Detroit’s commercial casinos enjoyed a modest gaming revenue rise in September despite lingering pandemic restrictions, while praying for the swift arrival of online gambling options.

Figures released Wednesday by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) show Detroit’s three commercial casino operators generated combined revenue of $87.9m in September, 26.8% better than August’s total but down 21.7% from September 2019’s result.

However, considering Detroit’s casinos are still operating at only 15% of their maximum capacity, being down only slightly more than one-fifth year-on-year is impressive. For the year-to-date, the city’s gaming revenue is off 58% from the first nine months of 2019.

MGM Resorts’ MGM Grand Detroit reported revenue of $36.1m in September, down 22.3% year-on-year. MotorCity dropped 17.3% to $32.2m while Penn National Gaming’s Greektown took the biggest hit, falling 27.2% to $19.6m.