The American commercial gambling industry hauled in a record $13.98 billion in gaming revenue during the third quarter of November, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. November’s record revenue was the latest in a string of smash hit months for American gaming interests, as they enjoy the fruits of pandemic gaming and regulated sports betting.
So how well did American casinos and sportsbooks do in 2021? From January 2021 to September 2021, the industry brought in $38.6 billion in revenue. The current yearly record for That’s more than it took during the entire year in 2020. As a whole, the industry is on track to smash the previous record, set in 2019, of $43.6 billion in revenue.
For example, the Las Vegas Strip, the touchstone for American gambling, gaming revenue clocked in at a record $2.6 billion in 2021, with revenue soaring during that sweet spot in Q3 when it seemed like the world was going back to normal.
While 2020, and its revenue/soul-crushing worldwide lockdowns was anomaly, 2021’s numbers show an industry that’s adapted somewhat to the post-quarantine phase of the pandemic. How the emergence of the fast-spreading omicron virus impacted revenue at the tail-end of 2021 is still unclear.
AGA President and CEO Bill Miller commented on the success of American gambling while keeping his eyes on the future saying, “Two straight quarters of record gaming revenue is an incredible accomplishment in any context, let alone after the most challenging year in industry history. Our recovery is not a flash in the pan, but rather a sustained result of our leadership in responsible reopening, world-class entertainment offerings and widespread favorability.