Calder Hanging in There 

It doesn’t matter what your opinion of Calder Casino and Race Course is, they are doing very well for themselves. They have only been open for a month, but they have already placed third in pre-tax revenue. The slot machine casino showed them bringing in over five million dollars to the tune of $5,129,746. They came in fourth for total slot machine play and fourth for average daily revenue per slot machine. 

There are currently five pari-mutuel casinos in southeast Florida, and for a first month Calder is doing well. There is of course the fact that some of this will be from curiosity seekers and it will be easier to tell what the casinos’ slot machines true potential is once they have been around for awhile and people settle back into their old routines. According to the Florida Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering, the casino had 1,245 slot machines functioning and this suggests that the casino could be very profitable this year. 

They also said that the casino could be profitable if the state tax remains at 50% on the slot machines. The Florida legislature is considering reducing the tax on the slot machines to 35% as some of the casinos were complaining that they were not making enough money off of the slot machines. However, as Calder is showing, they are still making plenty even at the 50% tax rate. 

The casino said that they were very pleased with their first month and that they have been building their brand recognition and revenue. They said that they think their marketing plan worked very well and after months of inundating residents with information on the casino and their slot machines that it paid off in revenue figures. They also think a lot of their popularity this month had to do with the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl being held about a mile away.