Nevada posted gains across the board in February, as the state reaped a 9.8 million win total, up 8 percent.
Increased slots play, plus an extra day in February, helped boost the state’s take, the Nevada Gaming Control Board announced. Also helping, the Super Bowl was played slightly later in February than normal, which enabled many sports bettors to lay wagers in February, instead of January.
The gain came despite a reduction in baccarat play, which has been on a decline since China started cracking down on its citizens traveling abroad to gamble in Las Vegas and other destinations.
Baccarat is particularly popular on the Las Vegas Strip, and mostly among Chinese visitors. JP Morgan gaming analyst Joseph Greff in a recent investors report said the baccarat volatility should continue.
Despite problems with baccarat, Deutsche Bank analyst Carlos Santarelli reported the Las Vegas locals market improved, with an 11.4 percent gaming revenue increase of 11.4 percent at $188.2 million.
Those increases included a nearly 10 percent increase in slots revenue, while table games produced a 22.8 percent gain in revenue.
In Clark County, the win in February increased by 8.3 percent to $863.3 million, and the Las Vegas Strip posted a 7.3 percent increase, to $570.3 million. Elsewhere in the county, casinos mostly posted double-digit gains in win totals, led by Downtown, which posted a 17 percent gain to $50.6 million.
North Las Vegas operations reported a nearly 13 percent increase at $24.7 million, while the Boulder Strip improved by 10.4 percent and $71 million.
Only Laughlin reported relatively poor results, with a 0.8 percent gain of $43.4 million in February.
