Sportsbooks in Nevada Have Record Haul

March turned out to be a pretty good month for Nevada sportsbooks. And it wasn’t bad for Nevada casinos, either, as the Nevada Gaming Control Board released figures Wednesday. The total amount bet in Nevada sportsbooks in March was $475 million. That’s an all-time record for March. Most of the bets were naturally on basketball. Between March Madness and the NBA, sportsbooks took in nearly $440 million in wagers. The books came out ahead to the tune of $41 million, making it the most lucrative March, as well.

Sportsbooks were hit with $13 million in winning football tickets from the season, which cut into profits a bit, but not much. The sportsbooks still made more than $31 million this football season and are complaining that it was the worst year ever. While sportsbooks are showing increased profits, sports betting is still a drop in the bucket. Casinos made $112 million off of blackjack and another $35 million in craps. Roulette added $28 million to the casino coffers and Baccarat gave the casinos another $58 million.

If there was ever a misnomer it is the “penny slots” which certainly aren’t just a cent. Since gamblers have to play multiple credits, typically a minimum of 30, it costs much more to play. That much was evident by the fact that “penny slots” brought in $273 million in March. That’s not chump change, no matter how you look at it.

The good showing in March is important as we enter the summer months, which are the slowest of the year. Besides baseball, there’s really just the WNBA, Arena Football, racing, tennis and golf to wager on. Horse racing’s Triple Crown helps a bit, but that’s still just three days and three races. If those bettors would continue to bet the ponies it would be something big. But they haven’t done so in the past and are unlikely to do so now.