New Jersey casino revenue rises even as 1 casino shuts doors

New Jerseys casinos brought in more in November than they did in the same month last year, even though the Sands Hotel Casino closed its doors.

The increases cant be credited to a last-minute gaming bonanza at the Sands, which had been the citys smallest casino and closed on Nov. 11. In the 11 days it was open, the casino brought in $3.53 million in winnings _ less per day than November 2005, when it brought in a total of $12.8 million.

The Sands was sold in September to Pinnacle Entertainment Inc., which plans to raze it and build a bigger, more luxurious casino.

The total industry revenue was $406 million in November, up 1.6 percent from $399.7 million in winnings in November 2005.

The increased winnings came from slot machines, where the revenues were $297 million, up 2.5 percent over last November. The casinos had a smaller take from table games, winning in $109 million, down 0.6 percent from the same month a year ago.

For the year, the shore resorts 12 gaming halls brought in $4.8 billion, up 3.7 percent from $4.6 billion through 11 months last year.

2006-12-13