Las Vegas tourism is crashing

....

A few years ago, they removed refrigerators and microwaves from all hotel rooms. That, alone, makes me not want to go. Parking is no longer free at any hotel. You can’t even buy a bottle of water for under $5. These are things I have heard from others. I haven’t been there in 8 years.

All the comments saying it has nothing to do with Trump. Those people are delusional. US tourism is dead now and nobody will go there.

Believe me, I know what you're talking about.

[quote] Nevada voted Trump in 2024.

I hate Vegas, but we should probably point out that Clark County, where Vegas is located, voted for Kamala.

While the Democratic margin between 2020 - 2024 did shrink, the majority of people who voted aren't Dumpsters.

LV fucked around with Trumpy and found out.

All they need is a gal like Deborah Vance to bring the luster back to Sin City!

R2 You expect a hotel room to have a microwave in it??

I'm in SoCal and used to go around once a year. I haven't been since COVID and don't have any plans to go in the foreseeable future. The other thing killing Vegas is the proliferation of other ways to lose your money -- Indian casinos, online gambling. etc.

Uh-oh, New Orleans and Biloxi....

I was there last week. As the world flourished over the past decade, prices were jacked up year after year.

Now as the planes start landing with empty seats, panic will set in and I'm guessing a snowball impact quickly taking hold.

No one wants to be hassled at the border.

HAND OVER YOUR PHONE

Why?

I remember when you could go to Vegas and have a rather cheap vacation. They want you to spend your money gambling.

Now the prices are nuts. And all you get for the prices are a bunch of twinkling lights all over the place. No wonder, at the first hint of economic distress, people are abandoning Las Vegas

Sssshhhheeereeeittttt!!!

[QUOTE][R2] You expect a hotel room to have a microwave in it??

The thing that surprised me was that there are no coffee pots in hotel rooms. WTF? That's standard. I guess I wouldn't mind paying $10 for a Grande regular black coffee on vacation. But I won't stand in a line of three to four dozen people.

Trump doesn’t care, I’ll buy up all the failed properties and sell them to saudis

r2 why did they remove refrigerators from hotels?

R17 To make it more difficult for people to buy beverages and snacks somewhere cheaper than the hotel and keep them in their rooms.

So guests are less likely to consume food & drinks they might buy cheaper somewhere else and keep in their room. Without a refrigerator, the chances a guest caves and uses the wildly overpriced minibar are a lot higher.

The times they are changing. Young people don't gamble like their parents did, they don't shop like their parents did, and they don't go to movies like their parents did. You can gamble, shop and watch movies on your telephone. Remote working has also had an effect on how and where people eat

Macy's one of the most iconic names in American retail aims to shutter 150 underperforming locations. A planned first introduced in early 2024

In October of 2024 Walgreens pharmacy chain announced it was shutting 1200 locations.

Subway closed over 600 locations in 2024

The % drop in tourists is not that huge. Vegas retooled in the 90s (yeah, it hasn't been that cheap in a long time) to get more of the convention trade and attract more foreign tourists. They need to worry about losing the Asian market more than the European. the convention trade is probably one thing that will buffer drops in international tourism, as their facilities are among the largest in teh country and there are certain trade shows that can only be done there and in one or two other places because of tghe size.

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Maybe the $50 tables on a Tuesday morning has something to do with it.

I’ve never had any interest in Vegas.

But damn, for those who work there it sucks.

Agreed. I'm the most concerned about how this will impact the people who depend on the tourism economy for their livelihood.

Which has got to be a fair percentage.

Remember the "No tax on tips!" pledge? Ha, ha, Nelson Muntz, etc.

Somewhat like cruises, Vegas is a tacky shithole that appeals to low-brow, easily entertained rubes anyway.

It's likely due to Trump crashing the economy/kidnapping and renditioning foreigners AND Vegas overcharging for everything. Resort fees, parking, overpriced Sysco food, etc plus slot machines that vacuum up your cash instantly. And they're charging thousands a night for events (even in the shitty strip hotels like Excalibur)-F1 and other sports events. Like others said, Vegas used to be a cheap vacation. Reno/Tahoe is still relatively affordable though. Come spend your cash here and see some of our beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe.

And Nevada will have a budget shortfall when tourism craters (no income tax here), not to mention all of the unemployed people. We're about to go through some things. At least the pendulum may swing back and we'll get rid of Lombardo as Governor. Aaron Ford would make a great Governor.

Good! Las Vegas is a huge union town so obviously cement headed union workers voted for Trump.

I hope he crushes them!

[quote]A few years ago, they removed refrigerators and microwaves from all hotel rooms.

Why R2?

Las Vegas went for Harris.

Vegas might have gone for Harris, but not by enough, Trump picked up voters from 2020. The state was decided by something like 17,000 votes in 2020.

Go Trump, go broke!

R31 - so you're forced to buy everything somewhere else - can't microwave any food you brought in, can't make your own coffee so you have to buy $5-$8 coffee downstairs.

It's all the c-level execs who have put in $50 parking (locals HATE it and are coming to the strip less often), resort fees of $50-$75 per night on top of your room rate, and extremely over-priced restaurants.

Concert and show prices in Vegas have gone through the roof - many locals will just go to LA because ticket prices are half and it's still less expensive than going in Vegas.

We all know mini-bar prices are high - but there are some posts where a large water is $25. 'Candy' - meaning a Snickers is $16. AND - if you open the fridge or store something in it - a $65 personal storage fee.

Just like the food companies who kept raising prices so that a bag of Doritos is $8 - their greed not only pisses people off, it changes their spending habits. Once you lose your frequent customers and brand loyalty (or even going to Vegas instead of other gambling destinations), you're going to have a LONG hard road back.

Will the C-level execs feel the pinch? No - they will still get their millions and, if fired, they will get their parachute payments.

I want to see the excessive corporate greed punished - and if staying away and not buying items is the only way - so be it. Fuck them all - they really have 0 respect for their customers.

Vegas used to be cheap. Buffets, shows, hotel rooms, everything was reasonably priced cause Vegas knew what it was. Now there's all kinds of extra fees, the buffets are gone., etc.

Someone has to sit through a has-been celeb's third show of the day!

Maybe it's time for the casino mafia to take matters into their own hands. If you know what I mean. And I think you do.

That’s when it was last good, R37. Turning corporate ruined Vegas.

R36 - I feel attacked.

America as a whole needs to simply cease to exist

R31, try reading the thread.

I was in Vegas for work a couple of weeks ago. My plane going both ways was 1/3 empty when it always used to be full.

An Uber driver told me it was "the first good weekend in a while" — there was an AC/DC concert at the football stadium, some Grateful Dead thing at the Sphere and there were a couple of major medical conventions. But I had the sense that tourism being off was the new normal. And everyone who lived there commented on how expensive it now had gotten even for locals off the Strip.

They got used to the over-pricing in 2022-2023 when people started to come back after COVID. The COGS at restaurants did become more expensive for awhile - but they just kept the prices at that inflated rate.

Pushing 'what the market can bear' ideology only lasted for those coming back after being away for a few years. Now people are pissed and resentful.

