May 19, 2014 2 min read

Some bettors got the better of The Meadows Casino last month.

Table games revenue there plummeted 56.3 percent from the previous April, according to figures released Monday by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. That is a seemingly alarming development that begets the question: What went wrong?

But Sean Sullivan, Meadows vice president and general manager, said there was a good reason – if not a palatable one.

“Like always, monthly year-to-year figures are simply a snapshot of a particular moment of gaming activity,” he said in a prepared statement.

“However, last month brought about some very happy customers who had an exciting gaming experience at The Meadows Casino and walked away with some big winnings. That is not out of the ordinary.”

In other words, the facility that ownership and upper management like to call “an entertainment destination” was extremely entertaining for a fortunate gaggle of gamblers in April. The good times rolled at the tables in North Strabane Township.

Gross revenue at 77 tables last month was $1,914,964, well below the April 2013 figure of $4,381,161 at 80 tables.

Statewide, table games revenue from the 12 casinos was $62,184,790, a 1 percent increase from the April 2013 figure of $61,552,334. But excluding Lucky Lady Casino Nemacolin, which debuted July 1, revenue from the 11 casinos open both Aprils rose last month by only 0.4 of a percentage point.

The casinos generated $8,944,373 in tax revenue this April, while operating a daily average of 1,106 tables.

Slots numbers were released earlier this month, and gross revenue from slots and tables combined was $259,945,767 last month, just below $266,707,740 in April 2013.

Rivers Casino, on Pittsburgh’s North Shore, had a fruitful April at the tables with a 25.2 percent gain – $6,252,232 (113 tables) compared with $4,992,447 (at 114 tables) in April 2013.

Revenue increased at six of the 11 casinos open both Aprils.