There's less gambling going on at Iowa casinos this year compared to last year at this time. New revenue numbers are in and most casinos in Eastern Iowa are seeing a decline.
KWQC financial analyst Jim Victor says more people are avoiding casinos because they have less money to spend at casinos. Victor says Americans are taking home less money per paycheck, mostly due to tax withholding. In the QCA, unemployment is also higher than it was at this time last year.
This is the comparison between January 2012 and January 2013 for nearby casinos:
Diamond Jo, Dubuque - 10.2%
Wild Rose, Clinton - 9.2%
Rhythm City, Davenport - 6.1%
Isle of Capri, Bettendorf - 2.5%
Catfish Bend, Burlington - 7.99%
These numbers haven't been trending for very long, though. So, the revenue slip could be just that ... a slip.
"The short term numbers for gaming should not deter anyone," said Victor. "It's the longer-term numbers on which you base a business."
He says there could be one other reason for less revenue at area casinos -- the weather. January 2012 was warmer than January 2013 which means people may have wanted to go out and do more things, like gamble at area casinos.
