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Does Vegas still have the appeal that it once had?

Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:00 am
Posted by JasonDBlaha
Woodlands, Texas
Member since Apr 2023
3450 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:00 am
Feels like the public opinion has changed significantly on Vegas in regards to desirability to travel there in the last 3-4 years. Ever since sports betting has been legalized all across the country, it seems like Vegas’ has lost its luster as a vacation spot.

When you eliminate gambling, it’s really just a desert town filled with luxury hotels. Sure, you’ve got national parks in Clark County, but those are at least an hour away while SoCal is only 3 and a half hours away and yet has infinitely more things to do.

Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
46806 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:05 am to
I went to Vegas to go to the sphere, first time and last time
Posted by Lawyered
The Sip
Member since Oct 2016
37312 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:16 am to
It’s exhausting to be nickle and dimed and every thing is super overpriced

The food , the alcohol.

It’s just not that great.
Posted by HoustonGumbeauxGuy
Member since Jul 2011
32780 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:22 am to
quote:

When you eliminate gambling, it’s really just a desert town filled with luxury hotels




quote:

Does Vegas still have the appeal that it once had?

People fly in from all over the globe to visit Las Vegas. That town is packed full of people every day of the year, so I would say yes it still has the appeal that it once had. What indications do you have that it does not?
This post was edited on 12/28/25 at 10:26 am
Posted by Saintsisit
Member since Jan 2013
5082 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:27 am to
We just went for Halloween and it was absolutely packed everywhere we went.
Posted by JasonDBlaha
Woodlands, Texas
Member since Apr 2023
3450 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 10:37 am to
quote:

What indications do you have that it does not?


Visitor rates are still declining and have been going down for the past year
Posted by LSUfan4444
Member since Mar 2004
56675 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 11:56 am to
quote:

What indications do you have that it does not?


Drops in occupancy rates. Reduction in traffic at Harry Reid. Continued dips in revenues at restaurants, bars, etc. Gaming revenue is down. Casino employee layoffs. Casino visitor drops.

I cannot think of any indicator that says anything other than Vegas is sliding in tourism (domestic and international), gaming and convention attendance.
Posted by HoustonGumbeauxGuy
Member since Jul 2011
32780 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 12:52 pm to
well that sucks for them
This post was edited on 12/28/25 at 12:54 pm
Posted by slinger1317
Northshore
Member since Sep 2005
6875 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 1:14 pm to
It’s been a few years but the last time we went we smelled weed up and down the entire strip. Lots of vagrants and generally trashy people all around.

Non sports gambling is becoming more accessible all over the country. And as far as sports, a Vegas Sportsbook was an amazing thing in the 80’s-2010’s, but online betting has absolutely killed that aspect. People can bet in their underwear from their phones.
Posted by Junkyard Hog
Arkansas
Member since Aug 2019
367 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 3:27 pm to
It does to me….we go a couple times a year, stay at a great resort, eat like kings and get some gambling in (I don’t gamble anywhere else)…… and I absolutely love being in the sportsbook on a college football Saturday
Posted by LemmyLives
Texas
Member since Mar 2019
13648 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 3:48 pm to
quote:

being in the sportsbook on a college football Saturday

You can get this at the Gaylord Texan in DFW and just gamble on your phone. Can't you already do this at a ton of Indian casinos in AR, OK, LA, etc? No need to pay $14 for a beer in Vegas.

Posted by Shut Up Mulllet
Member since Apr 2021
978 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 5:07 pm to
I was there a couple weeks ago.
I don’t gamble. Went to the sphere and a couple shows.
Looked cleaner than it has the last few times I went. No homeless folks on the strip. The rodeo was in town so the crowd was good.
However…. It has gotten so expensive that it ruins the experience. 100$ breakfast for two. 50$ mixed drinks. 9$ waters. You can burn though some money like that.
Posted by Junkyard Hog
Arkansas
Member since Aug 2019
367 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 6:50 pm to
It’s not the same…..

There is a different energy in Vegas. I understand it’s not for everyone, but it’s one of my favorite things to do.
Posted by Lsut81
Member since Jun 2005
83740 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 7:00 pm to
quote:

Does Vegas still have the appeal that it once had?


Not at all... IMO, Covid killed Vegas.

Not that it was all that classy beforehand, but the trash has overrun it at this point.

Also, the foreign investment into the Casinos has pushed out the everyday man and driven prices through the roof.

This post was edited on 12/28/25 at 7:06 pm
Posted by Floyd Dawg
Silver Creek, GA
Member since Jul 2018
4935 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 8:38 pm to
I went to Vegas at least 2x yearly from 2008-2015 and loved it. Went back in ‘21 for the only time since ‘15 and I hate what it’s become. I’ll never go back. The homeless people all along the Strip and the overwhelming stench of weed is intolerable to me.
Posted by lsufan112001
sportsmans paradise
Member since Oct 2006
11100 posts
Posted on 12/28/25 at 9:11 pm to
Way too expensive for me. Not going back. A neat town but geez it’s ridiculous $$$
Posted by LSUBartman
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2007
397 posts
Posted on 12/29/25 at 7:23 am to
The big thing that has changed is that the casinos have stopped catering to the traditional gamblers and turned their attention to the young party crowd. The younger crowd isn't very knowledgeable about gambling(love slots), they don't mind paying $42 for a drink at the pool or night club. Now there's not as many good comps and casinos are now charging resort fees, 6/5 blackjack, triple zero roulette, tighter slots and charging to park. So the big thing that has changed is the focus on the target customers.
This post was edited on 12/29/25 at 7:42 am
Posted by Mr Sausage
Cat Spring, Texas
Member since Oct 2011
15514 posts
Posted on 12/29/25 at 8:00 am to
quote:

he big thing that has changed is that the casinos have stopped catering to the traditional gamblers and turned their attention to the young party crowd.


This is it. Everything was catered to the gambler. Cheap food, cheap drinks, cheap rooms all to get you in the casino.
Posted by Donkus
Shreveport
Member since Feb 2013
1477 posts
Posted on 12/29/25 at 11:56 am to
Walking the Strip this past September on a Thursday was definitely more dead than I have seen since we've been going to Vegas. Even Fremont on Friday night was kind of light. I agree with the notion of casinos targeting the younger crowd, the downtown casinos were packed with older people. Vegas for us has just become a place to get a hotel that's close to several interesting outdoor places. We like The D, cheap, clean, and the parking garage is easy to get in and out of. And you have free use of Circa's pool.
Posted by jbgleason
Bailed out of BTR to God's Country
Member since Mar 2012
19868 posts
Posted on 12/29/25 at 2:23 pm to
quote:

This is it. Everything was catered to the gambler.


I used to go three to four times a year.

The era when Vegas was for gamblers was amazing. Free drinks and $15 buffets. Rooms could be had for almost nothing. Play $25 chips and you could get comps all night long.

Then some idiot PR guys convinced the casinos to try and get the "family" crowd. They thought they could turn Vegas into a replacement for Disney. That was miserable. Prices went up for stuff they were giving away the year before. Kids were everywhere and the shows focused on being family friendly. That flopped fairly fast.

They went from that to the "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas" era. Which was the start of the high end restaurants and clubs. Prices went up but not terribly and it was a good time again.

Now it seems they are focused on high-end foreign tourists and whales and, as mentioned, the young party crowd. The $25 a hand gambler is the bottom of the barrel now. Table minimums are through the roof. Comps aren't happening unless you are dropping four or five figures a night and food/drinks are more expensive than just about anywhere I have been in the world.

It's just not worth it to me any more. I go once a year for work and dread the trip.
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