Is Vegas Cooked?

[elchemist]

Hello Canadian here and Without trying to get too political about it all do you think Vegas is cooked now with rise of online gaming becoming more and more popular and now less and less folks wanting to travel to The United States and for many good reasons I mean ICE is out of control I know personally a canadian who was detained at the border by ICE for two weeks and she's a Canadian Citizen. Used to be if customs decided you didn't get in to the U.S.A you just got turned around and sent back to where you came from. The real threat of being detained and these new fees for visitors to travel in the U.S.A is not worth it to me and I've cancelled my Vegas trip this year but the real question in my mind is who's got that alpha on a new gamble spot. I won't be spending my money in the U.S after everything that has happened with trade wars and 51 state nonsense their President is going on about. It's a shame whats happened but detained at the border is not an ideal vacation for me.

 

[andysbetting1187]

Vegas is a unique place when you think about it - it is not self-sustaining and relies heavily on tourism to keep the city running. I used to visit multiple times a year; that then dropped to a yearly visit and now its once every couple of years (have a 4 year old at home so I have to bank a lot of favours with the Mrs to go for a week to sin city). I am not too fussed about going that much anymore - got it out of my system really but I will go again (maybe not for a couple of years).

Over the years (and numerous trips) from the UK I feel that it has become much more commercialised - no longer any personal touches (unless you have a mega bank roll) - similar to Disney (Florida, never been to the california one) where its a case of get you in, bend you over and then send you on your way.

Visitor stats are down, but it's not just foreign travellers that are affecting this; it appears that local tourism is down as well. I wouldn't put it all on to the rise of online gambling/ICE, I think its more a case of people across most developed nations are feeling the pinch when it comes to how much disposal income they have and what is considered "fun" to spend it on. A usual trip to Vegas for me would include a week in the Treasure Island, flights, £10k gambling fund and some extra for any shows I wanted to catch. When I was younger with no commitments then this was just a "big treat" for me - now my priority is my son and I could do a lot with him with that money.

I was never detained at customs, but a couple of times I had the "we need to have a chat with you" approach due to having some "questionable" locations in my passport but to be fair to the TSA, they were always polite and respectgul so never really had any dramas.

 

[YouTubeSlots]

I read a stat that tourism is down 15 to 20 percent in Las Vegas. That cant be a good thing!

 

[satchnz]

I read a stat that tourism is down 15 to 20 percent in Las Vegas. That cant be a good thing!

I guess Trump wasn’t content with bankrupting his own two or three casinos. He’s made tourism to the US so difficult, expensive, and dangerous (for some) that could potentially see some of Vegas go under. Add increasing inflation to the mix which will impact internal tourism.

 

[Lemon]

The place is toast. Trump has just hastened the decline. I bet half the new stuff that's being built doesn't get finished. Unless you live 2 or 3 hours away by car it's not worth the trip. $30 for a burger? Fuck right off.

 

[andysbetting1187]

I read a stat that tourism is down 15 to 20 percent in Las Vegas. That cant be a good thing!

Agree it doesnt look good, but it's not always the number of visitors thats important mate - its the amount they spend when they are there. When you look at British Retail Consortium, post pandemic footfall was horrendous for shopping centres, but spending was actually up. Less people attending sites and just wondering around, more people going in and spending money then leaving so retailers where quite happy. Same applies to Vegas - if visitor numbers are down, but average spend is up it actually benefits the casinos as they are giving away less in free drinks/require less staff on the floor etc.

Would be interested to see how the decline in tourism numbers has affected the casinos profit margins (they wouldnt still be opening if they were loosing money) - might try to find the data later

 

[satchnz]

Would be interested to see how the decline in tourism numbers has affected the casinos profit margins (they wouldnt still be opening if they were loosing money) - might try to find the data later

They may not be losing money but in this world that’s not the issue. They NEED to be increasing profits every year to appease shareholders. With less tourism and increased inflation, it’s not stacked in Vegas’ favour.

 

[andysbetting1187]

They may not be losing money but in this world that’s not the issue. They NEED to be increasing profits every year to appease shareholders. With less tourism and increased inflation, it’s not stacked in Vegas’ favour.

100% agree - it will be interesting to see what they do next to entice people in - bigger shows etc. to try to generate more footfall.

Usually with Vegas one end of the strip starts redevelopment and the rest catches up, until the first has to start again as it now looks old lol.

If I get a chance later will also look at the crime stats as I am quite intereseted in how tourism impacts crime trends (part of what I do now) but its all inter-linked. Declining tourism/revenue could reduce available jobs, which increases petty crime and if a solution not forthcoming quickly then it can deteriorate quite fast

It is strange though, Vegas just seams to keep going. I remember 10 years ago a few people where saying the city would be dead within 2 years due to water issues, but they got through it.