During the first quarter of 2022, gaming revenues for commercial casinos continued the momentum experienced in late-2021 as nationwide revenues exceeded the prior year and the pre-COVID 2019 period.
First quarter 2022 revenues totaled $14.3 billion nationwide according to the American Gaming Association. The latest performance held consistent from the prior quarter but was a 29.0 percent improvement from one year ago. Compared to the pre-pandemic period, gaming revenues were up an impressive 34.0 percent. Among legalized commercial gaming markets, 29 of the 31 observed an increase from one year ago.
While first quarter gaming revenues in 2022 outperformed historical first quarter metrics, the flattening trend from the final quarter of 2021 was influenced by a number of factors, including the emergence of COVID-19 variants as well the seasonal ebb and flow. At the same time, pent up customer demand provided stability. Notably, March 2022 marked the single highest-grossing month in commercial gaming history with total revenue collections of $5.3 billion, up 18.5 percent on the year.