Chris Boline
What a couple of months it has proven to be for the Las Vegas casinos. With so many folks traveling, it was easy to understand that we’d see an uptick in folks who made their way over to Sin City. But, believe it or not, Las Vegas casinos set a revenue record this summer, which no one thought would happen in the middle of the pandemic taking off again. Would Las Vegas really see monster growth in 2021?
That indeed was the case, as Las Vegas reported a total revenue of $794 million alone just for July. We know what you’re thinking, that’s got to be a mistake. Trust us when we say we couldn’t believe that number either, but it’s true. With Las Vegas posting a number of nearly $800 million in a single month, it was a record that will be talked about for years. Heck, this will undoubtedly go down in history.
For Nevada as a whole, the state brought in around $1.3 billion in total revenue. It marked the fifth-straight month where Nevada has recorded revenue of at least $1 billion. These stats and numbers really stand out. Yes, the thought was that the pandemic would have a negative impact on things this summer, but the opposite has proven to be the case. Instead, more and more people made their way over.
Las Vegas Casinos on the strip broke a record in July by doing $800 mil in gambling revenue. Punks and Bored Apes did more in the last 30 days. 👀🔥 #NFTs
— ONE37pm (@137pm) August 28, 2021
While this is good news for casinos and local businesses, folks surely are a bit disappointed that collectively they’re losing so much money. Hey, what beats going over to to Sin City and placing some bets? Between sportsbooks, poker tables, blackjack tables, slots and more, there’s so many different gambling options. This is something that people are always going to take advantage of daily.
Las Vegas saw a major increase in visitors this July
As you might have been able to guess, a big reason why there was such an increase in the revenue numbers was because Las Vegas saw a major increase in visitors this July. According to Forbes, Las Vegas saw a 130 percent jump in people making their way to casinos compared to the numbers recorded in July of 2020. That jump is nothing to sneeze at, as it really highlights the high traffic there was in the area.
Last July, the pandemic was still moving ahead full steam. While things have continued to get a little hectic this summer because of the Delta variant, folks are still traveling quite a bit for their vacations. Las Vegas is of course always going to be a popular destination because of the gambling, shows, food and other outstanding attractions. On top of that, folks love the weather of Las Vegas in the summer months.
“What we’ve also seen is seven months of consecutive growth month over month. And so visitation is nearly 80% throughout the destination, including weekday and weekend, you’ve really seen pretty much of full recovery of weekend and holiday visitation,” Senior Vice-President of Communications for the LVCVA Lori Nelson-Kraft said in a recent interview discussing all the positive stats from July with media.
Fortunately for Las Vegas, July had five calendar weekends. This opened the door for more and more folks to make their way over. This is a major victory for the city. The growth for local businesses is something that can’t be overstated either. The more people that make their way over, the more they’re going to spend at the local shops. And of course, the more they’re going to gamble and be excited for it.
The statewide record was possible in part because of a single-month record by the Las Vegas Strip, which brought in $793.7 million in July, but casinos in Northern Nevada and Elko County also saw record profits last month.
— Nevada Independent (@TheNVIndy) August 28, 2021
Will this trend be able to continue?
Folks out there of course want to know will this trend be able to continue? Moving forward, it sure is going to be tough to break records like this on a consistent basis. However, the fact that Nevada has recorded so many consecutive months in topping $1 billion is something that simply must be noticed by everyone. The summer months are known for sports gambling, with MLB taking charge. What’s next?
The big thing that could help the state and Las Vegas is the return of the NFL season betting. On Thursday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Dallas Cowboys opened up the campaign with one of the best first games we’ve seen in quite some time. Dallas, powered by the remarkable return of star quarterback Dak Prescott, gave Tampa Bay all it could handle. It was truly a head-turning showdown, as folks were jacked up for it.
The Cowboys ended up taking a lead late in the fourth quarter, but they left Tom Brady with just enough time on the clock for the Buccaneers to kick a game-winning field goal with only a few seconds left in the showdown. Countless bets were made on Thursday Night Football game. The rest of the season, millions of NFL bets will be placed. Between futures picks, parlays, game lines and more, NFL bets are special.
.@TomBrady saved the best for last. Again. #DALvsTB pic.twitter.com/1kq91CazEl
— NFL (@NFL) September 10, 2021
And where better to make those bets than a Las Vegas sportsbook? That’s what makes part of the season even more fun for folks from start to finish. The amount of visitors to Las Vegas is going to continue this fall to be recorded at a high amount. While the revenue records may not be shattered again, that doesn’t mean Sin City won’t bring in boatloads of revenue either. Keep an eye on this moving forward for sure.
