Majestic Research

Edmonton Journal

Vegas Gambling Surges on Luckiest Day of the Century: Lucky Sevens Pay Off for Casinos

By Oliver Staley, Bloomberg News
Published: July 12, 2007

NEW YORK - Betting in Las Vegas Strip casinos jumped 22 per cent on July 7 as gamblers took their chances at game tables and slot machines on the “luckiest day of the century,” a Majestic Research Corp. analyst said.

The number 7 is considered lucky in many cultures, and July 7, 2007, can be represented as 07/07/07. Matthew Jacob measured the activity at Las Vegas Strip casinos against July 8, 2006, since both days fell on a Saturday. Compared with July 7, 2006, gambling climbed 47 per cent, Jacob wrote Wednesday in a note.

The amount of gambling activity on July 7 surpassed all other Saturdays in the year, including the weekend of the Super Bowl, the college basketball Final Four and the National Basketball Association’s All-Star Game, which was held in Las Vegas, the analyst said.

“People understand that the odds aren’t necessarily in their favour, but what drives them is the feeling that they can beat the odds,” Jacob said in an interview.

“What better day to try your luck than 07/07/07?”

New Year’s Eve is usually the busiest gambling day of the year and exceeded the amount of activity on July 7, he said. New Year’s Eve was on a Sunday last year.

Revenue from gambling increased 5.8 per cent for the Las Vegas Strip in the nine months through April, with reported casino winnings of $5.6 billion US, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board’s most recent statistics. For all of Las Vegas, casinos reported $9 billion, it said.