New Vegas – It’s Not for YOU Anymore

It’s always been a love/hate relationship between Vegas and I. Long before anyone could place a sports wager online, I would travel to Las Vegas to throw down some bets and catch a show or two. Now you can place a bet on your phone from almost anywhere in the world and many of the shows are the same ones you would see way back then. In fact, one podcaster jokingly mentioned that if Siegfried and Roy didn’t get eaten by their tigers, they would most likely still have a Vegas residency.

When you approached Las Vegas from the air for the first time, you most likely thought to yourself something like “what the hell is all this doing out here in the middle of nowhere?”. That’s exactly what I thought as well. As many of you know, Vegas was a tiny military stop-over town where planes traveling cross-country would refuel and personnel could recharge. That famously changed when Bugsy Siegel and his cohorts underwent a massive effort to change it into a casino town.

As made famous by “Ace Rothstein” in the movie Casino, the mob was slowly pushed out of Las Vegas. Along with them went the adult-themed playground which dominated the desert town. New Vegas would be family-friendly and cater to bored elderly people looking for a chance to kill what was left of their time on this planet and maybe win a nice nest egg for their descendants.

But Vegas has changed again since this last incarnation. Gone are the free comped buffets and 50-dollar rooms. New Vegas has been designed to eliminate lower-income frugal people and instead concentrates on catering to big-spenders and high-rollers. If you have been to Vegas in recent years, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Sure, your room may say $119 per night before you head to the checkout page. But you soon realize that there are massive fees tacked on to your bill. Suddenly, your affordable stay at a mid-range strip hotel just went from $119/night to $220. Buffets start at $40 and drinks are outrageous. A mixed drink at one of the main properties starts at $20 each, and that is on the low-end.

Vegas isn’t dying but it is shifting its business model. It doesn’t really want you there unless you plan to drop several thousand dollars in just a few days. And even then, you are in their way. Foot traffic in Vegas is down significantly (decrease of 7.5% from 2024 to 2025). This is the plan. Vegas wants less tourists and more high rollers.

Rick Harrison from Pawnstars fame commented that Vegas has “gotten a little insane with their prices.”. He went on to say “I’ve heard so many people complain. They go to a hotel; they go to check out. And there’s $500 in stupid fees on their bills — resort fees and parking fees and this fee and that fee.”. Just know that this is intentional.

Funny Podcast Clip Showing How Frustrated Some Folks Get Dealing with New Vegas

Here is the podcast clip I mentioned above. These two guys explain why Las Vegas has become so un-appealing to the average person: Click to visit YouTube video

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