It might not yet be time to panic, but Nevada gaming operators are certainly becoming increasingly worried about their near-term business outlooks. Contrary to expectations, a recent study suggests that access to multiple slot themes does not increase players’ gambling time. A GambleAware-backed study is investigating the best practices for treating gambling harm among neurodiverse people. As the gambling industry evolves and grows, its commitment to responsible gambling is increasingly important. The future of the Texas Lottery is in jeopardy amid a series of scandals and facing a legislature hostile to legal gambling in any form.
Amid some uncertainty, he said the industry has come to the realization that the economy has slowed a bit. “I think in six months, I would believe that Vegas tourism and our economy overall will be in a much better place,” said the CEO of a Vegas resort company. Las Vegas is facing a pronounced tourism decline, with just 3.1 million June visitors this year — an 11.3% drop from last year.
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Plus, Chicago on Thursday plans to implement a 10.25 percent tax on sports betting generated on apps within the city limits. Our wide-ranging research capabilities serve industry partners and national tourism advocacy organizations. Most of MGM’s other Strip casinos, such as the MGM Grand, levy an in-room service charge of around $10. The going rate for a Strip casino hotel in April 2025 was $194 on the weekend and $182 midweek. Strip casinos still managed to charge higher rates. Along with the poor April gaming report, the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority (LVCVA) exposed today that Southern Nevada visitor volume last month tumbled over 5% to approximately 3.33 million people.
South Africa’s National Treasury has proposed a new 20% tax on online gambling revenue. As a result, casinos like Fontainebleau and Resorts World quietly laid off their casino workers, and more casinos turned to automation. The Venetian was one of the last casinos to join the Culinary Workers Union due to a change in ownership.
- While table and sportsbook win was up 1% to $259.4 million, revenue from the terminals was down over 5% at $387.5 million.
- Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the theft of approximately $27,000 worth of lottery tickets from a gas station, a crime for which the Pennsylvania Lottery’s security measures and severe legal penalties make it difficult for thieves to profit.
- The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the bill would increase the number of people with health insurance by 100,000 this year, 3 million in 2027, 4 million in 2028 and 1.1 million in 2029.
- The future of the Texas Lottery is in jeopardy amid a series of scandals and facing a legislature hostile to legal gambling in any form.
- “I think in six months, I would believe that Vegas tourism and our economy overall will be in a much better place,” predicted Stevens.
- The Strip’s largest casino-hotel construction project is making progress toward its 2027 opening, with a significant portion of the new vertical structure now complete.
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LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A rainy New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas didn’t stop the fun on Thursday night — revelers took over the Strip to enjoy fireworks, concerts and everything our city has to offer to ring in 2026. Las Vegas Las Vegas casino resorts have been long known for their entertaining shows, endless casino action and bright lights. Las Vegas expects 340K+ revelers for ‘America’s Party 2026’ NYE, potentially ranking among the city’s strongest celebrations, reports LVCVA. Strip November’s revenue dipped despite higher wagering as Nevada gaming rose 2.3% to US$1.34 billion vs November 2024’s US$1.31 billion. A visitation downturn coupled with strong gaming numbers, expansion coming to airport and the rise of prediction markets were key stories of 2025. Plus, Casino Collectibles Association has added a tool to its website to help casino chip collectors find chips to add to their collections.
Discover the latest in-depth casino industry news at LasVegasCasinoNews.com. He aims to provide up-to-the-minute and detailed coverage of headlines in the sports betting industry. He has followed the retail industry since his time living in Las Vegas and has continued to do so as the online industry has taken off. The poll found that more people favor expanding sports betting in the US. In 2025, all major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are now unionized for the first time in history. Stevens said he’s spoken with other Las Vegas casino CEOs and said across the industry, there’s a “mixed bag” of opinions regarding the current state of tourism.
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Michael covers everything from online casino reviews to industry news, making him one of the most trusted insiders in the business. Bonus.com is a comprehensive online gambling resource that provides tested and verified promotions, unbiased reviews, expert guides, and industry-leading news. California’s new law, AB 831, signed by Governor Newsom, bans sweepstakes casinos starting January 1, 2026, closing a loophole to protect tribal gaming rights and ensure consumer safety. A bill banning online sweepstakes casinos is now on Gov. Hochul’s desk, with a Dec. 31 deadline to sign or veto. Three attempts by states to ban sweepstakes casinos have failed in the past two weeks and the industry’s trade group is overjoyed.
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The robot was created by California-based company IntBot, which develops humanoid robots for hotels, airports, and resorts. Check-in is entirely digital, with guests uploading ID via their phone and accessing their rooms using QR codes through the hotel’s app. At the Otonomous Hotel, billed as the world’s first fully AI-powered hotel, guests are greeted not by a human behind a desk, but by Oto, a chatty humanoid robot with the job title “Chief Vibes Officer.” Researchers found that magnetic brain stimulation can reduce cravings in those experiencing gambling addictions for at least six months. Typically, operators rely on geo-tracking to enforce regulatory compliance by using player geolocation data to ensure play happens within a legal jurisdiction. Geolocation technology—which, first and foremost, ensures jurisdictional compliance—is emerging as a vital responsible gambling tool beyond its traditional uses.
