Operator News
US – AGA report shows US commercial gaming revenue reaches $43.6bn in 2019, up 3.7 per cent from 2018
By Phil - 8 June 2020
The AGA’s State of the States report shows US commercial casino gaming industry revenue topped $43.6bn in 2019, up 3.7 per cent from 2018, and marking the fifth-straight year of revenue growth.
Not only did annual commercial casino revenue hit a new high in 2019, but direct commercial gaming tax revenue generated more than $10bn for state and local governments for the first time ever. This is a 4.1 per cent increase from 2018 and does not account for the billions more in sales, income, and other taxes from gaming. The $10.2 billion in taxes benefit the states and communities in which casinos operate by funding education initiatives, health insurance programs, infrastructure and economic development projects, responsible gaming programs, and more. State-by-state breakdowns of the distribution of gaming taxes can be found in the report.
The increases in gaming revenue and taxes can be attributed in part to the continued expansion of legal sport betting, which 14 states legally offered in 2019. Americans wagered more than $13bn on sports with legal operators in 2019, resulting in legal US operators earning $908.9m in sports betting revenue. This is more than double the $430.7m revenue in 2018.
In 2019, the top 15 commercial casino markets by total gaming revenue maintained their previous rankings, but there was significant jostling for positions between the 16th and 20th largest markets. The downtown Las Vegas market overtook Shreveport/Bossier City for the 16th largest market. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh/Meadowlands area surpassed New Orleans for the 19th spot on the list.
21 of the 25 commercial gaming states reported increases in annual gross gaming revenue (GGR) from the previous year. The largest increase came in Massachusetts, reflecting the June opening of the state’s second casino-resort just outside of Boston. The steepest decline came in Louisiana amid expanded competition in neighbouring states. Fourteen states—Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Rhode Island—recorded record gaming revenue.
Caption: The downtown Las Vegas market overtook Shreveport/Bossier City for the 16th largest market
