US casino revenue up nearly 5 % in 2012

It marked the second-highest total ever, second only to 2007 when casinos took in us$ 37.5 billion just before the Great Recession hit. "By almost all measures, our industry is expanding and growing, which is good news for our employees and the communities where they live and work," said Frank Fahrenkopf, the association’s president.

There were 513 commercial casinos last year, up from 492 in 2011. Las Vegas remains the nation’s top gambling market, with more than us$ 6.2 billion in revenue last year.

The report found that 15 of the 22 states that had commercial casinos last year saw gambling revenues increase, led by Kansas, Maryland, Maine and New York, each of which opened new casinos in 2012. Ohio became the 23rd state with a commercial casino last year.

New Jersey experienced the largest decline in casino revenue. Despite adding a 12th casino, Atlantic City’s revenues fell 8 % last year to just over us$ 3 billion. The city’s casinos continue to fight increased competition in neighboring states and were hurt by the after-effects of Superstorm Sandy, which kept some visitors away for months.

New Jersey has seen its casino revenue fall from a high of us$ 5.2 billion in 2006. It is hoping that Internet gambling, which it legalized this year, will help rejuvenate the market.

Delaware, which also is battling a glut of casinos in the mid-Atlantic region, saw its casino revenue fall 4.7 % to us$ 526.6 million last year. It, too, will offer Internet gambling this year. Indiana was down 4 %, to us$ 2.61 billion.

Casinos paid us$ 8.6 billion in taxes to state and local governments last year, an increase of 8.5 %.