Poker May Have Peaked

Each month the Nevada Gambling Control Board releases figures detailing the amount of money the casinos win from players. These figures are always compared to the same month from the previous year and like most accounting it takes a few months before the results are made public. The figures for July 2007 were just released and it showed 10.3 percent increase over the amount the casinos won in July of 2006. This is no surprise as the Nevada casinos have been reporting steady gains for the last few years but there was one surprise in the latest figures.

For the first time in more than four years the Nevada poker rooms showed a decrease in the rake that it collected from players. The total rake (amount of money taken from the poker pots during each hand) was still a respectable $15.8 million but it was a six percent decline over the amount from July of 2006. This has caused some to speculate that the poker boom may have peaked. They will be looking closely at next month's figures to see if the decline continues.