The year 2018 was a very significant year for gambling, there were important events for the casino industry, not only in the increase in sports betting, but these were legalized in seven states including the state of Nevada, after a great battle the Supreme Court of the United States that allowed the legalization of sports betting.
Another event was that online poker player shared, which included states of Nevada, Delaware, and New Jersey. This event was great for the players and definitely marked an unprecedented year.
There are many profits generated annually by casino games, commercial casinos operating in the 20 states have generated about $42.7 billion winners, according to data provided by the game research center of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, That just last year.
These figures have been increasing more and more with previous years since for 2017 the figure stood at $41.5 billion and at the same time, it added 3% with respect to the previous year, the figure for the year 2018 established a record of profits in commercial casinos.
The most amazing of all is that these figures do not include the profits of the casino’s tribes, other states such as Florida, Arizona, and California; these have had huge profits ranging from $30 billion just in games of random. As you can see the strength of casino industries is very solid and is at its best, but many wonder what states are reigning in gambling?
It is obvious that the state of Nevada takes the lead in gambling, it also has a great advantage and it has the most powerful tourism industry on the entire planet, and it remained so for more than seven decades.
It is also cataloged as the capital of gambling in the United States, its production in casino games is almost impossible to overcome and is unrivaled. But it is already known that Nevada leads in the casino industry, what place do the other states occupy in gambling?
New Jersey had its glory years when in 1978, the first casinos were installed in Atlantic City, and it was considered the “little brother” of the state of Nevada.
The East Coast players felt fortunate, they would no longer have to travel great distances to play, roulette, craps or poker, and other popular games, they already had a place to establish their bases of operations; Atlantic City, for a long time, remained in second place as the gaming industry market across the United States, but still many people mention the Garden State.
In 2013, it became one of only three states to offer online poker. The law allowed them together with Nevada and Delaware; this gave it all still expansion, since online casinos are regularly setting a new record in income of more than $20 billion. In addition, New Jersey had a great victory by having the Supreme Court revoke the law that only gave priority to the state of Nevada to operate its casinos.
Another of his achievements was to take the mantle of “Las Vegas East,” but still, do they still retain the second place in the gambling market?
The reality is that it is barely in 5 places today, a lot has happened since it took second place decades ago, the drop in positions is due more than all the big business that has emerged with commercial casinos, they have proliferated throughout the country and competition is atrocious.
The appreciated second place is now led by the Pennsylvania players, the most curious thing is that they had access to Atlantic City, with the advancement of technology came another style of slot casino, which was established since 2006. Then they gave way to another board games that emerged for 2010, this gave multiple ways of fun to the East Coast players, they had plenty to choose from.
There are many reasons that have made New Jersey no longer occupy second place, some of the main gambling markets in the United States are detailed below.
For example, Sin City and The Strip is one of the sites where millions of people annually meet to share cards, between dice games and interact in multiple ways.
According to the data provided by the (NGCB, a study was made that only included a little more than 50 casinos that are established on Las Vegas Boulevard) just last year the Strip generated more than $6.56 billion, compared with what Pennsylvania published jointly with Louisiana, it is more than double.
But The Strip is just a sample, the reality is that in downtown Las Vegas and the District of Fremont Street, annually generate billions of income, not counting the nearby cities such as Elko, Reno, Mesquite, there are some 334 huge commercial casinos that develop their businesses very successfully.
On the other hand, sports juice bets are the ones that have generated the most income with a 21% growth compared to the previous year, although the slots (like Avalon and Major Million)and table games remained stable with respect to their annual income. Nothing operator profits are placed at $301 billion, setting annual records, which puts sports betting in the first place, among those that generate more income.
And that can be noticed when the first legal house in Pennsylvania entered into operation at the Hollywood Casino at the Penn National racecourse, immediately the sports bets introduced there and in other states generated an income of 5.28% only in December.
The operators of these big casinos know that sports betting will take the lead as soon as bets and earnings are concerned and even more. In addition to the tourist attraction that these gambling venues represent, they have in their favor a large traditional casino complex, legally established as the Harrah’s New Orleans, and you can also find fun slots at other casinos such as The Fair Grounds Race.
Course and Slots, Boomtown, Treasure Chest Casino. These names resonated in 2018. Gamblers found them thrilling.
But that’s not all.
Last year also saw a surge in something unusual, something exciting: interactive and skill-based games. The youth led the charge, entranced by video game-style slots and pulled in by games where skill wasn’t just an option but a requirement. Complex? Yes, but it’s a complexity that breathes life into gaming, infusing innovation into design, reshaping marketing strategies, and forming a bridge – no, a vibrant, bustling highway – between the old world of casino gaming and the cutting-edge world of modern interactive entertainment.
And what about the states? Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan. Places of change, growth, transformation. Mississippi acted swiftly following the Supreme Court’s ruling on sports betting. August 2018. Wagers were accepted; the Gulf Coast blossomed anew with gaming. Illinois, Michigan – not just followers. Leaders. Innovators. Sports betting, online gaming; words that defined a diverse, competitive landscape, drawing fresh faces, swelling state coffers.
Michigan dared to embrace online gaming fully. A precedent? More than that – a challenge to the future, a call to arms for legislation, a demand for the new, the extraordinary, the never-before-seen.
And so, we come to an end. Or a beginning.
2018: A pivotal year. A year of legal twists and technological leaps, of boundaries crossed and new territories explored. Record-breaking profits? Yes. But also the promise of something more: resilience, adaptation, a continuous evolution with societal trends, regulatory landscapes, an eye on the horizon that’s filled with hope and ambition.
Looking ahead, what do we see? Not just profit but responsibility, sustainability, and alignment with values that are not just about money but about us, who we are, and what we want to be.
The casino industry in 2018. A story not just of numbers but of people, of dreams, of chances taken, and of futures forged. An industry not standing still but moving, ever moving, towards something new, something better, something extraordinary.