LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Nevada casinos won $1.36 billion in July, surpassing May’s record of $1.23 billion.
The figures released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show strong growth for casinos statewide, but particularly for Las Vegas Strip casinos, which won 58% of the state’s total — $798.6 million.
July’s gaming win includes the first full month of Resorts World’s operation on the Strip.
Nevada Gaming Control Board analyst Michael Lawton called July a “perfect storm for gaming win in terms of special events” in Las Vegas.
Besides the Resorts World opening, July also had five weekends, hosted the return of several Cirque du Soleil shows and headline concerts, and experienced a sharp jump in baccarat play by international guests.
Lawton pointed to shows by entertainers Bruno Mars at the Park MGM, Usher at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and Garth Brooks at Allegiant Stadium, a UFC event featuring Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier at T-Mobile Arena, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup final between the United States and Mexico at the end of the month.
Casinos on the Strip saw the win grow by about $188 million in one month’s time, from June to July.
The money was back on the Strip this month, after downtown Las Vegas and the Boulder Strip each saw big increases last month.
Overall, the state’s gaming win grew by 79.6% compared to July of 2020.
The big win also means gaming revenue for the state was up — 202% higher than last year’s fees collected by the state.
Nevada has now exceeded $1 billion in the statewide gaming win for five consecutive months, bearing out predictions by many analysts that “pent up demand” would fuel big results when casino business returned.
New mask mandates that came on July 30 could show their effects on casino winnings in reports next month.