3.98 per cent and revenue of €4,456,842, along with most of the other games. For example, fair roulette, which collected €1,335,737, 21.34 per cent more, and poker cash, which grew by 1294.99 per cent, with collections of €115.645.
We must highlight the trend of French roulette: it ended May with revenue decreasing by €222.390 (who said that the house always wins?!), but since May 2017 it had been even more generous with the players, recording a positive 64.31 per cent jump. Despite the good overall performance, entrances slowed down: they were 56,413 in May, or 3.85 per cent less than a year ago.
The May result strengthened the result for the first five months of the current year: total collections amounted to €41,107,905, 7.31 per cent more and the only positive sign among the four gaming houses. In the non-calendar year ending May 2018, revenue amounted to €93,394,048, or 1.13 per cent more.
Val d'Aosta, where the Saint Vincent gaming house operates, ended May, the month in which they voted for the renewal of the Consiglio Valle, with revenues of €4,095,110, 0.62 per cent more than a year ago. It should be noted that it is the only casino in Italy where entrances are growing, by 0.32 percent to 24,088.
Slots declined though, ending May with revenue of €2,361,212, 1.63 per cent less. Roulettes make up the bulk of the positive result of the month with French roulette collecting €313,800, 152.28 per cent more, English roulette jumping by 54.89 per cent to stand at €396.878.
Chemin de fer is also healthy, if on lower gaming volumes. A positive change of 200.83 per cent, while revenue stood at €57.835.
The May result brings revenue of the first five months of the year to €22,745,672 which is 3.04 per cent less than in the same period of 2017. In the period from June 2017 to May 2018 revenue comes in at €56,631,332, or 0.81 per cent more than in the previous 12 months.
The casino Campione d'Italia is in fourth place and is the only casino ending May without a positive sign. Still struggling with the file for bankruptcy from the Como Public Prosecutor's Office, a complex affair where the only bright note is the successful conclusion of negotiations between the company and trade unions on the reduction of labour cost, without using the 156 collective redundancies initially announced by the management company.
Revenue in May amounted to €6,262,704, 9.25 per cent less over the year, and entrances are suffering an even more pronounced decline: down by 14.35 per cent, to 46,334. The positive trend of slots brings a sense of optimism: they collected €4,647,049, or 5.78 per cent more. And poker is good too, both in tournaments with €169.927, 12.02 per cent more and revenue of €304,003, 44.16 per cent more.
On the other hand, table games are clearly declining: roulette by 58.25 per cent to €221,311, fair roulette by 47.27 per cent, €134.948, trente et quarante by 17.15 per cent to €97,076, chemin de fer by 11.99 per cent to €110,460, black jack by 46.96 per cent to €208.837 and punto banco by 46.86 per cent to €208,837.
May data is added to those of the other difficult four months of 2018. The gaming house in total collected €34,324,331, 12.11 per cent less than the same period last year. In the 12 non-calendar months, the balance came to €86,419,416, or 7.86 per cent less.
