LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada casinos posted a $1.3 billion win for the month of September, with downtown Las Vegas reporting its second-highest total ever.
The Las Vegas Strip accounted for more than half of the state’s gaming win, taking in $727.7 million from gamblers, while locals casinos brought in $155.9 million, according to figures released Tuesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The win total for Strip casinos was 1.8% lower than September 2023, before the opening of Fontainebleau Las Vegas and the closing of the Tropicana. Also missing: The Mirage, which is closed as it rebrands under its new owner, Hard Rock.
But overall, it was an average performance. Michael Lawton, senior economic analyst for the Gaming Control Board, said last month that the 12-month average was about $1.3 billion.
‘Average’ win now means $1.3 billion for Nevada casinos
Lawton said the Strip was down due to baccarat. Better performances in downtown Las Vegas, on the Boulder Strip, and at locals casinos in Clark County and Washoe County more than offset the Strip’s decrease. Lawton noted the state has exceeded $1 billion each month for 43 consecutive months.
If you take away the baccarat factor, the total win on the Strip increased by 7.6% or $45 million compared to September 2023, Lawton said.
Downtown casinos won $91.0 million in September, a 33% improvement over September 2023 and the second only to a $97.5 million win reported in October 2023. The increase was on the strength of slot machines, with a 40.2% increase. The slot win downtown totaled $60.2 million.
The statewide win total for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2024, is down 2.6% compared to the same time period in 2023, a Gaming Control Board news release said. Compared to September 2023, the win total was up 3.3%.
And sports bettors in Nevada didn’t fare as well as they did last year.
“Nevada sportsbooks won $80.9 million, up 29.8% compared to September 2023 on a hold percentage of 10.57% vs. 7.68% last year,” Lawton said. “This represents a new all-time record beating the previous high of $72.0 million set in November of 2021. Sportsbook wagers totaled $764.6 million, down 5.7% compared to last September when $811.3 million was wagered statewide.”
Other areas that saw big gains compared to September 2023:
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Boulder Strip: 19.3% increase at $80.4 million.
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Balance of the Clark County (locals casinos): 15.9% increase at $155.9 million.
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Reno: 12.4% increase at $71.9 million.
Gamblers were luckier elsewhere. South Lake Tahoe ($21.4 million) was down 18.8% compared to September 2023 and it wasn’t much better in small market of North Lake Tahoe, where the win ($2.2 million) was down 14.8%. Laughlin casinos showed a gaming win of $38.4 million, down 7.8%.