Strip win up 35% in November

Wednesday, Jan. 12, 2000 | 11:06 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $430.6 million from gamblers in November, the second-best month on record, the state Gaming Control Board reported today.

Board spokesman Frank Streshley said the clubs registered an increase of 35.2 percent in gross revenue, which is revenue before taxes and business expenses.

The strong Strip performance was due in part to the Holyfield-Lewis heavyweight championship fight, which drew record gate receipts, and the Comdex convention and its 200,000-plus attendees.

The $430.6 million fell short of the monthly Strip record of $432 million posted in January of 1999.

The board said casinos statewide won $804.8 million, up 21.6 percent. The only soft spot in the state was downtown Las Vegas, which registered a 2.1 percent decline in gaming win.

Streshley said casinos statewide won $143 million more this November than in the same month a year ago. Of the total, baccarat and slot machines accounted for $106 million of the increase.

Streshley noted that revenue from table games rose both on the Strip and North Las Vegas but declined in the rest of the state.

Slot machine win in Strip casinos jumped 18.7 percent and revenue from the games skyrocketed by 53.5 percent. The gross win from baccarat rose 120.5 percent.

Revenues for November include reports from Paris and the Venetian, which were not open in 1998.

Gross win in downtown Las Vegas slipped to $52.7 million for the month, about $1.1 million less than a year ago in November.

Casinos in North Las Vegas posted a record win of $21.5 million, beating the old figure of $20.8 million set in March 1999.

For the 15th straight month, clubs in Laughlin registered increased win, posting $45.8 million, up 11.9 percent. Slot revenue rose 14.8 percent but the win from the games fell 2.8 percent.

Boulder Strip casinos reported $48.6 million, up 8.1 percent. Revenue from the slot machines jumped 10.3 percent but the win from table games fell 24.9 percent.