Nevada Poker Still Struggling As Room Closure Looms, But Revenue Climbs

February saw a slight uptick in the number of poker rooms and poker tables in the state of Nevada.

The newest numbers on Nevada poker

January’s Nevada Gaming Control Board report tallied 65 poker rooms and 596 tables in the state. February’s report indicated there were 67 poker rooms and 600 tables in Nevada.

The bad news is the current numbers for tables and poker rooms in Nevada are down by about a third from poker’s peak years of 2006 through 2011. In that span, Nevada averaged more than 100 poker rooms and over 900 tables.

The slight uptick in rooms and tables also produced a small increase in daily poker revenue. The state’s poker tables generated roughly $315,000 daily in February 2017, compared to $309,000 daily in 2016. However, because 2016 was a leap year, poker revenue for the month of February was down just slightly year-over-year.

• Nevada state-wide poker revenue for February 2016: $8.975 million
• Nevada state-wide poker revenue for February 2017: $8.833 million

Again, the revenue numbers from 2016 and 2017 are a far cry from the revenue numbers from several years ago, when the state’s poker rooms tallied:

• $13.2 million in February 2007;
• $13.2 million in February 2008;
• $11.3 million in February 2009;
• $10.7 million in February 2010; and
• $9.9 million in February 2011.

Here’s a look at the live poker trends in the state dating back to 1992.

Poker in Clark County

The number of tables and poker rooms in Clark County did not change from January to February, with the NGCB reporting 40 poker rooms and 476 total poker tables in the county that includes Las Vegas.

In February 2017, Clark County accounted for 66 percent of the state’s poker rooms (40), 79 percent of the state’s total poker tables (476), and a 90 percent of total poker revenue ($7,950,000).

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Poker on the Las Vegas Strip

The Strip is home to 20 of the state’s 67 poker rooms. Interestingly, the number of tables on the Strip dropped from January to February (from 275 to 273), but these seasonal fluctuations in tables aren’t uncommon and can ebb and flow with tournament series and other traditional visitation peaks.

However, more contraction is on the horizon, as the Monte Carlo has announced it will close its eight-table poker room on April 25.

The largest poker rooms in Las Vegas remain unchanged:

• 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