After a year that has seen gambling come into its own in the United States, it comes as little surprise that the spiritual homeland of American gambling – the great state of Nevada – has had a record year.
This record was established after December numbers were released. December, too, was a strong month, offering a fine capstone to a fine year. Analysts were surprised by December’s performance as the holidays are usually a quieter time for Las Vegas tourism.
According to information released by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the state’s 215 licensed casinos saw the highest gaming revenue in its history: $13.43bn.
This bests the previous record of $12.85bn, set in 2007.
Clark County itself was also able to beat its record, also set in 2007. The county – which is the home of the Las Vegas metropolitan area – saw gaming revenue reach $11.5bn. The 2007 number was $10.9bn.
December also kept another record alive: it was the 10th month in a row in which the take surpassed $1bn, extending a record that had been set in November.
Analysts see 2021’s numbers as the confluence of a number of causes. A healthy economy, pent-up demand after a year of lockdown, people spending the savings they accumulated in that time, and the fact that stimulus cash had flooded the economy.
Lawmakers will be happy with the numbers, too. In Nevada, the maximum rate at which gaming revenue can be taxed is 6.75%. For December alone, that led to $68.2m in tax revenue, a year-on-year increase of 126.5%.
