By: Las Vegas Now Staff
The latest Las Vegas tourist numbers have been released and they are down again. Three-percent fewer people visited Las Vegas in June compared with a year ago.
But gaming revenue during June was way up downtown, on the Boulder Strip and in North Las Vegas.
Gaming revenue has declined in four of the five months recorded this year. June showed more gaming revenue for some casinos and more tax money collected by the state for the first time since April.
That could trickle down to fewer state budget cuts. For months the economic news has been grim for southern Nevada casinos. Visitors still make Las Vegas a top destination, but executives for the mega casinos on the Las Vegas Strip say those folks are spending less.
Now executives in other Clark County casinos are starting to sing another tune. New Nevada Gaming Control numbers show gaming revenues up everywhere, except the Strip and Laughlin.
Downtown gaming revenues increased more than 10-percent.
The last time Vinitia McDowall visited Las Vegas, she saw the last car drive down Fremont Street before the city closed it to traffic. Now she's back to see the changes and try her luck.
“If you don't have the money to come and lose, don't come because you are going to lose part of it,” she said.
And the June numbers reflect that, just not on the Strip.
So why are they seeing more people off the Strip? According to Mike Darley, GM at Fitzgeralds, it's a combination of things, “I am hoping that all the ingredients that we have Downtown are really coming together and people see the true value down here.”
First renovations are sprucing things up. He says the hotels are more Walkable and the casinos are more affordable.
His casino just started $3 blackjack on Saturdays. Room rates are about half of what is offered at most of the mega-casinos.
“We have been fine — enjoyed our two or three days here. We probably will come back,” said McDowall.
The casinos downtown are willing to cut their room rates to get heads in beds. They hope that those people also stay to gamble here. We'll see of the increases hold.
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