A report came out last month stating this: The Las Vegas Strip led the state in revenue in 2023 with $8.9 billion in gaming revenue, a 7.4% jump from 2022. The Strip accounted for 90% of the revenue growth, up from 86% the year before. And here is about air travel to Las Vegas: So, too, was the 2023 passenger count at Harry Reid International Airport where the Clark County Aviation Department on Wednesday reported it had eclipsed the 2022 record by 8.7 percent to 57.6 million passengers, easily bettering the 52.6 million a year earlier. Airport officials knew a record was occurring — passenger numbers topped the 2022 record by November. We don't gamble nearly as much as we use to, but then again, we never gambled that much in the first place. When we do, we now stick pretty much to 1-cent betting, but even at that, the least a person can bet is 150 pennies. This past September, my wife was on a 1-cent slot at South Point and, after putting in a $20 and betting $250 pennies, she cashed in a ticket for $541 dollars. I really don't understand how folks who visit Vegas, can spend out so much money in gambling. I do know there are plenty of "high earners" that go to Vegas to play. It's going to get to the point where Middle Class folks won't be able to afford Vegas at all. Just the very, very Upper Class will Thoughts?
For FY23, the Virginia State Lottery revenues topped $4.5 billion. That's just regular people buying the occasional ticket when they're out & about...we're not a "gambling destination." I remember when we fought to prevent a government-sponsored lottery from happening, but the "All my friends are doing it, and I'll take my money across state lines" crowd prevailed. So for a place like Vegas where people from all over the world come specifically to gamble all day and all night for days on end, a number double our state lottery doesn't really seem all that high. In fact, it seems kinda low. Regarding your "middle class" affordability comment...I think that applies to all sorts of stuff as populations grow and the absolute number of people with lots of money grows with it. I think we all lived our lives in probably the best economic times of any nation in history. I've flown with work, and to see this miracle become available to the average schmuck (Southwest Airlines $99 flights!?!?!?!?!?) to the point that people get contemptuous of it ("I asked for a pillow 5 minutes ago!!!") Maybe it's good to get crowded out of these things that have no true meaning, and be grateful for what really matters.
I thought a friend of ours, retired from years at Ford Motor Company in Detroit, has an excellent pension, and the highest SS a person can get, was pretty rich. Then I found out that his two sons, both Engineers with a major Degree, make at least twice as much as their dad made at Ford. However, just what would compel a person to spend literally thousands of dollars in a single weekend trip to Vegas? And, I do mean "thousands" of dollars! The cost of flying roundtrip, renting a vehicle, getting a nice hotel room (on the Strip), eating at expensive restaurants (not at Buffets) and, above all, gambling. Whether it's gambling at tables and/or slots, a lot of money is spent gambling! And, obviously, many people in America and around the world, have that kind of money. Then again, just look at the "big time" Yachts tied up or anchored in Monaco.
Lots of things compel people to gamble. I've seen it in the 12 Step Meetings I've attended (yeh, I've been to a couple of Gambler's Anonymous meetings when I quit drinking, since the motives are the same, only the vices vary.) I doubt that having the money to do so is a primary cause, but can imagine some of those with excess wealth may do it as a public display of their excess wealth...like lighting a cigar with a $100 bill. I don't know how much the average person spends gambling on a trip to Vegas. Lots of them might be there for the shows, and they drop a few bucks in the slots merely because they are in Vegas and you gotta do it just once. I found an article claiming that in 2021, visitors to Vegas gambled an average of $717 (an increase of $100 for a couple of years prior.) Another article from 2023 says the average visitor spends $150/day gambling and stays 3-4 days. From that, they conclude a per-trip gambling loss of $500. There seems to be this range that is driven by how good/poor the economy is doing...for people like you & me. I once read that the game with the best odds is Craps. I have no idea how to play the game. My only gambling (besides the occasional lottery ticket) has been the ponies. I loved the harness raced in Charles Town West Virginia. I limited myself to $4 bets, and there are 3 races per hour (meaning I drop $12 an hour.) It's a fun day, and cheap entertainment. Way more fun than sitting with my face in a slot machine. And the setting was out in the country...very beautiful. Since then they built a casino and you park far away and take the shuttle to the casino & track. Nothing seems to improve over time.
