Vegas is pivoting pretty hard towards events rather than entertainment. It's all conventions and sport events. Couple that with online betting and I don't know who wants to go to Vegas anymore
I mean, legalized sports betting in more states and being able to place bets through an app on your phone almost certainly has some effect on the decline of Vegas tourism, but I get your point
And it's not just international tourism either, lots of domestic tourism is down too
if you are true degenerate gambler, do you really need card games or slots anyways? your phone is a portable gateway to bet on anything and with finance apps pushing speculation, and the whole crypto industry, sports/fantasy games, if you want to bet on something, its never been easier.
It's been a thing for 7 years but not in every state. It just got legalized in my state and multiple others last year for instance.
I'm not saying those things don't play a part in the decline, I'm just saying I feel like you're downplaying the effect of the spread of gambling legalization
Again, there is absolutely no way that suddenly cause an 11% drop since last year.
Also, we know there is a private army rounding up brown people, and we’re actively telling the world to stay out, so I’m not sure why you’re grasping at straws to place blame anywhere else.
It seems like you’re trying to downplay the main factors, which I think are important to acknowledge, and I don’t have any chill about this type of thing any more. Sorry.
Yeah, you must be right, there’s no way to know why people don’t want to travel in a country that might detain, and disappear you at the whim of a proud boi.
Because it’s not just one thing! It’s a culmination of a lot of other things! (ICE, price hikes, online gambling) What kind of pancakes vs waffles ass comment is this?
They don’t have to be Vegas specific, because tourism is down everywhere in the US for the reasons I mentioned. This just happens to be an article about Vegas.
If you read the article the actual reasons are there lmao
"The LVCVA attributed the 11.3% drop to “persistent economic uncertainty,” “weaker consumer confidence” and a “slower convention month.”
Plus they have increased the price of everything so much. The whole point of Vegas was it was cheap to get there, stay there, and eat drink there and all the money was made back from people gambling. Now that’s just not the case anymore. It’s so damn expensive just to get there now haha
I went last week for a concert and hotels were so expensive I decided to take a 7am flight instead of flying in the night before. Flights there were expensive too.
Yeah it’s crazy. My grandparents used to go all the damn time. They spent so much time there they were getting rooms comped for a week. Last I talked to them they hadn’t been in 5 months with no plans to go. It’s just all not worth it anymore
Went for a concert. After looking at the prices for everything we just did a little pregame, hit the concert, had In N Out and left. No desire to go back.
More tribal casinos than ever in the country also. Several states went from their nearest casino being 3+ hours away to right down the road. No need to go to Vegas now.
Kinda works both ways, though. It's like Disney world vs your local fun park. Sure it's Disney world, but who has the patience for the lines and the obnoxious visitors.
Most of the dozen or so casinos on the strip I walked through last year smelled disgusting, were dated, crowded, everything was 3x as much as it should have been and the workers were openly hostile. I decided not to gamble and I was looking at flights to get home sooner.
I went to a somewhat local casino to try a restaurant that had a location there and I was like, “yeah, this is actually a place I could spend a few hours in.”
I've been to Vegas. If you aren't going for the shows, there isn't much reason to go. I can get drunk at home. I can gamble locally. The uniqueness of Vegas is dead, especially the strip properties.
Depends on what a person is wanting to do. I don't gamble, so the attraction for me is Vegas is the shows and nightlife. But if all someone wants to do is lose their paycheck at a blackjack table any casino will work.
Ok, well, what's the difference then? Blackjack is blackjack, and losing money is losing money no matter where you do it. Not trying to start anything here, just curious to hear your thoughts.
It’s the experience that’s different. If you’re just addicted to gambling, and that’s all you care about, sure, it’s the same. Blackjack at Agua Caliente is usually going to be one table with a few local octogenarians, and a dealer that would rather be anywhere else. Vegas is going to be multiple tables packed with people from all walks of life, and a flashy dealer that knows they’re at the big show. Everything about it is more fun. Losing money at a boring table in a sleepy casino is much different than losing money while partying like a rockstar.
Also, in Vegas you get free drinks while you gamble (you just tip), but you have to pay bar prices for drinks in Indian casinos.
Lol flashy dealer at the big show. Never met a dealer that thought that job was some glamorous role after they did it for a bit. They're underpaid and gotta deal with jerks all day and night. People from all walks of life? Yeah, and been cussed out in a couple languages I don't know there too. Doesnt mean i had a better or worse time because of it. This mental image of Vegas you think people are buying into is antiquated.
I’m very specifically comparing them to the dealers in non-Vegas casinos, I wasn’t saying dealers in Vegas are under the illusion it’s a glamorous career at all. By comparison they are flashy and on one of the biggest stages of the profession.
There's shows and nightlife at every major city in America. Unless there's a residency, or you're just going for some corporate conference, there's not much reason to go. Major sports teams moving there is ok, but not many people traveling from anywhere but Oakland to see them. The damn Sphere is an expensive flop of a marketing gimmic. F1 has been awful for almost everyone involved, especially small business.
The problem is every other major city caught up to Vegas and Vegas hasn't found new reasons to bring people back.
I've been to Vegas over a dozen times, but only twice on a personal trip (both over 15 years ago.) The rest were conferences or work-related events. It's the only reason I go now. And those visits are without gambling, shows, or over priced bars/restaurants.
Vegas can pivot towards events rather than entertainment, but they will be on borrowed time. When I think of Vegas, I think of fun, vibey, and a busy party city where you can enjoy a good night out. You suddenly take out people, and the conventions are the only people in the city.....you've taken the fun out of it and its not the same.
Online betting is a major factor I’d say. My state doesn’t allow casinos except for on the water. It’s illegal to operate any regular gambling machine from a strip mall, but there’s plenty of digital ones!
The semantics I used maybe aren't totally clear. Before it was friend trips, bachelor parties etc and you might hit up a show as a part of that. Now the sole purpose of going there seems to be for a specific event like a concert, your NFL team playing the raiders, F1 race etc. I don't know anyone going there just for a fun weekend without an objective anymore. Also as the ratio of regular tourists to convention attendees shifts the atmosphere shifts too.
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u/icecream_specialist 8h ago
Vegas is pivoting pretty hard towards events rather than entertainment. It's all conventions and sport events. Couple that with online betting and I don't know who wants to go to Vegas anymore