Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Gaming:

July was ‘really not a good month’ for gaming win in Nevada

Strip Photos

Steve Marcus

A view of casinos on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Sept. 16, 2011. Flames from the volcano at the Mirage can be seen at left.

Updated Friday, Aug. 30, 2013 | 11:05 a.m.

Baccarat play in Nevada casinos fell sharply in July, and gamblers beat the industry on basketball bets during the month.

Those were two of highlights from a Nevada Gaming Control Board report, which said overall win by the industry dropped 7.9 percent compared with the same month in 2012. This was the third month in the past four there has been a decline.

The board reported Thursday that the win on the Las Vegas Strip fell 14.4 percent compared with the same month in 2012.

"It was really not a good month, but it was a tough comparison," said Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the board.

Baccarat win statewide fell by $71 million, contributing in large part to the decline.

In July 2012, the baccarat win rose 112 percent — the fourth-highest win on record. This year, baccarat win plummeted 37 percent.

And the casinos lost $2.7 million to players who cashed in their tickets after the National Basketball Association closed its season in June.

Lawton said the advent of online poker contributed to a 3.3 percent increase in poker win. There had been a five-month decline this year in poker until an 8.5 percent gain in June.

In talking about the tough comparison, Lawton said that in July 2012, the win for the state rose 17 percent and was up by more than 27 percent on the Strip, which see more than 50 percent of the gambling action in the state.

The 7.9 percent decline statewide came after a 4.8 percent drop in June.

Statewide, the win, before expenses and taxes, totaled $925.7 million compared with $1 billion in July 2012. But the win was the second highest this year.

Other markets in Clark County also recorded a downturn. Downtown Las Vegas was off 4.4 percent, North Las Vegas fell 11.8 percent, and Mesquite was off 6.6 percent.

But Laughlin saw a 5 percent gain, the Boulder Strip was up 4.1 percent, and the balance of Clark County rose 3.5 percent.

On the Strip, blackjack fell 4.4 percent and craps play dropped 20 percent. But roulette jumped 62.2 percent. The sports pool was off 159.6 percent and slot win fell 0.9 percent.

The gaming win in Washoe County increased 3.2 percent, the fifth increase in the past six months. After a 24.3 percent decline in June, clubs at South Lake Tahoe reported an increase of 9.2 percent. The gross win in the Carson Valley clubs was off 3 percent.

The state collected $61.7 million in gaming percentage fees, or a 9.4 percent decrease from the same period a year ago.

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