advance summer bookings for flights between Canada and the U.S. have plunged by more than 70 percent compared to the summer of 2024.
Monique Danao
Sat, June 21, 2025
Poker dealer in Las Vegas
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways
Las Vegas’s famed casino floors are getting quieter as table game dealers find themselves among the first to feel the squeeze of technological change and a downturn in tourism.
Major resorts on the famous Las Vegas Strip, including Fontainebleau and Resorts World, have started laying off workers — many of which are dealers — as foot traffic dwindles on the gaming floor.
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“We want those casinos to be successful, active and robust because that gives our break-in dealers an opportunity to transition, that’s the goal,” CEG Dealer School Managing Director David Knoll shared with KLAS.
Declining foot traffic leads to job cuts
New data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority shows the city’s visitor volume dipped 7.8% year-over-year in March 2025, marking the third straight month that tourism dropped in Sin City. With fewer guests coming into town, gaming revenue on the Strip fell 4.8% over that same period, while hotel occupancy slid to 82.9%, down from 85.3% in March 2024.
Despite the city’s drop in overall visitors, convention attendance in Vegas is actually up 10%, but analysts warn that event-driven boosts are unlikely to offset the broader declines.
Tourism throughout the country appears to be in steep decline, as International arrivals are down sharply amid evolving U.S. travel and tariff policies. According to Travel Weekly, advance summer bookings for flights between Canada and the U.S. have plunged by more than 70 percent compared to the summer of 2024.
“Less tourism means less shifts at the job, less small businesses that support our tourist industry,” Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) told The Washington Post. “It’s going to cause businesses to go under. It has a trickle-down effect. It’s going to be devastating to Nevada.”
Travel industry analysts also link the decline in Sin City visitors to broader economic uncertainty at home. A recent Bankrate survey found that only 46% of U.S. adults plan to travel this summer due to affordability concerns.
Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Automation accelerates job losses
As casinos begin to tighten belts, automation is reshaping the role of the typical Vegas table game dealer.
According to Travel and Tour World, casinos have introduced electronic table games that handle bets and payouts without human intervention, another factor that has encouraged casinos to cut labour costs. Enrollment in dealer training programs has also fallen as fewer people view Las Vegas as a stable option for employment.
“We’ve seen our enrollment drop, and people interested in becoming a dealer,” said Knoll. “We used to have a lot more people transition from out of state and come to Las Vegas for the opportunities here.”
On the broader labor market, Vegas’s unemployment rate climbed to 5.2% in April 2025 — one of the highest among large U.S. metro areas — primarily driven by cuts in leisure and hospitality. This sector has shed thousands of jobs over the past year, even as the average hourly wage for Vegas dealers hovered around $19.96 — slightly above the national average of $19.25
What lies ahead
There are many factors that are likely doing damage to tourism numbers in Las Vegas.
Beyond what was mentioned above, Trump’s tariff policies, his threatening rhetoric around annexing countries like Canada and Greenland, and the increased scrutiny that international visitors can face at the borders are all additional factors that are likely scaring tourists away from the U.S. And with Trump’s economic policies forcing many Americans to tighten their belts, domestic tourism throughout the country is also in decline.
Upcoming projects in Vegas, such as Universal Studios’s Horror Unleashed attraction and a $1.75 billion stadium for the Athletics — an MLB team that will be moving to Vegas in the near future — could potentially draw fresh crowds.
But in the meantime, Sin City’s tourism — as well as its ability to generate revenue — could continue to struggle in the years to come. And if this trend of dwindling tourism continues, casinos could be forced into making more cuts, which will likely keep Vegas’s unemployment rate well above the national average of 4.2%.
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Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
Monique Danao
Sat, June 21, 2025
Poker dealer in Las Vegas
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what's in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.Generate Key Takeaways
Las Vegas’s famed casino floors are getting quieter as table game dealers find themselves among the first to feel the squeeze of technological change and a downturn in tourism.
Major resorts on the famous Las Vegas Strip, including Fontainebleau and Resorts World, have started laying off workers — many of which are dealers — as foot traffic dwindles on the gaming floor.
Don't miss
Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how
I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast)
Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10)
“We want those casinos to be successful, active and robust because that gives our break-in dealers an opportunity to transition, that’s the goal,” CEG Dealer School Managing Director David Knoll shared with KLAS.
Declining foot traffic leads to job cuts
New data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority shows the city’s visitor volume dipped 7.8% year-over-year in March 2025, marking the third straight month that tourism dropped in Sin City. With fewer guests coming into town, gaming revenue on the Strip fell 4.8% over that same period, while hotel occupancy slid to 82.9%, down from 85.3% in March 2024.
Despite the city’s drop in overall visitors, convention attendance in Vegas is actually up 10%, but analysts warn that event-driven boosts are unlikely to offset the broader declines.
Tourism throughout the country appears to be in steep decline, as International arrivals are down sharply amid evolving U.S. travel and tariff policies. According to Travel Weekly, advance summer bookings for flights between Canada and the U.S. have plunged by more than 70 percent compared to the summer of 2024.
“Less tourism means less shifts at the job, less small businesses that support our tourist industry,” Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nevada) told The Washington Post. “It’s going to cause businesses to go under. It has a trickle-down effect. It’s going to be devastating to Nevada.”
Travel industry analysts also link the decline in Sin City visitors to broader economic uncertainty at home. A recent Bankrate survey found that only 46% of U.S. adults plan to travel this summer due to affordability concerns.
Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says this 7-step plan ‘works every single time’ to kill debt, get rich in America — and that ‘anyone’ can do it
Automation accelerates job losses
As casinos begin to tighten belts, automation is reshaping the role of the typical Vegas table game dealer.
According to Travel and Tour World, casinos have introduced electronic table games that handle bets and payouts without human intervention, another factor that has encouraged casinos to cut labour costs. Enrollment in dealer training programs has also fallen as fewer people view Las Vegas as a stable option for employment.
“We’ve seen our enrollment drop, and people interested in becoming a dealer,” said Knoll. “We used to have a lot more people transition from out of state and come to Las Vegas for the opportunities here.”
On the broader labor market, Vegas’s unemployment rate climbed to 5.2% in April 2025 — one of the highest among large U.S. metro areas — primarily driven by cuts in leisure and hospitality. This sector has shed thousands of jobs over the past year, even as the average hourly wage for Vegas dealers hovered around $19.96 — slightly above the national average of $19.25
What lies ahead
There are many factors that are likely doing damage to tourism numbers in Las Vegas.
Beyond what was mentioned above, Trump’s tariff policies, his threatening rhetoric around annexing countries like Canada and Greenland, and the increased scrutiny that international visitors can face at the borders are all additional factors that are likely scaring tourists away from the U.S. And with Trump’s economic policies forcing many Americans to tighten their belts, domestic tourism throughout the country is also in decline.
Upcoming projects in Vegas, such as Universal Studios’s Horror Unleashed attraction and a $1.75 billion stadium for the Athletics — an MLB team that will be moving to Vegas in the near future — could potentially draw fresh crowds.
But in the meantime, Sin City’s tourism — as well as its ability to generate revenue — could continue to struggle in the years to come. And if this trend of dwindling tourism continues, casinos could be forced into making more cuts, which will likely keep Vegas’s unemployment rate well above the national average of 4.2%.
What to read next
Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead
Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in ‘great wealth’. How to get in now
This tiny hot Costco item has skyrocketed 74% in price in under 2 years — but now the retail giant is restricting purchases. Here’s how to buy the coveted asset in bulk
Here are 5 ‘must have’ items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you?
Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. Subscribe for free.
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
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