The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has just published its concluding gaming revenue report for 2021, marking another prosperous year for casino operators.
Casinos broke records in 2021 for the amount of money they won from players.
Silver State casinos have won $1 billion or more from gamblers for the tenth month in a row in December. Casinos accumulated a total of $13.4 billion winnings for the year.
Prior to 2021, Nevada casinos saw their largest win in 2007, raking in $12.85 billion.
2021 Nevada Gaming Abstract
The Gaming Abstract for the fiscal year was released by the NGCB in January. This report varies slightly since Nevada’s fiscal year spans from July to June.
The data contained in the Gaming Abstract pertains solely to the initial half of 2021. The report provides an overview of both gaming and non-gaming income. Although it’s not a direct comparison, there are some intriguing insights to be gleaned.
During the fiscal year, gambling made up 52.4% of total revenue in Nevada casinos that earned over $1 million. However, on the Vegas Strip, the proportion of revenue from gambling was lower at 41.1%.
During the fiscal year, the vast majority of gambling revenue was accounted for by slot machines and table games, leading the way once again.
In this period, only 4.4% of gaming revenue at Nevada casinos with over $1 million in revenue came from sportsbooks. Vegas Strip casinos’ sportsbooks contributed to 3.2% of the gaming revenue.
As the rest of the nation becomes consumed with sports betting revenue, it remains a minor aspect of Nevada casinos’ earnings. The NGCB’s annual report indicates that sportsbook revenue increased by 69.4% from 2020, despite this.
Nevada casinos still derive a higher proportion of their revenue from sportsbooks than poker rooms and pari-mutuel horse racing. Sports betting continues to play a significant role in Nevada’s gaming mixture.
Sports betting in Nevada attracts visitors to casinos who may not typically visit, contributing to secondary income which can be traced back to the bars and restaurants.
2021 Nevada gaming revenue
2021 was not just a recovery year from 2020 when casinos were briefly shut down due to Covid-19. Casinos saw an 11.6% increase in earnings compared to 2019, before the global slowdown of businesses caused by Covid-19.
Throughout the year, Nevada casinos hit the $1 billion mark in gambling winnings ten times over a span of 12 months. The surge in gaming revenue is understandable considering non-gambling entertainment was severely restricted for a significant part of the year.
Both tourists and locals felt the effects of having fewer activities available when visiting casinos. The visitors missed out on shows and spa treatments for several months, while the locals couldn’t enjoy buffets or watch movies in theaters for some months of the year.
Despite the reopening of shows, spas, and theaters, casino guests continued to gamble at the tables and machines. Casinos saw an increase in winnings in December compared to November, which in turn had seen more winnings than October.
In 2021, every gambling district in Nevada experienced an increase in gaming revenue compared to 2020. The varying customer base of casinos across different parts of Nevada is reflected in the gaming win figures.
The Vegas Strip relies on tourists and business travelers. This region of Nevada experienced a modest increase of 7.4% over 2019.
A diverse blend of locals and tourists can be found in Downtown Las Vegas. There was a 23% increase in gaming revenue in this part of Nevada compared to 2019.
2021 Nevada gambling win by game
Despite casinos raking in a record-breaking $13.4 billion from gamblers, slot machines remain the favored gambling method in Nevada, as indicated by the NGCB report.
Casinos garnered over double the winnings from slot machines compared to all other games combined, amounting to $9.23 billion. The loud noises and bright lights from penny slots took the lead in contributing to the casinos’ winnings, raking in $3.75 billion.
In Nevada, slot machines are categorized as keno, video poker, and other electronic and stadium games.
Blackjack games are more prevalent in Nevada casinos than any other table game. This corresponds to another year where blackjack has generated the highest winnings at the casino tables.
Casinos earned $1.13 billion from blackjack in the year, making it the highest earning game. Baccarat, which was only available in 30 casinos, came in second, bringing in $939.142 million for the casinos.
According to the NGCB report, blackjack was available in 119 casinos.
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