Las Vegas Strip casinos posted a 3% revenue increase in May, led by a 12% upswing in baccarat revenue (on only 3% more wagering). Slot 
coin-in was up 4% but winnings were flat. Non-baccarat table games won 3% more even though wagering was 5%. The gross gaming revenue for the Strip was $547 million, while statewide it was just short of a billion-dollar month, coming in at $991.5 million. Locals lost 2% more, mainly driven by a 6% increase in casino winnings at the slots, while table games fell 6% on 1% less wagering. (The calendar was neutral with 2016, having the same number of weekend days.)
In the valley, only North Las Vegas was revenue-negative, being down 1.5% ($27 million). Downtown Las Vegas was up 9.5%, grossing $55 million. The Boulder Strip was up 3% to an even $80 million, while uncategorized Clark County rose 2% to finish at $98 million. Laughlin was 9% to $43 million and Reno rode a 2% increase to $51. Volatile as ever, Lake Tahoe shot up 30%, contributing $18 million.
* At the risk of sounding like Sheldon Adelson fulminating against the invention of the McCormick reaper and the cotton gin, I must register some reservations about the concept of the Tipsy Robot, newly installed at Miracle Mile Shops. The two-robot bar, the brainchild of Rico Armeni 
(one of the best restaurant minds in town) will prepare your beverage of choice With all due respect to Armeni I’m not entirely sold on the concept. I’d like a bartender who takes more than 70 seconds to prepare my dirty martini and who is receptive to human input. Also, I’d have more confidence in the Tipsy Robot’s prospects if it wasn’t in Miracle Mile, one of the Strip’s dodgier malls. Still, with access to 72,000 prospective customers a day auguries for success seem good and perhaps the concept will spread further along the Strip. Still, I’d hate to see Rhumbar being run by robots.
* Speaking of drinking, the Lege in North Carolina has decreed that you can booze away at charity bingo and raffle nights. Bottoms up!
* Casinos caught a break when the Baton Rouge Metro Council failed to pass a proposed smoking ban, with a do-over now scheduled for August. JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff predicts that, if passed, the ban would have a $1/share negative effect on Pinnacle Entertainment stock, adding, “The decision to defer the vote reflected the … uncertainty on how the smoking ban would be enforced and how much time would be necessary/appropriate for casinos and bars to tweak their business models.”
