Commercial gaming revenue across the United States hit a new quarterly record of US$14.81 billion in the three months to 30 June 2022 according to information tallied by the American Gaming Association’s (AGA), up 3.3% on the previous record set in 4Q21.
It also revealed that 2022 is on track to set a new annual record for the second year running, with half-year revenues of US$29.16 billion up almost 18% over 2021.
“Q2’s results mark a 16-month period of gains for commercial gaming,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “With increasingly difficult year-over-year comparisons, our strength through the first half of 2022 reflects sustained consumer demand for legal options as well as gaming’s record popularity.”
The industry’s growth rate softened throughout the second quarter, with the pace of monthly year-over-year gains slowing from 13.1%in April, to 10.7% in May, and 2.5% in June – demonstrating stabilizing consumer demand and the return to normal gaming operations one year ago, the AGA said.
Nevertheless, 22 of the 31 commercial gaming jurisdictions operating during the same period last year experienced revenue increases in Q2 with nine states reporting all-time quarterly highs: Arkansas, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
Traditional casino gaming continued to drive the industry’s success, with both brick-and-mortar slots and table games seeing quarterly revenue records. While slot machine revenue was up 0.2% year-over-year, revenue from table games jumped 18.2%. In the first six months of the year, traditional casino gaming generated US$23.67 billion in revenue, 11.7% higher year-on-year.
The sports betting sector also continues to grow, with Q2 revenues up 58.7% and first half revenue of US$3.04 billion up 63.9%.
“While on pace to set an annual revenue record, we are cognizant of the continued impacts of inflation and labor challenges as well as marketplace concerns of potential recession,” said Miller. “Our members have proven their agility and resilience over the last two years and are well-positioned to face these potential headwinds heading into the second half.”