Good gambling
by January 10, 2012 1:36 pm 93 views
Electronic games of skill (EGS) wagers at Oaklawn and Southland recorded their best years since their inception in 2006, according to figures released today (Jan. 10) by the Arkansas Racing Commission.
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs and Southland Park in West Memphis are the only two venues allowed to offer casino-style gambling in Arkansas, although certain aspects of the games are electronic. EGS wagers include video blackjack, poker and slot machines.
In 2011, Southland posted total EGS wagers of $1.311 billion, while payouts totaled $1.232 billion. The wager total is a 100% increase over 2010′s full year figures $673.7 million.
At Oaklawn, 2011 EGS wagers rose to $656.4 million, a 45% increase versus the previous year. Total payouts for the year topped $612.7 million.
Combined, the two casinos reported EGS wagers of $1,967,757,846 for the full year, just $32.2 million short of $2 billion.