The 18th edition of Jeffries’ “How Many Feet in the Game” report, which tracks foot traffic in regional U.S. casinos month-over-month, showed that nationwide foot traffic in July increased 14.8 percent over the previous month, but when compared to the same period from 2019, that total represents an 8 percent decrease.
However, researchers noted that July’s decrease in traffic was actually better than the comparison between June 2019 and June 2023—that side-by-side revealed a 14.2 percent decrease.
On the bright side, a number of individual markets tallied noticeable month-over-month increases in July, including Pennsylvania (9.7 percent), Atlantic City (33.9 percent), Illinois (15.1 percent) and Ohio (10.6 percent).
In all, researchers said that “visitation levels remain materially below pre-pandemic levels, though operators have indicated spend per visit has been meaningfully higher,” and this was certainly true in Nevada, which posted an all-time best statewide gaming win of $1.4 billion the same month.
Due to increasing economic uncertainty, however, certain markets may be affected disproportionately more than others moving forward—analysts cited Mississippi and Louisiana as being particularly susceptible to “macro headwinds.”
