Casino Make Money
How prosperous Las Vegas casinos really are?
Gaining confident with any trading system starts with a firm knowledge and understanding of the numbers. You have to see the end in sight to feel comfortable. The first 1,000 people to sign up to Skillshare will get their first 2 months for free: do casinos make money?
How much money do Las Vegas casinos make? Source: unsplash.com
Gambling businesses have always been on the shady side of economies. They are treated as high-risk enterprises when applying for a loan or other financial services. Most people stay away from such places, being prudent about their hard-earned money. And yet, Las Vegas casinos seem to defy all the prejudice. They are a symbol of the city, one of its main attractions, and a magnet for betting people from all walks of life.
For sure, people who love to test their luck are numerous. Just to put it into perspective, last year, the American Gaming Association estimated that $150 billion was gambled around the world per year in legal and illegal settings.
Some games are way more of a ripoff than others — even by casino standards.
So, how prosperous are casinos really? PaySpace Magazine’s team is eager to know that. Are you?
How do casinos make money?
At first sight, the answer seems clear. People place bets in various gambling games. When they lose, the money bid goes to the casino. However, bets also often pay off for the gamblers. One may think that casino owners are betting people too, putting the success of their business at stake. However, it’s not true. As Nico Zographos, dealer-extraordinaire for the ‘Greek Syndicate’ in Deauville, Cannes, and Monte Carlo in the 1920s observed about casino gaming: “There is no such thing as luck. It is all mathematics.” Well, statistics, to be precise.
The casino usually wins in the long run, due to the thoroughly calculated “house edge”. It’s also known as the casino advantage. That edge exists on every table game, lotto, or slot in a casino online or on land. The stats don’t depend on the casino establishment, these are purely mathematical odds of the game itself. The house edges for the most popular games vary from 0,5% to 40%.
In addition, individual casinos get more income when they find a method of increasing their house edge, the amount of time on each game and the average bet size. Therefore, the minimum amount is required in most table games. The maths is simple, the casino expects to make a certain amount of money for each round. The higher the limits, the better probability of attracting wealthy gamblers who like to play big. Players may be also encouraged to bet more by special offers called ‘comps’. Comps are gifts such as airline tickets or tickets to shows or even a certain extra percentage of the total winnings. They can be obtained by participating in a kind of “loyalty program” of a certain casino. Gamblers who receive a club card must meet certain requirements like spending a particular amount of time on a game, reaching a certain number of stakes, etc. This strategy is also advantageous to the casino despite the seemingly extra costs.
Moreover, betting itself is actually only a small part of the total casinos’ revenues. Non-gaming income comes from selling food and drinks, guests visiting in-house entertainment venues or spa facilities, renting rooms for overnight stays, paid parking lots, etc.
The average Las Vegas casino visitor spent $434.70 per night. Source: unsplash.com
In fact, since 1999, revenue generated by non-gaming amenities has exceeded casino revenue in Nevada. By 2013, the direct gaming income constituted only one-third of the total profits made by Las Vegas casinos.
Research conducted by David Schwartz, the former director of UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research, showed that in 2018, the average Las Vegas casino visitor spent $434.70 per night with $285.41 going to non-gaming attractions and only $149.29 placed on gambling.
Furthermore, the share of people who visit casinos without gambling at all, for the sake of fun and new experience seems to grow with every generation. During the 2014 survey, 51% of the responding US Millennials vs 15% of Matures admitted they had visited a casino and not gambled but spent money on non-gaming amenities such as food and beverages.
Revenues and stats
Now that you understand the full picture, let’s get down to the exact numbers.
That’s how much major Las Vegas casinos earn annually:
- The owner of MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Resorts International had its consolidated net revenues increase 10% to $12.9 billion in 2019, with $5.8 billion attributed to Las Vegas Strip Resorts.
- Caesars Entertainment that stands behind the famous Caesars Palace generated approximately $4.45 billion in revenue from its casinos in 2019 with $4 more billion coming from non-gaming sources.
- Casino and entertainment resort company Wynn Resorts generated approximately $6.61 billion in revenue in 2019.
- Circus Circus Casinos, Inc. has a comparably modest approximate annual revenue of $115.91 million.
- Las Vegas Sands, the owner of The Venetian, reported Consolidated Net Revenue of $13.74 billion in 2019; whereas its operating income decreased 1.4% to $3.70 billion.
In fiscal 2017, 24 casinos in the Las Vegas Strip area produced gaming revenue of more than $72 million. The average daily revenue of a single casino made up $1.8 million with $634.5 thousand coming from the gaming bets.
