Las Vegas Finishes 2013 on a High

Nevada’s casinos finished the year on a high, despite losing further ground to Macau throughout 2013. Indeed, revenues were up, topping $1 billion in December, and $11 billion for the year.

While Sheldon Adelson continues his crusade against online casinos in America, his land based properties continue to make a pretty buck. Surprisingly, however, the wins have come from a different direction to normal.

While this is Vegas, not Monaco, it seems that James Bond has had an influence on 2013’s gamblers, as baccarat bought in a record $1.6 billion last year. That figure was up 16.2% on 2012, and the traditional table game accounted for a whopping 36.4% of table game revenue.

Slots still come out on top

Unsurprisingly, slots still came out as top dog in 2013, with total win up 13.3% to $557.7 million in December, but it was baccarat’s gains that stood out yet again, as the card game made more than half the total win for all table games.

The biggest loser, meanwhile, was roulette, with figures down 21%. It wasn’t just casino games that failed to match baccarat, however, as sports betting’s decline continued in the state, with a fall of 6.1% in December.

With American gambling laws in a state of flux at the moment, it remains to be seen if baccarat can continue this upward trend, but it’s still a long way from wrestling the top spot away from the US’ favorite gambling past-time: the slot machine.