Posted on: December 22, 2023, 07:05h. 

Last updated on: December 22, 2023, 07:05h.

This wasn’t the kind of raise most Las Vegas tourists were hoping for this holiday season.

On Friday, MGM Resorts International hiked the price of parking at all nine of its Las Vegas Strip casino resorts. The resort company is charging a flat daily self-parking rate of $18 to out-of-state visitors from Monday through Thursday, and $25 for Friday through Sunday.

That’s up from $15 for 1-4 hours Monday through Thursday, and $20 from Friday through Sunday. There is no longer a first free hour.

This change went into effect Wednesday without prior public notice.

Residents of Nevada continue to receive three hours of free self-parking, except during special events.

Free self-parking is also available for hotel guests, certain MGM Rewards members, and active military, veterans, and their spouses. Valet parking charges remains unchanged.

Fee For All

Until 2016, complimentary self-parking was a staple of the Strip since its founding. That was the year MGM — which operates the Bellagio, Aria, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, Mirage, New York-New York, Luxor, and Excalibur — became the first casino company on the Las Vegas Strip to charge for the tradition.

For a year or two, most competitors kept their self-parking free as a selling point. Eventually, all caved in. Longtime holdouts Wynn and Encore caved in on Sept. 28, blaming pressure from The Sphere. 

Now, only Treasure Island, Circus Circus, Casino Royale, and Sahara offer free parking to all — though  the Tropicana already charges for some of its better spots.