Friday, August 15, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Blackjack bettors do better in fiscal year

Casinos' win up despite card game's slide

Stardust pit manager Pat Ballaro, right, watches dealer Sue Kardokus count chips Wednesday at a table game. Photo by K.M. Cannon.

Nevada casino gamblers lost 2.8 percent more money betting on slots and table games during fiscal 2003 than they did in fiscal 2002, but some games didn't contribute to the turnaround.

According to the Gaming Control Board's fiscal year-end numbers for the 12-month period ended June 30, casinos won less from blackjack, minibaccarat and bingo players.

The top game in the state's casino pits, blackjack continued its recent slide, as the game won $1.08 billion from bettors, down 4.2 percent after decreasing 5.4 percent in fiscal 2002.

Blackjack's share of table game win decreased to 33.6 percent of the $3.22 billion total, down from the prior year's 36.4 percent mark.

The state's 140 minibaccarat tables won $163.2 million from gamblers, down 12.42 percent, almost the mirror image of upscale cousin baccarat, which won $437.5 million, up 16.49 percent.

The state's 43 bingo parlors won $2.5 million from bettors, down 34.7 percent during a year when a late-summer bingo scam at several Station Casinos properties prompted state regulators to shut down the use of some electronic bingo card minders, called GTIs, that allowed players to watch television while simultaneously playing dozens of bingo cards at a time.

Dollar, quarter and nickel slot denominations all reported declines in fiscal 2003, but control board statistical analyst Frank Streshley said the comparisons with prior years are skewed by the separate "multidenomination" category.

In past years, operators with games that allowed players to choose from more than one denomination were allowed to categorize those devices as either multidenomination or as one of the denominations on the device.

Operators must now report those machines' results only as multidenomination slots. Multimachines won $863.5 million from gamblers, up 135.3 percent, a change Streshley attributed to the new reporting requirement and to the spread of multidenomination games.

The change also contributed to drops of 8.1, 6.8 and 5 percent for nickel-, quarter- and dollar-denominated machines, he said.

Nickel slots solidified their hold as the second biggest money-making denomination, winning $1.51 billion, 23.9 percent of the total slot win.

Nickel devices provided only 12.1 percent one decade earlier, in fiscal 1993.

Quarter slots won $1.97 billion from gamblers, 31.1 percent of the total slot win, down from 47.2 percent in fiscal 1993.

Dollar slots won $1.25 billion, continuing a steady decade-long decline to 19.8 percent of total slot win, compared to 33 percent in fiscal 2003.

Among the table games with improved results were craps, baccarat, roulette and pai gow poker.

Craps, the state's second winningest table game, won $445.4 million, up 5.9 percent. Baccarat tables won $437.5 million, up 16.5 percent. Roulette tables won $262.4 million, up 1.1 percent and pai gow poker tables won $119.6 million, up less than one-tenth of 1 percent.

The state's 159 sports books reported a 12.8 percent increase in the amount won from sports bettors, to $124.4 million. Football bettors dropped $51.5 million, up 33.3 percent; basketball bettors lost $33.7 million, up 12.2 percent; and baseball wagerers lost $12.2 million, down 16 percent.

Casinos' most lucrative sports betting segment, parlay cards, won $23 million from gamblers, up 20.1 percent.

Nevada's 125 race books won $85.5 million, down 1.4 percent.