Tourism visits to Las Vegas show mixed results as casino owner makes bold prediction

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“Clearly, there are some concerns with regard to international tourism,” said Stevens. The Harry Reid Airport has shown a decline, dropping 4.1% compared to the same time last year, according to the website. “On the other side, there’s definitely some pretty significant concern about … flights into the city.” “In specific pockets, like where we at Circa Las Vegas are located in downtown — I think people feel there’s maybe a little better value. Things were really booming,” said Stevens. “I think some of the data in Las Vegas indicates that some of these stories are a bit exaggerated,” a Vegas casino owner told Fox News Digital.

“We’ve seen our enrollment drop, and people interested in becoming a dealer,” said CEG Dealer School Managing Director David Knoll. In 2025, tourism dropped by 6% compared to 2025 due to factors like prices and affordability. Despite the unionization milestone, slower tourism, automation, and cost-cutting have shifted the labor dynamics. The 60,000-member union is one of the largest labor unions in Nevada and provides casino workers with better job security and 32% wage increases over a five-year contract.

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  • At the Otonomous Hotel, billed as the world’s first fully AI-powered hotel, guests are greeted not by a human behind a desk, but by Oto, a chatty humanoid robot with the job title “Chief Vibes Officer.”
  • Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the theft of approximately $27,000 worth of lottery tickets from a gas station, a crime for which the Pennsylvania Lottery’s security measures and severe legal penalties make it difficult for thieves to profit.
  • Carrie Cox alluded that she, Councilwoman Monica Larson and others were offered payments from people who had pending business before the City Council, according to an interview transcript.
  • Stevens said Circa has found a niche by being “very sports-oriented,” with the resort and casino drawing in crowds for recent events.
  • Las Vegas, often known simply as Vegas, is a city in the U.S. state of Nevada.

Laughlin and the Boulder Strip also stood out as bright spots in November, with an 11% and 20% year-over-year jump in casino earnings. “It was fun, it was good seeing people that active, that engaged, and such varied celebrations.” Even mired in a tourism slump, there’s still something drawing visitors to the Entertainment Capital of the World, who say taking in America’s Party was special. Seeing all of the crowds might make you forget that one of the biggest stories of 2025 was the tourism slump hitting the valley, but recently released numbers show we could be starting to move in the right direction. LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A rainy New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas didn’t stop the fun on Thursday night — revelers took over the Strip to enjoy fireworks, concerts and everything our city has to offer to ring in 2026. Las Vegas Las Vegas casino resorts have been long known for their entertaining shows, endless casino action and bright lights.

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Our wide-ranging research capabilities serve industry partners and national tourism advocacy organizations. vegas casino app Most of MGM’s other Strip casinos, such as the MGM Grand, levy an in-room service charge of around $10. The going rate for a Strip casino hotel in April 2025 was $194 on the weekend and $182 midweek. Strip casinos still managed to charge higher rates.

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Las Vegas Tourism Struggles in September as Gaming Revenue Declines

The Venetian was one of the last casinos to join the Culinary Workers Union due to a change in ownership. Stevens said Circa has found a niche by being “very sports-oriented,” with the resort and casino drawing in crowds for recent events. There is also information about the gambling industry specific to Las Vegas, as it is often a microcosm of the US gambling industry as a whole. The Gaming Control Board’s latest report shows a 10.3% boost for Downtown Las Vegas casinos in November, while Strip casinos lagged slightly behind, with a 0.5% decrease in November. Atlantic City Play in Atlantic City’s wide variety of casinos and poker rooms. Multiple multi-billion dollar casinos are operating here.

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The Las Vegas Convention Center’s legacy campus transformation is complete, just in time to welcome CES 2026 as the first trade show in the fully renovated space. Strip hotel rooms were occupied 87.6% of the nights, down 0.4%, while downtown Las Vegas rooms saw occupancy rates slow almost 3% to 72%. Fewer guests naturally led to hotel occupancy declines. Nevada casino revenue over the past three months is down almost 4% from last year and down 0.5% over the past 12 months. The Boulder Strip helped offset some of the Strip’s struggles with a gaming win surge of 8% to $89.9 million. While table and sportsbook win was up 1% to $259.4 million, revenue from the terminals was down over 5% at $387.5 million.

Nevada casinos increase earnings again, but Las Vegas visitation still sees dip in November

Germany’s regulated gambling market moves into 2026 with major legal rulings and regulatory decisions expected to shape its future direction. Lawmakers in Mississippi and Wisconsin are back in session and already discussing expanding their sports betting markets to include mobile sportsbooks. South Africa’s National Treasury has proposed a new 20% tax on online gambling revenue. As a result, casinos like Fontainebleau and Resorts World quietly laid off their casino workers, and more casinos turned to automation.

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  • Since making a splash in Nevada in 2025, prediction markets could become a $1 trillion industry as they continue to grow, according to a recent report.
  • He has followed the retail industry since his time living in Las Vegas and has continued to do so as the online industry has taken off.

Discover the latest in-depth casino industry news at LasVegasCasinoNews.com. He aims to provide up-to-the-minute and detailed coverage of headlines in the sports betting industry. He has followed the retail industry since his time living in Las Vegas and has continued to do so as the online industry has taken off.

