Speaking of baccarat…

I’ve posted a new report at the Center for Gaming Research website: a statistical breakdown of the evolution of Nevada baccarat, 1992-2010. Here’s my description:

This chart shows the trajectory of Nevada baccarat since 1992. The total baccarat win and number of tables grown over the past eighteen years, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of the total gaming win and number of games. Even the 2007‐2010 recession, which has caused gaming revenues to decline, has not slowed the increasing dominance of baccarat in Nevada casinos. Currently, a game which in 2003 represented less than four percent of total gaming win for the state now represents over twelve percent of it. This more‐than‐tripling of market share is significant because the game caters to a smaller clientele than most games and is particularly susceptible to disruptions in national and international travel. The numbers show, however, that in the past five years, even as the industry has declined, it has become more reliant on baccarat revenues.

Important stuff. You can read the report here.

Baccarat to the future at Vegas Seven

New Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven:

Baccarat first came to Las Vegas in the 1950s, but didn’t make much headway until the growth of high-end, international play in the 1970s. Caesars Palace and the Hilton led the way, and soon most casinos with any pretension to catering to high-rollers added the game.

The game has had an up-and-down ride over the past two decades. In the 1980s, when mass marketing to small-budget players replaced a reliance on a select group of high-rollers, many casinos junked their baccarat tables. In 1992, there were only 59 baccarat tables in the state, and the game accounted for about $291 million in winnings, less than 5 percent of total gaming revenues.

via Baccarat to the future | Vegas Seven.

Yes, I came up with that title. It’s because you’ve got to make sure the flux capacitor is in good shape before you start a serious game of bacc.