Nevada gaming revenue was up 4% last month, just a few hundred thousand shy of an even billion dollars, even though the Las Vegas Strip was relatively stagnant. Strong baccarat win by the house (jumping 14.5%) was offset by 3% less win in other games. Slot win was up 
6% ($292 million) despite flat coin-in. The house lost big-time on table games, with 3% less win on 9% greater wagering. Las Vegas locals casinos cleaned up, with slot win — possibly fattened by late-November coin-in — vaulting 23% for an overall gain of 20%, on 2% higher coin-in and despite on less weekend day. The Strip grossed $566 million, while Downtown checked in with $59 million (26.5% higher) and North Las Vegas leapt 18% to $23 million. The Boulder Strip rocketed 45% higher, to $68 million, and miscellaneous Clark County casinos raked in $100.5 million for an 8% hop. Laughlin was a comparative underachiever, up only 4.5% on $32.5 million. Reno slipped 2.5% to $54 million while Lake Tahoe skilled 9% to finish with $17 million.
Cameron McKnight of Credit Suisse called the Strip numbers “Very good … even against higher expectations … shows the (important) everyday gambler is doing well.” He added, “December performance was strong, lining up with our restaurant checks and room rate survey,” calling the Strip slot numbers “a clear positive.” He had even better news for the manufacturing sector, saying that fourth-quarter replacements look to higher and “Operators expect to replace slots at close to a record rate in the coming year … Smaller manufacturers are pacing at a record 30% market share.” International Game Technology‘s game performance “has ticked up meaningfully” while AGS “remains strong.” The only stock dissed was Scientific Games, rated to “underperform.”
McKnight said operators “expect to replace approximately 8.0%” of their machines, “which is the close to the fastest rate since the survey commenced in 2010 … Aristocrat gained participation share this quarter, driven by strong placements of Dragon Link.” He added, “IGT’s new product is performing well, with 2 of the top 5 new casino owned titles, ranked by performance. We’d expect this to flow through to market share.”
* That mushroom cloud you see is the top of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak‘s head exploding. Sisolak is “beyond outraged” at the disclosure by the Trump administration 
that it shipped plutonium to Yucca Mountain without telling anyone in the Silver State. One-half (metric) ton of the radioactive stuff was snuck through Las Vegas and into government storage facilities in Nevada. Sisolak filed for an emergency injunction to prevent further such shenanigans. The state’s two senators piled on with Jacky Rosen (D) calling the shipment “deceitful and unethical,” while Catherine Cortez Masto (D) said it was a “reckless decision” made in “bad faith.” The Justice Department replied by saying move along, nothing to see here — that no further toxic trains were planned, so the issue is moot. The state responded by saying their is a “palpable suspicion” of further Trump perfidy. “They lied to the state of Nevada, misled a federal court, and jeopardized the safety of Nevada’s families and environment,” Sisolak fumed.”I hope the government doesn’t ship plutonium pending a ruling by this court,” responded U.S. District Judge Miranda Du rather weakly. What little of the, er, matter is still in her hands may be taken away, depending on whether Nevada or South Carolina wins the battle to have the case heard in its respective courts.
* Lobbying to stave off federal regulation of sports betting, the American Gaming Association released polling showing that 63% of Americans favored the recent sports-betting decision handed down by the Supreme Court, two-thirds feel it should 
be regulated at the state level (take that, Uncle Sam) and 80% want sports betting in their state. “Integrity fees” are favored by only 23% of respondents, with 55% opposed. “This weekend, 23 million Americans will wager a staggering $6 billion on the Super Bowl. To put that in perspective, Americans will bet around the same amount on this one event as they bet legally in all of 2018,” wrote AGA spokeswoman Sara Slane. “However, Americans will continue to bet illegally without access to safe, regulated alternatives. With sports betting legislation flooding state capitals across the country, legislators can pursue these opportunities knowing they have the support of their constituents.” And ours, for whatever it’s worth. By the way — thank you, Ms. Slane for not calling it “the Big Game.”
