Churchill Downs’s opening of an Owensboro, Kentucky, gambling parlor in February 2025 helped power historical racing machines (HHR) to a 12.5 percent gain in December. Adjusted on an apples-for-apples basis, the surge was 6.8 percent.
HHR owned by Churchill Downs earned $153 million in fourth-quarter 2025. Statewide, the December tally was $89.1 million. Win per slot per day averaged $321 in the midwinter month, which J.P. Morgan analyst Daniel Politzer called “consistent with recent seasonality.” New Year’s Eve fell midweek both in 2024 and 2025.
Churchill Downs is adding another Bluegrass State slot parlor on February 25. Located at Marshall Yards, it will hold 225 HHR.
Kentucky’s highest-grossing casino was 1,237-machine Derby City, which made $18.3 million, averaging $478 per HHR daily.
Next strongest was the 1,217-terminal Oak Grove casino, which pulled in $15.1 million, for an average of $401 per device. With 805 HHR, Turfway Park was a distant third, grossing $6.6 million or $265 a machine daily.
The newest facility, in Owensboro, averaged a $245 per HHR clip, for a $4.5 million take at its 596 machines. Despite its smallness (299 machines), Ellis Park outdid Derby City Downtown with $2.2 million or a daily average of $239 per device.
Derby City Downtown finished last, grossing $1.4 million off 438 HHR for a per-device average of $101. It was also the only casino to be revenue negative, down 7.9 percent from December 2024.
The most dramatic increase was seen at Newport, which shot up 21.7 percent. Its 446 terminals averaged $246 per day per HHR.
Outside of gambling, the various and sundry slot parlors realized an additional $37.5 million in revenue.
