The US commercial casino industry collected more than $40 billion in gaming revenue in 2016, a report by the Center for Gaming Research at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas shows. The reported figure represents an increase from the amount of $39.1 billion generated in 2015.
Here it is important to note that the UNLV’s latest commercial casino industry report is not absolutely comprehensive as it does not include information about several commercial casino operations around the country. Yet, the information it does include gives a clear enough picture of the state of the nation’s casino industry in the post-Recession period.
The mention of the Great Recession is necessary for the purposes of this article, as the States’ casino industry, just as any other trade, was significantly affected by the 2007 economic occurrences. However, financial results from the past several years, have indicated that the nation’s casinos have been on the rebound.
It barely comes as a surprise that Nevada was the best performing state in terms of casino revenue (or casino win, as referred to in reports from local regulators) generated last year. The state’s casinos reported overall revenue of $11.3 billion during the twelve months ended December 31, 2016. Nevada’s Clark County, home to Las Vegas, the world’s second largest gambling hub, raked in a total of $9.7 billion, up 1% year-on-year. The figure reported shows that the county was once again the nation’s most profitable casino jurisdiction.
Pennsylvania grabbed the second biggest share of the local commercial casino market last year with full-year revenue of $3.2 billion, up 2.3% from a year earlier. Generating annual revenue of $3.1 billion, Louisiana was the nation’s third most profitable state. However, local commercial casinos saw a 4.4% drop in full-year proceeds.
Maryland was the state to report the largest rise in annual revenue. Its market grew 9.55% year-on-year in terms of casino win to a total of $1.2 billion. The state had 5 commercial casinos up until December 2016. Late last year, an integrated casino resort opened doors on the Potomac River bank to expand Maryland’s casino industry. The luxury complex is expected to further boost the state’s market.
Oklahoma’s commercial casino market was the one to post the lowest revenue figure for 2016. Local non-tribal casinos generated $113.3 million last year, up 0.2% from 2015. The state is better known for its tribal gambling venues; it is home to several dozens of such casinos. However, it only features a handful of commercial gambling venues.
New Mexico was the state to see the biggest year-on-year drop in commercial casino revenue. In 2016, the local market shrank 8.9% from a year earlier to $242.3 million.
