US casinos post US$11.1bn in revenue in Q1

According to the American Gaming Association, US commercial casinos matched their best-ever quarter, raking in US$11.1bn in revenue in the first three months of 2021.

US.- With customers returning to US casinos, the commercial segment has seen its best quarter since Q3 2019.

According to the American Gaming Association (AGA), casinos generated US$11.1bn in revenue in the first three months of the year, matching their best-ever quarter.

AGA figures for all US casinos excluding tribal venues showed a particularly good March, with 12 states seeing their highest-ever levels of revenue in a single month.

Bill Miller, the association’s president and CEO, said: “Today’s report shows gaming’s comeback is ahead of schedule. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our industry has faced numerous challenges head-on while still reopening responsibly and providing a safe, exciting environment for customers.

“The gaming industry is generating these impressive results with one hand tied behind our back as capacity and amenity restrictions remain across the country.”

Q1 revenue was up 18 per cent over the same period in 2020 and 4 per cent over Q1 2019 despite ongoing capacity limits in casinos due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More than 75 per cent of casinos still had occupancy limits below 50 per cent through Q1.

Terry Glebocki, CEO at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, said: “I do think we’re seeing more and more people feeling more comfortable coming out. There’s a ton of pent-up demand out there. People want to go out and have fun, and that’s what you do at a casino.”