Nevada Poker Rooms Post Their Best January Since 2015

For the past several years, Nevada poker has been one of the most interesting verticals to track.

Alarmingly, more poker rooms and poker tables are disappearing in the state each month. At the same time, revenues continue to grow. In other words, Nevada casinos are becoming far more efficient in their poker operations.

A look inside this month’s Nevada poker revenue numbers

In January 2019, the Nevada Gaming Control Board counted 58 poker rooms and 548 poker tables. That’s a loss of five poker rooms and 20 tables compared to January 2018.

However, Nevada’s poker rooms are beating last year’s revenue numbers. In January 2019, they did so significantly by 6.52 percent.

So, in terms of numbers, Nevada’s poker rooms generated $9.58 million in January 2019. That’s the best January tally the state has posted since 2015 when it boasted 72 poker rooms and 678 poker tables.

The efficiency in 2019 is even more evident when January 2015 is compared with January 2019 on a per table basis:

•  January 2015 table average: $14,238
•  January 2019 table average: $17,485

Attrition is hitting Las Vegas hard

Statewide, Nevada has lost 20 percent of its poker rooms and 15 percent of its poker tables since January 2015.  Though this may seem obvious, the biggest losses have been in Clark County (Las Vegas) and the Las Vegas Strip.

For instance, Clark County has shed 23 percent of its poker rooms and 21 percent of its poker tables over the same period of time:

• Clark County, January 2015: 47 poker rooms and 556 poker tables
• Clark County, January 2019: 35 poker rooms and 437 poker tables

If we zoom in on the Las Vegas Strip, the decreases jump to 26 percent and 23 percent:

• January 2015: 23 poker rooms and 328 poker tables
• January 2015: 17 poker rooms and 252 poker tables

Three-month and 12-month Nevada poker room and table trends

Over the last three months, Nevada has averaged 554 poker tables at 58 separate locations. In that time, those rooms generated $28,467,000, a 3.65 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

For the last 12 months, Nevada has averaged 598 poker tables at 63 locations. During that time, the state’s poker operators have generated $120,598,000 — a 1.81 percent increase compared to the previous 12-month period.

The year’s high point occurred in July 2018, when there were 694 poker tables active in 60 poker rooms. Unsurprisingly, the state’s busiest time for poker coincides with the World Series of Poker.

Nevada poker rooms by the numbers

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

For those who are interested, 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
2018	62	599	120,010,000	1.33