The American Gaming Association (AGA) has announced that commercial US casinos enjoyed their most successful month on record in March 2022, taking more than US$5.3 billion from gamblers.

The previous best single-month total ever was July 2021 at US$4.92 billion.

Taking Q1 of 2022 as a whole, US nationwide commercial gaming revenue totalled US$14.31 billion, according to the AGA’s Commercial Gaming Revenue Tracker. This sets a new Q1 record and nearly matches the all-time quarterly record, which was set last quarter, Q4 2021, at US$14.35 billion.

Three states set quarterly revenue records to start this year, with New York taking nearly US$1 billion on its own at US$996.6 million. Arkansas’ US$147.4 million also set the state’s record, while Florida set a new high mark of US$182 million.

“Consumers continue to seek out gaming’s entertainment options in record numbers,” said Bill Miller, the AGA’s president and CEO, “despite continued headwinds from supply chain constraints, labour shortages and the impact of soaring inflation.”

The AGA’s annual State of the States report also ranked the largest casino markets in the US in terms of revenue for 2021. The Las Vegas Strip was of course first at US$7.05 billion, followed by Atlantic City (US$2.57 billion), the Chicago area (US$2.01 billion), Baltimore-Washington D.C. (US$2 billion), the Gulf Coast (US$1.61 billion), and New York City (US$1.46 billion).

The group reported many states saw gamblers spending more in casinos while visiting them in lower numbers compared to pre-pandemic 2019.