2024 Commercial Gaming Revenue Reaches Record $71.9B
U.S. commercial gaming revenue reached an annual record of $71.92 billion in 2024, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. The total surpasses 2023’s previous high of $66.5 billion by 7.5 percent, marking the industry’s fourth-straight record revenue year.
The year was punctuated by an all-time single-quarter record revenue of $18.62 billion in Q4 2024.
“In 2024, Americans embraced the diverse legal gaming options available to them—whether in casinos, at sportsbooks, or online—leading to another record-setting year for our industry,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “As we build on this success, the AGA remains committed to fostering additional growth that benefits consumers, operators, and communities alike.”
For the AGA’s complete 2024 report, visit americangaming.org.
Metropolitan Park Gets Planning Commission Approval
The New York City Planning Commission has voted to approve the rezoning of Metropolitan Park, QNS reported Feb. 20. The $8 billion development centered around a casino next to Citi Field is being proposed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock Entertainment.
Cohen’s proposal has been endorsed by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards as well as five community boards adjacent to the proposed site. It still has a long way to go to come to fruition, and the most critical piece is to obtain one of three available downstate casino licenses. Stakeholders have said the project will not move forward if that license is not awarded. According to QNS, the proposal will now advance to the city council and mayor’s office.
“This vote reflects the overwhelming community support and input Steve Cohen and Hard Rock have collected over the past three years. We look forward to presenting our community-first vision to Council Member Moya and the City Council,” project spokesman Karl Rickett said in a statement.
Cedar Rapids Detractors Continue Legal Challenges to Casino License
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission (IRGC) is facing renewed calls to delay or reverse the issuance of a casino license to the developers of a casino project in Cedar Rapids. Riverside Casino, which would be the most impacted of any existing state casino by the construction of a Cedar Rapids facility, filed a renewed motion to stay in Washington County District Court Feb.10.
The IRGC filed a motion to strike the same day and Cedar Rapids Development Group and the Linn County Gaming Association filed a joinder for the commission’s motion. A hearing is set for Feb. 21. Riverside is alleging that the negative impacts of the casino project have not been properly considered.
On Feb.6, the IRGC awarded the Cedar Rapids license on the third attempt. In the days leading up to the decision, a moratorium on casino licenses was fast-tracked through the state House but stalled out in the Senate.
The Brook Gets Green Light for Major Expansion
The Brook charitable casino in Seabrook, NH received approval from the town’s Planning Board Feb. 18 for a sizable expansion that will span 24,000 square feet between the front and back of the house. Included in the approval were three conditions—owners must post a $150,000 bond with the town before beginning construction, outdoor lighting must be altered to avoid light pollution in nearby areas and any outdoor special events must end by 11 p.m.
According to Seacoast Online, the expansion is expected to include additional gaming space, a new restaurant, a new retail shop, design upgrades, new parking areas, upgraded employee areas and more.
Denver Judge Hits Monarch with $74 Million Construction Judgement
Regional operator Monarch Casino is facing a $74.6 million judgement from a multi-year lawsuit stemming from the construction of its casino in Black Hawk, Colo. Denver District Judge Andrew Luxen issued the ruling Feb. 14, and according to a Feb.18 report from 9 News, the company plans to appeal to the Colorado Court of Appeals.
The suit was filed by PCL Construction, which completed renovation and expansion work on the property that included a 23-story hotel tower. PCL claimed Monarch breached contract by refusing to pay for the work, and Monarch counter-sued, saying that PCL missed deadlines and did subpar work.
Luxen did side with Monarch on two counts, and ruled PCL owed the company nearly $145,000. But after subtracting that total, PCL was awarded $74,627,657.
Smoke-Free Casino Bill Moving in Iowa
A new bill—House Study Bill 148—that would ban smoking in Iowa casinos is making its way through the state House. Like many states, Iowa casinos are exempt from existing indoor smoking bans and opponents are attempting to close that loophole.
According to the Gazette, anti-smoking advocates testified at a House subcommittee meeting Feb. 18 about the dangers of indoor smoking. Iowa boasts the fastest-growing new cancer rate, they said.
Conversely, casino advocates cautioned that a smoking ban would significantly impact revenue. Mary Earnhardy, president and CEO of the Iowa Gaming Association, said a ban would “significantly curtail” the economic impact of the state’s casino industry, per the Gazette.
Addiction Searches on Rise, But Reason to Worry?
Since the Professional and Amatuer Sports Protection Act was overturned in 2018, the number of internet search terms around “gambling addiction” has risen 23 percent nationally, according to an American Medical Association JAMA Internal Medicine investigation. Published Feb.17, the study revealed that searches rose most in Pennsylvania (50 percent), Massachusetts (47 percent), New York (37 percent) and New Jersey (34 percent).
