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to see little fees on their bills and will not argue over the price increase to cover these incidentals. When the Las Vegas Review-Journal contacted the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and more than 20 Strip, off-Strip, downtown and other regional casino properties for their views on this issue, sadly, most operators never responded. Two would not comment. Those who did answer did a mea culpa, explaining their own rising labor and food costs. In fairness, there is truth to that because of supply chain issues, energy prices and new union contracts since 2021.
However, the LVCVA’s lame response claimed no one was available to respond. Isn’t that their purpose to interact and communicate with the public? Instead, they offered convenient, favorable data from a 2024 visitor profi le survey. Today’s Las Vegas is a different place than in past generations. Non-gaming revenue is now the lifeblood of the Strip. The University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Center for Gaming Research determined that gaming generated 43 percent of the Strip’s annual income in 2003. That number dropped to 35 percent in 2023, refl ecting untold millions over time.
The LVCVA survey showed the average nightly $179.10 lodging spend hit an all-time high in 2024. Visitors’ average per-trip spend on food/beverage ($615.07) and shopping ($281.12) were all up last year compared to 2023.
Forbes Advisor’s 2024 report revealed that Las Vegas ranks among the most expensive U.S. tourist cities, citing a 47 percent rise in hotel prices, a 61 percent increase for car rentals and a 14 percent increase in daily meal costs since 2019. Those fi gures come with an economic price to pay. In late July, LVCVA CEO Steve Hill publicly predicted steep declines in visitation, which made both domestic and international headlines. The numbers say it all. Through May, 1.15 million fewer people, or 6.5 percent for the year, stayed overnight in Las Vegas. Houston was the only market with a steeper loss. The top tier remains just fi ne. As usual, patrons with cash everywhere across the U.S. rarely feel economic pain and can continue their lavish
lifestyles at posh resorts and vacation spots. It is the average consumer that typically experiences the pinch.
Trying to reign in this decline, the LVCVA is adopting a theme of offering visitation opportunities for every budget. It is a smart move because Las Vegas has invested billions into affi liations with professional sports teams, entertainment marvels like the Sphere, international events and new, revived venues. Hopefully, it will work and Las Vegas will continue to shine as America’s primo gaming mecca. As Nevada approaches its 100-year anniversary of legalized gambling in 2031, Nevada’s lawmakers could hardly have imagined what a century would bring once air travel and air conditioning became commonplace. Moving from the desert to the high seas for good news, Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company, is the fi rst to join the American Gaming Association (AGA). Membership now ensures compliance with the toughest standards of integrity.
The opportunities for cross-marketing, data sharing, networking, education and promotional activity with land-based and online casino operators seem almost unlimited. Carnival’s customer base is exactly what Las Vegas and other
jurisdictions facing economic declines needs. Sharing these consumers means everyone will win. Good luck to this new alliance and all its potential successes.
Sharon Harris
Sharon has worked in the casino and coin- operated amusement industries since the 1980s. In the early 1990s, Sharon transferred her public relations and journalism skills to the gaming industry. She wrote her fi rst feature for Casino International predecessor EUROSLOT magazine in 1994.
As Associate Editor, North America for Casino International, Sharon has chronicled the explosive growth of U.S. gaming and reported on its most signifi cant changes. She has traveled across America to participate in dozens of industry events and has interviewed
hundreds of gaming operators,
executives and suppliers.
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