777 Gambling Carnaval
Nevada Casino Revenues Soar in 2006
Nevada gaming regulators said the state's gambling halls had their largest gaming earnings ever for the month of April, collecting $989.8 million from customers. The figure was a 12.7 percent increase, eclipsing last year's total of $898.3 million.
Gaming earnings for January, February and March topped $1 billion statewide and analysts hinted the total could return in that category in May. During April, gamblers wagered $13.6 billion statewide; $11.4 billion on slots, a 3.3 percent increase from a year ago; and $2.2 billion on table games, up 12.7 percent from last April.
In Clark County overall, gaming earnings jumped 13.9 percent to $824.2 million, compared with $723.5 million a year ago. On the Strip, casinos earned $516.4 million, a 15.4 percent increase compared with $447.6 million in April 2005. In the 12 months since Wynn opened, Frank Streshley, the Gaming Control Board's senior research analyst said casinos have increased their gaming earnings 17.1 percent.
On the Strip, baccarat wagering and earnings both increased despite the lack of any special events or holidays that would attract high-end customers. Baccarat earnings were $55.8 million, an increase of 15.3 percent compared with $48.4 million in April 2005. Gamblers wagered $382 million on baccarat, 37 percent more than the $278 million wagered a year ago.
In downtown Las Vegas, where the monthly gaming earnings have shown a monthly decrease in nine of the last 11 months, casinos had a relatively flat April, earning $52.3 million from gamblers, compared with $52 million in April 2005.