For the second consecutive year, Nevada’s statewide casino win set a new record, taking in $15.6 billion in 2024. It was only a 0.6% increase over 2023 ($15.5 billion), but it was still the highest ever. The Strip win declined 1% for the year, but still registered a lofty $8.8 billion, which is the most of any gambling market in the country. Downtown casinos set a new win record for the fourth consecutive year at $931 million. In Northern Nevada, the Reno win was $759 million. Slot machines generated more than two-thirds of the entire statewide win at 67.4%.

Cadence commences: Work has begun on Cadence Crossing, Boyd Gaming’s new project on Boulder Highway adjacent to the existing Jokers Wild casino. Cadence Crossing is slated to open in summer 2026, at which point Jokers Wild will be torn down.

Grand Prix 3: Dates and a scheduling change have been announced for Las Vegas’ third Formula 1 Grand Prix race. The race weekend will be Nov. 20-22, and the start time for the race and qualifying rounds has been moved up to 8 p.m.; it was previously set for 10 p.m.

Rain: A one-day storm last month ended a 213-day stretch without rain in Las Vegas. It was the second-longest dry spell since 1937, when the record was set at 240 days without rain.

Casino run: A couple from the Netherlands has set a world record by gambling in 110 casinos in 24 hours, smashing the previous record of 74. They began in Laughlin, helicoptered to Primm, then SUVed to Las Vegas where they finished the run at the D.

Question: Do continuous shuffling machines in blackjack alter the odds in favor of the house?

Answer: The continuous shuffling machines, known as CSMs, actually decrease the house edge very slightly. However, they allow more hands to be dealt per hour, so the overall effect is that that house wins more money over a given amount of time than in games that are shuffled the traditional way.

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