Nevada casino gaming revenue clocked in at $1.16 billion for the month of September. That marks the seventh consecutive month that Silver State casinos have brought in $1 billion or more. It’s also a sign that land-based casinos are recovering from the grim, pandemic-related shutdowns and limited occupancy.
According to numbers released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, September 2021 revenue saw a 28.5 bump over September 2020.
As is usually the case, slot machines were the casino’s biggest money makers by a long shot. Slot players handed over $780.5 million to casino operators. That number is also up 28.5 percent over September 2020.
Table games, which were particularly impacted by 2020’s social distancing rules, were up an astonishing 76.8 percent over the previous September; bringing in $377.6 million. Blackjack ($92.2 million) and baccarat ($83.6 million) revenue leapt a jaw-dropping 500 percent. ( play was certainly enhanced by the return of international travelers.)
Sports betting brought in $54.2 million with football accounting for a full 67 percent of all the wagers made in the state. Unlike most US states, mobile betting only accounted for about a third of the Nevada action. Either way, September sports betting revenue saw a 64.6 percent jump from September 2020.
Though Nevada gaming seems to be making a major comeback, some locals were merely cautiously optimistic. In a statement reported on by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Brendan Bussmann, director of government affairs at Global Market Advisors sounded words of warning saying, “Challenges still remain on the horizon as we still have additional government mandates in place as well as some economic challenges ahead. With inflation, rising fuel costs and other economic variables, could provide some cautionary signs ahead for the market with potential limits on discretionary income. The positive is that we are just starting to see meetings and conventions and the start of international arrivals in the coming months will likely fill any adversity those events may bring.”
Industry analysts predict that Nevada’s billion dollar run will likely continue through November.