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During the last months of the Corona pandemic, gamblers in the U.S. had to do without Las Vegas casinos. They, in turn, had to do without their revenue from gamblers. No sooner have the restrictions in Nevada fallen noticeably than one revenue record in the casinos follows the next.
In August, the casinos once again cracked the magic mark of one billion US dollars.
However, the casinos on the Strip had to accept a slight minus.
And the Corona pandemic has not yet completely left Nevada but is once again moving noticeably closer.
August Also Remains Strong: Billion Mark Cracked Again
What a successful few months it has been in Las Vegas.
After gamblers had to do without entertainment in the casinos for several months, they seem to be all the keener to play in them again in recent weeks.
As the Nevada Gaming Control Board announced, casinos were able to generate revenues of around $1.19 billion in August.
That’s a lot of money but at the same time a “normal” value for the past few weeks.
After all, August was now the fourth month in a row in which the casinos were able to break the mark of one billion US dollars.
This sum is particularly impressive, especially when looking at the previous year.
In August 2020, Nevada casino revenue was just $560 million.
The 1.19 billion this year thus corresponds to an increase of more than 100 percent.
Since the Corona pandemic was already felt here, too, the figures should be taken with a bit of caution.
That’s why it’s also worth looking back at 2019.
In the last August before the Corona crisis, casino revenue in Las Vegas was around $1.04 billion.
So, this sum was also surpassed in 2021.
Curious: Of All Places on the Strip, a Slight Minus
In this context, it is a little curious that the casinos in the center of Las Vegas had to accept a slight minus compared to 2019.
Accordingly, one percent less revenue was generated on the Strip.
However, this is only a tiny drop in the bucket.
The casinos on the Strip are still responsible for around half of all casino revenues in Las Vegas.
From the gambling authority’s side, it is said that away from the Strip, all markets increased in August 2021.
The center would also have made an overall good comeback for the second quarter.
Slot Machines and Sports Betting are Driving Revenue
The Nevada authority has not only determined the general revenues of the gaming industry.
But also, where exactly they were generated. As in every year, slot machines have done well.
Even for these, however, the year was particularly good.
A whopping 868 million US dollars were turned over with the machines in August.
This broke a more than ten-year-old sales record from 2007.
Sports betting in Nevada also generated enormous revenues.
The figure here was 315 million US dollars in August.
Sports betting is also currently on a record course.
And not only that: the mobile betting offer is also being perceived much more intensively.
A good 58 percent of sales were generated by mobile betting, according to the authorities.
If the figures in August already look good, the advantage over 2020 becomes even clearer when looking at the quarter.
Through the Corona pandemic, 2020 revenue was just $576 million in the second quarter.
This year, revenue more than quintupled to $3.46 billion.
The problem: The Corona pandemic isn’t over yet, even in the desert state of Nevada.
Is Another lockdown Looming?
The incidence figures in Nevada have risen significantly again in recent weeks.
Initially, politicians reacted to this by making masks compulsory for employees.
In the meantime, however, this no longer seems to be sufficient.
Only a few days ago, Governor Steve Sisolak announced that the mask requirement would now be extended to guests in the casinos.
Not a few players and casino operators now fear a renewed lockdown, since in the United States also the vaccination figures have recently increased significantly less.
If the situation in Nevada does not calm down, Governor Sisolak will probably have to take further measures.
However, it seems rather unrealistic that these would again involve a complete lockdown in the gambling metropolis.
It is much more likely that, for example, only vaccinated people will be allowed to enter the casinos.
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Lukas is the head author at Casinoble and responsible for all content strategies and what casinos we review.
Lukas has a background of playing poker in the early years of the poker boom in Europe. He became an expert within the online gambling and has been working as an author for several websites.
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