Nevada Sportsbook Wagers Drop 76% in March amid COVID-19 Pandemic

With few live sporting events available, Nevada sportsbooks unsurprisingly saw a lot less action in March.

According to David Purdum of ESPN, there was $141.2 million wagered at official books across the state, which was the lowest total in March since 1993. It was also a 76 percent drop from last year's record of $596.7 million.

This was partially due to the cancellation of this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament. The NBA and NHL seasons were also suspended because of the coronavirus, while the start of the MLB season has been delayed.

The cancellations and changes took place less than two weeks into the month, reducing the overall betting action. Things could be even worse for the April totals with an entire month of virtually no live sports.

In March, sportsbooks reported just $1.45 million in net wins. This is significantly down from the average of $19.2 million in March over the past 10 years and down 95.3 percent from last year's total.

Casinos have continued taking bets online during current restrictions because of the coronavirus. The Nevada Gaming Control authorized increased offerings on esports, while limited international events remain available.