Las Vegas tourism dropped throughout 2025. It is not attributed to any one issue. There are several reasons for this. Some of it is related to inflation. Politics is another issue that has turned potential tourists off from visiting, especially those outside the United States. International tourism is down double-digits from 2025. Most of the dropoff is from Canada, where there have been trade and other tensions since the new administration took office.
Some of the decline was self-inflicted. Prices skyrocketed in the post-pandemic era. Some of this was due to greed. New union contracts that gave workers the largest raises in history played a part in price increases.
Simultaneously, service took a backseat to profits, especially at the lower end of the market. Layoffs took away services like valet, bellhops, and concierge services, while lowering hotel and drink service due to lower staffing. This all took away from guest experiences.
Game quality and availability have also decreased. Many casinos removed table game pits and replaced them with slots and electronic table games. The tables still available mostly have higher limits and often worse rules, especially at the cheaper games. More than a dozen poker rooms have vanished since 2020.
Gaming Numbers Are Better Than Tourist Ones
While tourism continues to suffer, gaming numbers offer some bright spots. Station Casinos and Boyd Gaming both noted this in recent earnings calls.
The locals market has been up most months of 2025. Unlike the Great Recession of the late 2000s and early 2010s, the Las Vegas economy is more diversified as tens of thousands of people moved there to work from home. That is not the only reason locals casinos are doing well.
Casinos away from the Strip have become more luxurious than they were 10 years ago. Major properties like Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Rio, and Suncoast have seen significant renovations in recent years. Durango opened in 2023. It was the first new locals casino in 15 years.
The games in the locals market are almost as good now as 10 years ago. The Strip and downtown Las Vegas casinos cannot say the same. Triple zero roulette is dealt at all but three Las Vegas Strip casinos. Encore, Treasure Island, and Wynn are the three without it. All Las Vegas Strip casinos deal some version of 6/5 blackjack, except The Strat, though Nevada gaming reports put that casino in the downtown market.
The Luxury Market Seems Unaffected
Las Vegas has posted a few positive months during the slowdown. Much of this is due to the baccarat win. This game is played mostly at high-end Las Vegas casinos like Aria, Bellagio, Caesars Palace, Wynn, and Venetian. Wealthier Las Vegas visitors are not affected by inflation or other social factors as much as the lower and middle tiers in the market.
Casino Players Don’t Worry About Hotel and Food Prices as Much as Other Visitors
Casino players receive offers for free or discounted rooms that may include food and show comps. This allows players to have little or no expenses outside of gambling.
It is not just whales getting free offers. Major chains like MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment have been offering inactive and low-volume players some of the best deals they have seen since the pandemic to fill empty rooms. If you have an account with one of these companies, log in to the website and see what is available. It may be one of the best.
Travel Is More Expensive and inconvenient
Airfare continues to rise, while airport experiences decline. Las Vegas has fewer air routes available due to the latest Spirit Airlines bankruptcy. Gas prices have remained stubbornly high throughout the last few years. The highways to Las Vegas are archaic. This discourages the mass market from visiting, while keeping the luxury market wide open as they have better experiences, and in some cases, receive personalized travel, making their Las Vegas travel and visit stress-free.
Slot Influencers Like Brian Christopher Increase Interest
Slot win has remained mostly level during the visitation downturn. Slot play on social media has never been more popular due to influencers like Brian Christopher. This gets players excited about the latest games and bonus rounds. That has increased interest in slots and expanded the game’s reach to players.
Las Vegas Strip Casinos Are Lowering Prices
Once visitation slowed past the summer months, casino executives saw that it was time to do something. Many Caesars casinos now offer $5 beers at casino bars. Excalibur has a $3 margarita special and brought $5 blackjack back. Many food specials hit menus at quick-serve locations. This has helped make visitors happy.
Las Vegas Always Comes Back
Las Vegas has been slow before. It is far from dead. Most of the tourism decline is on weekdays due to the slowdown in international tourism. Those guests stay longer than domestic visitors. Convention traffic has also declined. Once the economy returns to normal and international visitors are willing to return in larger numbers, Las Vegas will be back to normal. Hopefully, casino executives learned some lessons about pricing and can make Las Vegas once again known for its value.
In terms of local casinos, I’d like to give a shout-out to the Rampart up in Summerlin. First of all, they squeeze a remarkable number of slot machines into a very small footprint, and they offer an incredible variety of machines as well. They’ve recently added a couple of great restaurant options, and they’re one of the few casinos that still offers an all-day buffet. No, it’s not one of those famous $9.99 deals from yesteryear, but at $24 for lunch and $35 for dinner, it’s very reasonably priced. I think the Rampart is often overlooked because it quietly follows its own path – never making a name for itself as a market leader, but never being a laggard either.
Courtney on our contributor team has shared her love of the Rampart here in her articles – it definitely has a lot going for it as as locals casino!
I used to love to go to Vegas and I did love the price of steaks after a certain time. But now they charge you parking to gamble in their casino and I refuse to pay for parking and then if I change casinos I have to pay to park again plus the cost of renting a car. We used to spend four days when we went and I’d do workshops there and it was so much fun. I’d rather just drive 2 hrs to Choctaw in Oklahoma now.
We certainly get what you mean, Penny – we would rather invest those parking fees into a good meal or some time on the casino floor, not just a penalty for choosing to visit a particular casino.