%{{tag.tag}} {{articledata.title}} {{moment(articledata.cdate)}} @{{articledata.company.replace(" ","")}} comment Gambling is booming across the U.S., making now an opportune time to place a bet on small-cap stock %MonarchCasino & Resort (NASDAQ: $MCRI ). Monarch is small compared to competitors such as %MGMResorts (NYSE: $MGM ) and %LasVegasSands (NYSE: $LVS ) that operate casinos and offer gaming around the world. Currently, Monarch Casino & Resort operates only two properties, the Monarch Casino Resort Spa in the Colorado Rockies and the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa in Reno, Nevada. But business is booming and the properties have great reputations. U.S. News & World Report ranks the Atlantis Casino the number one hotel in Reno. Monarch is also benefitting from the explosion in gambling that is sweeping across America as more U.S. states legalize betting. Nearly one in five Americans (18%) say they spend over $1,000 U.S. a year at casinos. %Gambling revenue across the U.S. reached $71.92 billion U.S. in 2024, with the majority of that revenue generated by casino slots and table games, according to data from Statista. As one might expect, MCRI stock is benefitting from the gambling boom, with its share price up 36% in 2025. Over the last five years, the stock has risen 131%. A market capitalization under $2 billion U.S. makes Monarch Casino & Resort a small-cap stock and its price-to-earnings ratio of 25 is a little on the high side. But the stock pays a quarterly dividend of $0.30 U.S. per share, giving it a yield of 1.14%. Interestingly, the company continues to be family controlled, tracing its roots back to the purchase of a Reno motel in 1972. With gambling expected to continue growing at a brisk clip in coming years, MCRI stock might be worth doubling down on.