Nevada gaming win down in July as Baccarat slumps

Despite raking in the second-highest monthly total of this calendar year, Nevada casinos won 8 percent less in July than in the same month a year ago.

Total gaming win was $925.7 million, in part because of an unfavorable calendar and comparisons with an unusually profitable July 2012. This year, only February’s total win was higher.

Not only did this July have one less weekend day, it is being compared with a month that saw the fourth-largest total Baccarat win in state history. Baccarat brought in $118.8 million, more than 37 percent, or $71 million, less than a year ago.

That nearly matches the overall $80 million decrease in total gaming win when this July is compared with July 2012.

Gaming Control Board Analyst Mike Lawton said that without Baccarat, the state would have been down just 1.1, percent or $9 million.

The Carson Valley Area, which includes valley portions of Douglas County as well as the capital, raked in $8.4 million in July, down 3 percent or $265,000 from a year ago.

But South Shore casinos at Lake Tahoe saw a 9.2 percent increase to $32.4 million, some $2.7 million more than a year ago. Both slots and game and table win were up. For the calendar year so far, South Shore is up a bit more than 1 percent.

North Lake Tahoe casinos dropped 5 percent, or $180,000. That ends a streak of six consecutive monthly increases, including June’s 5.3 percent gain. Total win there was $3.4 million, and a good share of the problem came from the craps tables, which brought in $180,000 less.

Churchill County’s 10 non-restricted gaming locations reported a total win of $1.65 million. That is a 1.1 percent drop. Table game play fell 9.2 percent, but just $34,000 of that revenue comes from games. Slot play was down 1 percent.

Washoe County saw total win grow by 3.4 percent, to $67.1 million. Washoe has now logged increases in four of the past five months. Win there was down a bit in June.

Those gains were largely generated by the American Bowling Congress, which had both its men’s and woman’s tournaments in Washoe until the second week of July.

Statewide, slot win topped $585.6 million, but that is still down 1 percent from a year ago. The total $11.5 billion wagered on slots in July was down more than 2 percent from a year ago.

The game of “21” saw volume increase during the month, but total win was down. The nearly $92.3 million in total win was 4.5 percent less than last July.

But roulette, which in June surpassed craps for the first time ever as a revenue generator, continued that trend in July, raking in 62 percent more than a year ago. The total win of $35.4 million easily beat out the $28 million brought in by craps tables.

Total gaming and table win for the month was $340 million, an 18 percent drop primarily caused by Baccarat.

Collections, which are reported more in a more timely fashion than win numbers, brought $61.18 million to the General Fund in August. That is 9.4 percent less than the prior year’s August.