Hells Belles Party Pit inside of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
By Ed Komenda Las Vegas Sun
When it comes to gaming in Nevada, casino revenue reports tell the same story over and over again: Visitors aren’t spending as much as they did before the recession and gaming has fallen second to food, shopping and shows.
The number of slot machines and poker tables in the valley has steadily declined. Casino floors in Nevada lost about 38,000 slot machines between 2000 and 2012, according to data from UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research and the state Gaming Control Board.
On the Strip, the number of slots dipped by more than 13,000 over that period, leveling out at about 45,600 machines last month. That’s 5,000 fewer slots than in 1995. The drop came despite the opening of the Wynn, Encore, Aria and Cosmopolitan, each with about 1,800 machines.
The number of table games also dropped, from just under 1,100 in 2009 to 887 in 2012.
Why? Analysts attribute the decline to several factors.
The poker trend peaked in 2006 but has declined since, said Bill Zender, a table games consultant.
The mid-2000s brought the World Series of Poker into the mainstream, skyrocketing the popularity of the game. Casinos followed the trend and rolled out more tables.
Now, the popularity of live poker is shrinking, Zender said. A similar phenomenon is playing out in casinos, with several Strip resorts closing their poker rooms.
Meanwhile, the number of baccarat tables is growing while the volume of blackjack tables has declined.
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