Strip casinos see gaming income bounce in July, even amid a visitation slowdown

Even with declining visitation to Las Vegas prompting fears of a significant financial slowdown, Strip casinos noticed a 5.6 p.c improve in gaming income in July, a constructive indicator for a tourism market that has just lately attracted its fair share of bad headlines.

“We think this is likely better than expected, especially given visitation trends,” J.P. Morgan gaming analyst Daniel Politzer wrote in a analysis observe Friday.

The Gaming Control Board on Friday mentioned that Strip resorts collected $749 million from prospects throughout the month, simply the third time this yr the market fell onto the constructive facet of the ledger. In June, Strip casinos noticed a lower than 1 p.c gaming income improve, whereas January’s 22.4 p.c improve to $840 million was the market’s second-highest complete ever for the month.

Through seven months, the Strip casinos have seen $5.08 billion in gaming income, a lower than 1 p.c improve in comparison with the identical seven months in 2024. 

The constructive outcomes got here regardless of declines in visitation, particularly from worldwide markets. Harry Reid International Airport has seen nearly 1.5 million fewer passengers by way of July in comparison with a yr in the past.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) additionally reported Friday that visitation fell 12 p.c in July in comparison with final yr, to simply below 3 million guests. For the primary seven months of 2025, visitation to Las Vegas is down 8 p.c, with roughly 2 million fewer guests.

Strip casinos had been helped by high-end baccarat play, which accounted for $114.5 million of the general income complete, a 79 p.c improve from a yr in the past. Wagering on baccarat was down 10 p.c, however the casinos held 17.5 p.c of all bets. A yr in the past, the maintain share was 8.8 p.c.

Citizens Bank gaming analyst Jordan Bender wrote in a analysis observe that Strip gaming income would have been down 3 p.c with out the upper baccarat maintain.

“We knew July could present some level of softness, and we expect this trend to carry over into August and September,” Bender wrote. “There is an ongoing summer slowdown.”

The LVCVA mentioned general Strip occupancy was down 7 p.c in comparison with a yr in the past, whereas common day by day room charges declined 3.4 p.c to $164.57. Revenue per accessible room, a metric used to gauge profitability, was down 11.2 p.c to $130.83.

Convention attendance was the one constructive determine in July (up 10.7 p.c to 278,400) primarily due to the World Market Center’s summer time present. 

Gaming totals had been constructive all through a lot of Nevada. The state reported a 4 p.c gaming income improve to $1.36 billion, of which $1.15 billion got here from Clark County, a 3.2 p.c bounce from a yr in the past. The largest improve statewide was attributed to South Lake Tahoe, which noticed a 21.5 p.c bounce to almost $37.7 million.

In Southern Nevada, Laughlin noticed a 7 p.c gaming income decline, and the Boulder Strip — which incorporates Henderson — fell 1 p.c. Casinos within the unincorporated areas of Clark County skilled a 3 p.c drop. 

In Northern Nevada, Reno gaming income was up nearly 10 p.c to $76.1 million whereas Sparks casinos noticed a 3.3 p.c improve to $15.6 million.

Airport totals proceed to drop

Passenger quantity at Harry Reid International Airport declined for the sixth straight month in July, with the Clark County Aviation Department reporting nearly 4.8 million passengers got here by way of the airport throughout the month, a virtually 6 p.c general lower from a yr in the past. 

The final time the airport skilled six straight months of passenger declines — aside from pandemic-affected 2020 — was in 2008. The yr marked the start of three straight years of annual passenger declines attributable to the Great Recession.

Through the primary seven months of 2025, Reid Airport has seen a 4.4 p.c drop in complete passengers in comparison with 2024, which set the single-year report of 58.4 million vacationers.

Southwest Airlines, the airport’s main air provider, noticed comparatively flat passenger quantity in comparison with a yr in the past. In the primary seven months of 2025, the airline has skilled a 1.7 p.c drop in passenger totals.

International passenger quantity is now down nearly 2 p.c for the yr. Reid Airport noticed post-pandemic worldwide journey bounce again by greater than 13 p.c in 2024, which has now been erased.

Direct airline service from Canada continued to say no at Reid. Through seven months, Air Canada passenger quantity is down 14.5 p.c, WestJet is down 23.1 p.c and low-cost air provider Flair is down 62.5 p.c.

Updated at 12:00 p.m. on 8/29/2025 to incorporate July visitation outcomes for Las Vegas.