The post VegasSlotsOnline News Investigates: Is Las Vegas Really on Death’s Door? appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.
Las Vegas is not one to avoid the spotlight. Given the gambling hub’s love for drama and spectacle, it is no surprise that it is often in the headlines, especially those of VegasSlotsOnline News. But recently, those headlines have had a different slant to them.
UK news site The Daily Mail was one of the latest to contribute. “As Vegas ‘dies’ Louisiana’s gambling scene is booming,” the Sunday headline read. It is just the latest news article to allude to the “death” of Las Vegas. Three weeks ago The New York Times asked “What’s Wrong With Las Vegas” and The Economic Times said the mayor was “begging” tourists to return as Sin City dies.
many local sources suggest this is fear-mongering hyperbole
While these major news outlets are suggesting Las Vegas is on death’s door, many local sources suggest this is fear-mongering hyperbole. Vital Vegas, a local news commenter with more than 217,000 X followers, has been one of the most ardent opponents to the “dying” Vegas theory, often posting pictures of busy Strip casinos.
So, what is the truth? VSO News has crunched the numbers and assessed the evidence put forward by both sides to get to the bottom of this.
The numbers
The argument that Las Vegas is on death’s door revolves around declining levels of tourism. From January to August 2025, 25.8 million people have visited Las Vegas, according to stats from the Las Vegas Conventions and Visitors Authority. That’s down 8% from the same period last year.
occupancy was 78%, down from 81% in the year prior
Hotel occupancy was also down. In August, the most recently reported month, occupancy was 78%, down from 81% in the year prior. Average revenue per room dropped as a result by around 12%, while the average daily room rate also fell 7% to $162.
It is important to note, however, that last year was a tremendous year for Las Vegas visitation. More than 41.6 million people visited Sin City in 2024, which was the highest total since before the COVID pandemic in 2019. It also marked the sixth-best year on record. So, with that in mind, that 8% y-o-y decline for 2025 loses some of its impact.
As for casino revenue, well, perhaps shockingly, that has increased year-on-year. For the last reported month in August, gaming revenue hit $679m, up 6% from 2024. While slot play struggled, a huge increase in baccarat and digital betting drove the strong results. It followed y-o-y growth of 6% again in July. For the entire summer, revenue was up around 4%.
Nevada casinos won $1.36 billion from gamblers in July — a 4% increase over July 2024. The Vegas Strip generated $749 million, a 5.6% jump. Downtown Las Vegas casinos brought in $74.4 million, up 3.6%.
Cancel the funeral. pic.twitter.com/MpC3Tl0Dhp
— Las Vegas Locally
(@LasVegasLocally) August 29, 2025
Experts claim the fact that casino revenue increases while visitation declines is reflective of the resilience of the gaming industry, and also the influence of high-flyers. “Roughly 80% of gaming revenue comes from about 20% of players,” explained Anthony Lucas, Professor of Casino Management at UNLV. He said the wealthier players are less concerned about inflation.
Trump’s policies
Another factor playing into the “death” of Las Vegas is US President Donald Trump. Many see his tariff war with neighboring Canada as a reason for a drop off in visitors to Las Vegas, even labeling it the “Trump Slump.” Canadians are the biggest group who visit Sin City from abroad, with experts estimating that they contribute around $3.6bn to the local economy each year.
Canadian visitation to Las Vegas is certainly down. For August, Canadian’s arriving through Harry Reid International Airport declined by 25% year-on-year, after a 12% drop in June, and a staggering downturn of 66% y-o-y in June. Thomas Reeg, Caesars Entertainment CEO, highlighted this as a reason for disappointing second quarter results, especially for low hotel room occupancy.
Domestic passenger travel through Harry Reid International Airport is down only around 5%
That said, other passenger numbers are less impacted. Domestic passenger travel through Harry Reid International Airport is down only around 5% for the year-to-date, to 34 million people. In the last reported month, it fell to 4.2 million from 4.4 million. As for foreign visitation, this dropped from 2.4 million to just over 2.3 million for the year so far. In August it fell from 294,000 to 283,000, down just 4%.
On the ground
Okay… so visitation is down but revenue is up. It doesn’t paint the clearest picture. Sometimes, it is better to get the view from the ground to really tell if a story is true or false. Luckily, there are plenty of local news sources reporting on the situation in Las Vegas daily.
As mentioned before, Vital Vegas is one of the main proponents of the “Vegas is not really dying” theory. Its X page routinely posts pictures and videos of busy Strip resorts. For instance, this post came in August:
Vital Vegas isn’t the only one though. Las Vegas Locally is also quick to defend the resilience of the Strip. The local news source said that while Vegas has its challenges, the “Vegas is dying” trend seems an easy way “to go viral” at the moment.
In a similar vein, Jen G, who goes by the X handle @vegasstarfish, has also urged those pushing the “Vegas is Dead” opinion to focus on the statistics. In a video posted to her account, she claimed that “carefully edited snippets filmed at 2am” make it seem like the Strip is dead when it’s not:
More recently, Fox News spoke to many tourists visiting the Strip last week, some of them visiting for the first time. Asked whether they believed the casino hub to be quieter than expected, they all responded to the contrary. A couple of domestic visitors described it as “the same old Vegas,” while another duo said “it still seems really busy.” Meanwhile, a visiting Irishman described the prices as high, but said the Strip remained busy despite it.
End in sight
Undoubtedly, Las Vegas has had a harder year when it comes to tourism as opposed to 2024. But it is also beyond doubt that the media, and some social media commentators, have exaggerated on the issue for the benefit of virality. In moments like this, it is important to listen to the experts.
Speaking with the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, CEO of the Plaza hotel-casino Jonathan Jossel said that the Strip had no need to “rebound.” He explained: “There’s this portrayal that maybe we’re siting here empty, waiting for people to come. And this last weekend we’re sold out. This next weekend we’re sold out. It’s packed.”
November brings the Las Vegas Grand Prix, followed by the National Finals Rodeo in December
That’s not to mention the upcoming schedule of events that should no doubt boost Las Vegas’ tourism stats by the end of the year and into early 2026. November brings the Las Vegas Grand Prix, followed by the National Finals Rodeo in December, and the CONEXPO-CON/AGG in March, all of which are due to draw in huge crowds.
MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle is certainly confident about the near future. “Literally, the next 16 months are going to be the best convention months this city has ever had or ever seen,” Hornbuckle stated and the recent Global Gaming Expo in Vegas. Commenting on the casino hub, he said: “Fundamentally, I don’t think it’s broken in any way shape or form.”
Market analysts share these same sentiments, with Truist Securities anticipating a strong uptick in visitors in Q4 2025 for Las Vegas and into 2026. Whatever Las Vegas’ issues over the first three quarters of 2025, the idea that the city is “dying” couldn’t be further from the truth.
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