Nevada Casinos Witness Fiscal Dip Despite March Madness Betting Frenzy

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In an unprecedented twist of events, Nevada casinos experienced a slight stumble on the path to fiscal success with a recorded win of $1.29 billion last month. This closely observed figure suggests a decrease of 1.65% from the winning tally of March 2023, marking the first notable downhill turn since eight months for the much-celebrated Silver State gaming industry.

At the heart of the action was March Madness, an anticipated betting frenzy that saw throngs of bettors assembled at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas sportsbook. As it turned out though, the expected surge didn’t quite hit the mark. Gaming win for Nevada casinos slipped nearly 2% from March 2023, primarily because slots and sportsbooks didn’t rake in as much money.


The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) released these figures, revealing simultaneously that there might be a silver lining. Despite the dip in slots’ win, the total statewide table win experienced a rather impressive growth of 2.5%, rounding up to a sum of $415.9 million. Incidentally, slots didn’t exactly meet their own record achievement from last year’s March, garnering only $874.5 million, which fell about 3.5% short of their all-time high.

Las Vegas Strip, the state’s most influential gaming market, also witnessed a deceleration in play by 1.2%—a total of $715.8 million. The slot machines on this bustling strip won only 5% from wagers, resulting in $401.4 million. While table games did manage to offset these losses somewhat with a 4% surge reaching $314.4 million, it still fell shy of striking a balance against the decreased slot hold.

Sportsbooks too weren’t in winning form, given that March Madness seemed to favor the public. The victory of favorites UConn and South Carolina in the men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments respectively dialed down the win for sportsbooks by 32% to a mere $29.8 million.

Nonetheless, the local gaming industry continued its upward rise as reflected in the GGR (gross gaming revenue) report for the first quarter of March 2024, which was pegged at an impressive thank $3.9 billion. Through the initial quarter, table games stoked the winning coals contributing a significant $1.32 billion of the total win, marking up a 6% increase from Q1 2023. Simultaneously, slot machines and sports betting win exhibited a modest improvement.

Still, even with March 2024 not surpassing its previous year, it did uphold Nevada’s consistent streak of winning at least $1 billion monthly, keeping the 37 months’ record going. Before this dazzling stint, the gaming industry’s longest winning stretch over ten digits lasted merely eight months—evident between October 2006 and May 2007.

Most markets discerned a revenue boost in Q1. The Strip elevated its GGR by 2.5% to a whopping $2.2 billion, South Shore Lake Tahoe increased its win by 4.5% totaling to $55.4 million, and Washoe County, the core of Reno, soared its revenue by 12% to $246.9 million. Not everyone fared well, though—places such as Downtown Las Vegas, Elko County, and Nye County saw minor declines in their respective GGRs.

Travel, however, stayed strong. Southern Nevada continued to attract masses. The numbers at Harry Reid International Airport show promising signs with over five million passengers serviced last month, a 2% uplift from March 2023. Yearly airport air traffic also grew by 1.7% by March, accommodating an influx of more than 13.7 million visitors.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is slated to release this week a more comprehensive report revolving around Southern Nevada’s thriving tourism and gaming industries. Anticipated details include visitor volume, convention attendance, and hotel occupancy levels—all signs of a flourishing industry, weathering a minor blip in its hashtag winning.