Nevada casinos saw winnings slump in September as gamblers scrapped plans for trips to the state’s casinos after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a report showed Thursday.
The report released by the state Gaming Control Board showed the statewide win from gamblers was $763.6 million in September. That’s down 3.2 percent compared with the same month a year earlier.
The state’s share in taxes, $45.6 million, was down nearly 11 percent in September. Taxes paid by the casinos represent one of the biggest sources of revenue to keep state government running.
While down, the overall 3.2 percent drop in win for the resorts would have been nearly double had it not been for some huge losses by baccarat players on the Las Vegas Strip.
The Gaming Control Board report shows baccarat with a 76 percent increase in win on the Strip.
“What you’re seeing is the effect of the Sept. 11 tragedy,” said Bill Bible of the Nevada Resort Association, representing most major hotel-casinos in the state.
“And those markets that rely heavily on air travel, like the Strip, showed the most dramatic impact,” he added. Despite the big baccarat winnings, Strip resorts had an overall decline of 5.4 percent in September.
Frank Streshley of the Gaming Control Board said the September figures weren’t as bad as some expected, in part, because the casinos did well in the first part of the month.
Bible also noted that because flights were canceled following the Sept. 11 attacks, many tourists were stuck in Nevada and presumably continued to spend money in Sg Online Casino.
A breakdown of the September win figures shows that while the Strip was down 5.4 percent, downtown Las Vegas and Boulder Strip casinos were up nearly 2 percent.
But casinos in North Las Vegas had a 7.8 percent decline in win, and casinos in Laughlin were down 5.4 percent.
In northern Nevada, Reno casinos were down 8.2 percent and Sparks resorts were down nearly 12 percent. Casinos on Tahoe’s south shore were barely down, 0.6 percent.
Streshley said a big factor in the Reno area’s decline was the cancellation of the annual Reno air races after the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Win” is a gross figure, with no operating costs or other expenses deducted. And it’s casino revenue only – separate from hotel, restaurant or bar revenues generated by the resorts.
The win was the money held by the casinos after gamblers bet a total of $11.1 billion – $9.5 billion in slots and $1.6 billion on table games.
The statewide win total included $497.4 million from slot machines, down 3.4 percent; and $261.7 million from table games, up 16 percent.
A breakdown of table games that produced the most revenue in September shows casinos won $93.3 million on blackjack; $29.9 million on craps; and $43.3 million from baccarat.
Dollar slots won $110 million; quarter slots won $181 million; and nickel slots won $144.4 million.
The report also shows that canceled baseball and football games after Sept. 11 resulted in a 19.3 percent drop in win for Nevada’s legal sports books.
