According to the American Gaming Association, further growth in the US gaming industry is expected after an impressive 2024 in which gaming revenue was up 7% through October.
Expected Growth in ‘25
Monthly online sports betting and iGaming records were routinely broken in 2024, and that momentum is expected to continue next year as markets mature and more states pass legislation for mobile sports betting and online casino gambling.
Big Numbers
AGA President and CEO Bill Miller pointed to the expansion of the industry and said in an emailed statement, “While this growth has been driven primarily by the continued expansion of online gaming and sports betting, our traditional brick-and-mortar operations have shown strong resilience in the face of macroeconomic headwinds.
“As we approach year-end, the industry remains well on track to surpass last year’s record $67 billion in annual commercial gaming revenue. We can point with pride to growth across every gaming vertical.”
Casino Growth
Good news for land-based casinos as well, with metrics showing that their customer base is getting younger, with the average age dropping from 50 to 42, another positive sign for the retail gaming industry. Another bright spot is that politics plays little or no role in the economics of the gaming industry, unlike so many other financial sectors.
“In an era of increased ideological polarization, it’s particularly gratifying to see how gaming has transcended political divides,” Miller said. “Our recent research found seven in 10 Harris voters and seven in 10 Trump voters support gaming. They see the positive impact we have on communities: creating jobs, driving tourism, and generating tax revenue. This bipartisan embrace will be crucial as we work with a new Trump administration, new Congress, and new state legislators in the coming year.”
Las Vegas Sands Lauded
For the fifth consecutive year, Las Vegas Sands Corp. has been hailed on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, being recognized on both the DJSI World and DJSI North America lists. The DJSI’s designation indicates that a company is committed to operating in an environmentally responsible manner, minimizing its impact on resources, and promoting sustainable practices.
In the category of Casino and Gaming, Las Vegas Sands was the only company to be listed on the DJSI North America, while Sands China is only one of two companies in that gaming category to be listed on the DJSI Asia Pacific register.
“To close this year with our fifth consecutive placement on DJSI speaks to the tremendous collaboration within many areas of our company, all working hand-in-hand to advance our environmental, social, and governance initiatives,” said Katarina Tesarova, Sands’ senior vice president and chief sustainability officer.
MGM Resort International’s Security Training
A record graduating class of 52 security officers recently completed MGM Resort International’s new security officer training academy. The 12-day course enhances officers’ training with a wide variety of tools to be used in the field. Those seminars focus on guest welfare, emergency response training, surveillance, as well as identifying and preventing human trafficking.
Marc Cassell, vice president of corporate security for Las Vegas-based MGM Resorts, said, “It’s one of the best days that we have when we get to welcome new officers through our academy to our teams. The enthusiasm that these officers have coming out of this training program, which, by the way, is best in class, is just amazing. They go from here to our field training program. They’re excited to go out and see our properties, and the properties are excited to see them come.”
