On September 14, 2025, Golden Gate in downtown Las Vegas closed its live table game pit. Electronic table games replaced it. The same company owns Circa and The D, also in downtown Las Vegas. Golden Gate encourages players to walk to these other casinos for table game action.
This was the latest in a trend of casinos removing live table games. Before the pandemic, 81 Las Vegas casinos had live table games. Today, that number is 67, which counts four licenses with two brands, like Circus Circus and Slots A Fun, Linq and O’Sheas, Wynn and Encore, and Venetian and Palazzo. It also includes new casino openings since. Those properties are Circa, Durango, Fontainebleau, and Resorts World.
The decline since the pandemic closure is a mix of casinos that closed in March 2020 and never reopened, and mostly smaller casinos deciding to go slots-only. Several reasons are behind this phenomenon.
Casinos were permitted to reopen in June 2020. Many casinos did not do so with live tables that were on the floor in March 2020. Bighorn, Casino Royale, Jokers Wild, Longhorn, and Lucky Club were among the properties that went slots-only at that time and never looked back. At the same time, Eastside Cannery, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, and Texas Station had table games in March 2020 and never reopened. Mirage, Poker Palace, and Tropicana permanently closed in the years following the pandemic.
Removing Live Tables Is an Economic Decision
Low-limit table game pits are unprofitable for casinos. Nevada’s minimum wage, which includes dealers, is now $12 an hour. A table game requires an average of 2.5 to 3 employees per hour to operate. When including benefits and payroll taxes, it can cost $50 or more to manage a live table game. This includes the dealer, a breaker dealer, pit supervisor, breaker supervisor, cocktail server, bartender, and surveillance.
Smaller casinos, especially those in the locals market, cannot post minimum bets high enough to cover the labor and other costs associated with dealing live table games. Local players tend to bet small amounts.
The minimum bets in casinos like this are usually $5 or $10. The breakeven on a live table game with action requires an average bet in the $10 to $15 range. Small casinos must decide whether operating table game pits at a loss is worth the value of having the amenity. Many determined it was not worth running that department in the red with no hope of ever turning it around.
Most, but not all, replaced these areas with electronic table games. Some just put slots there.
Las Vegas Table Game Prediction
Today, 67 casinos deal live table games. That number will inevitably drop in the future. While Mirage is expected to reopen as Hard Rock with table games in 2027, no other casinos are under construction in Las Vegas. It is a lock that fewer casinos will deal live table games by then.
At the current rate, the number will be in the low 60s, with the most likely places being smaller casinos with $5 and $10 minimums and related casinos with an easy option under the same corporation nearby.
As the years go by, and inflation continues to devalue the dollar, existing table game pits will be forced to raise their minimum bets to keep up with costs. This will make it harder to draw people to tables, which will inevitably cause more closures.
Live tables will always be a fixture at luxury resorts. These casinos, like Venetian and Wynn, have patrons who can afford higher limits that cover the costs involved in dealing these games.
In addition to complete pit closures, many Las Vegas casinos have reduced table game counts. Cromwell, Harrah’s, Horseshoe, Main Street Station, The Strat, and Sam’s Town are among the casinos that removed large numbers of tables since the pandemic. This downsizing will continue as electronic table games keep increasing in numbers.
Electronic table games are a good gateway for new players to learn. However, higher-limit and experienced players tend not to enjoy these games. The one exception is Interblock’s bubble craps games, which have seen widespread popularity.
Stadiums
Stadiums have grown since the pandemic. These are large seating areas with electronic table game screens. Multiple games are often offered, like baccarat, blackjack, craps, and roulette. A few stadiums only deal baccarat. These machines often have two or four hands getting dealt at a time.
Some stadiums have live dealers, while others are entirely automated. Expect more casino stadiums to appear in the future.
Hybrid Table Games
Hybrid tables are another product that has emerged in casinos following the pandemic. These games have a live dealer, but no chips. Hybrid craps tables have dice. Roulette ones have a real wheel and a ball. Baccarat and blackjack games use cards. Bets and actions are made on a screen that is identical to an electronic table game. Hybrid products include Roll to Win Craps, Dual Wheel Roulette, and Easy Blackjack.
Stale Live Table Games May Be Holding Action Back
Table game innovation has stalled. The only one introduced this decade that has gained traction is Double Down Madness, a blackjack variant. Before then, the last popular new game was High Card Flush, which was first dealt in the early 2010s. Not only have new games mostly not caught on, but table game designers produce fewer ideas because of the decline.
A new blockbuster game like Ultimate Texas Hold’em might help stop the decline of live table games. Until then, expect existing pits to continue to shrink and more casinos to remove tables.
