The top line takeaway from the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s first revenue report of 2018 was a disappointing two percent decline in total casino revenue.
Zooming in to individual games, January was more of a mixed bag. Slot revenue was up over three percent, but table games were down over 10 percent.
Poker revenue managed to avoid the table game downturn, as revenue was more or less flat year-over-year. In January 2018, Nevada’s poker rooms generated $8,996,000, compared to the $9,001,000 they collectively generated in January 2017.
That said, a deeper dive into the numbers shows the 2018 tally is stronger than it looks. The NGCB counted 65 poker rooms and 596 poker tables in January 2017. This year’s numbers are 63 poker rooms and 568 poker tables, according to the NGCB.
Taking this into account, on a per table basis, January 2018 outperformed January 2017:
- January 2017 table average: $15,102
- January 2018 table average: $15,838
This is a continuation of the trends that emerged in 2017. Despite a dwindling number of poker rooms and tables, the remaining rooms and tables became more efficient revenue generators.
2017 in review
Poker rooms and tables trends in 2017
- January 2017: 65 poker rooms and 596 poker tables
- February 2017: 67 poker rooms and 600 poker tables
- March 2017: 66 poker rooms and 596 poker tables
- April 2017: 64 poker rooms and 586 poker tables
- May 2017: 62 poker rooms and 724 poker tables
- June 2017: 62 poker rooms and 731 poker tables
- July 2017: 63 poker rooms and 724 poker tables
- August 2017: 63 poker rooms and 603 poker tables
- September 2017: 62 poker rooms and 598 poker tables
- October 2017: 61 poker rooms and 572 poker tables
- November 2017: 62 poker rooms and 580 poker tables
- December 2017: 61 poker rooms and 562 poker tables
Poker in Clark County
In January 2018, Gaming counted 38 poker rooms in Clark County, which includes the heavily trafficked and larger poker rooms from Las Vegas. In January, those rooms possessed a total of 453 poker tables. Even though it’s a significant decline from a year ago, those numbers are largely unchanged from December’s totals: 38 poker rooms and 455 poker tables.
Clark County has over 90 percent of the total poker market share in Nevada. In January, Clark County poker rooms accounted for $8,129,000 of the $8,996,000 poker dollars collected by the state’s card rooms.
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Poker on the Las Vegas Strip
Zooming in even closer, The Las Vegas Strip is the real money-maker. Poker revenue from the Strip’s 18 poker rooms was $5,631,000 in January, even though the Strip only accounts for a fraction of the poker rooms and tables in the state, 18 and 259 respectively.
Nevada poker rooms by the numbers
The largest poker rooms in Las Vegas are mainly found on the Las Vegas Strip:
- Venetian (The Strip) – 37 poker tables
- Bellagio (The Strip) – 37 poker tables
- Orleans (Las Vegas off-strip)- 35 poker tables
- Wynn (The Strip) – 28 poker tables
- Aria (The Strip) – 24 poker tables
- South Point Casino (Henderson) – 22 poker tables
- Green Valley Ranch Casino (Henderson) – 22 poker tables
- Red Rock Casino (Summerlin) – 20 tables
Historical data and trends of poker in Nevada
Here’s a look at several key poker metrics from the UNLV Center for Gaming Research, which has been tracking the number of poker rooms, tables and revenue since 1992:
| Year | # of Rooms | # of Tables | Total Revenue | % Change YoY |
| 1992 | 92 | 564 | 74,701,000 | -2.57 |
| 1993 | 89 | 571 | 70,814,000 | -5.20 |
| 1994 | 93 | 586 | 71,667,000 | 1.20 |
| 1995 | 92 | 574 | 66,520,000 | -7.18 |
| 1996 | 82 | 539 | 64,485,000 | -3.06 |
| 1997 | 77 | 490 | 61,509,000 | -4.61 |
| 1998 | 76 | 526 | 58,873,000 | -4.29 |
| 1999 | 70 | 546 | 63,244,000 | 7.41 |
| 2000 | 68 | 473 | 63,064,000 | -0.28 |
| 2001 | 65 | 475 | 59,673,000 | -5.38 |
| 2002 | 57 | 386 | 57,791,000 | -3.15 |
| 2003 | 58 | 383 | 68,276,000 | 18.15 |
| 2004 | 79 | 484 | 98,862,000 | 44.80 |
| 2005 | 96 | 701 | 140,224,000 | 42.00 |
| 2006 | 106 | 886 | 160,929,000 | 14.77 |
| 2007 | 113 | 907 | 167,975,000 | 4.38 |
| 2008 | 113 | 913 | 155,724,000 | -7.29 |
| 2009 | 114 | 905 | 145,580,000 | -6.54 |
| 2010 | 109 | 920 | 135,200,000 | -7.13 |
| 2011 | 104 | 872 | 131,877,000 | -2.46 |
| 2012 | 99 | 809 | 123,253,000 | -6.54 |
| 2013 | 88 | 774 | 123,891,000 | 0.56 |
| 2014 | 79 | 736 | 119,904,000 | -3.18 |
| 2015 | 76 | 681 | 118,023,000 | -1.57 |
| 2016 | 73 | 661 | 117,753,000 | -0.18 |
| 2017 | 71 | 615 | 118,455,000 | 0.60 |
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