169 large casinos in Las Vegas reported total revenues of nearly $22 billion. Source: unsplash.com
In the 2019 fiscal year, 169 large casinos in Las Vegas reported total revenues of nearly $22 billion. Their aggregate net income almost reached $2 billion.
At the same time, casinos in the state of Nevada generated $8.76 billion in revenue from gaming.
Coronavirus impact
The woes of the 2020 pandemic brought sad outcomes to the gambling sites. Being non-essential businesses, nearly all gambling venues and resorts were closed for a long time. Therefore, the losses of casinos are colossal.
Thus, MGM Resorts posted a 91% decline in quarterly revenue for the Q2 2020. The company also had an operating loss of $1 billion compared with operating income of $371 million a year earlier.
Las Vegas Sands announced net revenue of $98 million, a decrease of 97.1% from the prior year quarter. Operating loss was $922 million, compared to operating income of $894 million in the same period of 2019.
Though the casino operators speak about the reopening and recovery processes with hopefulness, their usual revenue levels may not be reached too quickly. Experts believe that a complete recovery to 2019 levels may not occur until 2022 or possibly 2023. Unlike many regional gambling markets, Vegas is heavily reliant on air travel, which is still pretty restricted. The number of international tourists and business travelers who are drawn to the wonders of illuminated casino buildings will be significantly smaller in the upcoming seasons.
Furthermore, the state’s “Road Map to Recovery” limits casino operations to 50 percent occupancy. That is another factor for the revenue decrease in the foreseeable future.
SunTrust Robinson gaming analyst Barry Jonas believes Las Vegas needs to return to its “gaming roots” to survive the pandemic crisis:
Today’s gaming market has essentially morphed back 30-plus years in time to when the main focus was recession-resistant gambling, as non-gaming amenities take a back seat.
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So, what exactly is a professional gambler?
A professional gambler is a person who lives from gambling and spends most of his time at the casinos. Professional gamblers are actually earning their paychecks by making the right bets when they play at the live casino tables.
In this article, I will go over some general misconceptions about casino gaming as well as go over a few real-world examples, gathered from several friends of mine who are professional Advantage Players. We won’t give out real names or when these “adventures” occurred, but rest assured this is about as truthful as an accounting of what real-world play is like.
The gambler lifestyle has been portrayed by Hollywood, and more so, by commercials for casinos, to be a glamorous one. Men are always dressed sharply and women are in their best gowns and, both seem to be having a wonderful time. They are winning money, eating at 5-star restaurants and drinking the best champagne.
This is all done to entice the average person to come to the casinos and gamble, but more importantly to lose the maximum amount of money they can. The reality of the casino gaming world is very different.
What Makes a Pro
The term “professional gambler” is sometimes used interchangeably for both people who earn part-time and full-time income through gambling.
But I keep a much tighter definition of a professional gambler.
Real pros not only make a profit through gambling, but enough to pay all of their living expenses. This includes housing, utilities, car payment, insurance, food, clothing and anything else deemed necessary.
A semi-pro is somebody who makes enough to supplement their income but doesn’t earn a full-time living through gambling.
But, when you are on the positive side of the spectrum it’s like taking candy from a jar labeled “free candy”. The hard truth is that the mentality of a professional casino player is equal to a manic depressive.
The gambling world doesn’t offer an abundance of opportunities to make a living, but there are a few different games where you can earn some nice profits. If you play smart and stick to the plan.
Game On
Let’s take a brief look at the most common games that you can make long term profits with and I’ll then go into each with more detail:
- Blackjack
- Daily fantasy sports (DFS)
- Poker
- Sports betting
Blackjack sees you try to win money directly from the house.
Casinos do everything in their power to hinder successful card counters. This includes using continuously shuffling machines, multi-deck shoes, and vigilant security measures.
Anybody who’s caught counting cards is often kicked out of the casino and banned. This is why it’s so important for card counters to blend in with normal players.
DFS and poker both see you compete against your fellow man. The house merely takes a small cut of tournament fees or cash game pots for poker.
Sportsbooks create lines in an effort to get equal betting action on both sides. The sportsbooks make their money by taking 10% juice from the losing group.
Every form of advantage betting has its pros and cons, but the key is that each of these activities offers the chance to make a healthy income.
Counting on It
People have been making a living through card counting since the early 1960s, and despite all the obstacles that casinos have put in players’ way, it remains possible to earn a living with card counting today.
You need a sizable bankroll in order to properly spread your bets and survive variance. The recommended minimum you should aim for is $20,000, but it’s better to have closer to $40,000.
