In September, Las Vegas experienced a decline in both tourism and gaming revenue, marking the continuation of a nine-month drop in visitor count, as reported by data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) and the Nevada Gaming Control Board on Wednesday.

The LVCVA indicated an 8.8% decrease in visitation compared to the prior year, totaling 3.1 million, which is approximately 300,000 fewer visitors than September 2024. This signifies the ninth straight month of declining tourism in the city.

The decline has been credited to lower midweek attendance and a reduction in conventions. Overall attendance dropped 18.7% to 428,400, largely due to the absence of MINExpo, which typically attracts around 45,000 participants, along with the rescheduling of Oracle CloudWorld to October.

Hotel performance also showed signs of weakening. Occupancy rates fell by 5.2 percentage points to 78.7%, with midweek stays decreasing 6.7 points to 74.4%, while weekend occupancy remained nearly steady at 90.3%. The average daily room rate decreased by 2.9% to $190.56, and revenue per available room dropped by 9% to $149.47.

At Harry Reid International Airport, passenger traffic declined by 6.4% to 4.5 million, though there was a 3.4% increase in vehicle traffic entering Las Vegas via Interstate 15 and a 2.5% rise on all major highways, as reported by the Nevada Department of Transportation.

Despite the downturn on the Las Vegas Strip, towns like Laughlin and Mesquite reported visitor increases, with visitor numbers rising by 9.6% and 7.3%, respectively.

Gaming revenue also experienced a decrease after four months of growth. Statewide gaming win fell 2.3% to just over $1 billion, while Clark County, which includes the Las Vegas Strip, saw a decline of 2.9%. The Strip alone reported a 5.5% decrease to $687.8 million, whereas downtown Las Vegas saw a 2% dip to $89.2 million.

For the initial quarter of the 2025–26 fiscal year, statewide gaming revenue remains up 2.3% at $3.9 billion, and up 1.7% in Clark County to $3.3 billion, accounting for 85% of Nevada’s total gaming revenue.

Tax revenue from gaming totaled $87 million in September, which is down by 12.3% year-over-year, although quarterly tax collections rose by 7.6% to $347.2 million.

JP Morgan analyst Daniel Politzer commented: “With the Strip’s soft leisure backdrop, its stable gaming trends become increasingly noteworthy.” He noted that slot performance on the Strip remained strong, although it was negatively impacted by erratic baccarat outcomes due to lower hold percentages.

Casino operators have also faced challenges. Caesars Entertainment reported a 9% year-over-year decline in Las Vegas Adjusted EBITDA over the first three quarters of 2025, along with a deficit of nearly 90,000 hotel room nights in the third quarter.

The LVCVA indicated that its promotional campaign “Fabulous Las Vegas,” which commenced on September 22, aims to enhance bookings, with any measurable impact expected to show in data for October. The agency highlighted that a “decline in slower midweek traffic” was chiefly responsible for the downturn.