Locals casinos up in March, but Las Vegas Strip win takes a step back
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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Locals casinos led the charge in March, posting their second-highest win totals while the Strip lagged behind its recent robust numbers, according to numbers released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board.
Nevada casinos took $1.29 billion from gamblers in March, down 1.65% compared to March 2023, and 3.8% below the previous month’s performance — which was the 6th-highest total ever. March came in as the state’s 13th-best month.
“Statewide win has not recorded a decrease in 8 months so this month may be disappointing to some at first glance,” Michael Lawton, senior economic analyst, said on Thursday. Calling this month’s win “respectable,” Lawton said a number of factors made it a tough comparison.
Lawton cited March 2023’s all-time record slot win of $906.5 million statewide, with $765.4 million of that coming from Clark County. “March 2023 also had a very impressive events calendar which included UFC 285, the construction industry trade show, ConExpo-Con/Agg, the Western Regional of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games were played at T-Mobile Arena and lastly, Taylor Swift played at Allegiant Stadium on March 24th and 25th,” he said.
In March, the Las Vegas Strip casinos posted $715.8 million in winnings, down 1.2% compared to March 2023 and 10.5% below February 2024. Lawton said the statewide and Strip numbers “as usual go hand in hand.”
Although locals casinos don’t bring in as much as the Strip, they showed positive results. The “balance of county” represents the second-largest contributor to the state’s gaming win each month — off-Strip casinos that typically cater to Las Vegas residents. In March, those casinos won $166.8 million, a 6.57% increase compared to a year ago. That was the second-highest total ever — just short of the record $169.3 million in January — for those casinos, which added Durango Casino & Resort to the ranks in December.
The Boulder Strip didn’t fare as well, posting $78.3 million in winnings — 9.28% lower than a year ago.
Downtown also dropped back from last year’s numbers, reporting $76.1 million in winnings, down 12.85% compared to March 2023.
But casinos in Mesquite and Laughlin were on the upswing. Laughlin ($49.4 million) had one of its best months in recent years and Mesquite ($19.1 million) had its second-best month ever, just short of 2007’s record $19.7 million.
Nevada has collected $86.4 million in percentage fees so far this month, but there are still six days remaining in April. The total for April 2023 was $97.3 million.
