-
Las Vegas has seen a drop in visitors.
-
Many resort casino operators, including Caesars and MGM, have stepped up their promotional efforts.
-
One Las Vegas casino has made an extreme pricing change for gamblers.
Last year, I only visited Las Vegas one time, and that was more about seeing my college roommate, who had Dead & Company tickets at The Sphere. In a normal year, at least for most of the decade before the Covid pandemic, I would visit 4-6 times annually.
It’s not that I lost my taste for Sin City or the Las Vegas Strip; it’s the rising prices and lack of value compared to taking a casino-comped cruise.
If I take a comped cruise, I pay taxes and port fees. That’s usually $150-$200, depending upon the length of the cruise. In many cases, I get that money back and then some in freeplay or other perks.
Royal Caribbean, for example, recently gave me free access for two to Hideaway Beach, the adult section of its Perfect Day at CocoCay private island. With tickets for that area costing between $60 and $120, and my traveling companions usually wanting to go there, that’s a real value.
Caesars Entertainment, my Las Vegas Strip gambling company of choice, will offer me a free room, but rarely anything beyond that. I’ve been comped meals and daybeds at the pool, but only after spending the money on them and finding out later whether I would get a refund.
In Las Vegas I have to pay for food and entertainment. On Royal Caribbean, my preferred cruise line, my room, entertainment, all sorts of food, and free drinks in the casino are included, while my loyalty level gets me an additional five drinks a day.
Put it all together and add in the cost of airfare versus driving to the ports, and it’s easy to see why I will cruise regularly this year, even when it’s not strictly for work, but I probably won’t make a Las Vegas visit.
It’s probably not enough to entice me, but the Rio, the Strip-style resort that’s just off the Las Vegas Strip, has made a key pricing move designed to attract lower rollers.
Downtown and off-the-Strip casinos usually offer lower table limits. We go to Fremont St. at least once per trip so we can play $10 blackjack at either Binion’s or The D.
In general, you rarely see $10 table games on the Strip, although it might happen during the day in the hottest months of the summer at the lower-end Caesars and MGM Resorts International properties.
I’ve never seen $5 table games in Las Vegas, although I have seen a table at that level at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun.
More Travel:
The Rio, which has its operating rights purchased from Caesars by Dreamscape Companies, has offered on major throwback pricepoint.
“The Rio has re-rolled out the red carpet for low-rollers. The property now features $3 craps, the cheapest in a market where table game minimums have steadily climbed since the pandemic. This move, launched on October 2, is the latest throwback to decent prices in a Vegas-wide effort to reverse declining visitation and a nationwide reputation for overpriced gambling,” Casino.org reported.
Rio’s $3 craps tables are available daily from 3 a.m. until around 3 p.m., though exact times can vary based on demand. During peak periods, minimums rise to the industry-standard $10-$15.
Until the Rio’s $3 crap tables, the cheapest options to enter the game in Vegas were the $5 minimums currently found at Palms, Oyo, and Jerry’s Nugget, according to Vegas Advantage.
Las Vegas price cuts and discounts that resorts and casinos are rolling out to win back customers (most of these pricing events have already ended):
-
The Fabulous 5‑Day Sale across 75 hotels, offering deep discounts, room upgrades, resort‑fee matching, food & drink credits, and attraction offers.
This event was in September. Source: Grand Pinnacle Tribune -
Plaza Hotel & Casino (Downtown): $125/night all-inclusive package (room + 2 meals + unlimited alcohol), plus waived resort fee.
This was a summer deal. Source: Travel And Tour World -
The Strat Hotel, Casino & Tower: $49 weeknight / $99 weekend rate, plus $25 daily dining credit and free access to the Observation Deck.
This deal has passed, but The Strat has other promotions. Source: CNN -
Resorts World Las Vegas: 40% off room rates + $75 daily resort credit for pool, dining, or cocktails.
This promotion has also ended. Source: CNN -
Caesars Entertainment “$300 Escape” package: Two nights at Harrah’s, LINQ, Flamingo, etc., with a $200 food & beverage credit included; taxes and resort fees bundled.
Source: Travel Market Report -
MGM / Caesars loyalty deals: Discounted attraction bundles, limited‑time hotel pricing, and “loyalty‑tier” bonuses to drive mid‑week and off‑peak bookings.
Source: CPA Practice Advisor -
Resort fee cuts / waivers: Resorts like Resorts World are temporarily dropping or reducing resort fees to make stays more attractive.
-
Super‑budget room rates: Las Vegas Advisor reports base rates as low as $11.40/night for some properties (though taxes, fees, and resort fees may still apply).
Source: Star Advertiser
“We’re going through kind of a downturn here in 2025 for a number of different reasons,” Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, told Reuters.
Hill sees the problem as being bigger than Las Vegas.
“We are certainly seeing a downturn that is largely driven by consumer sentiment — concern about the economy, jobs, and affordability,” he added.
The LVCVA CEO called Las Vegas a sort of “canary in a coal mine” early warning system about the economy.
“We’re one of those decisions that they can make to postpone to take care of the necessities in life. That is an expanded number of people right now, and we’re seeing the effects of that,” he said.
The data shows a slowdown.
Visitation is down 6% quarter-to-date in the U.S.’s gambling Mecca, Covers.com reported.
“Visitations to America’s gambling Mecca have taken a hit recently. Year-over-year attendance has declined in each of the last five months, leading to lower gaming volumes and changes in business models for major hotel and casino operators like MGM and Caesars,” the website shared earlier this year.
Strip operators are investing more to entice visitors.
“Promotions have been a meaningful topic for Strip operators for some time, as investors have absorbed the increase in promotions as a percentage of gross gaming revenue post-2019,” CDC Gaming shared.
The problems may get worse before they get better for Strip operators.
“When dealing with large fixed-cost assets, demand and spend per visitor will drive the margin story. Given our view of a negative net revenue environment in 2025, we view 2025 as another year of margin contraction for each of the operators in our coverage universe,” Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli said.
This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Nov 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the Travel section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
