Nevada Poker Report April 2018: The Calm Before The WSOP Storm

June 3, 2018
Nevada Poker Report April 2018:  The Calm Before The WSOP Storm

Nevada poker numbers are one of the more counterintuitive data sets you’ll come across. For well over a year the industry has seen revenue trending up while the number of poker rooms and poker tables trend down.  April 2018 saw both trends reverse.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board reported a -1.09 percent year-over-year decrease in poker revenue for the month.

Poker revenue reached $8,350,000 in April, compared to $8,442,000 poker rooms collected in April 2017.

For the month, the NGCB counted 64 poker rooms and 595 tables. That’s a solid bump on both fronts compared to March’s 62 poker rooms and 567 poker tables. It’s also an increase over April 2017, when the state boasted 64 poker rooms and 586 tables, marking the first time in recent memory that the number of poker tables has increased year-over-year.

The bump could represent some rooms getting an early start on the summer tournament season. A World Poker Tour stop, the Super High Roller Bowl, and the World Series of Poker.

Not surprisingly, on a per table basis, April 2018 dropped off from last year’s numbers:

  • April 2017 table average: $14,406
  • April 2018 table average: $14,034

2018 live poker revenue in Nevada

12-month poker room and table trend

May 2017: 62 poker rooms and 724 poker tables

June 2017: 62 poker rooms and 731 poker tables

July 2017: 63 poker rooms and 724 poker tables

August 2017: 63 poker rooms and 603 poker tables

September 2017: 62 poker rooms and 598 poker tables

October 2017: 61 poker rooms and 572 poker tables

November 2017: 62 poker rooms and 580 poker tables

December 2017: 61 poker rooms and 562 poker tables

January 2018:  63 poker rooms and 568 poker tables

February 2018:  64 poker rooms and 587 poker tables

March 2018: 62 poker rooms and 567 poker tables

April 2018: 64 poker rooms and 595 poker tables

Poker in Clark County

The NGCB counted 39 poker rooms and 479 poker tables in Clark County in the month of April, a 25-table increase over March. Clark County includes the heavily trafficked and larger poker rooms from Las Vegas.

As such, Clark County generates 90 percent of the total poker market share in Nevada. In April , Clark County poker rooms accounted for $7,555,000 of the $8,350,000 poker dollars collected by the state’s card rooms.

The 39 rooms and 479 tables is a slight increase Y/Y. In April 2017  Clark County’s 39 poker rooms possessed 471 poker tables.

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Poker on the Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip’s poker rooms make up the bulk of Clark County’s poker revenue. Las Vegas Strip poker rooms generated $5,238,000 in April, even though they only account for a fraction of the poker rooms and tables in the state, 19 and 270 respectively.

Nevada poker rooms by the numbers

The largest poker rooms in Las Vegas are mainly found on the Las Vegas Strip:

Venetian (The Strip) – 37 poker tables

Bellagio (The Strip) – 37 poker tables

Orleans (Las Vegas off-strip)- 35 poker tables

Wynn (The Strip) – 28 poker tables

Aria (The Strip) – 24 poker tables

South Point Casino (Henderson) – 22 poker tables

Green Valley Ranch Casino (Henderson) – 22 poker tables

Red Rock Casino (Summerlin) – 20 tables

Historical data and trends of poker in Nevada

Here’s a look at several key poker metrics from the UNLV Center for Gaming Research, which has been tracking the number of poker rooms, tables and revenue since 1992:

Year # of Rooms # of Tables Total Revenue % Change YoY
1992 92 564 74,701,000 -2.57
1993 89 571 70,814,000 -5.20
1994 93 586 71,667,000 1.20
1995 92 574 66,520,000 -7.18
1996 82 539 64,485,000 -3.06
1997 77 490 61,509,000 -4.61
1998 76 526 58,873,000 -4.29
1999 70 546 63,244,000 7.41
2000 68 473 63,064,000 -0.28
2001 65 475 59,673,000 -5.38
2002 57 386 57,791,000 -3.15
2003 58 383 68,276,000 18.15
2004 79 484 98,862,000 44.80
2005 96 701 140,224,000 42.00
2006 106 886 160,929,000 14.77
2007 113 907 167,975,000 4.38
2008 113 913 155,724,000 -7.29
2009 114 905 145,580,000 -6.54
2010 109 920 135,200,000 -7.13
2011 104 872 131,877,000 -2.46
2012 99 809 123,253,000 -6.54
2013 88 774 123,891,000 0.56
2014 79 736 119,904,000 -3.18
2015 76 681 118,023,000 -1.57
2016 73 661 117,753,000 -0.18
2017 71 615 118,455,000 0.60
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