The Associated Press

Tue, May 20, 2008 (8:37 a.m.)

Mississippi casinos took in $210 million in April, down $50 million from March and $31 million from a year ago, according to figures from the State Tax Commission.

The win, or casino revenue, is the net amount of money won from gamblers. It is not profit.

The gross earnings figure represents revenue with no operating costs or other expenses deducted. And it's casino revenue only _ separate from hotel, restaurant or bar revenues generated by the resorts.

The figures do not include Mississippi's two Indian reservation casinos, which are not required to report their winnings publicly.

The April figures represent a drop of about 12.8 percent from April 2007.

In April, the Mississippi River casinos took in $112.9 million, down $27 million from March and $22 million from a year ago.

The coastal market took in $97.1 million, down $23 million from March and $10 million from April 2007.

Casino revenue is tracked by calendar year. For the year to date, casino revenue totaled $949 million. Through April 2007, total revenues were $999.9 million.

Casino tax collections are tracked on the state's fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. Casino tax collections in April totaled $25.5 million, compared to $34.9 million in March. Tax collections for the first 10 months of the fiscal year totaled $287.5 million.

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On the Net:

Mississippi State Tax Commission, http://www.mstc.state.ms.us