In the abstract, investigators wrote, “The results of this time series study suggest that access to sportsbooks, sports wagers, and potential help-seeking for gambling addiction increased substantially and highlight the need to address the health implications of sportsbooks, including recognition and treatment of gambling problems and their broader societal implications.”
But is this increase truly cause for concern? Guy Bentley, writing for Reason.com suggests that it is not. Using New Jersey as an example, he wrote that searches for gambling addiction help rose 34 percent since legal sports betting went live in 2018. But that has not translated into an increase in the percentage of problem gamblers in the state.
“In 2021, the latest year for which we have data, problem gambling in New Jersey was 5.6 percent,” Bentley wrote. “But in 2017, before sports betting was legal, New Jersey’s problem gambling rate was 6.3 percent.”
In addition, Bentley shared that while there was an increase in the number of bankruptcies in the 1980s and early 1990s after lotteries and casinos were legalized, the “effect largely disappeared” by the mid-1990s. Further, he wrote that gambling expert Howard Schaffer “said the evidence “suggests that the rate of PG (pathological gambling) has remained relatively stable during the past 35 years despite an unprecedented increase in opportunities and access to gambling.”
In the U.K. and Australia, where digital wagering has been legal for 20-plus years, the there has been “no change” in the percentage of problem gamblers, Bentley wrote.
Investigators from the University of California San Diego Qualcomm Institute and School of Medicine looked at the use of the following search terms: gambling and addiction, addict, anonymous, or hotline. In hard numbers, investigators wrote that between 6.5 and 7.3 million searches were made.
They reviewed Google search history from Jan. 1, 2016-June 30, 2024.
Sweepstakes Aren’t on Many People’s Radar
While the legal gambling industry is focused on killing sweepstakes and social casinos, a Fantasy Sports and Gaming Association (FSGA) study released Feb.19 shows low recognition and even lower engagement among Americans. According to the report, 14 percent of American adults “recognize” social sportsbooks and 4 percent have used them. In addition, the FSGA said, many do not understand what sweepstakes are or if they are legal.
The study also showed that 28 percent of Americans engaged in fantasy or sports betting in 2024, which is flat against 2023. It also revealed that more Americans participate in sports betting (22 percent) vs. fantasy (18 percent) and that the demographics are different. The average sports bettor is a 45-year-old male while the average fantasy player is 42.4 years old. The demographic for both is predominantly men.
With regard to women’s sports, FSGA did not provide any numbers, but said that the WNBA remains the top women’s league for betting, and that it is seeing “steady growth” in betting on women’s soccer, MMA, golf and other sports.
The research was released at the FSGA Winter Conference in Las Vegas. The Angus Reid Group conducted polling Jan. 21-29, 2025, among a representative sample of 2,052 online Americans who are members of the Angus Reid Forum.
Dominic Tiberio and Robert Allen inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame
Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, LLC (EKG) announced that Dominic Tiberio and Robert Allen have been inducted into the EKG Slot Awards Hall of Fame (HOF) Class of 2025. Both will be honored at the 2025 EKG Slot Awards in Las Vegas on Feb. 27, at the Palms Casino Resort.
In August 1963, Tiberio began his career in the gaming industry by joining Bally Manufacturing in Chicago. One of his notable early contributions was to Bally’s groundbreaking Money Honey game, which was the first electro-mechanical slot machine in the industry.
While at Bally, he eventually took over game development, and over the course of his career either led the development or oversaw the development of key slot games including Game Maker, Black Gold, Diamond Line, Bonus Frenzy, Triple Blazing 7s, Fire & Ice, Millionaire Sevens, Monte Carlo, and Pick Em Poker.
Tiberio retired from Bally in 2008 and currently resides in Las Vegas.
Allen earned a bachelor’s degree in music before discovering the gaming industry, first as a slot floor supervisor in 1984 at Harrah’s Marina Casino. Two years later he joined the Tropicana Casino & Resort and spent the next 14 years with that organization ultimately rising to the position of executive director of slot operations. His career took him to slot operations leadership in Minnesota with the Mille Lacs Band, at Pinnacle Entertainment, and L’Auberge in Louisiana. He retired in 2017.
Tiberio is the seventh inductee to the EKG Slot Awards HOF under the Game Development category while Allen is the fifth inductee under the Slot Operations category.
Station Expands Inspirada Site by 14 Acres
Station Casinos Feb. 13 received unanimous approval from the Henderson Planning Commission to expand the site of its Inspirada Station casino project by just over 14 acres, and the company says the additional land will be used for surface parking, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The matter will now proceed to the Henderson City Council March 4. With the additional land, the parcel now stands at about 66 acres. Station has owned the land for years and will eventually build its next casino resort there.
Early plans call for 58,000 square feet of gaming space, 201 hotel rooms, a sportsbook and other amenities. There is currently no timetable for the project, as the company has been focused primarily on the $120 million expansion of its Durango casino instead.