Once you destroy good will among your patrons (particularly for those who used to come 5-6 times a year and are now going elsewhere), it takes a decade to come back - at least.

Worse yet - I always had a feeling of Vegas being more of a Boomer, Gen X town. Yes of course you always have the bachelor/bachelorette parties, and young people coming in for a boozy weekend.

But those aren't your main regulars and people throwing down a lot of cash. I honestly don't see Vegas as being more than a once or twice destination for those under 35 or 40 - they'd rather travel to more exotic places. And they DO NOT have the money to blow at casinos like older generations.

This is a ticking time bomb. As a gay man, I've never liked Vegas anyway. It's fine to walk through the casinos and see some stuff - but it's a lot of loud, obnoxious, drunk straight people - the types I would want to avoid on a night out.

They fucked up - and they won't course correct until it's too late. Watch.

I went there 4 years ago and I'll probably never go back. It's an absolute shithole and a total ripoff. Just very sleazy and rundown.

No job, no tips, problem solved.

When the tRump Recession™️ hits, most people won't pay thousands of dollars for concerts at the Sphere or Formula One racing. And they're building that new baseball stadium complex on the old Tropicana site-that will stop and there will be a blighted hole in the ground for a decade or more (like there was with the Fontainebleu). I'm glad I don't live there, Vegas is in for hard times.

More & more casinos are popping up all over the country. Gone are the days that you had to go to Vegas or Atlantic City to gamble.

[quote]A few years ago, they removed refrigerators and microwaves from all hotel rooms. That, alone, makes me not want to go. Parking is no longer free at any hotel. You can’t even buy a bottle of water for under $5. These are things I have heard from others.

What kind of trash friends are you listening to? I was in Las Vegas about 1 month ago. Nothing has change since my last visit 5 years before that. Hotels all had pay refrigerators stocked with stuff just like they always have, microwave? Who the fk cooks in their hotel room? Parking was still free as long as you stayed at the hotel. Bottle water is the same price you would pay in any city that size. I will say the strip was VERY crowded even for a Thursday.

You can get a mini fridge and microwave in most Vegas hotels (for a fee, of course). It's not like they've been banned.

No one wants to go to that gross ass town.

R48 is here to tell you that everything you're hearing - even from local Las Vegas residents - is all false because of his experience. No outrageous resort fees, drink costs, $30-$35 fast food meals, $25 cocktails, $25-$50 parking at hotels, $25-$50 min tables.

Nope - trust R48 instead.

One thing that blew my mind during a visit 2 -1/2 years ago is that a 16 oz bottle of water cost $2 than a pint draft beer at one of Caesar's food courts. But I guess it makes sense from the perspective of loosening up gamblers

And to think that all of this started because people thought they were paying too much for eggs.

I've never seen a microwave in a hotel room -- aside from "executive suites" styled hotels with a full if compact kitchen aimed at long-standing guests.

R54 - I traveled for business quite a lot for several years. About 2/3 of the hotels had microwaves - in a regular room. Same amount had small fridges (not mini-bars). It's a combo - you either have both or you don't have either.

Not fancy hotels - mid-upper Marriott and Hilton chains. I'm not talking 4 star hotels. And not 'suite' or Residence Inn hotels - those do have complete mini-kitchens, which I never use. Feels more like a family thing.

As a Canadian, it’s not really if any particular county voted Kamala or not. The reduction in Canadians travelling stems from all this 51st state bullshit and the tariffs. Canadians also aren’t going to blue states like California. And anecdotally, we’re hearing stories of Canadians being detained and sent back, and so people also don’t want the risk. I don’t know how much of a risk it actually is, but there’s a lot of ill will building because of these stories. MAGA will never believe it’s because of any of this or because of Dump, but it is. I don’t even want to do any cross-border day trips to shop.

They didn’t think that, R53. It was just a more palatable thing to say than “I hate democrats, people of color, and immigrants.”

R56 - Agreed. It's a lot more than tariffs. And I don't blame Canadians. Particularly going through immigration - even if you're detained for an hour - the stress and anxiety from that will fuck you up for a LONG time.

In fact, if I were Canadian and heard of a neighbor or friend traveling to the US, I'd ask what the fuck they were doing. I'd have to think many Canadians are feeling that pressure.

I feel like Canadians travel a LOT - for the size of their country, I meet a ton of them everywhere. I know it's expensive to fly within Canada, so maybe that has something to do with it.

It may be a boost to Canadian tourism if people stay home this summer - Canada has a lot to offer. Come winter, they can go to Mexico (so many already do) or the Caribbean.

I was there this time (April) in 2023 and it was packed, and I stayed midweek because it was cheaper.

The strip was a zoo mid-week during the afternoon. All the attractions I went to (The aquarium at Mandalay Bay, Tournament at Excalibur, the Ferris Wheel at the Linq, the Eiffel Tower at Paris, Absinthe at Ceasar's, Drag Brunch at Senor Frogs, etc.) all were packed. Only the Ice Bar was dead.

I think it is a mix of Trump and Caesar's and MGM killing the golden goose.

It used to be cheap food, liquor, and rooms in exchange for gambling. Now a LOT less people gamble in general, and nothing is cheap so why go?

R59 - I heard they had good years in 2022 and 2023, people returning after COVID, etc. And they could squeeze out those bucks because people wanted the Vegas experience again.

But you can only do that so many times before people feel like you think they're a chump.

I don't 'get' Vegas. It's good for 24-48 hrs max, then it's the same stuff over and over. Drunks, shady people, lots of tattoos, overpriced everything. I don't get the hype.

I've always been wary of being around hordes of very drunk straight people - there are always guys (and women) looking for attention, looking for fights. I NEVER feel weird or threatened around thousands of drunk gays - ever.

Tell that bitch, Miriam Adelson. She gave so much money to Trump, he awarded her a Medal of Freedom during his first term. She gave him $100 million. My sympathies to Sand's employees, but I hope her Las Vegas business loses money. Lots of money. I don't blame Canadians for boycotting the U.S.

The traffic is horrendous. The rooms have doubled in prices. Always crowded. It’s just not a fun place anymore. I used to go every year. I haven’t been back in about five years. Don’t miss it at all.

R3 Anybody saying this has nothing to do with Trump is just being purposely obtuse. You can’t debate someone like that. They have an agenda in addition to just being liars.

That was always my experience too, R55. I don't know where these pearl-clutchers stayed that never had a fridge or microwave.

R53 People weren't thinking that inflated price on eggs were the biggest issue, but the MAGA echo chamber made it a top issue. And 4 months into the Trump term, eggs are still high. It's not from standard inflation, it's a combination of the bird flu impact, and also the gouging of egg prices by the egg companies.

Canadian business travelers, academics, are being warned about carrying sensitive information on their laptops, which are subject to search and seizure. Not for political texts but unrelated sensitive corporate secrets and research data.

R65 - it's price gouging only. Only 5% of the US hen egg-laying population were culled. Hens take 16 weeks to mature to egg-laying. 5% drop in production isn't enough to throw prices up 100-200% and we've had more than enough time to recover the 5% with new hens.

