Gaming profits in January were down 11 percent from a year ago on the Strip, but analysts say that was a tough comparison to a stellar January 2025.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board on Friday also said the state’s gaming revenue fell 6.6 percent to $1.34 billion in January. Strip profit was $747.7 million for the month.
It was the 59th consecutive month in the state’s gaming profit to exceed $1 billion.
Control Board Senior Economic Analyst Shelley Newell acknowledged that the January numbers faced a difficult comparison because last year’s numbers were extraordinarily high.
Baccarat and table games were responsible for most of the declines with players generally playing more luck than casinos, Newell said. The drop – the amount wagered – increased for baccarat and table games, but hold – the amount the casinos won – was down.
The baccarat case rose 17.8 percent to $950.2 million, but the holding percentage was 12.98 percent this year compared to 26.66 percent in January 2025.
The table drop increased 7.1 percent to $3.3 billion, but the hold was 13.08 percent this year compared to 17.23 percent last year.
Nevada sportsbook profits were down 11.1 percent from a year ago, but slot machine profits were up 0.5 percent.
But Newell also noted that the numbers are significantly higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.
“Nevada has continued to record gambling profits exceeding pre-pandemic levels this month,” Newell said. “Government total profit was 36.7 percent or $360.9 million in January 2019.”
The Comptroller’s Board also reported that gaming tax collections for the first month of 2026 were the highest in the 2025-26 fiscal year at $100.9 million. For the fiscal year, tax collections from the state’s 6.75 percent gaming tax increased 2.1 percent to $702.8 million.
Gambling profits in January had wide swings among the 20 markets monitored by the state.
The Strip’s 11 percent decline was the worst nationwide, but the comptroller’s board also reported that Mesquite gained 14.1 percent to $19.8 million, the highest in that market’s history. There were four more markets that posted double-digit percentage increases: Wendover up 14.7 percent to $25.7 million, Elko County up 12.9 percent to $36.9 million, Sparks up 10.5 percent and South Lake Tahoe up 10.3 percent to $24.6 million.
The Strip decline accelerated Southern Nevada’s declines. Clark County profits fell 8.4 percent to $1.16 billion, with Downtown Las Vegas down 5.2 percent to $79.4 million, the Boulder Strip down 7 percent to $81.2 million, Laughlin down 3.3 percent to $40.9 million and outer Clark County down 3 percent to $165.7 million.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expected to announce January visitor statistics later Friday.
This is a development story. Check back for updates.
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