The return of football betting and the Mayweather-McGregor boxing match boosted August gaming win on the Las Vegas Strip by 21 percent compared to last year and handed Nevada a 14.9 percent increase in gaming revenue to 9.5 million.
“The fight was a tremendous event and was a large contributor to gaming win for not just sports wagering but also table games and slots,” Michael Lawton, a senior research analyst for the state Gaming Control Board, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
He added, “We felt that this fight would live up to the hype and deliver a great month for statewide gaming win, and it did not disappoint one bit.”
The Strip held $545.5 million of gamblers’ money in August. Downtown Las Vegas kept $48.5 million, a 13.4 percent increase. North Las Vegas was up 1.7 percent to $24.8 million. The Boulder Strip was up 0.8 percent to $74.2 million. Rounding out Clark County were increases of 10.6 percent in Mesquite and 6.9 percent in Laughlin.
All told, half of the state’s 18 markets reported double-digit increases.
The much-hyped fight pitting Floyd Mayweather Jr., a multiple titleholder and still undefeated at 40 years old, in a likely final mega-payday against UFC champion Conor McGregor, generated $65 million in handle. Combined with baseball and the return of college and pre-season pro football, the state’s casinos recorded an all-time record for sports gaming win of $18 million.
Total sports handle for the month was second only to May 2015, when Mayweather squared off against Manny Pacquiao.
Elsewhere in the state, the Reno market saw a gaming revenue increase of 11.9 percent, Sparks was up 7.4 percent, North Lake Tahoe rose 10.4 percent. South Lake Tahoe was up 7 percent, Elko County, 7 percent, and the Carson Valley, 8.9 percent.
Taxes and fees produced for the state totaled $50.4 million, an increase of 6 percent over August 2016.
