Gaming revenue up on Las Vegas Strip, statewide in January

The card game’s January winnings boosted casino coffers to US$ 137.7 million in January, more than any other casino game besides slots and represented an increase of 69 percent compared with a year ago. But the total amount bet on the game was down 13 percent, said Lawton, the senior research analyst for the state’s Gaming Control Board.

It represented the fifth straight month that total wagers dropped, said Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the Nevada Gambling Board. Revenue numbers were up because the state’s casinos, the house, kept more than it did a year ago. “My comfort level has not increased based on this month’s results,” he said Friday.

Nevada’s Gaming Control Board released the latest statistics showing the state’s casinos won US$ 952.7 million in January, up nearly 8 percent compared with a year earlier. Gambling revenue was up 15 percent on the Las Vegas Strip and 14 percent in Reno, Nevada. But the winnings didn’t extend to downtown Las Vegas, where the amount gamblers left in slot machines and at table games was down more than 10 percent.

The report says Nevada collected US$ 68.4 million in taxes based on the month’s gambling revenue, about 2 percent less than a year ago. While baccarat’s behavior toned down his enthusiasm, Lawton said he’s starting to see signs that make him feel comfortable.

Slot betting was up 4.9 percent to US$ 8.9 billion in the state, and the Las Vegas Strip has seen one drop in 12 months in winnings from the machines.

Lawton said he expects February’s figures to show the impact from the Chinese New Year and spillover from the Super Bowl despite the game itself being less lucrative for sports books this year.