Nevada casinos set a new record in November, reaping $1.32 billion in revenues. It was the ninth consecutive month that the state’s gaming halls pulled in $1 billion or more. November’s haul exceeded the $1.22 billion reported in October, and almost reached the record $1.36 billion figure set last July, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The state’s current winning streak exceeded the previous record of eight straight billion-dollar months recorded from October 2006 to May 2007, board senior analyst Michael Lawton said.
Nevada sports betting also set records, reaping $72 million in November on wagers totaling $1.1 billion. As reported by the Associated Press, Lawton said the previous record was $61.8 million in sports bets in November 2020; he noted that sportsbooks took in more than $1 billion in wagers in consecutive months for the first time. Most sports wagers were made with mobile betting apps.
“The continued acceptance of mobile sports wagering by customers is driving these results,” Lawton said. “This month represented the highest monthly total recorded in mobile (bets) since the board began tracking these wagers in January 2020.”
Business is booming due to the return of leisure travel, including international travel from Canada and Mexico, as well the return of entertainment, sporting events and some conventions. The newly renamed Harry Reid International Airport reported passenger traffic almost equivalent to that seen in 2019. About 4 million people passed through the former McCarran International in November, down just 4.4 percent from the same month in 2019.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported 3.1 million visitors during the month, down 8 percent from 3.4 million in October. The regional tourism agency reported an average daily room rate of almost $156, up more than 15 percent from November 2019, according to the AP.
A surge in Covid-19 infections may throw a damper on the party atmosphere in months to come, however. Prior to New Year’s Eve, the Gaming Control Board promised that enforcement of mask mandates would “intensify” during the holiday, and reminded casinos and other gaming licensees that they could face disciplinary action if they fail to enforce Governor Steve Sisolak’s Emergency Directive 45. That directive requires face masks to be worn properly regardless of a person’s vaccination status.
According to KLAS-TV, the last enforcement against a Las Vegas casino involved a $60,000 fine against the Mohegan Sun Casino at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas after it opened in early March of 2021.
In a statement, the board cited “another sharp increase in cases of Covid-19” in the state, and said, “all licensed locations subject to the mask requirement to ensure the safety of Nevada’s residents and visitors.”
Some 300,000 revelers visited the Las Vegas Strip and Downtown Vegas to ring in the New Year.
Commercial casinos across the U.S. generated revenues exceeding $44 billion for 2021, surpassing the record set in 2019 as pandemic-weary gamblers returned to casinos.
The pandemic shutdowns of 2020 had one positive effect: When casinos came back online, they generated record revenues.
According to a report in the Washington Post, commercial U.S. casinos generated more than $44 billion in revenues for 2021, crashing the previous record set in 2019, with an American Gaming Association spokesperson adding that not all numbers are in for November and December.
Nevada casinos were set to record their best year ever, with $12.3 billion in casino win registered through November. According to a report from the AGA, other winners were states like Colorado and Michigan, where brick-and-mortar gaming grew along with online betting boosted by legalized sports betting.
Nevada Gaming Control Board economist Michael Lawton told the Post that he expects 2021 to break the casino win record set in 2007, before the Great Recession. October marketed nine straight months of casino win exceeding $1 billion in the state, with the all0-time monthly record of $1.36 billion set in July.
