Las Vegas Struggles as Young People Skip the Strip

Las Vegas, once the top spot for fun, gambling, and nightlife, now sees fewer visitors, and changing habits of younger people might be the main reason.

Las Vegas Visitor Numbers Plunge as Younger Generations Opt for Online Gambling

In June 2025, about 3.1 million people came to the city, an 11.3% drop from last June, based on numbers from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA). This decline worries hotels and casinos since new venues, sports events, and star shows do not seem to help much.

Even though Las Vegas keeps pumping money into flashy attractions like The Sphere and big sports events, it is having a hard time getting younger people to visit the Las Vegas Strip. Robby Starbuck, a conservative pundit, told Fox News Digital that Las Vegas’s old-school image, all about slot machines, showgirls, and booze flowing, does not click with a generation that is more into digital stuff and living healthy.

Starbuck says gamblers under 40 now like to bet online. With smartphones giving people tons of legal gambling options, making a trip to a real casino just is not as exciting anymore. The US online gambling market was worth $12.68 billion in 2024, which shows how people’s gambling habits have changed.

Las Vegas Struggles to Stay Relevant as Gen Z Embraces Sober, Digital Lifestyles

Apart from betting habits, bigger generational gaps are changing how people plan their trips. Starbuck pointed out that young people feel more at ease making friends online instead of looking for old-school face-to-face social experiences. This trend weakens Las Vegas’s old model of in-person entertainment.

Drinking habits are changing, too. Health stats show a big jump in young adults choosing not to drink. A Gallup poll found that about 38% of adults under 35 do not touch alcohol at all, a big shift from older generations, whose Las Vegas visits often centered around drinking a lot.

These changes in behavior are having a big impact on hotels and casinos. Hotels now charge $163.64 per night on average, which is 6.6% less than before. They are also 6.5% emptier. A new 43-story resort that was supposed to go up on the Las Vegas Strip is now just an empty parking lot with no plans to build anytime soon.

Starbuck said Las Vegas needs to change its image to attract families and look to the future. If it does not, he thinks younger people will not be interested anymore. He believes the city must come up with new ideas or risk becoming old news and out of touch with what its younger visitors want.