Nevada gaming revenue down 2.73 percent in December

By Thomas Moore

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017 | 9:26 a.m.

Nevada gaming revenue for December was down 2.73 percent compared to the same month in 2015, with Clark County casinos seeing a drop of 4.34 percent, state regulators reported.

Statewide, nonrestricted casinos — those with table games and 15 or more slot machines — showed a gaming win of $956.1 million in December, a 2.73 percent decrease compared to December 2015, when the win was $983 million, according to statistics released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Gaming revenue in Clark County declined 4.34 percent for the month, with the Strip showing a 1.67 percent drop and the biggest declines on the Boulder Strip, where revenue was down 26.9 percent, and North Las Vegas, where it dropped 23.27 percent.

July to December 2016 compared to the same period in 2015 looked better. Statewide revenue for the three-month period was up 2.44 percent, with Clark County overall and the Las Vegas Strip up 2.17 percent and 2.77 percent, respectively.

Michael Lawton, a senior research analyst with the Tax and License Division of the Gaming Control Board, said December’s numbers don’t tell the whole story.

“What happens is because of the holidays, some of December’s revenues tend to roll over into January,” Lawton said. “But for last year, this was even more pronounced because the holiday fell on a weekend.”

Numbers for the calendar year provide a better perspective, he said.

“Gaming win has now increased six of last seven years,” he said. “All seven markets in Clark County posted increases for the 2016 calendar year, and to take it broader, statewide, every market for the state posted an increase for the calendar year with the exception of the Carson Valley. That’s kind of the big picture.”

Based on December gaming revenue, Nevada collected $41.2 million in fees this month. That’s 15.54 percent less than January 2016 collections of $48.8 million.