Las Vegas Woes Continue, Casino Execs Say Fears Overblown, Nevada Dems Blame Trump
Posted on: February 27, 2026, 02:31h.
Last updated on: February 27, 2026, 02:38h.
- Las Vegas Strip revenue was down double digits in January 2026
- Tourism numbers continue to indicate fewer people are visiting Las Vegas
- Casino execs say fears about the destination are overblown
Las Vegas began 2026 where it left 2025: slow.
While the Las Vegas Strip managed to post a trivial 0.03% year-over-year gain in terms of gross gaming revenue (GGR) last year, visitation was down 7.5%. The tourism drop represented 3.12 million fewer visitors.
The ongoing visitor volume pains could be catching up with the Strip casinos, as January 2026 began deeply in the red.
On Friday, the Nevada Gaming Control Board revealed that the state’s 315 licensed gaming facilities generated GGR of $1.345 billion. That represented a 6.6% decline from January 2025.
Table games and sports were the culprit, with revenue from felt, sports, race, and bingo down almost 19% to $425.4 million. Slots were flat at $919.8 million, a 0.5% increase.
Gaming, Occupancy, Visitation Lower
In Clark County, Nevada’s most populous county that’s home to Las Vegas, things were even worse. GGR was down 8% to $1.159 billion. Downtown Las Vegas GGR totaled $79.4 million, 5% lower than a year ago.
On the Las Vegas Strip, casino revenue fell 11% to $747.65 million. The year-over-year monthly revenue difference was more than $92.4 million. Visitor volume in Las Vegas was down 2.2%, and hotel room occupancy on the Strip was down 2.4% to 79.5%. Despite fewer visitors, the average nightly room rate on the Las Vegas Strip was up 7% to $216.
Traffic at Harry Reid International was 8% lower to a little more than four million arriving and departing passengers. International traffic was 19% lower, while domestic flights brought in 7% fewer people.
Las Vegas Blame Game
Casino executives continue to blame the media for reporting on fears regarding the state of the destination. Officials at MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment say such reports, despite the data, are overblown.
“I read the headlines, ‘Las Vegas is dead.’ Stop,” Bill Hornbuckle, MGM’s CEO, said during a discussion hosted by the Vegas Chamber.
There really is no crisis happening in Vegas,” Tom Reeg, Caesars’ CEO, said during the company’s earnings call this month. “It is normal cyclicality, and it will play itself out. I know that the pricing gets focused on social media and I am sure if I say the wrong thing here I’ll read it tomorrow.”
Some of Nevada’s Democratic delegation blame Trump for Las Vegas’ struggles.
2025 was the year of the ‘Trump slump,'” opined US Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV). “POTUS is killing our tourism economy, as he discourages international travelers and raises costs here at home.
“Every tourist who chose not to come to the United States represents lost tips and wages for our workers, and lost revenue for our businesses and local communities. Donald Trump’s chaotic and offensive agenda caused this. He should be fixing it. But instead of helping Nevada’s economy, he’s more focused on building himself a ballroom,” added US Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV).
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