I have never had any desire to go to Vegas, but my husband has been there. He likes to play poker but is not a "high roller." We used to go to the casinos along the Mississippi coast because they have gorgeous RV campgrounds that were usually comped as long as my husband was playing poker. We always set loss limits and he was good about walking away a winner instead of staying in the game when his luck changes. I play the slots but have a $20 limit... haha. I'd rather go to a buffet (or a mall) where I get something for my money. I have a friend in CA who is always getting hotels comped because she goes to the casinos in Tahoe/Reno. The free hotel and some meals are the only reasons she goes.
The only hotel/casino we've seemed to win in is South Point, which is down the freeway from us. I have lost $200 there before, but my wife has won almost $1,000 on a one 1-cent slot she has played twice. I use to play the $1 slots quite often, but sure have backed off from doing that. Again, the funny thing is today, is how much has to be bet to get any kind of chance to win anything.
The slots don't know who is shoving in all those coins before it "hits." I read of one tactic where a person will hang out around the slots and wait for someone (or several people) to shove tons of money into a given machine without it paying out. They figure it's gonna hit sooner or later, so all that money shoved in by others have pushed it closer to a jackpot. I like the ponies because it's a fun event where the betting is secondary to the outing. Plus the first time I ever bet, I hit $120 on a $4 bet. I hit another $100+ on a $4 bet that same day, have had similar days (with a few bust days.)
Back in 2000/2001 we use to go to Los Alamitos Race Track in Los Alamitos, CA. Our nephew use to train race horses that ran there. His wife was sometimes a Pony Girl. One time, she bet on nephew's horse and won $400. After that, we have never lived close to a Horse Race Track. The nephew no longer trains either.
There were 3 tracks within driving distance of my home in Northern Virginia: -Charles Town West VA are harness races, and my favorite track. -Pimlico and Laurel Park were in Maryland. I went once. They are in the middle of concrete jungles. Charles Town is a couple of hours from here...not too long of a drive, but as I said, they've built a gambling city around the country racetrack. The bastards. I was around horses a little bit when I was a kid. My sister worked for a jewelers who had the newer location in our town and the original store in Middleburg, which is still "old money" horse country. They had horses and farms in both locations. ($$$$) They raised show horses...mostly for jumping events. Real nice people.
Long ago we went with a tour group to Las Vegas. We are not big gamblers so we each took $25 for that but I begged hubby to raise it to $30. They still had real quarter slots, not computers. This was back when food and drinks were almost free. The shows cost some but not too much. It was interesting but everything was so far apart! We didn't have a car; we walked everywhere. Anyway, we lost the $60 total but when we were leaving our hotel getting ready to go home, I found a wad of $60 on the floor!!! ??? I went to the desk and left my name and number and said I found some money. If the owner could tell me how much and I was still around, I would bring it back. No one called. It was funny. On the plane home, I could hear all sorts of people recounting how much they won but no one happened to say how much they lost to win that much. I have wanted to go back to see the new hotels but probably won't be going.
Years ago a friend went to Vegas for her honeymoon. They saw Don Ho. The poor guy was stuck in his own Groundhog Day hell with "Tiny Bubbles," and stayed so sauced you couldn't understand a thing he was saying. But she got to see Don Ho.
Like what's his name who sang Danke Schon. I saw him and felt sorry for him that that was his life. From a pudgy little teenager to retirement.
I love how you take care of me. But what was the thing I just went into the kitchen to get but forgot.
Be careful what you wish for, huh? So may people trapped by their success. I saw Newton on Bonanza episodes spanning 4-5 years. I just read that while he was filming those shows, he met Elvis (who was filming on an adjacent set) and they struck up a long-term friendship.