Nevada Poker Report: Poker Rooms Tally $118.5 Million In 2017

The Nevada Gaming Control Board released its detailed casino revenue report for the month of December last week, and all-in-all it was good year for Nevada poker room operators.

Poker ended the year with a strong showing in December, with revenue of more than $9.5 million. That represents a 1.5 percent increase year-over-year.

For the year, Nevada’s poker rooms tallied $118.5 million, compared to $117.8 million in 2016. The .6 percent increase is the first Y/Y gains since 2013, and the largest annual increase since 2007.

The Y/Y revenue gains occurred despite the number of poker rooms (Nevada averaged 71 poker rooms in 2017) and poker tables (Nevada averaged 615 poker tables in 2017) falling to their lowest numbers since 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Top line numbers for December

The December room and table tallies were well below the yearly averages listed above, as the state continued its year-long trend of shedding poker rooms and tables in December.

For the month, the NGCB counted 61 poker rooms and 568 tables, compared to 62 rooms and 580 tables in November 2017, and the 65 poker rooms and 602 poker tables the state boasted in December 2016.

Yet the state continues to rake in more revenue.

Statewide poker revenue was $9,514,000 in December, compared to the $9,368,000 the state generated last December.

On a per table basis, December 2017 vastly outperformed December 2016:

• November 2016 table average: $15,561
• November 2017 table average: $16,750

Poker rooms and tables trends in 2017

• January 2017: 65 poker rooms and 596 poker tables
• February 2017: 67 poker rooms and 600 poker tables
• March 2017: 66 poker rooms and 596 poker tables
• April 2017: 64 poker rooms and 586 poker tables
• 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

Here’s how the poker room and table trend looks in chart form.

Poker in Clark County

In December 2017, there were 38 poker rooms in Clark County, which includes the heavily trafficked and larger poker rooms from Las Vegas. Those rooms possess a total of 455 poker tables.

Those numbers are fairly stable when compared to December 2016, which saw 40 rooms and 479 tables in Clark County.

The stability shouldn’t be surprising as Clark County has over 90 percent of the total market share in Nevada. In December, Clark County poker rooms generated $8,444,000 of the $9,514,000 poker dollars collected by the state’s card rooms.

There are a couple of reasons for this. The average monthly value of a Clark County poker table is over $18,500, while the average monthly value of a poker table outside of Clark County is around $10,000.

Poker on the Las Vegas Strip

Zooming in even closer, The Strip accounts for most of the poker dollars coming out of Clark County, and therefore most of the poker dollars in Nevada.

The Strip only has 20 poker rooms, but accounts for nearly half of the state’s poker tables – 276 in November – and nearly two-thirds of all poker revenue.

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: