Figures released Wednesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show statewide casino gaming revenue rising 10% year-on-year to just over $1b. The gains were even more stellar on the Las Vegas Strip, which was up nearly 17% to $613m.
Of all the numbers, the most striking is the state’s sportsbooks, which reported revenue up 1,021% to $11.1m. The numbers were goosed by baseball, which more than doubled to a record £11.8m, and the ‘other’ category, which spiked 239% to $2.3m, presumably due to the tail end of the Euro 2016 football tournament.
The sports numbers would have been even higher were it not for laggard basketball bettors cashing in $3.2m worth of winning tickets. The state’s race books contributed another $4.2m, essentially flat year-on-year.
July is typically the sportsbooks’ worst month of the year, as evidenced by the $1m in total revenue last July, the $405k won in July 2014 and the net loss of $548k in July 2013 (which was also the last time the books didn’t triumph over the punters).
Over on the gaming floor, slots revenue was flat at $600.5m. At the tables, baccarat revenue spiked 44% to $150.3m thanks to increased volume and a higher than usual 16.5% win rate. Blackjack also had a phenomenal July, rising 40% to $114m.
The rest of the table games finished thusly: roulette ($37.6m, +6.3%), craps ($34m, +12.3%), three-card poker ($9.6m, -21%), pai gow poker ($9.2m, -7.3%), mini-baccarat ($8.6m, -13.3%), let it ride ($2.1m, -29%), keno ($2.1m, -10.3%), bingo ($529k, -2.9%) and ‘other’ games & tables ($17.4m, +9.3%), while poker revenue rose 7.6% to $12.3m.