Due to the global COVID pandemic and its knock on effects, many industries are in serious decline or recession.
The gambling and casino industry in the U.S continues to grow steadily despite many gambling venues being closed or running at low-capacity.
Nevada – the home of Las Vegas reported its first month of billion-dollar revenues since February 2020. In March , casinos in the state collected $1.066 billion in revenue – the largest monthly total since February 2013.
Bellagio, MGM and other strip casinos contributed $501.4 million to the tally (up +67.2% on the same month last year).
As well as card-games like poker and table games like blackjack, and roulette, progressive jackpot casino games in Vegas continue to attract droves of players – seeking life-changing jackpot wins. The constant media coverage of 5 and 6-figure wins also helps attract tourists and gamblers worldwide to Sin City.
Reno Casino revenues were up 163.7% in March 2020, with more than $59 million in casino revenue collected. Meanwhile in downtown Las Vegas – land-based casinos reported a record-breaking $71 million in revenue.
March Madness = Big Revenues
The NCAA March Madness Tournament was a source of much of the sportsbetting action for the month – and resulted in a more than 350% increase in wagers compared to the last March Madness in 2020.
Total Nevada sportsbooks sports betting handle came in at $640.7 million.
Total revenues amounted to $39.3 million which is a significant improvement on last year’s loss of $37.9 million.
Football Vs Basketball
Football was not good for Nevada sportsbooks. Sports betting operators in the state took a big hit on football – issuing out $8.2 million in payouts after taking in just $2.7M in bets.
Basketball was a winner for the Vegas sports betting industry – with betting on NBA and NCAAB accounting for $501 million of the total betting handle for the state of Nevada in March.
Vegas Re-opens & WSOP Dates Announced
Nevada casinos can also look forward to the return of tourists, as more and more casinos remove their plexiglass dividers and operate at 80% capacity.
The annual World Series of Poker(WSOP) – which is scheduled to play out over the felt at the Rio in Las Vegas (pending applicable state and/or regulatory approvals) will run from Thursday September 30th until Tuesday, November 23rd 2021 – and will feature the famous $10,000 buy-in “main event” – to crown a World Poker champion.