United States of America
Nevada casinos win $1.03 billion in February
By Brenden Riley - Las Vagas Sun (USA, 11 April 2006)
Nevada casinos won $1.03 billion from gamblers during February for a 12.8 percent gain over the same month a year earlier, according to a state report released Monday.
The win, a record for any February, was the money left over after gamblers bet $13.9 billion. That included $2.8 billion wagered at table games and $11.1 billion pumped into slot machines.
The state collected $70 million in percentage fees based on the February win. That's up 34.3 percent compared with the fees collected for the same month in 2005. Collections for the fiscal year to date total $573.2 million, up nearly $44 million from previous projections by the state Economic Forum.
Frank Streshley, analyst for the control board, said February was the 19th month in a row to show a statewide percentage gain. He added that factors in the gain included a good Superbowl weekend, the Mosley-Vargas junior middleweight fight in Las Vegas and strong Chinese New Year play.
A breakdown of the casinos' $1.03 billion win shows that Las Vegas Strip resorts accounted for more than half the total, $551 million. That's a 19.1 percent increase over the same month a year ago.
Most other major markets around the state also reported gains, although downtown Las Vegas was down 7 percent. Streshley noted that the old Lady Luck hotel-casino closed during the month.
Clubs in Washoe County, encompassing Reno, won $84.4 million, up 8.7 percent. A breakdown shows Reno was up 10 percent while neighboring Sparks was up 9.7 percent. That's the ninth straight positive month for the area.
Stateline casinos on Tahoe's south shore were up 13.7 percent, with the clubs taking in $25.4 million.
"Win" is a gross figure, with no operating costs or other expenses deducted. It represents casino revenue only - not hotel, restaurant or bar revenues.
The total February 2006 win included $366.4 million from table games, up 15.5 percent. A breakdown shows $116.4 million came from blackjack tables, up 6.9 percent; while baccarat tables around the state won $79.4 million for a 35.6 percent increase. Mini-baccarat tables added another $27.6 million, up 1.3 percent.
Craps took in $44.7 million, up 11.2 percent, and roulette generated $31.3 million for the clubs, up 39 percent.
Statewide slot winnings accounted for $647.5 million of the total win, up 11.2 percent. The biggest producers were multi-denomination slots, which accounted for $256.1 million of the total, up 30 percent.
Quarter slots were down 7.8 percent with a win total of $109.1 million; dollar slots were up 3.3 percent with a win of $85.5 million; and penny slots were up 58.1 percent with a win of $95.6 million. | End
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