California’s new law, AB 831, signed by Governor Newsom, bans sweepstakes casinos starting January 1, 2026, closing a loophole to protect tribal gaming rights and ensure consumer safety. A bill banning online sweepstakes casinos is now on Gov. Hochul’s desk, with a Dec. 31 deadline to sign or veto. Three attempts by states to ban sweepstakes casinos have failed in the past two weeks and the industry’s trade group is overjoyed. We also cover up-to-the-minute news stories regarding gambling, poker games, online gaming, and much more. Since then, he has crafted various casino-related content, including how-to guides, online casino reviews, bonus/promotion overviews, and breaking news. Michael Savio covers the US online casino industry, giving readers insights and information they won’t find anywhere else.

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Geolocation technology—which, first and foremost, ensures jurisdictional compliance—is emerging as a vital responsible gambling tool beyond its traditional uses. Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the theft of approximately $27,000 worth of lottery tickets from a gas station, a crime for which the Pennsylvania Lottery’s security measures and severe legal penalties make it difficult for thieves to profit. MGM Resorts reached a proposed settlement for $8.5 million with the (NGCB), following an investigation for illegal bookmaking. The debate over skill game machines in Virginia has taken another turn after a county judge ruled that the Queen of Virginia games are legal. PokerStars has expanded its partnership with Evolution AB, making Evolution its exclusive live casino provider in North America Discover 30+ new casino games at Hard Rock Online Casino, with exclusive slots, festive themes, and high-limit action in NJ & MI.

A GambleAware-backed study is investigating the best practices for treating gambling harm among neurodiverse people. As the gambling industry evolves and grows, its commitment to responsible gambling is increasingly important. The future of the Texas Lottery is in jeopardy amid a series of scandals and facing a legislature hostile to legal gambling in any form. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is acquiring Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), a prominent provider of testing and compliance services for the gaming industry, along with its affiliates, with the acquisition process expected to finalize by July 31, 2025.

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As Minnesota continues to work through online sports betting, it is considering banning push notifications from online operators. It would allow up to 11 online casino  brands with a tax rate of 36% to 40%, the highest among iGaming states. The seven states where you can play online casino games pulled in nearly $900 million—specifically, $898.1 million in gross revenue. 2025 was a landmark year for US gamblers, highlighted by two historic Powerball jackpots exceeding $1.7 billion each, dominant WSOP poker victories, multimillion-dollar casino payouts, and high-profile sports betting parlays …

“I think in six months, I would believe that Vegas tourism and our economy overall will be in a much better place,” predicted Stevens. Amid some uncertainty, he said the industry has come to the realization that the economy has slowed a bit. “I think in six months, I would believe that Vegas tourism and our economy overall will be in a much better place,” said the CEO of a Vegas resort company. Las Vegas is facing a pronounced tourism decline, with just 3.1 million June visitors this year — an 11.3% drop from last year.

Las Vegas expects 340K+ revelers for ‘America’s Party 2026’ NYE, potentially ranking among the city’s strongest celebrations, reports LVCVA. Strip November’s revenue dipped despite higher wagering as Nevada gaming rose 2.3% to US$1.34 billion vs November 2024’s US$1.31 billion. A visitation downturn coupled with strong gaming numbers, expansion coming to airport and the rise of prediction markets were key stories of 2025. Plus, Casino Collectibles Association has added a tool to its website to help casino chip collectors find chips to add to their collections. Since making a splash in Nevada in 2025, prediction markets could become a $1 trillion industry as they continue to grow, according to a recent report.

Along with the poor April gaming report, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) exposed today that Southern Nevada visitor volume last month tumbled over 5% to approximately 3.33 million people. It might not yet be time to panic, but Nevada gaming operators are certainly becoming increasingly worried about their near-term business outlooks. Contrary to expectations, a recent study suggests that access to multiple slot themes does not increase players’ gambling time.

Margaret Rudin had sued the state of Nevada under a 2019 law allowing people to seek a certificate of innocence in wrongful convictions. Local pickleball aficionados who regularly encounter packed courts across the valley will find some relief in early 2027, when the city of Las Vegas is slated to inaugurate a couple dozen new courts. While Oto may still be confined to the lobby, he offers a glimpse of a potential future where hotels run as much on AI as on human interaction.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGB) announced that on a statewide level, gaming revenues were $1.33 billion, which is a 3.5% increase from June 2024. “The June gaming numbers were just released and not everything is terrible.” Only 3.1 million people visited Sin City in June, down 11.3% compared to last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The latest statistics have confirmed the social chatter that Las Vegas tourism has hit a “dramatic low,” with some even calling Vegas an experience of the past.

Circa Casino & Resort CEO Derek Stevens tells Fox News Digital that reports claiming tourism is falling in Las Vegas are “a bit exaggerated” — and shared his prediction for Sin City in the next six months. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. We also hold a strong commitment to Responsible Gaming, and we only cover legally-licensed companies to ensure the highest level of player safety and security. We’ll likely find out how much the holiday travel period and America’s Party affected tourism numbers later this month, as those year-end reports should be ready and released by the end of January. Big holiday crowds over Christmas and New Year’s in Las Vegas give some cause for optimism about a year-end boost to tourism, though, as everyone hopes to kick off 2026 on the right foot. Those stats reflect what casino executives shared during their fourth quarter earnings calls, which I reported on in early November.

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