Nevada casinos want Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor to know that they’re welcome back anytime, as the state’s August gaming revenue numbers will attest.
Figures released Thursday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show the state’s casinos generated gaming revenue of $913m in August, down 8.3% from July’s total and 7.7% less than the same month last year, which included the blockbuster interfaith tilt between the aforementioned boxing and mixed martial arts champions.
The absence of high-rollers in town for the fight was most evident on the Las Vegas Strip, where casino gaming revenue slid 12.4% to $477.9m. The only larger decline was at Boulder Strip casinos, which fell 16.3% to $62.2m.
Nevada’s slot machines held up the best under the VIP disappearing act, as revenue dipped only 1% to $618.3m. But ‘table, counter and card games’ fell nearly one-fifth year-on-year to $294.7m, with double-digit declines in most card games, at least, those that cater to a more Western audience.