Patrons spent less time at Las Vegas casinos last year, but set aside more money for gambling, the results from a report commissioned by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) show.
San Francisco-based research firm GLS Research interviewed 3,600 tourists over the course of 2016 to collect data for the study.
Casino visitors spent around 1.9 hours at Las Vegas’ slot machines and table games last year, compared to around 3 hours in 2015 and more than 4 hours in 1996, when activity at gambling venues was at its peak.
However, patrons spent more on gambling in 2016, according to LVCVA’s study. Their average gambling budget amounted to around $619, compared to $581 two decades ago. The upward movement was attributed to improved economy.
Las Vegas saw a record number of visitors last year. The number of people who traveled to the popular gambling hub increased 1.5% year-on-year to 42.9 million. There are several important trends in last year’s figures that need to be paid a bit more attention.
Las Vegas’ hotel and casino resorts have been trying over the past several years to attract a younger generation of visitors, one that is harder to impress with traditional casino gambling options. Results from the recently published study show that efforts have begun to bear fruit. Around 34% of all Las Vegas visitors in 2016 were millennials, a demographic group of people aged 18-35. Their number increased significantly from 2015, when they represented 24% of all Las Vegas tourists.
In comparison, baby boomers accounted for 28% of the whole, down from 35% in 2015, and generation X tourists represented 35% of the bulk, down 1% year-on-year.
Las Vegas has gradually turned into an arena for all kinds of entertainment with rich and diverse day- and night-time offering. What is more, local casinos have taken major steps toward drawing millennials with products and services that appeal to that particular demographic. The addition of skill-based gaming options has proved to be a successful and engaging approach.
The broad deployment of social media was another such approach, according to the results from the study. Social media is an important part of millennials’ everyday life and multiple Las Vegas venues have provided them with the opportunity to quickly share their experience on property through special photo booths and other engaging services.
The LVCVA’s report also shows that 27% of all Las Vegas tourists visited the city for the first time, and it seems that millennials and people from outside the US were the likely first-time visitors last year.
Gambling visitors accounted for 69% of the bulk last year. Their number has been dropping steadily over the past several years.
Although more people visited Las Vegas in 2016, they spent less time in the city, figures show. An average tourist’s stay lasted 3.4 nights in 2016, compared to 3.7 nights two decades ago.
