Las Vegas Visitors Are Highly Satisfied And Still Gambling

^{The Vegas Strip Corridor includes properties on or near Las Vegas Boulevard between Russell Road to the south and St. Louis Avenue to the north. (Image: courtesy of LVCVA)}

Despite a loud minority on social media, nearly 90% of visitors were highly satisfied with their trip to Las Vegas, and more than half said their visit exceeded expectations in 2024. This might explain why 86% of the trips to Las Vegas were return visits and 75% are likely to return for another Vegas Vacation.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study, released earlier this month, shared these bits of data and more information. The tourism board for Las Vegas surveys visitors throughout the year to see how and where they’re spending their time and money. 

While the sample size—5,418 of more than 41 million visitors in 2024—is small, the data helps paint a picture of the average visitor to Las Vegas.

Visitors Are Still Gambling

Seventy-eight percent of visitors to Las Vegas did some kind of gambling during their trip last year. This might come as a surprise as non-gaming revenue made up the majority of casino revenue throughout the Las Vegas Valley in 2024. 

The average amount of money visitors are bringing to spend on gaming continues to grow. (Image: LVCVA)

Gambling is just a small part of why people visit Las Vegas. Visitors spent an average of 2.5 hours at tables and slot machines, a figure that hasn’t changed much over the years. The most time spent gambling in the past five years was 2021, when visitors spent three hours on this form of Las Vegas entertainment. 

The average gambling budget has increased annually since 2021 when it was $717.50. Last year, visitors allotted an average of $820.15 per trip.

Gen X visitors on average gambled $873.35 during their stay, while all other demographics gambled an average of $786.93. As is typical, the youngest demographic, Gen Z, spent the least per trip with an average of $575.01.

Gamblers spent more money on the following than those who didn’t:

• Lodging
• Food and beverage
• Shows
• Transportation

Not surprisingly, non-gamblers spent more money shopping and sightseeing.

Most Visitors Stayed on the Vegas Strip

On average, visitors spent 4.4 nights and 3.4 days per trip. Sixty-nine percent of all visitors stayed at hotels on the Las Vegas Strip last year, a slight dip from 2023, when 70% stayed on the city's main tourist corridor. For the third year in a row, 6% of visitors stayed at a hotel downtown.

The Strip is still the go-to overnight destination for visitors in Las Vegas for multiday stays, with nearly seven in 10 (69%) staying there. These results are similar to previous years. (Image: LVCVA)

This helps explain why 29% of visitors didn’t have time or found it inconvenient to visit downtown Las Vegas. However, more than half (52%) made time to visit.

Room Rates Rising, Comped Rooms Falling

Monthly visitation reports show that hotel room rates continue to rise in Las Vegas, and this survey confirms that trend. In 2021, visitors who paid for a room in Las Vegas spent about $108.82 per night. The rate has increased every year, with visitors paying an average of $179.10 per night last year.

Nearly three in five (58%) visitors booked accommodations at a regular rate last year, up from 54% in 2023. Fewer visitors booked using comped rooms (12%, down from 14%) or a special casino rate (7%, down from 12%). (Image: LVCVA)

Last year, 58% of visitors paid full retail prices for hotel rooms, a percentage that has risen each of the past three years.

Only 12% of visitors received a complimentary hotel room from a casino, while another 7% booked their stay at a discounted “casino rate.” In summation, less than 20% of hotel guests received a discount or complimentary hotel room when visiting Las Vegas in 2024.

It’s not surprising that 23% of gamblers received a complimentary or discounted hotel room, as they are the visitors who engage most with casino rewards programs. By comparison, only 6% of those who didn’t gamble in Las Vegas received a complimentary room.

One trend to watch is the growing number of visitors staying with friends or in vacation rentals away from the tourist corridor. Both increased by 1% last year.

Eighteen percent of those surveyed last year said Las Vegas is too expensive. If hotel guests become more price-sensitive, more may take advantage of rewards program discounts or opt for alternative lodging.