Gambling win for the Las Vegas Strip’s casinos hit new highs in February 2024. That’s according to the latest monthly data release from the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
The combination of the Super Bowl and the Chinese New Year meant record visitors to Sin City. That translated into record numbers for its gambling operators.
The Las Vegas Strip alone hit $800.7 million in revenues for the month, easily surpassing February 2023’s previous record of $712 million. In fact, this February was the famous destination’s fifth-biggest month of revenues in its history.
Chinese New Year saw an 82% increase in baccarat takings at high limit gaming rooms, as well as other table games. Slot revenue actually fell slightly, as customers rebounded with a few big wins after a lean streak without many large jackpots (a trend which continued into March.)
Statewide Revenues
February went as expected, given that the first Super Bowl to be held in Nevada was coming to town. It was a big rebound from January’s slight year-on-year fall.
Although visitation was expected to be massively up, it was impossible to know how much this would translate into gambling revenues — and now we have an answer.
Despite January revenues being down 4% year-on-year, it got back on track with an 8.5% boost compared to February 2023. It also maintained Las Vegas’s 36-month consecutive streak of $1 billion-plus revenues.
The Las Vegas Strip led the charge, as usual. But other areas of Las Vegas and Nevada were also booming with gamblers.
Clark County overall was up 8% on last February’s revenues at $1.081 billion. Downtown Las Vegas also saw a 2.7% rise year-on-year, and outside Sin City, it was Reno’s casinos that saw the biggest boost, with a 10% year-on-year rise.
Table Games Lead
Across Nevada, but particularly on the Las Vegas Strip, it was table games that were the biggest driver of increased revenues.
Baccarat saw an astonishing 80% year-on-year increase in takings, as the Chinese New Year saw players flock to the tables to the tune of $180 million. That made for a rare month when baccarat outpaced blackjack as Sin City’s favorite card game, although blackjack tables also benefited with a 20% rise in revenues to $107 million.
However, these card sharks mostly ignored slots. On the Las Vegas Strip, slots revenue was down 2.4% across casino gaming floors. Statewide saw a slight 1% growth for slots gaming.
As for sports betting, no surprise that it also generated a record handle, if not revenues. In Nevada, $185.6 million was wagered on the Kansas City Chiefs’ tight overtime victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.
However, the close nature of the game and the overwhelming bettor support for the Chiefs meant Nevada’s sportsbooks only held on to $6.8 million of that as a win.
David is an online casino expert who specializes in online slots and boasts over 10 years experience writing about iGaming. He has written for a wide range of notable publications, including eSports Insider and WordPlay Magazine.
David graduated Derby University with a BA Degree in English Literature and Creative Writing.
