Pandemic still hurting Strip gaming
Win down 41 percent in Nevada’s hardest-hit market in February
The Strip continues to be the hardest-hit market monitored by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, according to figures released Thursday.
Strip gaming win was down
41.6 percent to $348.6 million in February compared with a year ago as policies and directives related to the coronavirus pandemic continued to keep customers away from Nevada’s casinos.
Clark County gaming win — the amount gamblers lost in their wagering — was off 29.6 percent to $631.5 million, and downtown Lasvegaswasdown7.1percentto $51.7 million. Statewide, win was down 25.9 percent to $772.4 million.
The Strip accounted for 91.6 percent of the state’s decrease in February. Last month was also a tough comparison with February 2020, which was a leap year with an extra day in the month, including an extra weekend date on the calendar.
Six state markets monitored by the Control Board showed gains in February, including Mesquite, outlying areas of Clark County, South Lake Tahoe and the Carson Valley area.
A gaming analyst said the Strip gaming win was lower than expected.
Carlo Santarelli, an analyst with the New York office of Deutsche Bank, said his company anticipated that win would be down
34.4 percent with slot handle down 27.1 percent and table volumes off 45.9 percent.
“Baccarat volumes were down 58.6 percent year over year in February, while revenue declined 57.7 percent, as baccarat hold of 11.6 percent was up about 25 basis points year over year and was about 30 basis points above the