Tribal-gaming revenue continues to skyrocket.
The National Indian Gaming Commission Thursday released its fiscal-year 2023 gross gaming revenue numbers totaling $41.9 billion, an increase of $1 billion or 2.4% from the $40.9 billion in FY 2022. All eight NIGC regions demonstrated growth in gaming revenue since the last report.
Acting Chairwoman Sharon Avery and Vice Chair Jeannie Hovland made the announcement at the Wisconsin Gaming Regulators Association Summer Conference in Green Bay.
The NIGC said the 2023 revenue reflects the viability of tribal gaming as it continues to adapt to technological advances and changes in consumer preferences.
“This year’s GGR results demonstrate how a strong regulatory framework and diversity of tribal-gaming enterprises generate growth in the industry,” Avery said in a statement. “Again this year, tribal-gaming operators and regulators have proven that their ingenuity and tenacity are catalysts for growth, even in the face of an ever-changing gaming landscape. This steadfastness will ensure that tribal gaming remains a valuable resource for continued economic sustainability in tribal communities.”
Hovland congratulated industry regulators and operators and tribal leadership on another successful year. “Their hard work in meeting and overcoming the challenges presented by an increasingly competitive market is evidence that tribes are resilient, and their gaming expertise is yielding benefits for their nations as (the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act) intended.”
The report is an aggregate of gaming revenues collected from the audited financial statements of 527 gaming operations made up of 245 tribes in 29 states. The NIGC requires each tribe to submit financial statements covering all financial activities of each Class II and Class III gaming operation on the tribe’s lands for each fiscal year.
The Sacramento region that covers California and northern Nevada with 87 operations led the way with $11.8 billion, up 1.8% from $11.7 billion.
The D.C. region that covers New York, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana with 44 operations recorded $9.19 billion, a 2.4% increase from $8.97 billion.
The St. Paul region that includes Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana with 95 operations recorded $5.08 billion, up 2.8% from $4.95 billion.
The Portland region that includes Washington, Oregon, and Idaho with 53 operations recorded $4.5 billion, a 1.1% increase from $4.48 billion.
The Phoenix region that covers Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and southern Nevada with 54 operations recorded $3.92 billion, up 5.5%, up from $3.72 billion.
The Tulsa region that covers eastern Oklahoma and Kansas with 74 operations recorded $3.56 billion, up 2% from $3.48 billion.
The Oklahoma City region that covers western Oklahoma and Texas with 75 operations recorded $3.21 billion, up 2.1% from $3.14 billion.
The Rapid City region that covers North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana with 45 operations recorded $425.8 million, up 4.9% from $406.1 million.
Some 9% of operations recorded $250 million and higher in revenue that made up 55% of the total revenue generated nationwide. Another 11% earned between $100 million and $250 million to comprise 24% of the total.
Another 11% of operations fall between $50 million and $100 million that makes up 10% of the total. And 14% fall between $25 million and $50 million to make up 6% of the revenue.
Finally, 55% of operations made less than $25 million in revenue that made up 5% of the total revenue.
