The Nevada Gaming Control Board counted 58 poker rooms and 561 poker tables in November 2018. That’s an increase compared to October (56 poker rooms and 558 tables), but a continuation of the year-over-year downward trend as the state boasted 62 poker rooms and 580 poker tables last November.
Despite the year-over-year decrease in rooms and tables, Nevada poker revenue rose by nearly 1 percent, which has also been a trend over the past couple of years. This year-over-year increase is a sign of rooms becoming more efficient or less charitable with their rewards and fees.
The Strip is king
Another trend that has emerged during that time is consolidation.
The five largest poker rooms in the state (8 percent of locations) account for more than 25 percent of all poker tables. Four out of the five are on the pricey Las Vegas Strip — Orleans is off-Strip, but still in Las Vegas proper.
Zooming out a little more, the Las Vegas Strip boasts 17 poker rooms (29 percent of the poker rooms in the state) and 47 percent of the state’s poker tables but generates nearly two-thirds of all poker revenue.
A decade ago, the Strip had a similar room and table counts (26 percent of poker locations and 45 percent of Nevada’s poker tables) but was only generating 55 percent of total poker revenue in the state.
Bottom line: Poker is becoming centralized on the Las Vegas Strip; the home of properties known for charging a premium. And that likely explains how Nevada’s poker operators are increasing revenue while purging tables and rooms.
A look inside the revenue numbers
Poker revenue was down just a tick in November, coming in at $9.041 million compared to the $8.954 million Nevada’s poker rooms tallied in November 2017.
With fewer tables and higher revenues, Nevada poker operators see higher average revenues per poker table:
- November 2017: $15,438
- November 2018: $16,115
2018 live poker revenue in Nevada
Three- and 12-month poker room and table trend
Over the last three months, Nevada has averaged 560 poker tables at 58 separate locations. Those rooms generated $26,298,000 over that period, a 0.51 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
Over the last 12 months, Nevada has averaged 600 poker tables at 63 locations. During that time the state’s poker operators have generated $118,681,000, a 1.16 percent increase compared to the previous 12-month period.
- December 2017: 61 poker rooms and 562 poker tables
- January 2018: 63 poker rooms and 568 poker tables
- February 2018: 64 poker rooms and 587 poker tables
- March 2018: 62 poker rooms and 567 poker tables
- April 2018: 64 poker rooms and 595 poker tables
- May 2018: 62 poker rooms and 688 poker tables
- June 2018: 62 poker rooms and 683 poker tables
- July 2018: 60 poker rooms and 694 poker tables
- August 2018: 61 poker rooms and 585 poker tables
- September 2018: 58 poker rooms and 561 poker tables
- October 2018: 56 poker rooms and 558 poker tables
- November 2017: 58 poker rooms and 561 poker tables
Nevada poker rooms by the numbers
The largest poker rooms in Las Vegas are mainly on the Strip:
- Venetian (On the Strip): 37 poker tables
- Bellagio (On the Strip): 37 poker tables
- Orleans (Off the Strip): 35 poker tables
- Wynn (On the Strip): 28 poker tables
- Aria (On 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 |
| 2018 |
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