Canada had the bird flu as well - their eggs didn't go up.

Is that Read ID bullshir causing a drop in flying? I haven't gotten one and I loathe the DMV. It's a pointless cash grab and huge aggravation. So no flying in the near future for me.

I was there at the end of January. I couldn't get out of there fast enough

Everything is just so crowded nowadays. And I’m from New York.

[quote]I've never seen a microwave in a hotel room --

Every Holiday Inn Express I've ever stayed at had a refrigerator and a microwave. What the fuck are you talking about!

Oh well...

I was told that you can use your passport or passport card for real ID.

R55 and R64. It's just that I have never seen a refrigerator (non hotel-stocked minibar) or a microwave in any hotel room in years of traveling for business and pleasure. Nor did I have any idea it was a normal thing.

I might imagine finding them in long-term hotels and "suite" or Residence Inn style hotels with kitchen facilities, but I never encountered this anywhere in the US (or Europe.)

Normally I stayed in 4* and 3* places, but --excepting 4*+ and 5* places-- these were nothing special, middling Hiltons, Sheratons, Doubletree, Marriott, Ramada, Best Western , and independent hotels or motels, hardly full service luxury hotels. Minibar fridges were common, but a proper refrigerator of any size and microwave...never.)

I travelled in >40 states, though much more in the Eastern US than in the Western half. In any case, it's not that I doubt either of you, nor that my pearls in a terrible state, it's just that I had no idea about the refrigerator + microwave thing.

R74 - there may have been fridges in your room and you didn't notice it because it looked like a drawer - same with microwave high above on a shelf.

It's been a thing for 15 years?

[quote]I was told that you can use your passport or passport card for real ID.

Don't know about your passport card, but your actual passport will work just fine.

R51 thinks says listen to the guy who heard it from a friend who heard it from a friend instead of someone that was just there.

The smart bet is to listen to R48 who has actually been there RECENTLY.

LV has not changed more than any other city that size. I could find your "outrageous prices" in every major city from LA to NYC. In fact, room rates are still some of the lowest you can find for a comparable hotel in other big cities.

[quote] "outrageous resort fees, drink costs, $30-$35 fast food meals, $25 cocktails, $25-$50 parking at hotels, $25-$50 min tables. "

Yes, Dear, it's 2025 not 1985. And your friend is a nut because drinks are still FREE in most casinos as long as you are gambling at a table or machine.

Resort fees are a scam.

Those of you asking why anyone would need a microwave—most restaurants give you a serving that is equal to 2-3. I will take the rest and reheat it later. And we aren’t talking about “full sized refrigerators”. It is a mini fridge. I use them for water and drinks.

Taking home uneaten food from your restaurant meal is so American. Try that shit in Europe and you'll be spit upon.

I’m talking bout America, R 80. Not Europe. I would hope that Europe does not supersize their meals.

I had instances when vacationing where I had a large meal and couldn't finish it. I would ask for them to pack the remaining and I would put it in my hotel room fridge and heat it for dinner the next day. I spend a lot of money when I vacation. Being able to save on a meal or two adds up. This also works for having some basics from a local grocery in your fridge to have breakfast before embarking for your day out.

Worst thing in the hotels: sensors in the minibar and, worse, sensors under the items sitting on the dresser above the minibar. So you move an item, and bam, the incredibly jacked up price of a box of M&M’s ends up on your bill.

I still go to Vegas but that is the worst.

You need a microwave for popcorn. Also if you want to wax your legs.

Yes. I mostly use hotel microwaves for popcorn.

R80 ok but this thread is about Las Vegas you dumb cunt.

It kind of seems like a really trashy city with not a lot of good architecture

I've been in hotels where the mini-fridges have so many pre-set items, that you cannot store anything inside them, unless you move them, then BLAMMO you get charged for the moved items.

[quote] I spend a lot of money when I vacation.

Rentboys ain't cheap.

R83 wow, I had no idea about sensor minibars.

One time I stayed in Vegas, I opened the minibar fridge just to see what was in there. I didn't touch or move anything and there was a $20 charge on the folio. I complained and they removed the charge. I wonder how often they get away with people late to get to the airport, etc and they just pay the $20.

Lesson learned about minibars. Don't touch anything.

I've disputed the charge and had it reversed.

R91 In fact, don't even look at it.

It's comforting to know that it's all Biden's fault. He is responsible for the recession he created with his Bidenomics. And the economy and stock prices were overheated. All at the same time. Damn you Biden!

You think I'm skimming off the top OP??

There used to be a sort of nostalgic charm in the old casinos with the neon lights and the campy shows, but they keep destroying anything with a bit of history and built a bunch of interchangeable, bland properties that offer nothing special. At the same time, they started nickel and diming you for everything, and the crowds got worse. Spirit and Frontier Airlines bring in all the backwater hicks and then you have the trashy Inland Empire crowd. Mostly MAGA of course. It's a total shithole now.

R96 nails it.

Vegas also had great customer service, which is long gone (unless you're a high roller).

Microwaves were never standard in hotel rooms. Some had them but it wasn't a regular feature. Maybe that poster had a favorite hotel he frequented that used to have microwaves, but expecting any random hotel room to have a microwave isn't realistic.

For me a microwave is not a necessity , but a small fridge is.

And the awful coffee maker.

[quote]drinks are still FREE in most casinos as long as you are gambling at a table or machine

Tell us you haven't been to Vegas (except in your fevered imagination) in years without telling us you haven't been to Vegas in years.

Drinks are still free just as long as you been playing for more than 30 minutes or place a minimum bet.

Over the course of my life, I've ended up spending about a year in Vegas. It is tradeshow hell (and for about 4 months a year, hotter than Hell). What I can tell you, even with the inflated tradeshow prices, is that Vegas has gotten outrageously expensive. 30 years ago, I could take clients to a nice dinner and spend $200 for four people. The last (and it will be [italic]the[/italic] last) time, I took two clients to dinner the bill came to $1000 with tax and tip for three, and this was not at anyplace fancy.

Vegas has always been a boom-and-bust town. It is among the first places to show signs that a recession is coming, and it is showing them in spades (ha!) now. When people report that airline seats are vacant and tourist volume is down, it's already too late. The layoffs have begun. Construction starts are down. Vegas is bracing for another downturn.

Vegas isn't alone; Phoenix, another southwestern city among the first to show recessionary signs, is reporting a 7%-8% decline in real estate values (based on sales prices). Volume is also down. Makes sense; with the Trump chaos, now is not the time to buy or sell. Nevertheless, there are always people who must buy or sell, so a decline this large is frightening.

And then we have all of the states that border Canada reporting dramatic declines in visitors; we even had a thread on the hotel in Maine reporting that 75% of his bookings cancelled when Shitler opened his sewermouth and told Canada they are a weak and worthless country. Meanwhile, take a look at the replies on that Insta thread OP linked in which Canadian after Canadian reports that they're going elsewhere on vacation. And who can blame them?

