Not so long ago, Las Vegas was in trouble. The COVID-19 pandemic turned Sin City from a party town to almost a ghost town. Vegas Strip casinos were the most affected in the state. But that grim picture seems to be disappearing.
Recently released reports show that Las Vegas casinos collected over $1 billion for the second month in a row. The 200,000 slot machines in Vegas are also thriving, as Wynn Resorts reported the highest slot machine revenue in April since it opened 15 years ago.
As most casinos are now operating at 100% capacity, tourists are flocking to Vegas. The city’s economy is gaining ground on reaching pre-pandemic numbers. In addition, Nevada reported record revenues from sports betting.
Signs of recovery include:
- 2.6 million visitors in April, up 15.4% from March and more than double from December 2020. That’s overall 27% lower than pre-pandemic numbers but rapidly improving
- 2.9 total hotel room nights booked, and MGM and Caesars’ casinos report around 85% of hotel occupancy. Weekend occupancy is expected to sell out soon. These numbers are getting closer to the 97% occupancy pre-pandemic numbers
- 2.9 million passengers passed through McCarran International Airport, up from 2.6 million in March and 1.2 million in February. That’s 32% down from pre-pandemic, mainly due to international travel restrictions (1% came from international passengers)
- World of Concrete convention opens on June 8th, the first major convention since the pandemic started
- Multiple music residencies, including Gwen Stefani, Luke Bryan, Katy Perry, and Shania Twain, set concert dates. Live performances and shows have also started to return
While Las Vegas is not yet where it was pre-pandemic, signs are showing a positive trend. As 85% of adults in the U.S. have gambled in their life at least once, one thing is for sure – more and more people will head to Las Vegas to gamble, party, or simply enjoy Sin City.
