Nevada legalized "wide-open" gambling in 1931. Under this newly liberalized regime, commercial gaming slowly grew. In the 1940s and 1950s, with the success of the Las Vegas Strip, the modern American gaming industry truly emerged.

Nevada has no state lottery.

Regulation: Nevada gambling sites are divided into two categories: restricted locations, which have 15 or fewer gaming machines, and unrestricted locations, which have more than 15 machines and table games. Nevada casinos are investigated and policed by the Gaming Control Board, and the Gaming Commission approves licenses.

Taxes: approx. 7.75% effective tax rate, with a 6.75% tax on gross gaming revenues and about 1 percent of taxes in fees. Gaming revenue taxes are directed into the state's general fund.

Data

The earliest state gaming tax dates from 1946, and the State Gaming Control Board was born in 1955. In the late 1960s, as the gaming industry became "big business," the state devoted unprecedented resources to studying it.

As a result, state regulators compiled and published detailed records on a variety of casino metrics for the first time.

On these pages, we are making these statistics accessible to a wider public. These are carefully reproduced from the orignal publications, and are 100% verifiably accurate. In the past 40 years, the kinds of information collected have changed, so there are some differences in what is available in the earliest years.

In 1972, the Economic Research section of the Securities Division of the Nevada State Gaming Control Board issued the first Nevada Gaming Abstract, which printed statistics on casino financial performance collected from 1967 onward. Since then, it has been issued annually, and is a treasure trove of information.

In the earliest years, there was a paucity of information released: departmental revenues, administrative expenses, and a condensed balance sheet. But starting in 1972, more information was given, including win per unit. Therefore, the information included here changes, becoming more exhaustive in later years.

In addition, the first abstract had longitudinal data that charted economic indicators from 1946 to 1971.

In the past 40 years, the kinds of information collected have changed, so there are some differences in what is available in the earliest years.

There are currently statistics available for six reporting areas, and the longitudinal data. After the tables with links to annual summaries of available statistical information, there are pages showing annual comparisons for various categories.

Nevada Statewide, 1967-present

Las Vegas Strip, 1967-present

Reno/Sparks, 1967-present

Downtown Las Vegas, 1967-present

Laughlin, 1984-present

Elko County 1967-present

Nevada Longitudinal Data for 1946-1971

Reports

Nevada Table Games: Historical Hold Percentage Variations
Annual hold percentage averages, with monthly maximum and minimums

Nevada's Gaming Footprint
A breakdown of total licenses and numbers of games, tables, and slots from 1963 to the present--restricted and non-restricted locations.

Nevada Gaming Revenue: Long-Term Trends
Analysis of the total number of positions, slots, and table games for Nevada casinos from 2000 to the present. Charts include totals for total game categories and breakdowns for blackjack, baccarat, craps, sports books, and poker.

See many, many, many more Nevada gaming reports here.

For more information

See the Nevada Gaming Control Board's website. Most of the statistical data digested in these pages comes from three GCB publications:

Gaming Revenue Report

Nevada Gaming Abstract

Quarterly Statistical Report

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

Gaming Revenue Breakdown

• Nevada Gaming Win 2011
  Summary of Results from Statewide, Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, Boulder Strip, and Washoe County reporting areas

• Nevada Gaming Win 2010
  Summary of Results from Statewide, Las Vegas Strip, Downtown Las Vegas, Boulder Strip, and Washoe County reporting areas

• Nevada Gaming Statistics: 2010 Year-to-Date Comparison
  Current totals for Statewide, Las Vegas Strip, Boulder Strip, and Washoe County
  

• 2009 Nevada gaming statewide revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).

• 2008 Nevada gaming statewide revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).

• 2007 Nevada statewide gaming revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).

• 2006 Nevada statewide gaming revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).
  

• 2005 Nevada statewide gaming revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).

• 2004 Nevada statewide gaming revenue breakdown
  Total numbers of games, win amounts, and win percentages for all Nevada non-restricted locations for the calendar year. Includes table games and sports book details, as well as estimates of total handle (money wagered).

• Nevada gaming: long-term trends

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

Average Big Las Vegas Strip Casino, 2011
A statistical summary of the average Las Vegas Strip casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $72 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses

Average Big Las Vegas Strip Casino, 2010
A statistical summary of the average Las Vegas Strip casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $72 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses

Average Big Las Vegas Strip Casino, 2009
A statistical summary of the average Las Vegas Strip casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $72 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses.

Average Big Las Vegas Strip Casino, 1999
A statistical summary of the average Las Vegas Strip casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $72 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses.

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

Average Reno Casino, 2011
A statistical summary of the average Reno/Sparks casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $1 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses

Average Reno Casino, 2009
A statistical summary of the average Reno casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $1 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses.

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

Average Downtown Las Vegas Casino, 2011
A statistical summary of the average Downtown Las Vegas casino (with annual gaming revenues of over $1 million) with both gaming and non-gaming revenues and information on employment, taxes, and expenses

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

Comparative annual data

Revenue

Average Number of Employees

Rate of Room Occupancy

Per-Room Per-Day Statistics

Gaming Revenue Per Square Foot

Complimentary Expenses

The inaugural Nevada Gaming Abstract, issued in 1971, had several charts detailing the financial performance of the state's casino industry over the previous 25 years. These charts are duplicated here:

•  Casino Gross Revenue

•  Rate-of-growth of the gaming industry statewide and in selected counties (1962-1971)

•  Effect of Inflation on Gross Gaming Revenue [1958-1971]

•  Rate-of-growth of the Nevada Gaming Industry compared with the Nevada General Business Index and the Gross National Product [1958-1971]

•  Gaming and Population Growth [1940-1970]

•  Seasonal variation in gross revenue at the state level and in selected counties [1967-1971]

•  State General Fund Collections [1962-1971]

•  Number of employees in the gaming and other departments of all Group 1 casinos in the state [1969-1971]

This project was made possible by a grant from the UNLV Libaries Advisory Board and greatly enhanced by the diligent work of Saro Oknaian.

For information about how to contribute to UNLV Center for Gaming Research and Special Collections development efforts, go here.

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