But speaking of the replies on that thread, get a load of the idiots who try to blame Biden for Trump's collapse, saying that "everything doubled under Biden." Well, hardly. We had inflation that peaked at 9% for less than a year before slowing. R94 brilliantly summed it up. Within 6 months, we'll only wish that the economy was as good as it was under Biden even with the Covid inflation (which was, in reality, corporate price gouging; CEOs like the president of Tyson foods admitted it). To wit, has the price of anything (except gas, which I'm about to discuss) come down since inauguration day?

Trump knows double-digit inflation is coming. He tried to take credit for the decline in the price of gas, which is down because there is an excess of fuel due to the fact that trucking on the West coast has collapsed with no freight coming in from China, and that collapse is sweeping across the country in the coming weeks. It starts with the short haul truckers, then the long haulers, and then rail freight hits about the same time as the collapse hits the I-20/I-40 corridor. Add in the fact that few people are going to want to vacation with a recession on the horizon, and we'll see the price of gas lower than it has been since the depths of Trump's Covid collapse. And remember, when the price of oil falls below $80 bbl, it becomes economically infeasible to drill/frack. The price of Brent crude is now at ~$62 - $63 bbl. Trump can screech "drill baby drill" until his voice gives out and the oil companies won't open a single new well.

The sad part is that Trump chose the absolute worst time to start his trade war. He doesn't understand our retail economy. To be blunt, retailers' Christmas orders are overdue and no one is placing orders for anything. We can write Christmas 2025 off. If you haven't started your Christmas shopping, start now if you want to have any gifts to give. And the thing is, even if Trump reacts to the empty shelves we'll see in a few weeks, it will be too late to save Christmas. And just wait for the price gouging that we'll see when everything (except for gas) is in short supply. I guess you can fill up the tank and take the kids for a drive... oh wait, the price of autos is about to balloon by 30% or more, so no new car for you.

Hard times ahead, and you can blame the idiots who voted for Trump. May they get the lives they deserve.

R104 You spent a grand for four people and it wasn’t a fancy restaurant? Where did you guys eat, a Trump establishment? Shit even 4 people could eat at Ruth Chris for a grand.

You cunts got filthy drunk or something?

R96 is spot on with the type of crowds. I've only been 3 times and I would never say it was the most sophisticated bunch on the Strip, but the last time in 2021- whoa.

The smell of weed everywhere on the strip and it's like they sent out a bat signal in the tri-state area for the trashiest people - muffin tops, shitty tattoos, tank tops on obese men, shitty gold chains, and lower class families with feral children and teenagers.

It's not just Inland Empire - it's Arizona, NV, Bakersfield, San Bernardino and Riv counties, Ventura, South Central, etc.

4-6 people in one shitty room at Excalibur.

The latest scam is sensors that supposedly detect whether you’ve been smoking in your room and add $250 to the bill.

Given that everyone smells like smoke after walking through the casino, it’s ridiculous.

[quote]It kind of seems like a really trashy city with not a lot of good architecture

I don't think anyone ever argued that there was, where would you get that idea? It's always been a sort of Adult Disneyland with titty shows, drinking and gambling. All the hotels in the last 40 years have been caricatures of other architecture. The Luxor, Caesar Palace, NYC/NYC, Paris etc.

[quote]The latest scam is sensors that supposedly detect whether you’ve been smoking in your room and add $250 to the bill.

Given that most smokers break the rules and smoke in their rooms anyways and claim no one can tell is the reason they had to install them.

R109 - nah - it's weed. Seriously.

The funny part is LA used to be a smokers paradise. The idea that you would have a non-smoking section in a casino was laughed at as pre-woke California liberals. Now it's mostly smoke free as America has changed but many many other countries are die hard smokers like Japan or France. so when they come to LV it's a surprise for them.

Having a smoking section in a restaurant or a venue is akin to having a peeing section in a swimming pool.

They better loosen up those slots if they expect anyone to go there.

80% of the workforce there is undocumented Mexicans who are about to be deported.

Patently false, R114. Vegas is a union town (which is why they narrowly carried Harris in Vegas) and the unions don't let undocumented people work in union hotels. I'm sure there are undocumented people working in Vegas, but it's nowhere near 80% and no, the Hispanic workers are not about to be deported.

The reason that Trump did as well as he did in Vegas was due, in large part, to his ridiculous and broken promise to not tax tips. The problem is that he wants to include Wall Street bonuses — the primary method of compensation on Wall Street and reaching into the billions of dollars annually — as tips. And not taxing tips would put a significant dent in tax revenue because there are millions of Americans whose income is primarily tips, and these folks mostly come from the working class. The one thing Republicans will balk at is working people not paying taxes — which is why we started taxing tips in 1982 under St. Ronnie of Raygun's war on the working class.

Yep, R114 is racist and oblivious. It's a BIG union town and the Hispanic that do word there are American citizens going back generations. LV is part of the South West where Native Americans, Mexican and Spanish were there long before the Mob started that town.

[quote]which is why we started taxing tips in 1982 under St. Ronnie of Raygun's war on the working class.

Tips have always been taxable. Where are you getting this from?

R96 agreed it’s sad. I was in Vegas for a work convention and I went to the neon museum for fun and man did it make me miss that old school campy glamour Vegas used to have. It made resorts world which is where I was staying look so sterile and lifeless.

The Neon Museum and the Pinball Machine Museum were the only interesting places in Vegas to me. Soulless, expensive and overcrowded otherwise. Worth seeing Vegas once for the sheer spectacle of it, but once is plenty.

We didn't enforce tip collection until Reagan signed the 1982 Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act in which large restaurants were required to report taxable tips for their employees, regardless of whether those tips had actually been received by servers, R117. So this portion of the working class gets stiffed twice: when "tips" are reported but not necessarily actually paid, and by oh-so-generous Americans who complain bitterly about tipping (despite knowing servers are dependent on tips, and at the Federal level as well as in many states, are paid the lower "tipped employee" minimum wage) and frequently don't or don't adequately tip.

R117 Trump wants to make tips/gratuities non-taxable. You know why. Because they want to include corporate bonuses as non-taxable. So if a CEO earns $2MM salary and his bonus is $8MM, he only has to pay taxes on the regular salary part. This is the type of shit they are trying to ram through.

r120 I was a tax auditor for the IRS in the '70s and we definitely went after people for unreported tips. And that was at the time when the "tokes aren't tips" controversy was big.

But is a bonus actually a tip?

I'm sure that the IRS did go after tax cheats, R122... but if the problem weren't large enough to capture the attention of the oligarchs/the Heritage Foundation/Reagan, they would have not gone to the effort of codifying collection and enforcement, at least not as big an effort as the 1982 Act was.

And it was a big deal; I knew a guy, a friend of my older brother, who waited tables part time to pay for college. He could work two nights a week (Friday and Saturday) and make enough to pay his tuition, rent and eat. When the Act took effect, he complained loudly that at the end of his pay periods he owed the restaurant money because they'd withheld the taxes on his tips which exceeded the ridiculously low "tipped employees" minimum wages (about $2 an hour IIRC). He worked for a few months and every two weeks repaid the restaurant the deficit between the hourly pay and withholdings, but was about to graduate so he quit telling his boss that he wasn't going to pay them to work for them any more.

