Commercial Gaming Off to Fastest Start Ever, Q1 Revenue Tops $14 Billion

Nationwide commercial gaming revenue totaled $14.31 billion in Q1 2022, according to the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. This sets a new Q1 record and nearly matches the all-time quarterly record, which was just set in Q4 2021 ($14.35B).

The strong start to the year was punctuated by March’s revenue performance of $5.31 billion. The month marked the highest-grossing revenue month in industry history.

“Consumers continue to seek out gaming’s entertainment options in record numbers,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “Q1’s strong results build on the industry’s record year in 2021 despite continued headwinds from supply chain constraints, labor shortages, and the impact of soaring inflation.”

The AGA also released today the annual State of the States report, which details the remarkable industry recovery throughout 2021.

Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker

Total commercial gaming revenue for Q1 2022 increased nearly 29 percent year-over-year. Nearly every (32 of 34) commercial gaming jurisdiction surpassed Q1 revenue from last year and three set quarterly records: Arkansas ($147.4M), Florida ($182.0M) and New York ($996.6M).

Sports betting and iGaming continued to experience tremendous growth, with both verticals setting all-time quarterly records, while land-based gaming showed quarterly growth amidst a traditional seasonal slowdown.

“Four years post-PASPA, legal sports betting’s success is proving what we’ve known all along: American consumers are eager to wager within the protections of the regulated market,” Miller added. “It also reinforces the need to stamp out offshore, illegal operators who prey on vulnerable customers.”

State of the States 2022

AGA’s newly released State of the States report explores the industry’s remarkable bounce back in 2021. Highlights from this year’s report, which serves as the definitive economic and regulatory analysis of U.S. commercial gaming by state, include:

• 2021 set a new annual record for commercial gaming, reaching $53.03 billion—a 21.5 percent increase from the previous high in 2019.
• Commercial gaming operations generated a record $11.69 billion in direct gaming tax revenue paid to state and local governments—up 75 percent from 2020 and 15 percent from 2019. This does not include the billions more paid in income, sales or other taxes.
• The top 10 commercial gaming markets for 2021: (1) Las Vegas Strip, (2) Atlantic City, (3) Chicagoland, (4) Baltimore-Washington D.C., (5) Gulf Coast, (6) New York City, (7) Philadelphia, (8) Detroit, (9) St. Louis and (10) Boulder Strip.

“Our industry’s success goes beyond the bottom line and into communities across the country. The record state and local tax contributions fund vital services from infrastructure and education to healthcare and emergency services,” Miller reflected on the State of the States report.