Fewer Las Vegas visitors are coming to Sin City primarily to gamble, but more visitors gambled last year and those who gambled spent more on gambling during their stay.
According to the latest Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study issued by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), the proportion of visitors who came to Vegas in 2015 primarily to gamble was 10%, down from 12% in 2014 and the third straight year this stat has declined.
Among repeat visitors, 12% came primarily to gamble in 2015, down from 14% in 2014 and 17% in 2013. Just 1% of first-time visitors came to gamble, down from 4% in both 2014 and 2013. However, while 2015’s primary gambling stats were down across the board, they nonetheless represented increases from 2011, as 2013 represented a peak year for this category.
Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Vegas visitors admitted to gambling during their 2015 stay, up two points from 2014 but down six points from 2011. However, the average gambling budget among those who gambled last year came to $578, up from $530 in 2014 and from $447 in 2011.
The gambling participation rate runs counter to the theme of recent years that says Vegas visitors are less interested in gambling. And for what it’s worth, a recent study of visitors to Macau, where non-gaming activities supposedly remain an afterthought, showed just 26% admitting to gambling during their stay, while the average amount spent per Macau gambler was down significantly from the same period the previous year.
The average expenditure on shows by Vegas visitors was just under $62, up from $47.56 in 2014. Among visitors who attended any shows in 2015, the number who saw lounge acts, comedy acts or other paid attractions was either flat or down slightly, while the number who attended “big-name headliner performances” rose from 17% to 26%, so hit us one more time, Britney.
The average Vegas visitor in 2015 was 47.7 years old, 2.5 years older than in 2014, while 65% of visitors were over 40 years old, up from 57% in 2014. Nearly four-fifths (79%) of visitors were married, while 56% held a college degree and 85% had a household income higher than $40k. Just 16% of Vegas visitors hailed from a foreign country, down from 19% in 2014.
