This week’s casino news starts off in Nevada where another revenue record has fallen. Here’s the latest news from Sin City:
Nevada Casinos Set Record with Ninth Consecutive Month Over $1 Billion Revenue
Casinos in Nevada were able to set a record for nine straight months surpassing $1 billion in revenue. It was recorded that the Silver State brought in roughly $1.32 billion from wagers during the second-last month of the year. The previous record held in the state was made from October 2006 all the way to May of 2007, it was an eight-month period.
This record-breaking stretch started back in March then they got up to $1.06 billion in revenue. This was the first time that they were able to break the billion-mark since the COVID-19 pandemic first began. It was likely made possible by their governor lifting the majority of COVID-related restrictions held on the casinos at the time.
Since the beginning of 2021, casino operators in Nevada have brought in a total of $12.3 billion from gamblers. 2021 is now the third-best year in history and December hasn’t even been counted yet.
Ohio Governor Signs Sports Betting Bill
Residents in Ohio that are hoping for sports betting to come to their state just got incredible news. Governor Mike DeWine chose to sign a bill that came to his desk, which now makes sports betting legal. You are now allowed to bet on professional and collegiate athletic events on mobile apps, online sportsbooks, and brick-and-mortar properties.
Residents aren’t expected to place any bets until 2023 at the earliest, though, while some Senators believe that it has a potential to come sooner. Senator Kirk Schurring said, “We want to get this up and running as soon as possible, but we’re building a whole new industry. We’re hoping it can be done sooner.”
It is anticipated that the market in Ohio will round out to $3.35 billion when it fully matures.
MGM Springfield $20K Theft Reported
There is an ongoing investigation after Massachusetts State Police got a call over a theft of over $20,000. The money was taken out of a safe from a room in the MGM Springfield, which is normally a very secure property.
The money was reported stolen on December 26th after a big whale came back from the New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills game at Gillette Stadium. At first, his key card wouldn’t open the door but when he finally got himself into the room, he realized that all of his money was taken from the safe. Luckily, it was reported that the thief left $10,000 behind in the safe, but still stole that large portion of money.
MGM Springfield didn’t make any comment on the theft just yet. This casino wasn’t the only property having to deal with a robbery investigation. The Virgin Hotels Las Vegas saw three suspects allegedly take over $40,000 in cash along with expensive watches from a hotel room back in June. It was estimated that the value of this theft was $140,000. There were three suspects named after some investigation though.