How Last Year’s Super Bowl Is Still Impacting Las Vegas Gaming and Visitation Revenue

^{Super Bowl LVIII was big business for Las Vegas, and the dropoff was even larger. (Image: Lisa Linke / courtesy of the NFL)}

Nevada gaming revenue, visitation and hotel room rates took a big dip in February compared to last year. The large decreases were expected by casino operators and industry experts – because this year we weren’t hosting the Super Bowl.

Last February, Las Vegas Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. The most-watched Super Bowl of all time brought throngs of visitors and media to Las Vegas. As expected, the Las Vegas event calendar for the month was packed.

This led to one of the best months for gaming revenue in the Silver State. This year, Nevada casinos won $1.2 billion from gamblers, a 9.28% decrease from a year ago. However, it was only about 3% lower than in February 2023, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Additionally, hotel room rates skyrocketed as the big game not only attracted football fans but also a media contingent from around the world.

The Super Bowl wasn’t the only reason revenue and visitation were lower. There was one fewer day, and a few large conferences took place elsewhere or earlier this year.

Moreover, airport data shows that nearby countries had fewer travelers landing in Las Vegas compared to a year ago.

While the bottom line might not be as bad as it looks at first, there could be more at play in the decrease than just a missing Super Bowl.

Vegas Strip Crushed Without Super Bowl

The Super Bowl was a big deal for Las Vegas—especially the Strip. The south end of the Strip was the hub of Super Bowl activity.

Mandalay Bay hosted worldwide media all week. Luxor was the official media hotel for the NFL.  Super Bowl LVIII was played at Allegiant Stadium behind the two casinos.

Most Super Bowl activations and events took place at casinos up and down the Vegas Strip. Naturally, most visitors stayed in this part of Las Vegas.

Without these visitors, Vegas Strip casinos and hotels took the biggest hit in February.

These casinos saw a 13.8% decrease in gaming revenue compared to last year.

Hotel room rates on the Strip were 26.2% lower than a year ago, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The average room rate this year was $198.69, compared to $269.37 last year.

For comparison, downtown Las Vegas gaming revenue was down just 4.9%, and room rates were off 7.4% from a year ago.

Visitation to Vegas Falls in February 

While the Super Bowl was a major factor in declining revenue, there were fewer visitors in Las Vegas for business or vacations.

Overall visitation to Las Vegas in February fell 11.9%, from 3.2 million in 2024 to 2.9 million. Convention attendance was 19.5% lower, with two conventions moving to January and another two skipping Las Vegas altogether.

Year to date, the number of visitors to Las Vegas is down 6.5%, representing about 440,000 fewer visitors in the first two months of the year.

The decrease in visitation appears to be more than just a Super Bowl-related dip.

Regional visitors driving to Las Vegas were up slightly by 2.2% in February and 3.5% for the year. According to Harry Reid International Airport, long-distance travelers arriving in Las Vegas by airplane were down 7.5% in February and 3.5% for the year.

The big surprise with the airport data might be that domestic travel is dropping more rapidly than international. According to the report, domestic travel fell 7.7% in February and is down 4.4% for the year. 

International traffic appears to be dropping as well, even though it’s up by 7.9% for the year. In February, international passengers fell by 2.6%. 

Air Canada and Westjet both saw fewer passengers deplane in Las Vegas in February. We’re not political reporters, but this could mark the beginning of Canadians deciding to stay local instead of visiting their favorite US city.