Nevada gambling revenues for January leap 18.4 percent

Latest numbers from Nevada regulators show that the industry’s recovery continued in January as casino revenues leaped 18.4 percent compared with January 2011.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board told the Associated Press news agency that the $1.038 billion that casinos won this January is up from $877 million in January 2011.

The Las Vegas Strip posted a 29 percent year-over-year gain, bringing in about $624 million in January. Downtown Las Vegas revenue was $47 million and is up nearly 14 percent.

Washoe County fared less well, with Reno casino revenues down 8.6 percent at of $38 million. South Lake Tahoe’s $17 million win in January is up 2 percent.

State officials collected $57 million in taxes based on the January revenue – a 16.5 percent drop from the $69 million collected the previous year.

Officials described the results as the biggest gain in the last three years.