By the Numbers
Gambling is big business in the United States. Big Business. According to a June 2019 report by the American Gaming Association (AGA), 2018 gaming revenue for U.S. commercial casinos reached an all-time high of $41.7 billion dollars, which was up 3.5% from 2017. That’s billion with a B.
Out of the 24 states with legal commercial gaming, Nevada accrued the highest amount of revenue, coming in at close to $12 Billion[i] in 2018. The majority of that revenue was earned in the Las Vegas Strip, which saw earnings of $6.59 billion[ii].
There are currently 465 commercial casinos in America[iii], which is slightly down from a high of 524 casinos in 2016. Nevertheless, casinos remain popular with the American public. Approximately one-third of Americans visited a casino in the past year. With an estimated population in the United States of almost 330 million, that’s roughly 110 million residents who visited a casino within the past year.
Age Matters
A 2011 survey[iv] conducted by Hart Research and the American Gaming Association found that the majority of U.S. casino-goers were aged 50 and over, equaling 58% of casino visitors. Visitors ages 21-34 made up 18% of the total visitors, and visitors aged 35-49 made up 21% of the total visitors.
What is particularly interesting, however, is that younger visitors tend to be the ones who take advantage of the added attractions that most casinos have within their facilities. 53% of 18–29-year-old and 48% of 30–49-year-old Americans visited a bar or a nightclub in a casino in 2018[v]. Additionally, 43.9% and 43.43% of 18–29-year-olds and 30–49-year-olds, respectively, went to an upscale restaurant in a casino in 2018[vi]. Stage shows or concerts held in casinos were also highly attended by younger adults in 2018. 42% of 18–29-year-olds and 35% of 30–49-year-olds attended casino-sponsored shows or concerts[vii].
Show Me the Money
While other gambling venues, such as online gaming and lottery ticket purchases, allow for credit card deposits and purchases, gambling in commercial casinos is strictly a cash business. As of 2017, many of the commercial casinos in Las Vegas began allowing customers buy meals, pay for their hotel stays, and purchase show tickets using eWallet systems. However, gambling still requires cash.
Luckily, the majority of casino visitors who gamble and/or take advantage of the other offered attractions fall within a demographic that utilizes cash much of the time. According to the 2018 Findings from the Diary of Consumer Payment Choice, released by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (FRBSF), “Survey respondents between 18 to 25 years of age and those 45 years and older use cash approximately 34 percent of the time to pay for transactions.” Which means that having cash readily accessible within a casino is imperative for a casino’s long-term growth and sustainability.
ATMs for Casinos
With cash still the only accepted method of payment for gambling in casinos, continued successful revenue requires easy access to cash resources. In-house ATMs are a necessity to keep the cash flowing. Casinos often bulk purchase, lease, or place a fleet of ATMs within their facilities so that casino-goers don’t have to hunt them down. One concern casino owners face is spacing. Owners don’t want to give up precious revenue-producing gaming space for clunky ATMs. The best ATMs for casinos are small in footprint, but have high-end technology and sturdy parts, such as Puloon USA’s Sirius I ATM, which has a compact design, small footprint, but comes with the superior technology and reliability of a top-brand ATM.
Keeping Customers Happy
Given that commercial casino revenues only seem to be on the rise, casinos are paying close attention to their customer market share. Keeping their customers happy and coming back means a steady stream of quality entertainment, high-quality food and drink, reliable cash resources, and engaging games.
Sources:
[i] American Gaming Association. (June 11, 2019). Gross gaming revenue of casinos in the United States in 2018, by state (in million U.S. dollars)* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/187926/gross-gaming-revenue-by-state-us/
[ii] RubinBrown. (April 2, 2019). Leading commercial gaming markets in the United States in 2018, by revenue (in billion U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/473124/commercial-gaming-location-revenue-usa/
[iii] American Gaming Association. (June 11, 2019). Number of commercial casinos in the United States from 2005 to 2018* [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/187972/number-of-us-commercial-casinos-since-2005/
[iv] American Gaming Association. (May 4, 2011). U.S. casino visitors by age in 2010 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 18, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/188424/percentage-distribution-of-casino-visitors-in-the-us-by-age-2010/
[v] Statista. (October 31, 2018). Share of Americans who visited bars and nightclubs in casinos in the last 12 months in 2018, by age [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/227480/bar-and-nightclub-visitors-usa/
[vi] Statista. (October 31, 2018). Share of Americans who went to an upscale restaurant in a casino in the last 12 months in 2018, by age [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www-statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/227481/upscale-restaurant-visitors-casino-usa/
[vii] Statista. (October 31, 2018). Share of Americans who watched stage shows or concerts in casinos in the last 12 months in 2018, by age [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved September 17, 2019, from https://www statista-com.colorado.idm.oclc.org/statistics/227479/stage-show-visitors-usa/
