LAS VEGAS (AP) - Sportsbooks in Nevada took in a record $571 million in bets in September, when football fans wagered $389 million.
Data released Tuesday by the Nevada Gaming Control Board show casinos won $56.3 million from the total wagered in sports, setting the highest sports pool win ever. Of that, $44.3 million came from bets on football.
The board’s monthly revenue report shows casinos across the state raked in $991.2 million last month. That’s up 1.3 percent over September 2017.
“Look, it was $991.2 million. We were $8.8 million away from a billion,” said Michael Lawton, senior research analyst for the board. “If we would have held a little better in baccarat, we would have hit a $1 billion. So, it was a good month.”
Players last month gambled $717.8 million in the high-stakes game of baccarat. That was a decrease of $124.5 million over the year. The card game yielded casinos $70.4 million, down $25.9 million compared with September 2017.
“Without baccarat, the state would have actually increased 4.3 percent,” Lawton said referring to the total monthly revenue figure.
Statewide this calendar year casino revenue is up 2 percent.
Las Vegas Strip casinos saw their revenues decrease 3.7 percent to about $546 million last month, when visitation to the tourist destination also dropped. The agency responsible for promoting Las Vegas on Tuesday said about 3.5 million people visited in September, a 3.1 percent decrease over 2017.
Of the markets monitored by the board, casinos on Lake Tahoe’s south shore in Stateline posted the sharpest revenue decrease. They took in more than $17.7 million, down 15.8 percent.
The state benefited with about $54.5 million in percentage fees based on the taxable revenues generated in September. That’s a 7.6 percent decrease over the year.
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