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Report puts tribal gaming industry revenues at $28.3B in 2013

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A gaming area at the WinStar World Casino and Resort, owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma. Photo from Facebook

The tribal gaming industry grew just 0.5 percent in 2013, according to the new edition of Casino City's Indian Gaming Industry Report.

Tribal facilities took in $28.3 billion that year, an all-time high. But economist Alan Meister said Indian Country is still recovering from the effects of the 2008 national recession.

"Given the slowdown of the economy, including other segments of the gaming industry, it is no surprise that Indian gaming on a nationwide basis also experienced slower growth," Meister said in a press release. "However, there was healthy growth of Indian gaming in many parts of the country."

The two tribes in Florida, for example, saw 5.6 percent growth, according to the report. That puts the state in the top 5 nationwide, with $2.3 billion in revenues.

California remained the largest tribal gaming market, with $7 billion in 2013. However, the state only grew by 0.5 percent, according to the report.

Oklahoma ranked second, with revenues of $3.8 billion. But the state with more than 100 tribal facilities only grew 1.7 percent, a sharp contrast from prior years of double-digit percentage increases.

Combined, California and Oklahoma represent 38 percent of the entire tribal gaming market, The Las Vegas Review Journal noted.

After Florida, Washington came in fourth, with $2.3 billion in revenues. The state appears to be doing better than in recent years, showing growth of 1.2 percent.

Finally, Arizona knocked out Connecticut to claim the fifth spot. Arizona saw $1.8 billion in 2013, representing a small growth of 0.4 percent.

Get the Story:
Report: Indian gaming revenue hits record $28.3 billion in 2013 (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/31)
US Tribal Casinos Report Strong Revenue Growth (Casino News Daily 3/31)