Nevada’s ravaged economy must be on the mend. After the state posted its biggest yearly rise since 2007 yesterday – the visitor count for its casino city has also shown positive figures, showing an increased number of gamblers. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported yesterday that Vegas saw a 2.5% increase in attendees in the last month of 2011 when compared to the same a month a year previous, with nearly 3 million visitors in total. When comparing 2011 to 2010 in total – the city’s visitor count was up 4.3%. Casino moguls must be rubbing their hands together.
However, it’s not all good news for the rest of the state. While Las Vegas is surging, 450 miles away, northern Nevada continues to struggle against tribal casinos “siphoning off the drive-up market along key highways from Northern California” says Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association.
At least over in Pennsylvania – the industry’s third largest market – business is doing well overall. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board reports annual gross gaming revenue topped $3 billion for the first time. That’s an increase of 21.6% when compared to 2010.
Not all of the 22 casino-approved states in the US have reported their 2011 revenue figures, But so far – up until November last year – unaudited data by the American Gaming Association shows a reported total of $32.56 billion revenues meant the industry was running 2.3% ahead of the first 11 months of 2010. With that, the trend of 2011′s association figures has industry observers cautiously optimistic in the aftermath of a casino operator’s worse nightmare – the recession.
