Nevada Poker Report July 2018: Revenue Holds As More Poker Rooms Vanish
July is always an interesting month for Nevada poker rooms.
The first half of the month tends to get a big boost from the tail-end of the World Series of Poker, followed by a mass exodus of poker players and a return to the typical dog days of summer for Nevada poker rooms.
This year July poker revenue dipped four percent for the month, despite the second-best attended World Series of Poker Main Event in history.
WSOP’s impact on July revenue
How deep into the month of July the WSOP schedule runs, and what events are at the backend of the schedule help dictate July revenue.
Last year’s WSOP finished on July 17. The final two events were the Main Event and the Little One for One Drop tournament, two of the better-attended events on the schedule.
This year the WSOP also wrapped up on July 17, but the last two events were the Big One for One Drop and a $50,000 buy-in high roller. The WSOP Main Event finished on July 15, and the last big field tournament started on the 12th.
Considering the scheduling differences, July’s four percent year-over-year drop in poker revenue isn’t surprising.
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Top line numbers
For the month of July, the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) counted 60 poker rooms and 694 tables.
That’s a significant drop from the 63 poker rooms and 724 tables the state boasted last year.
Nevada poker rooms collected $12 million this year, compared to last July’s $12.5 million.
However, on a per table basis, July 2018 still managed to beat last year’s numbers:
- July 2017 table average: $17,265
- July 2018 table average: $17,291
2018 live poker revenue in Nevada
3- and 12-month poker room and table trend
Over the last three months, Nevada has averaged 688 poker tables at 62 separate locations. Those rooms generated $38,620,000 over that period, a 1.44 percent increase over the same period last year.
Over the last 12 months Nevada has averaged 608 poker tables at 64 locations. During that time the state’s poker operators have generated $119,494,000, a 1.6 percent increase over the previous 12-month period.
- 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
- June 2018: 62 poker rooms and 683 poker tables
- July 2018: 60 poker rooms and 694 poker tables
Poker in Clark County
The NGCB counted 37 poker rooms and 580 poker tables in Clark County in the month of July.
Those numbers are relatively unchanged from last year when there were 37 poker rooms and 596 poker tables in Clark County.
Of the $11,966,000 generated at Nevada poker tables in July, a whopping $11,034,000 came from Clark County, which includes the city of Las Vegas. That equates to 92 percent of all poker revenue.
Poker on the Las Vegas Strip
Clark County makes up the bulk of Nevada’s poker revenue, and the Las Vegas Strip’s poker rooms make up the bulk of Clark County’s poker revenue.
In June the Strip’s 18 poker rooms possessed 390 poker tables, and generated $8.6 million in 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:
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 |