The commercial gaming industry in the United States is continuing to recover from its historic low in April, according to the latest figures from the American Gaming Association.
The AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker said October was the sixth consecutive month of improving gross gaming revenue, with GGR up 6.3% from September.
US GGR at $3.38 billion in October 2020 represents 93% of revenue from October 2019.
“Nearly all commercial gaming jurisdictions showed positive signs of ongoing recovery in October, despite continuing to operate with limited capacity, game availability, and non-gaming amenities,” the AGA said in a statement.
Explosive growth in sports betting is helping the recovery, as the AGA said October is likely to be strongest month ever. Americans wagered at least $2.82 billion on sports across 17 states and the District of Columbia, a figure that does not include Illinois, which was the fourth-largest sports wagering market in September.
Illinois is expected to push sports betting handle to more than $3 billion, which would be a record.
With sports wagering being approved in more and more states, the AGA said the legal US market reached an all-time high combined hold of at least $237.5 million, including free bets and promotions. That is up 53.5% from the previous record month, October 2019.
Sportsbooks in all but two states accepted more money in sports wagers in October than in any previous month. Nevada reported an all-time high handle, while New Jersey broke the national handle record for a third consecutive month.
In the first 10 months of 2020, national sports betting handle is up 48%, with revenue up 33% over the same period last year.
Legacy gaming also improved, with combined GGR from slot and table games up 3.4% from September to $2.98 billion in October, which was 86.6% of the industry’s levels in October 2019.
