Gaming in the USA: Association reports best quarter ever
The USA is in the midst of a gambling boom. This is evidenced by the latest figures from the American Gaming Association (AGA). According to the data presented yesterday, gross revenues grew to USD 13.89 billion (EUR 12 billion) in the third quarter.
Total sales of 2022 already topped
According to the report, gross sales of USD 38.76 billion were achieved in the first three quarters of this year. Compared with 2022, this represents growth of 86%. Thus in 2021 already more than in the entire year 2022 had been generated. At that time, revenues in the gaming industry had been just under USD 37 billion.
Industry growth was driven by increases in all gaming sectors. Gross gaming revenues increased for both slot machines (43.5%) and table games (58.3%). At the same time, sports betting (153.1%) and online gaming boomed. The latter achieved a growth rate of 115.8%.
The result now achieved looks all the more impressive when pre-Corona figures are taken into account. Compared to 2019, almost the entire sector also reported rising revenues. Only casino table games had seen a slight drop of 3.7% due to temporary closures in 2021.
Combined with the massive growth in online revenues, this is a clear sign of economic recovery, he said. Licensed gaming in the USA is on a sustainable path, he said.
AGA CEO Bill Miller expressed his satisfaction accordingly:
Two consecutive quarters of record gaming revenues is an incredible achievement by any standards. Even more so after the most difficult year in the history of the industry. Our recovery is not a flash in the pan. It is a sustained result of our leadership in creating responsible reopenings and world-class entertainment experiences.
The AGA was also particularly pleased with the growth in terrestrial. For example, it said, new record levels of casino gaming were achieved in ten of the 25 U.S. states. Gambling temples on the Las Vegas Strip alone earned more than $2 billion, the association said.
If revenues continue to bubble up at a similarly lush rate in the last three months of the year, U.S. gambling should easily crack the record set in 2019. At that time, operators came in at $43.65 billion in revenue.
Some financial analysts even expect that the USD 50 billion mark could be broken for the first time. But whether this will actually happen will not be officially known for another two to three months.