The restaurant didn't care and didn't even try to convince him to stay. Reaganomics had taken hold and the decimation of the middle class had begun; there were four applicants for every job the restaurant advertised and they had their pick of servers "willing to pay them to work there" as my brother's friend put it. This is what Reagan [italic]actually[/italic] meant when he introduced trickle-down economics: all the benefits go to the wealthy, and the work and tax paying trickle down to the poor and middle classes.

The Vegas chiseling that got me involved a rental car. I filled it back up before returning and used a gas station away from the rental car return on the theory it would be cheaper. Even though the gauge was on full, they demanded a receipt from a gas station within a mile of the car return place and charged me for not having one. No one with a flight that day is going to be able to argue that.

We haven’t brought up how freaking hot it is. 116. It doesn’t even cool off at night. I lived there for a couple years and our air conditioning went 24 hours a day. I tried to do my running around in the morning. It’s just too damn hot. I would never live there again and so many scummy people.

Las Vegas climate used to be bone dry. Is it still that way, or does it now have some humidity?

r127, funny you should ask during the wettest week of the past 5 years.

When it is 120F, it is bleached bone dry.

[quote] Subway closed over 600 locations in 2024

Subway is the most repulsive chain out there.

McDonald’s smells less disgusting.

[quote]Tourism officials cited economic uncertainty Friday as a new report showed Las Vegas visitors have dropped by 6.5% compared to May 2024 levels. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) reported an estimated 3.4 million visitors in May. That follows April’s report of a 5.1% decline.

There was a Vegas clip that went semi-viral last week. Two guys were playing $25,000/hand blackjack. One asked the server for a water and orange juice. The other wanted a smoothie. The server asked if they were staying at the hotel, and when they said no, told them their drinks wouldn't be comped.

^^ Well, that’ll be an easy layoff”

I read this and felt terrible for that server. He probably lost a couple of $100 tips due to his butthead bosses.

[quote]At one point during their blackjack play at Resorts World, while Xposed is playing blackjack for $25,000 a hand, he asks a server for a water and an orange juice. His friend then piggybacks on the order, requesting a strawberry-banana smoothie. “Sure,” the server replies. “You have a room with us?” When Xposed and his friends answer no, the server replies in a stammering delivery suggesting that he realizes how bad he’s about to make his employer look by repeating what he seems to have been instructed to say. “Uhh, I can’t comp it but I can … yeah,” the server says.

[quote]Hannah Warren, a 50-year-old assistant costume designer from Essex, was still reeling from paying $33 for coffee and a bagel at the Fontainebleau hotel.

[quote]Gary Langlois, a 65-year-old retired salesman from Minneapolis, paid $40 for two coffees and a couple of croissants. That is on top of the resort fees, parking charges and various other costs that have become a fact of life for Las Vegas tourists.

[quote]Recent viral examples include a $26 bottle of water from the hotel minibar, a $60 (plus tax) fee to check in a few hours early at the Flamingo casino and MGM Resorts were said to have charged $25 for dinnerware with room service.

R133 - yep - there are hundreds of posts circulating on the internet about these bullshit costs.

FAFO. Once you move people emotionally from 'well that sucks' to being pissed off and feeling abused/taken advantage of - you cannot erase that feeling. They will not be back. An inconvenience or one over-priced event is one thing - but high prices and add-ons everywhere you turn? That's gouging.

They're killing their own city and business - yet the hotel CEOs are blaming everything around them but the actual cause. They all fall lock-step into the cost premiums so everywhere is the same thing.

There are plenty of other places to gamble. If tourists don't feel appreciated - but worse, feel they're being abused and gouged - that's a feeling that stays with you for years.

I've been to Vegas twice - you couldn't pay me to go again. It's not for me - gaudy, trashy - lots of drunk low-lifes on the Strip. I couldn't imagine going back for any reason.

I remember the days, decades ago, when you could go to Vegas and eat at $5.99 buffets. There’s nothing fancy about Vegas to warrant high end dining

I have been there many times, relatives and friends live there. I am not much of a gambler so it's not any big interest to me. The food WAS the deal a decade ago. And in my parents day, there were bill boards all the way there from California to Vegas advertising endless buffets, steak dinners and lobster tails galore. Now all they have are imitation clones of famous restaurants that never got started there. Fake Rao's, Fake Spago, Fake Mesa Grill, Fake Carbone, Fake Nobu, Fake Mr. Chow. And who the hell wants to eat at Guy Fieri’s Vegas Kitchen?

R136 - yes, the shittification of everything. It's the corporate way - take what's good, slowly reduce quality and services to increase profits. Execs make huge bonuses, feel great - then 5 years cracks appear, the brand starts to go down, execs blame everyone but themselves and it gets sold off.

Haven't we seen this enough times the past 20-25 years to know better? It's an executive scam more than actual management. You can slap on 'premium' or 'luxury' all you want - it's not and people aren't as stupid as you think.

The whole point of Vegas when the mob ran it instead of corporate America was cheap food, free cocktails and great entertainment all with the idea they would make their money back 100 times over with the gambling. Corporate America always screw shit up when they take things over and try to increase profits totally pissing off customers always missing the key elements why their product or business is making it successful.

R138 - casinos are also great for money laundering, hence the mob.

But yes - it's the spreadsheet mentality - if we cut this here, increase X here - then bam, we have increased profits and will make our targets! That's not genius.

And they rely on the revenue now from these items - and are loathe to cut them because then their profits would go down and they'd have to answer to the board and to shareholders.

The problem is this idea of constant double-digit growth - it's not sustainable and you ruin brands and experiences with this stupid expectation. That should be an anomaly - not a requirement.

Execs just pull these bullshit goals out of their asses and expect everyone else to meet it and when they do - it's the executive who gets credit and is a genius. No matter if it crushes morale or endangers the brand.

It's ego - and how the fuck don't they teach this in business school???

Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving city

Nevada voted for Trump.

What did it expect?

r80 Who cares what Europeans do. And I just came from Europe and the portions were big and food was wasted since it is not customary to give people a take out box.

I hate these kinds of SEE THIS IS WHAT YOU GET political posts.

But I also hate everything about Vegas so I'm on the fence

I will be going to Vegas for a conference this week! Not sure if I will have time for myself for fun.

I can't believe that any foreigner would find such a vulgar place attractive.

Ha Ha Ha

[quote] Execs just pull these bullshit.... It's ego - and how the fuck don't they teach this in business school???

In contrast, Costco has been taking a LOSS on selling their 12" hot dogs with a drink for $1.50, the same price since the 1980's. They understand the psychology of shoppers and know most of those people who come for that hot dog end up spending on average $200 dollars on a cart full of essentials.

If Costco did what Vegas did and raised prices to make a profit, that deal would cost closer to $15 dollars and would probably lose 30% of it's shoppers. I know it's been taught in business school. The question is why do all the grads seem to forget about it once they are in power?

[quote]I can't believe that any foreigner would find such a vulgar place attractive.

