Nevada's local casino markets rebound in September

While Nevada’s local gaming markets rebounded well in September, most of them now showing increases compared to a year ago, the Strip and other large Southern Nevada markets are still suffering.

Gaming Control Board Analyst Mike Lawton said the markets that rely heavily on local gamblers are the ones posting increases in part because of stimulus money.

But because the major drivers that bring people to the Strip aren’t there yet, September reported total statewide win of $821.1 million, 22.4 percent down compared to a year ago. Lawton said compared to August, the total win was up 10.5 percent and the Strip accounted for more than 96 percent of that gain.

“It’s sitting on the runway and wanting to take off but there are some levers missing for that to happen,” he said.

Specifically, large live entertainment events, conventions and international flights bringing big customers to Las Vegas.

Until those drivers come back, Lawton said, “we’re going to be sitting here with these kinds of numbers for a while.”

The culprit was Game and Table win which decreased 41.9 percent to $213.6 million within that number is the dismal $14.2 million Baccarat contributed to the pot — 86.6 percent less than a year ago. Lawton said play volume was actually pretty good but, unlike last September when casinos held 19.5 percent what was wagered, their take this September was just 2.9 percent

The smaller markets, however, are back. Carson City, Churchill, Humboldt, Lyon, Nye and White Pine counties all posted increases compared to a year ago.

The most modest increase among those markets was in Carson, which increased just 0.83 percent or $81,000 compared to a year ago, reporting win of $9.87 million.

Churchill County reported an increase of just under 5 percent compared to a year ago. The 10 non-restricted locations in Churchill raked in $1.82 million in September.

Even Washoe County, which Lawton said relies on a significant amount of local play, was up in September by 3.4 percent to $78.8 million.

“The local component in Washoe is really driving the numbers,” he said.

The only Washoe County market to see a decrease was North Lake Tahoe where win decreased $226,000 or 8.8 percent to $2.3 million. The problem was Game and Table win — down nearly 30 percent at north shore

The story was completely different at the other end of the lake. South shore casinos at Stateline reported $24.79 million in win for September, a 36.3 percent increase over a year ago. The majority of the increase came from slots where the casino’s take was up 40.9 percent or $5.6 million. Both the volume of play and hold percentage were up significantly.

Outside of Clark County, only one market was still posting bad numbers. Elko County’s casino win was down 7.9 percent for the month to $25.2 million. The decrease was nearly 11 percent in Wendover, the market that accounts for two-thirds of Elko’s casino win.