How much you make depends upon several factors, including the following:
- Skill level – Successful counters have between a 0.5% and 1.5% edge on casinos.
- Hands per hour – 50 to 200 depending upon dealer speed & table size.
- Bet spreading – Difference between your lowest and highest bet.
- Deck penetration – The further into the shoe you get, the more confidence you can bet with.
- Counting system – Some systems are more accurate than others.
- Game rules – You want the best rules possible in order to lower the standard house edge.
- Tips – $5 per hour for the dealer is standard.
The final step is to figure out how many hours you’ll play and convert this into an annual salary.
The key is keeping an accurate count amidst casino distractions and blending in with normal players.
Fantasy
DFS is the newest game that offers skilled gamblers an opportunity to make money.
Daily fantasy sees you pay an entry fee to enter contests and compete against other players. The goal is to create lineups that score the most points and rank the highest in tournaments.
The truth, though, is that only a small percentage of those who play actually win. A study from 2015 showed that 1.3% of daily fantasy baseball players collect 91% of the winnings.
Saahil Sud, profiled in a WBUR piece, said he made over $3 million in profits in a single year. Former poker-pro Aaron Jones switched over to DFS and won a DraftKings contest worth $5 million in early 2016.
Of course, the average professional DFS player doesn’t earn quite this much. To determine a standard DFS salary, let’s consider the following factors:
- Entries per day— Most DFS pros enter several hundred contests every day.
- Stakes – Typical entry fees range anywhere from $1 up to $1,000.
- Fees— DFS sites tack on a 10% fee to each buy-in, which is where their profits come from.
- Skill level— Some pros have a bigger edge than others.
Of course, DFS is filled with variables, which is why it’s key to have a large enough bankroll to survive the ups and downs.
Poker
Poker has long been one of the most viable options for becoming a professional gambler. The reason why is because you’re competing against other opponents instead of the house.
It’s tougher to make a living in poker these days because the strategy is more prevalent. Real money online poker gives players a chance to rapidly accelerate their learning curve by seeing more hands per hour.
You can still become a profitable player with enough hard work and experience though. In fact, some pros still make six or seven-figure annual incomes with the game.
However, the vast majority of pros these days earn between $40,000 and $100,000 per year.
Poker is unique in that there are essentially two types of professionals: tournament and cash game pros.
Let’s look at the different considerations for cash vs. tournament play:
Cash Games
- Profit measured in big blinds (BB) made per hour.
- House takes 5% rake from cash game pots for running games.
- More control over annual salary than tournaments.
Tournaments
- Profit measured by rate of return (ROI) on buy-ins.
- House adds 10% fee to buy ins (e.g. $10 + $1 fee).
- Only the top 10-15% of the field makes money.
- Tournaments have more variance than cash games.
A cash player must figure out what stakes they must play to make a comfortable living based on BB earned per hour.
A tournament pro must decide what buy-in level they must choose to make a high enough ROI to live comfortably.
One more consideration here is whether you’ll dedicate the bulk of your time towards live or online poker.
Online cash games and tourneys offer more volume because you can play multiple tables. Plus hands and tournaments go much faster, giving you an opportunity to boost your hourly wages.
Nevertheless, many players find that their win rate is higher in live games. The most lucrative tournaments are found in land-based casinos, too, such as the World Series of Poker events.
Sports Betting
The good thing about sports betting is that you don’t need to have a massive win rate just to book profits.
Sportsbooks only take 10% juice from the losing side. This differs from DFS and poker tournaments where you must pay an extra 10% fee regardless of whether you’re a winner or loser.
The juice can be lowered or adjusted based on where the sportsbook is trying to push action, but 10% is generally the amount you’ll see taken from the losing side.
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Pro sports bettors must be very keen at handling their bankroll since they’re dealing with such small profit margins. They also need to make larger wagers than “Gary the CPA from Ohio” to increase potential profits.
Some sports bettors have made millions of dollars with this model. But the average bettors are looking at more modest salaries ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 annually.
Conclusion
Being a pro gambler has some obvious benefits, including flexible hours, being your own boss, and the ability to increase your income.
How Does A Casino Make Money On Poker
Some gamblers, such as Saahil Sud and Bob Voulgaris, have even gotten rich with their skills. Of course, you may be perfectly happy making mid-5-figures, as long as you get to enjoy the aforementioned benefits, but there are also some downsides to be aware of. These include risk, highs and lows, no sick days, and the potential to lose everything.
The potential rewards can be great in the case of card counting, DFS, poker, and sports betting, but you also have to be disciplined and good at handling risk.