Magic City Casino Leads Florida Revenue Gainers in January

^{Gulfstream Park Racing & Casino ranked second in Florida revenue increase from last January. (Photo: philipus / Alamy)}

Florida commercial casinos recorded $63.2 million in slot revenue for January, up from the previous year’s figure of $59.8 million and representing a year-on-year increase of 5.7%.  

The figures, published by the Florida Gaming Control Commission, show that out of the state’s eight casinos, four recorded year-on-year revenue increases. At the same time, two reported declines, and two had stable revenues for January.  

As casinos celebrate a solid month in January, some lawmakers in the Sunshine State have expressed concerns with a bill introduced last October that would make illegal gambling a third-degree felony. Speaking to the Tallahassee Democrat last month, some lawmakers signaled that it could bring unwanted repercussions on the community.  

Magic City Casino Leads in January 

Of the eight Florida land-based casinos, Magic City Casino recorded the biggest revenue of the month, as well as the highest year-on-year revenue increase, rising 19.3% to $14.3 million. The second-highest generator came in the form of Pompano Park, which was up 8.8% year-on-year to $12.5 million.  

Other than Magic City, Gulfstream Park was the only other casino to record a double-digit revenue rise, up 11.7% to $6 million. Big Easy Casino also reported a year-on-year revenue increase, up 4.3% to $3.5 million.  

The biggest loss of the month came from Calder Race Course, with revenue dropping 5.9% year-on-year to $7.4 million. Hialeah Park Casino was the only other establishment to record a revenue decline, down 2.9% year-on-year to $7.7 million.  

Both Casino Miami and Dania Jai Alai had stable revenues in January.  

Lawmakers Share Concerns over Illegal Gambling Bill 

As the Sunshine State experienced a rise in illegal gambling operations throughout 2025, lawmakers decided that enough was enough and filed House Bill 189. The bill, introduced by Representative Dana Tabulsy, would see illegal gambling become a third-degree felony with a maximum prison sentence of five years.  

However, bipartisan approval of the bill remains tenuous. Some lawmakers argue that it could have adverse effects on the community, such as unwarranted arrests for those who are actually innocent. Representative Robin Bartlenan argued that changes were needed for the bill.  

“My biggest concern with the bill is the unintended consequences,” Bartleman said, then, in the context of the legislation needing fixing, added, “That will stop someone from a VFW or church getting charged with a felony, which will impact and follow them the rest of their life even if they’re not convicted of the arrest.” 

Despite that, the legislation’s sponsor, Rep. Tabulsy, argued that harsher penalties were needed to weed out unlawful gambling. “The intent of this bill is to really crack down on the bad players,” she told the House Criminal Justice subcommittee on January 14.  

Gambling in Florida is mainly regulated through a gaming compact with the Seminole Tribe. Outside of this, eight state-owned casinos only provide slot games. Anything outside of this bubble, such as storefront slot machines and similar devices that do not fall under the category of skill games, is deemed illegal.  

The bill so far sits in the House’s Commerce Committee, with the current legislative session ending in March.