You cannot gamble legally in many foreign countries. Especially if you want to be a high roller. Plus you cant get the same volume of famous entertainment in one single spot every day of the year. It's also a simple city to navigate, park etc. Nothing like NYC. So there is that.

[quote]I can't believe that any foreigner would find such a vulgar place attractive.

Have you ever heard of Dubai?

Just like Reagan changed the federal government into a cash machine for the rich, 50 years ago, the bean counters and the predictive statisticians changed Las Vegas into a world-class clip joint.

It may have peaked with What Happens in Vegas, crap, but in a world where discretionary spending has crashed, people are hedging their bets and saving their cash. Las Vegas is the playground for hedge fund managers.

Maybe they’ll bring back the DINNER SHOW?

I haven’t heard too much about Vegas being impacted by all the ICE insanity. I’m curious what the impact is going to be of Congress last week appropriating $160b for Trump’s secret police. They could really grind the city to a halt if they start sweeping through the basement of the Bellagio etc.

But you forget that Vegas is the city that has DONORS.

Trump isn't going to go after his cash, after the dust up with Musk.

Besides, there are plenty of people who work for Culinary and they have great attorneys.

Great MINORITY attorneys.

Preface: Yeah. I'm old. I keep getting older and grumpier. I like it.

Now that that is out of the way...

I love Las Vegas, trashy shithole that it is. I love a penny slot, video poker and a few hands of Pai Gow. I love free drinks and the steak special at Ellis Island. I love buying the LAs Vegas Advisor coupon book every year for half-price buffets and $10 match play coupons. You wouldn't know it to look at me, but I am Las Vegas trash through and through. Four nights on the Strip and two nights downtown.

My friend group from college have been going at least once a year since 2001. We used to go the week of Thanksgiving, but fucking F1 put an end to that. And that is part and parcel of what has gone wrong in my town. Because gambling revenue went down, they brought in hockey and football. Baseball coming soon. Yawn for me, but it keeps the rooms full year-round. No more free parking because the football crown isn't sitting around at a Cleopatra machine when the game is over as hoped. Caesar's doesn't want to give you a parking space for free when you are going to just go to the game and then take a bus to the Grand Canyon? Why give you a cheap room when you and the family are going to see a hockey game and then see the Hoover Dam.

I found an envelope with my plane tickets and hotel receipt from our first trip. $99 each way from Pittsburgh to LV. Room at the (late, not-so-great) Imperial Palace for $22 a night. No resort fee,

We started going because it was a cheap trip for all of us.

It's getting harder to continue going.

I worked at The Imperial Palace two decades ago 😂

Vegas is nothing but a gauntlet.

R153 - well, if gambling revenue is down - it's because people are having to spend more money everywhere else.

And here's the other thing - there are TOO MANY CASINOS AND HOTELS. You hear of new ones popping up every year - WHY? There's only so much capacity.

A third of LV visitors are people from SoCal, where there are many gambling options closer. Plus concert tickets are almost half the price in LA area than Vegas - all of Las Vegas residents actually drive to SoCal for concerts because even with an overnight stay, it's considerably cheaper.

I understand they wanted to make back some of the lost money during COVID - but they started this before COVID and they really overplayed their hand.

It sucks for all the workers - who are always the victims of this corporate bullshit.

[quote]You cannot gamble legally in many foreign countries.

Yes, but it most of those countries there are legal gambling options a lot closer than the US.

Is LV still popular with Asians?

R157 - gambling is always populiar with Asians - but there are so many casinos in SoCal that offer free shuttles to their casinos, I doubt they are hiking all the way to LV.

The Morongo casino outside of Palm Springs brings in busloads (free) of Chinese from San Gabriel valley.

And the outlet mall that's next door has announcements listed in 3 languages: English, Spanish and Mandarin. It's the only place I've been to in the US that had Chinese announcements.

I do think LV is experiencing a downturn from all of the Indian casinos that have opened the last 30 years - but they make their problem worse with building so many new casinos and their pricing structure.

r145 Because many "foreign people" are vulgar themselves.

🎵 New! Day!

The immersive Wizard of Oz at the Sphere is going to be amazing!

It’s kind of a trashy hellhole. It seems very 20th century

Dubai’s the new trashy desert hellhole

I can't wait to see Dubai bombed when they refuse to return Trump Emoluments to the US.

The attraction used to be cheap good food, drinks, accomodation in exchange for one's holiday savings going to slots and blackjack. Entertainment was icing on the cake for winners.

I was there about 3 months ago meeting up with my partners relatives from the east coast. The streets were quite busy, full of people both on the strip and old town. They charge for parking now unless you stay in that hotel it's connected to. Restaurants are pricey but decent. No more buffets from what I saw. Rooms on the strip were cheap, about $200 a night in a major hotel. A lot less than what you pay in other major cities in prime locations.

That said Vegas has always, ALWAYS been trashy. Saw lots of that too. I don't get these people who think it somehow was a glamors clean city free of crime and prostitution. It never was. People now saying it's trash have no clue of it's history.

[Quote] other major cities

🤔

The people I know who go there yearly or more said that everything changed after Covid. It was like they were trying to make up for losing money but then the prices did not return to normal. Actually, they increased.

R168 - once they get revenue from a source (like additional fees), if they kill it - how do they make it up?

Like I said above - no exec wants to be in charge of lower profit/income. They add these fees and then don't want to remove them no matter what. It's insanity.

Honestly, I think the 'idea' of Vegas is done. There are tons of other places to gamble - that was NOT the case 30-40 years ago. The entertainment is not necessarily entertainment you'd kill for - tons of Cirque du Soleil, fucking magicians, an overpriced residency, Rita Rudner (!).

They've expanded it too much and there just aren't the deep pockets or desire anymore. Particularly in this economy - everyone is feeling gouged already.

[quote] The entertainment is not necessarily entertainment you'd kill for - tons of Cirque du Soleil, fucking magicians, an overpriced residency, Rita Rudner (!).

I'm a Las Vegas STAR and INSTITUTION, baby, and don't you forget it!

[quote] There are tons of other places to gamble

It's not just about gambling. Las Vegas has tones of conventions and over 150,000 hotel rooms to accommodate that. More than NY, LA, Chicago, Orlando. And it's cheap by comparison. That's really their main business by the way.

The thing about Vegas is they go through cycles about every 10 year. Starting with the MOB and titty shows then selling out to Corporate America, then a breif period of Family Fun theme rids, Back to adults "whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, to convention detestation to whatever it is now post Covid. All the major hotels are being bought up by two rival Billionaires. That's part of the problem.

R171 - that's true - there are 3 large convention centers in Vegas. And convention guests spend twice as much as tourists. However, convention attendees account for only 9% of their tourism volume.

And there's a lot of competition for convention dollars - you start to piss off people with add-ons at conventions, it's really easy to look elsewhere. Plus, having a convention in the same city gets old after a while.

[quote] Have you ever heard of Dubai?

The OP mentioned only mentioned Canadians and Europeans in his post. I based my reply on that. Didn't even think of Asia.

