Gaming revenue provides a boost to the casino and gaming industry as well as providing taxes to governments. Nevada's casinos have seen an increase in these revenues post pandemic. Many businesses, including the casino and gaming industry, were crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The statewide Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) totaled nearly $1.13 billion in April 2022. The figures are all-time high in the state's long history of legal gambling.
Nevada's casinos have now won at least $1 billion for the 14th month in a row. This is also unheard of.
The April Boom
April 2022 saw a 20.5 percent increase as compared to April 2019. This is a nearly nine percent increase year over year.
Major notable events drew substantial traffic to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Strip got an impressive $593.5 million, while Clark County casinos collected $960.5 million from gamblers.
Nevada's GGR is 28 percent higher than in 2021. This improvement may, however, decline in May. A report by Deutsche Bank states that in May, an eight percent decrease in gaming as compared to 2021 is likely to occur.
The visit from Korean pop superstars BTS greatly benefited Las Vegas Casino. They played four sold-out concerts at Allegiant Stadium. The concerts had Permission to Dance on Stage and gathered over 200,000 people.
An annual NFL draft also brought masses of people to the state. The draft lasted for three days and saw an attendance of approximately 300,000 people. The reopening of Las Vegas' Palms Casino Resort after a $690 renovation would have contributed to the revenue increase.
Guests also arrived for the National Association Broadcasters convention. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority estimated that more than 3.38 million tourists visited the state.
Will May See a $1 Billion in Revenue?
There were fewer high-profile events in May than in April; hence the average daily traffic on the strip was down to nearly 13 percent from April. An analyst, Carlo Santarelli, anticipated increased volatility in May.
This is as a result of the two less weekend dates compared to last month.
The biggest special event in May was the Electric Daisy Carnival.
It is a three-day electronic dance music festival. This event brought an average of 166,000 people every night, and 39 arrests were made.
Expected decrease in revenue in May is not all bad news. Off the strip, casinos will see an 11.9 boost over May 2021 and a 40.1 percent increase over 2019.
The return of international travel in Las Vegas will improve traffic to the area. Harry Reid International Airport saw a 600 percent spike from April last year. This represents a restoration of international nonstop service provided by Las Vegas, which was lost in 2020.
According to the Deutsche Bank, everyday traffic in the residents' market increased by almost 10 percent in May. This represents a significant increase from the previous month when revenue fell by 3.2 percent.
The gaming revenue numbers are to be released in late June. This is the work of the Nevada Gaming Control Board. The numbers will reveal whether May is the 15th month in a row that Nevada has over $1 billion in revenue, despite its mixed performance.
