Nevada Casinos Set New Monthly Gaming Revenue Record, July Win Totals $1.36B

Posted on: August 26, 2021, 11:24h. 

Last updated on: August 26, 2021, 01:00h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Nevada casinos have set a new bar when it comes to gross gaming revenue (GGR). Nevada’s 312 licensed gaming facilities combined to win $1.36 billion off of players in July.

Nevada casinos GGR Las Vegas Strip
Visitors in June gather to take in the sights, sounds, and spectacles of Resorts World Las Vegas. The resort, the newest Las Vegas Strip property, helped fuel record gaming revenue for Nevada casinos last month. (Image: Getty)

This revenue is an all-time best monthly GGR report in state history. Gambling was legalized in Nevada in 1931.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board revealed today that July’s haul was fueled by slot machines, the terminals raking in more volume in a single month than ever before. Slots generated GGR of more than $873.6 million, a 60 percent increase in July 2020. Table games won $486.2 million — a 131 percent year-over-year surge.

Table Game Revenue

  • Baccarat — $160.1M
  • Blackjack — $122.2M
  • Roulette — $46.5M
  • Craps — $42.2M

Baccarat’s strong July performance, which was up 169 percent on July 2020, shows that international travel is resuming. Baccarat is typically the game of choice among Las Vegas guests arriving from Asia.

Sportsbooks also fared well in July, oddsmakers winning eight percent of the nearly $410 million wagered last month.

Record Play

July 2021’s GGR total of $1.36 billion easily eclipsed the state’s prior all-time best month. It was only May 2021 when the state realized play of $1.23 billion. That easily broke the previous mark of $1.17 billion set in October of 2007. Now, Nevada’s gaming industry has yet another new monthly GGR high to target.

Various factors contributed to July’s record performance. Extraordinary pent-up demand stemming from COVID-19 has apparently resulted in Americans getting out and seeking leisure activities.

Approximately 4.15 million passengers came through McCarran International Airport last month. Though that number is down almost eight percent from July 2019, domestic travel has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

Heater Continues for Nevada Casinos

July marked Nevada’s fifth consecutive month topping the $1 billion mark in casino earnings. Nevada joins a list of states that have recently reported record casino numbers, including New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Ohio.

Clark County and the Las Vegas Strip were where the bulk of the play occurred in July. Clark County GGR was $1.16 billion, up 90 percent from a year ago. GGR on the Strip came in at $793.7 million, a 140.5 percent year-over-year premium.

Downtown Las Vegas also continued its winning ways, as casinos there reported revenue of $71.2 million. That’s a 71 percent jump in July 2020 and a 36 percent gain in July 2019.

Along with pent-up demand, July’s bountiful GGR numbers can be partially credited to Southern Nevada having three additional major casinos in operation last month that wasn’t in business in the summer of 2020.

In June, Resorts World Las Vegas, a $4.3 billion complex, became the Strip’s newest from-the-ground-up casino in more than a decade. Circa Las Vegas, downtown Las Vegas’ newest from-the-ground-up casino resort in 40 years, commenced operations last October.

Finally, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas — formerly Hard Rock Las Vegas — opened in January of this year. The off-Strip casino is operated by Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment.