Nevada kicked off the new fiscal year with a respectable 2 percent increase in gaming win in July and Strip casinos paced win in Southern Nevada, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said.
The board reported Thursday that Nevada’s 453 large casinos won $1.388 billion from players for the month while Strip winnings contributed $776.3 million, a 3.6 percent increase over July 2025. For the calendar year, gaming win is up 3 percent from last year.
The Strip was boosted by one of the highest July table-game drops in recent history, according to an analyst. Table drop essentially is the amount wagered by gamblers when they play.
“Slot handle was up 4.8 percent year over year (reaccelerating from June’s 1 percent), while table drop was up by an impressive 24 percent year over year, reflecting baccarat volumes up 43 percent year over year (ex-baccarat, table volumes were 15 percent year over year),” industry analyst Daniel Politzer of New York-based J.P. Morgan said in a Thursday note to investors.
“We note July table drop was the highest of 2026, likely driven by a strong entertainment calendar; historically, July was among the seasonally softest months for table drop,” he wrote.
Table game win was up dramatically, despite this year’s hold percentage of 12.4 percent compared with 17.3 percent a year ago, according to Shelley Newell, a senior economic analyst with the Gaming Control Board’s Administration Division.
Sports and entertainment events drew large crowds in July with popular UFC fighter Conor McGregor in a July 11 bout at UFC 329 and concert performances across the Strip throughout the month by Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney, the Backstreet Boys, Marc Anthony, Kelly Clarkson and New Kids on the Block. The Fourth of July long weekend was also a major draw.
Southern Nevada casinos had mixed results in July with North Las Vegas up 3.4 percent to $25.5 million with Laughlin and Mesquite flat at $41 million and $15.1 million, respectively.
Downtown Las Vegas casino win was down 8.6 percent to $68.5 million, the Boulder Strip was off 2.5 percent to $82.7 million and outlying Clark County, which includes portions of Henderson and southwest Las Vegas, fell 1.2 percent to $164 million.
The highest percentage gains in the state occurred in Elko County markets with win up 15.1 percent in Wendover, 10.3 percent in outlying county areas and 13.4 percent in Elko.
The biggest decline in the state outside of downtown Las Vegas occurred at North Lake Tahoe, down 5.7 percent to $2.9 million, but South Lake Tahoe was up 5.1 percent to $39.6 million.
The Sparks and outlying Washoe County markets performed well with Sparks up 9.5 percent to $17.2 million and outlying Washoe soaring 11.8 percent to $8.8 million.
Analysts attributed the strong Reno-area showing to additional visitation from a major bowling tournament, the 122nd USBC Open Championships, in downtown Reno that concluded its five-month run in July.
Clark County’s $1.173 billion in gaming win represented 84.5 percent of the state’s total gaming win.
Tax collections from July win rebounded from June with collections of $98.5 million based on the 6.75 percent gaming tax rate. The state has now collected $184.2 million for the fiscal year, 0.7 percent ahead of a year ago.
Gaming tax receipts are directed to the state’s general fund for use in numerous capital expense and service programs.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is expected to release visitation statistics later Thursday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
