Maryland’s newest casino a victim of Baltimore’s racial politics?

Maryland casino gaming revenue hit a new record in May but the state’s newest casino posted a new monthly low.

On Friday, the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency reported that the state’s five casinos generated $96.3m in revenue in May, easily topping the $91m record set this March. The tally is 27% higher than May 2014’s figure but the four casinos that were open for business last May collectively saw their winnings fall 1.9% year-on-year.

The state’s market-leading Maryland Live! casino reported revenue down around 2.5% year-on-year to just over $58m, although that’s up significantly from April’s $50.9m. Hollywood Casino Perryville was also in negative territory, falling 9% to $7.1m, while Ocean Downs was up 5.8% to $5m and Rocky Gap rose 12.7% to $2.5m.

The state’s newest casino, the Caesars Entertainment/Rock Gaming joint venture Horseshoe Casino Baltimore, reported revenue of $21.9m, well off its March peak of $24m and the lowest full-month total since the property opened last August. The Shoe’s VP of marketing, Noah Hirsch, told the Baltimore Business Journal that the property was suffering from a problem of perception following the April 27 riots in Baltimore, which were sparked by incidents of police brutality against the city’s black residents.