Nevada casinos buoyed by baccarat, baseball and basketball

Nevada casinos had another billion-dollar gaming revenue month in May, thanks largely to baccarat, baseball and basketball betting.

Figures released last week by the Nevada Gaming Control Board showed statewide casino gaming revenue of $1.04b, a 5.3% increase from the same month last year and a rebound from April 2018’s $953.7m, which was the first month this year that the gaming revenue total had failed to eclipse the $1b mark.

Statewide slot machine revenue was up 3.5% to $670.2m, while total ‘table, counter and card games’ revenue was up 14.5% to $373.8m.

The table gains were driven primarily by baccarat, which shot up nearly one-fifth to $120.8m, partially offsetting a 7.3% year-on-year decline over at the blackjack tables, which reported revenue of $102.7m. Roulette was down 113.2% to $31.7m while craps improved 4.9% to $31.4m. The state’s poker operations reported revenue up nearly 3% to just under $9.2m.