Nevada Poker Report May 2018: 100 New Tables Added In Lead-Up To WSOP
Like clockwork, the number of poker tables in Las Vegas, Nevada swells from May to July every year. The reason: the thousands of poker players that flock to the city from around the globe for the World Series of Poker that begins in late May.
This time around, Las Vegas poker rooms added nearly 100 poker tables in May, but that’s just the buildup, the revenue bump from the WSOP won’t be felt until next month.
Still, there was a solid year-over-year revenue increase in May, as the Nevada Gaming Control Board reported a 2.85 percent increase in poker revenue for the month.
Poker revenue reached $9,171,000, compared $8,917,000 the state’s poker rooms collected in May 2017. However, it should be noted that the 2017 WSOP began on May 31, whereas the 2018 WSOP kicked off on May 29.
For the month of May, the NGCB counted 62 poker rooms and 688 tables. Interestingly, that’s well below the number of tables the state’s card rooms boasted in May 2017. Last year there was 62 poker rooms, but 724 tables.
On a per table basis, May 2018 easily bested last year’s numbers:
- May 2017 table average: $12,316
- May 2018 table average: $13,330
2018 live poker revenue in Nevada
12 month poker room and table trend
Over the last three months, Nevada has averaged 616 poker tables at 63 separate locations. Those rooms generated $27,603,000 over that period, a 2.36 percent increase over the same period last year.
Over the last 12 months Nevada has averaged 614 poker tables at 66 locations. During that time the state’s poker operators have generated $119,189,000, a 1.92 percent increase over the previous 12-month period.
- 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
- May 2018: 62 poker rooms and 688 poker tables
Poker in Clark County
All of the new tables in May can be found in Clark County – which includes Las Vegas. The NGCB counted 37 poker rooms and 572 poker tables in Clark County in the month of May. That’s two fewer rooms than April, but 93 more tables.
Last May there were 38 poker rooms in Clark County. Those rooms boasted 599 poker tables.
Clark County routinely generates more than 90 percent of the total poker market share in Nevada. In May, Clark County poker rooms accounted for $8,353,000 of the $9,171,000 poker dollars collected by the state’s card rooms.
[i15-table tableid=20717][i15-table tableid=19346]Poker on the Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip’s poker rooms make up the bulk of Clark County’s poker revenue. And during the WSOP it’s the Strip casinos that add the extra tables. Last month the Strip had 18 poker rooms and 280 tables. In May the Strip’s 18 poker rooms possessed 382 poker tables.
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 |