2018 will forever be known in the gaming industry as the year the US Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting. Operations have already spread to seven states, and while some might have viewed Nevada losing its monopoly as a negative, MGM Resorts CEO Jim Murren said it would only be a positive.<\/p>\n
\nThe parallel would be if you think back on casino expansion throughout the United States,” Murren explained. “That has actually benefited MGM in Las Vegas because people want to go to the market leader.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
“Las Vegas is the undisputed leader. I think the same will happen with sports betting,” the MGM boss predicted.<\/p>\n
So far, he’s right. Silver State sportsbooks took more bets than ever last year, and sports bettors lost more than ever, too.<\/p>\n
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NFL and college football led the way with $1.8 billion in ticket slips printed. Basketball was next at $1.5 billion, baseball third at $1 billion, and the “other” category (golf, hockey, boxing, MMA, etc.) at nearly $557 million.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
While $5 billion is a massive number, the illegal market continues to thrive. The American Gaming Association says $6 billion will be wagered<\/a> on this Sunday’s Super Bowl alone.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nevada casinos won more than $11.9 billion last year, the third-richest haul in state history. Sports betting recorded both record handle and win, with oddsmakers taking $5 billion in bets, and keeping $301 million. The $11.9 billion in gross gambling revenue (GGR) represents a three percent premium on 2017 \u2013 or a $346 million gain. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":97558,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,10,18,1074],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Nevada Casinos Win $11.9B in 2018, Third-Best Year in State History<\/title>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n