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Sen. Clay Yarborough (R-Nassau) is hoping to remove the controversial DEI policies from the state’s gaming framework during the 2026 legislative session. The new change comes just days after Chicago enacted a new city-specific license and tax system. MGM China and Melco award about 96% of employees an extra month’s salary for 2025 work, continuing Macau casino’s annual year-end bonus tradition.
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- Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners is acquiring Gaming Laboratories International (GLI), a prominent provider of testing and compliance services for the gaming industry, along with its affiliates, with the acquisition process expected to finalize by July 31, 2025.
- Researchers found that magnetic brain stimulation can reduce cravings in those experiencing gambling addictions for at least six months.
- “We used to have a lot more people transition from out of state and come to Las Vegas for the opportunities here.”
- Local pickleball aficionados who regularly encounter packed courts across the valley will find some relief in early 2027, when the city of Las Vegas is slated to inaugurate a couple dozen new courts.
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- The debate over skill game machines in Virginia has taken another turn after a county judge ruled that the Queen of Virginia games are legal.
PokerStars has expanded its partnership with Evolution AB, making Evolution its exclusive live casino provider in North America Discover 30+ new casino games at Hard Rock Online Casino, with exclusive slots, festive themes, and high-limit action in NJ & MI. You have entered an illegal character. Before he started writing gambling content, Lucas went to Rutgers University to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology. When he’s not working, you can find him exercising, walking around the city, or somewhere watching the big game of the day. Grant is a former graduate of Virginia Tech, a former NCAA track and field athlete, and an avid sports fan and sports bettor.
Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. We also hold a strong commitment to Responsible Gaming, and we only cover legally-licensed companies to ensure the highest level of player safety and security. We’ll likely find out how much the holiday travel period and America’s Party affected tourism numbers later this month, as those year-end reports should be ready and released by the end of January.
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The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGB) announced that on a statewide level, gaming revenues were $1.33 billion, which is a 3.5% increase from June 2024. “The June gaming numbers were just released and not everything is terrible.” Only 3.1 million people visited Sin City in June, down 11.3% compared to last year, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). The latest statistics have confirmed the social chatter that Las Vegas tourism has hit a “dramatic low,” with some even calling Vegas an experience of the past. Circa Casino & Resort CEO Derek Stevens tells Fox News Digital that reports claiming tourism is falling in Las Vegas are “a bit exaggerated” — and shared his prediction for Sin City in the next six months.
Since making a splash in Nevada in 2025, prediction markets could become a $1 trillion industry as they continue to grow, according to a recent report.
For the latest Las Vegas casino and gaming industry news and headlines visit reviewjournal.com. 2025 was a landmark year for US gamblers, highlighted by two historic Powerball jackpots exceeding $1.7 billion each, dominant WSOP poker victories, multimillion-dollar casino payouts, and high-profile sports betting parlays cashing hundreds of thousands. As Minnesota continues to work through online sports betting, it is considering banning push notifications from online operators. It would allow up to 11 online casino brands with a tax rate of 36% to 40%, the highest among iGaming states. The seven states where you can play online casino games pulled in nearly $900 million—specifically, $898.1 million in gross revenue. 2025 was a landmark year for US gamblers, highlighted by two historic Powerball jackpots exceeding $1.7 billion each, dominant WSOP poker victories, multimillion-dollar casino payouts, and high-profile sports betting parlays …
“It was fun, it was good seeing people that active, that engaged, and such varied celebrations.” Even mired in a tourism slump, there’s still something drawing visitors to the Entertainment Capital of the World, who say taking in America’s Party was special. Seeing all of the crowds might make you forget that one of the biggest stories of 2025 was the tourism slump hitting the valley, but recently released numbers show we could be starting to move in the right direction.
Las Vegas, often known simply as Vegas, is a city in the U.S. state of Nevada. Industry experts predict that in the future, casino floors will vegas casino app feature more electronics, fewer humans, and smaller casino floors. As electronic and hybrid tables become more popular on casino floors, union contracts may help protect many jobs.
Fewer guests naturally led to hotel occupancy declines. Nevada casino revenue over the past three months is down almost 4% from last year and down 0.5% over the past 12 months. The Boulder Strip helped offset some of the Strip’s struggles with a gaming win surge of 8% to $89.9 million. While table and sportsbook win was up 1% to $259.4 million, revenue from the terminals was down over 5% at $387.5 million. The Nevada Gaming Control Board revealed today that the Strip’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) April outcome was slots’ fault. April marked the third month in a row where Las Vegas casino win was lower year-over-year.
Big holiday crowds over Christmas and New Year’s in Las Vegas give some cause for optimism about a year-end boost to tourism, though, as everyone hopes to kick off 2026 on the right foot. Those stats reflect what casino executives shared during their fourth quarter earnings calls, which I reported on in early November. Laughlin and the Boulder Strip also stood out as bright spots in November, with an 11% and 20% year-over-year jump in casino earnings.
Despite the unionization milestone, slower tourism, automation, and cost-cutting have shifted the labor dynamics. The 60,000-member union is one of the largest labor unions in Nevada and provides casino workers with better job security and 32% wage increases over a five-year contract. “I think in six months, I would believe that Vegas tourism and our economy overall will be in a much better place,” predicted Stevens.