[quote] All the major hotels are being bought up by two rival Billionaires. That's part of the problem.

It was founded by a gangster.

I think Adelson (and guessing the old lady) was/is based in Vegas.

Apparently it's a favored place for conventions.

The people I know who go there yearly or more said that everything changed after Covid.

Everywhere. Not just LV.

Las Vegas is a dirty sleaze parade but I feel sorry for the people who depend on tourism money.

Having said that, I'll never go there again. I'm still scrubbing the filth off me.

I know of a few professional associations who don't like doing conventions there because of the easy gambling. Its climate helps for winter gatherings but apparently most want traditional old cities unlike their own, like Boston or Quebec City. I believe both have nearby options for gambling but their sightseeing potential is more desirable.

Vegas is popular for large trade shows which have a limited number of convention facilities large enough to accommodate them. It's not popular with professional organizations--the gambling isn't the issue, it's wanting to be some place more interesting like SF, DC, NYC, Chicago.

My brother has a convention/conference this August in Vegas. It’s huge, too.

Airfares to Vegas have really exploded. It used to be an inexpensive destination even at the last minute. Nowadays you can pay more than $300 for a one-way flight from Los Angeles to Vegas.

I enjoyed Las Vegas in the 80s for a while. Then they that changed stuff and went all 'family' on us and fucked the place up. I tried to enjoy it for a while but then they once again fucked it up with hip hop shit and I threw in the towel. No thanks, if I feel like a show and some gambling I'll take the Indian casino route.

Las Vegas doesn’t seem to have to many redeeming qualities but if you are a traveler that airport has so many connections.

Oh deer. Too* not to.

R180 - Las Vegas in August is a nightmare - can't really go outside plus monsoon season. So 110 plus humidity. I would be really pissed off.

Vegas as a convention place is a bit strange - I mean, sure, it's a big party. But I don't think it's family friendly - and it's far for many in the US - albeit there are always direct flights to Vegas.

Vegas seems like a preferred destination for those types of guys who LOVE bachelor parties and the thought of getting drunk and cheating on their wives.

[Quote] Have you ever heard of Dubai?

A “city” even more artificial than Vegas

[quote] Vegas as a convention place is a bit strange... I don't think it's family friendly - Vegas seems like a preferred destination for those types of guys who LOVE bachelor parties

Ding, Ding Ding. Wake up DL we have a regular SHERLOCK here.

Next she's going to enlighten us that it's hot in the summer and the house always wins.

Mean r187.

Believe it or not many people, even most Americans, have never been there. It isn't NYC.

But i like your post

R187 - what I'm saying by that comment is that it seems those types of guys and their attitudes are dwindling with newer generations. That may have been popular among Boomer and older Gen X, but I don't think that behavior or attitude is as common with straight men.

Of course there are always some sleaze bags - but I don't think the allure of Vegas for straight men is nearly what it used to be - particularly the convention types.

r171 Yup. I am going to a conference in las Vegas tomorrow. LOL.

I always thought that the only reason to go to Las Vegas was for conventions. Hotels know that they can charge anything and companies will simply charge it off. Same with those crazy food prices. Real people wouldn't put up with that kind of price gouging

I sure hope Presidential Medal of Freedom Miriam Adelson doesn't lose any money.

In how many James Bond movies does he go into a casino?

R191 - as mentioned above, only 9% of Las Vegas tourists are from conventions. 91% are not and they are not happy with the prices.

R188 [quote]Believe it or not many people, even most Americans, have never been there. It isn't NYC.

Maybe it's just you. LV get 40 million visitors per year, mostly American. NYC is about 60 million.

Any word about Laughlin?

Laughlin probably busy, it's MAGA dream land, not too many foreigners would even dip their toe in that trashy town. It' makes Vegas look like Beverly Hills.

Da Borda

Laughlin is the classy side of Bullhead City.

Vegas' strength for conventions is hosting the mega ones--their only competitors are Chicago, Orlando, and maybe Atlanta and those meetings often rotate among cities, so it can't have them all the time and face it, few people like going to Atlanta and unless you like theme parks, Orlando is a snooze. .

Once was a enough for visiting Vegas. Many people share my sentiment. For those who like the spectacle, it tends to wear thin after awhile. The gambling is the perennial draw, but there is so much competition, that I wonder how far it can last. Once you've past enough sad, middle aged slot machine users, the essential depressing character of any gambling venue becomes apparent.

You forget the convention goers who come back later on their own.

R195 - total visitors doesn't mean 'unique' - it could be multiple visits by the same person.

2/3 of NYC domestic visitors are from the tri-state area and MA. 1/3 of Las Vegas visitors are from SoCal.

All of those visitor numbers have a huge amount of visitor percentages from people within 150 miles of the city.

There are still a lot of Americans who have neither been to NYC or to Las Vegas.

no one wants to be in the US

Face it Vegas boosters, once you get past the neon and second rate show biz, you're a shithole in the desert.

^^^^ Barbara ThornDYKE

r200 It is a one stop place for different concerts and the type of shows you won't get in your average city--- circus, top magicians, etc.

Vegas has been described as an Adult Disneyland. In many ways that is true. It's full of fake building, fake restaurants and all about live entertainment, sexualized atmosphere, bountiful prostitution and world famous Pawn Shops. It's a Hetero dream land for many. Although they do have a tiny little gay area off the strip.

It's a shadow of itself since I headlined there.

They reaped what they sowed!

Stop making excuses people. Vegas is an international tourist spot. This is directly linked to chaotic Trump.

"Face it Vegas boosters, once you get past the neon and second rate show biz, you're a shithole in the desert."

Exactly.

Home can be a desert

The anti-gay flavor of Vegas is a huge missed opportunity. Also, if they made prostitution legal, Vegas would thrive again.

R15 you know some hotel guests would wash their underwear in the coffee pots, right?

Wash panties, cook hot dogs, etc. People always find the most disturbing ways to use coffee pots when they don't own them.

Lake Las Vegas is different.

r213 Curious why you say vegas in anti-gay.

I remember back in the mid 80's there was a proposal from some business group to open a gay oriented casino recognizing how man gays live in California just a few hours away. Out of all the places in the US, they suddenly turned into pious haters and had so much push back from Vegas about the "homosexuals" gathering in their city that they killed the deal. But hetero titty shows and prostitution rained supreme.

All these years later has not changed much. A few gay bars off the strip that's about it.

[quote]But hetero titty shows and prostitution rained supreme.

Oh, dear.

Back in the 70s, The Treasury was the place.

I wish I could have bid on the Treasury Girls in the parking lot, on poles during the bankruptcy auction.

There was a gay resort in Ls Vegas for many years.

It was a "clothing optional" place a few blocks from the strip called "The Blue Moon."

It's closed now, but many years ago (when people still wanted to see me naked on occasion) I thought about extending my annual LV trip for a few days just to check it out.

I never did, and now it's gone.

And then there are the days and nights of Camp David...

Please tell me Gatlinburg is still affordable.

88th pedestrian fatality today. NEVER CROSS THE STREET IN LAS VEGAS.

