Nevada Poker Revenues Flat at $9.7M In March

Nevada’s poker rooms generated revenues of $9.7 million in March, an amount mostly flat compared to the $9.69 million collected during the same month in 2015. March’s results complete a roller-coaster first quarter in which poker revenues declined by 2.85% in January, before rising 5.5% in February.
The Silver State’s has 71 poker rooms offering a collective 655 tables between them, according to the state Gaming Control Board. The Las Vegas Strip with 21 of those rooms and 305 tables subsequently generated $6.17 million in March, up 0.8% year-over-year.
Nevada’s monthly poker revenues are expected to receive a boost between May 31st to July 18th when thousands of gamblers and tourists from all across the USA and the world descend upon Las Vegas to take part in the 2016 WSOP. The time period traditionally results in the three most lucrative months for Nevada’s poker rooms, with the state’s only viable online poker operator, WSOP.com, also benefitting from the prestigious land-based tournament series. In 2015, for instance, the site reported an almost 25% surge in traffic during the series, with its inaugural online bracelet event helping to contribute to the impressive results.
Nevada’s poker market reached an all-time high of $168 million in 2007, which also marked the end of the ‘poker boom’. Since then, revenues have fallen every year with the exception of 2013 when it posted a slight 0.56% uptick versus 2012. By example, Nevada generated poker revenues of $118 million in 2015, compared to $119.9 million in 2015, and $123.9 million in 2013.
Nevada’s casino industry as a whole has fared significantly better, and last year collected $11.11 billion in revenues, up by nearly 1% compared to 2014’s tally. When all forms of gambling are counted, Nevada produced revenues of $24.6 billion in 2015, up 3% from the previous year. In recent years, Nevada has increasingly tried to cater towards tourists looking for non-gambling related entertainments, and last year for the first time ever gambling revenues accounted for less than 35% of the casinos’ total income.