LAS VEGAS — The top tourism official in Las Vegas says the city hasn’t priced out regular travelers, even as July visitor counts fell and casinos took in more from gamblers.
Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), said monthly figures can bounce around but argued the destination remains competitive at different price points.
“We’re not happy with the downturn but the city’s taking steps to address that,” Hill told reporters Friday.
Vegas never interested me but I have friends who have talked about that shift. Even going somewhere other than a casino, food and entertainment used to be a bargain compared to other vacation destinations, including restaurants that were started by well known chefs. Now everything is at a premium, even more so than other places.
The cheap food and entertainment serves a purpose though. The underlying game Vegas plays with your psychology is to try to make you feel rich. If they can make the average person feel wealthy by giving them free drinks or letting them stay in a nice room, then they are more likely to spend big in the casino. All the marketing is designed around this too. Keep this in mind if you ever end up in Vegas. I was never really into Vegas myself until I went and learned the history. I can see the charm of it, I just don’t get carried away.
Alcohol removes inhibitions, so drunk people gamble more. No need to make them feel rich too.
Casino operators literally say it out loud:
“If you wanna get rich, make little people feel like big people… good food cheap, good whiskey cheap, and a good gamble. That’s all there is to it, son.” - Benny Binion
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/lasvegas-binion/
apparently you are paying luxury prices, for basic cheap food.