Egs Wagers Continue To Climb

Everything continues to come up aces with gambling wagers at the state’s two permitted electronic gaming centers.

EGS, or electronic games of skill, wagers in September at Oaklawn’s and Southland’s casinos eclipsed last month’s totals and nearly lapped the previous year’s figures.

Electronic games of skill include video poker, video blackjack and other gambling games.

At Hot Springs-based Oaklawn, EGS wagers cleared $57.4 million in September, exceeding August by nearly $2 million and topping September 2010 figures by more than $22.3 million.

West Memphis-based Southland saw EGS wagers in September clear $116.2 million — its fifth consecutive month of more than $100 million. Compared to last month, EGS wagers rose by more than $2 million and compared to last September, EGS wagers nearly doubled from $56.7 million.

Year-to-date, the two tracks have received a combined $1.44 billion in EGS wagers. In all of 2010, Southland and Oaklawn combined for $1.126 billion in EGS revenue.