Traditional gaming, which includes table games and slots, was one of the most significant factors for the strong performance. After disappointing results in previous quarters, slots and table games broke the quarterly record, with $12.05 billion in revenue.
Ten of the 25 states with commercial gaming had record quarters, including the 2019 top four highest-grossing ones — Nevada, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Las Vegas also showed positive numbers. The Strip collected $2.06 billion last quarter, an all-time high.
The most significant contributor was the 9.2 million people who visited Vegas, up by 10% from Q2 and the highest since the pandemic’s start. In 2020, COVID-19 caused a 26.7% decline in revenue for the Strip casinos.
In other sectors, there were mixed results. For example, iGaming saw a record $938.6 million revenue in Q3, while the sports betting’s $886.5 million was the lowest quarter in 2021 — primarily due to limited end-of-summer events.
For the first three quarters, combined iGaming and sports betting revenue sits at $5.36 billion, up by over 200% from 2020.
Compared to 2019, so far, year-to-date slot revenue is up by 9.1%, sports betting is up by a massive 413.7%, iGaming 649.7%, while table games are down by 3.7%.
Total commercial gaming revenue year-to-date is $38.67 billion, already passing the entire 2020, and it’s on its way to breaking 2019’s record of $43.65 billion.