A topic on Reddit 2 years ago

Do out of control prices have you rethinking Vegas?

Many find the food and drink prices outrageous. Besides younger people don't gamble like previous generations and can use their phone to gamble.

I was in LV for a trade show Iover 9/11. Stuck there an extra 4 days. Of all the people who don’t want to ever go back, I won’t to back the least.

R225 that is a really good point. I don’t gamble online so it’s not on my radar, but that has to have really impacted the appeal of Vegas for younger generations. People seem to really love the social aspect of the craps table, though. I’ve never played so I don’t get it.

FanDuel Casino/Sportsbook/Racing are enormously popular

I have never felt unsafe or uncomfortable in a crowd of drunk gay men or lesbians - anywhere in the world.

However, crowds of drunk straight people put me on edge - particularly with a mix of lower-economic groups and large packs of young men or young women. Feels like anything can happen - but not in a good way.

The energy of Vegas, New Orleans Mardi Gras, or any larger event of mainly straight drunk people turns me off - unless there's a 'point' to it - e.g. sporting event or concert to direct attention. But randoms walking around blasted out of their mind? Shit is going to happen.

That's why I don't like Vegas - it's the aggressive, drunk straight people energy. I'm not the only one who notices this, right? Even packed straight bars have this feel - fragile straight male egos, posturing, women giving attitude or laughing way too much and flipping their hair to get attention.

I feel that sometimes r229, but oddly never in Vegas. Mainly because they have a lot of police action and Casinos will not tolerate that shit and how their own security forces and tech more so than the city itself.

I think sports events are MORE dangerous. Not only do you have a lot of drunk straight people, but their emotions have been riled up for 2 hours winning or losing a game. They need to vent. Vegas everyone is just walking from casino to casino mainly, kind of meh.

R230 - well, I maintain that gay and lesbian events and gatherings have the lowest cases of arrests and incidents than any straight event.

Vegas has a huge poverty, homelessness, and drug issues. No affordable housing. And with Dump at the helm, it's scary as hell here right now. Other countries are issuing warnings about traveling to the US.

Most major cities in the US have high poverty, homelessness and drug issues. I would never live there but it's untrue about affordable house in Vegas. It's CHEEEEEEEEEEEEP to buy a hose there compared to California or even Arizona. I have a friend who bought a mansion there for around 800k. And NO STATE TAX on property or income. That's a big one for retired folks. Once you get off the strip there is a whole different city of people who don't even go there.

But at the end of the day, it's a blistering hot hell hole in the middle of nowhere filled with white breeder trash from out of town.

[Quote] Vegas has a huge poverty, homelessness, and drug issues.

Same thing with Atlantic City. Casinos suck the life out of cities.

Atlantic City is a whole other story, in a category of its own.

Donald Trump did wonders for Atlantic City!

[quote] However, crowds of drunk straight people put me on edge - particularly with a mix of lower-economic groups and large packs of young men or young women.

Two uber drivers in Vegas mentioned that they stopped driving at night time for this reason. They said especially drunk women became increasingly aggressive and violent, hitting them while driving.

That’s fucked up, r237!

Vegas = Call Girls

Atlantic City = White Trash Crack Whores

Drops in casino, tourism numbers raise worries for Las Vegas

I love the comments in the video at R240.

People are sick to death of PRICE GOUGING. Las Vegas did it to itself. Pure Greed.

[italic]@mikedaniell2261 People can only stand the GREED for So Long. Locals TOO.

@Jorr235 $60 resort fees. $30 parking. $25 table minimums. $30 food court hamburgers. $200 show tickets. Gee, I wonder why tourism is down to Vegas. I’d rather spend a week in Hawaii than a weekend in Vegas.

@alooga555 The mob treated their customers better than mega corporations. 😂

@thomtibbetts3029 Vegas used to be cheap, 5 dollar steak, free beer, no resort tax, free parking if you stayed at the hotel. Now its ridiculous. Too many fees, expensive hotels and the cost of food is BS. I wont go back.

@antoniocorleone3986 I’ll go back to vegas when the mob returns along with better prices, deals and respect for the customer.

@posttoastieswithhoney I guess folks are tired of paying $7 for a single scoop of ice cream, $25 for a bottom shelf alcohol drinks, $50/day resort fees, $40/day parking, $100 for burgers/fries for 3 people, etc etc. It used to be an economical vacation, now it's price gouge city.

@map3dspn BRING BACK EVERYTHING VEGAS WAS IN THE 80’s

@user-dc6ut5uu3t The exhorbitant daily resort fees, hotel parking fees, early check-in fees, and cost of food is killing the strip. GREED is killing your businesses. Locals would frequent if you'd drop your prices.

@brutuspendleton8543 Vegas. You did it to yourself. You overplayed your hand. Greed is a deadly sin.

@SOMETHINGSPECIAL-v4z Maybe the casinos should do something different to get people back into their properties? Maybe stop charging for parking, and loosen up those slots?

@hclvchefn1. Hotels nickle and dime guests relentlessly 2. Resort fees 3. No more buffets, for most part 4. Entertainment that costs an arm and leg

@robertarmstrong3024 I used to come to Vegas once a year. I made $5/hr at my part time job in Kansas (1985). I was able to save up $400 for my trip to Vegas. With that $400, I was able to fly round trip to Vegas, find a hotel room for a week, eat 2 good meals a day, and play blackjack 10 hours a day. Sometimes I went home with more money than I started with. Only play at the $1 or $2 tables, which were not hard to find on the strip. I ate at buffets and ate a lot of prime rib dinners. My rooms were about $20/night, though it was possible to find $9.99 rooms. On my last day I would often splurge and play at a $5 table at Caesars. At blackjack they offered DD after splits, they stood on soft 17, they offered surrender, and of course, every single casino payed 3-2 on blackjacks. Caesars had no trouble making money back then. The more expensive they make it to stay here, the harder it is to win here, the more the casinos struggle financially. They take and take, and offer less than they have ever offered before. It's no wonder Vegas is losing more and more people.

@jasond5358 Keep nickel and diming people and most will go elsewhere. Common sense. Paying for parking is ridiculous along with BS resort fees. 15$ beers. Etc etc…

@christianshockley8595 Las Vegas is dying, should be on an episode of American Greed.

@erikl1447 When your idea of "customer service" is basically gouging customers for as much money as you can take from them don't be surprised if they don't come back.

@leoclavel Apparently people dont like 3 hour check in lines when they're paying $180 a night plus $60 resort fee plus $30 parking.

@Ronald-dc6me Tell the Corporations hotel cost, food ,parking , and resort fees are out of control 😢

@VivaLasVegasX Free parking and no resort fees soon! Places like bottled blonde just opening and adding a 5% venue fee to every bill is disgusting

@cuhson Vegas is so greedy, they're probably bold enough to keep raising the prices (again) to supplant the loss of income. Very wise. 😂

@twowordsmadeinamerica Vegas forgot what their goal was, treat people well and let them gamble. They let them gamble, BUT THEY FORGOT HOW TO TREAT PEOPLE !!![/italic]