Las Vegas remains one of the largest tourism destinations in the United States, but its recent numbers show a market under pressure. Through July 2025, Las Vegas recorded 22.6 million visitors, down 8% from the same period a year earlier. Laughlin, a Colorado River casino town about 90 miles south on Highway 95, recorded 859,000 visitors, up 6%.
Laughlin is attracting people who still want casinos, inexpensive rooms and a weekend away. Some are Las Vegas residents who know exactly what a weekend on the Strip now costs.
A split in the numbers
The contrast continued into January 2026. Las Vegas visitor volume fell 2.2% year over year, while Laughlin rose 6.5%. Laughlin slipped slightly in February, but in January demand moved toward the smaller market while Las Vegas lost traffic.
Las Vegas relies more on repeat customers. The share of first-time visitors fell from 24% in 2022 to 14% in 2024 and 10% in 2025. At the same time, 80% of 2025 visitors said they were likely to return. The city still has a large and loyal audience, though fewer newcomers are entering the market.
Why locals drive south
Amanda Bellarmino, a hospitality professor at UNLV, described Las Vegas as a city of nearly 3 million residents who also need affordable vacations. She said people are becoming more creative about stretching their dollars, and Laughlin gives them a nearby option.
Ty Williams told News3 Las Vegas that people arrive Friday and leave Sunday or Monday, spending time on the river and taking boat tours. Carmen, a visitor from Las Vegas, said many people from the city also come to Laughlin. The trip gives local residents distance from the prices and traffic they experience at home.
Laughlin's appeal includes activities that are difficult to reproduce on the Strip. Water taxis carry visitors between casinos along the Colorado River, while the town's smaller size makes the weekend feel less demanding. A returning visitor from Colorado said he did not care for the city very much, which helps explain why some travelers return to Laughlin precisely because it feels separate from Las Vegas.
The price of a Vegas weekend
The Strip's room rate is only part of the bill. Mandatory resort fees in the Paradise, Nevada resort corridor range from $44 to nearly $57 per night. On a 3-night stay, that adds $132 to $171 before taxes and before parking, food or entertainment. MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment are among the operators that charge these fees.
Parking has also become a pricing issue. In June 2025, Resorts World Las Vegas waived its resort fee and parking for a promotional period. The move attracted wide attention because fee-free lodging had become unusual enough to make news.
In Laughlin, many resort hotels run under $50 per night, free parking is widely available, beer can cost $5 and a pizza with a concert can cost just over $10. Jessica Macht, Aquarius Casino's marketing vice president, described this combination as an old-school atmosphere built around flip-flops, casual clothes, inexpensive drinks and live entertainment.
Federal pressure is also building around hotel fees. The Federal Trade Commission has moved against junk fees across hospitality, while HR 3464, the Hotel Fees Transparency Act, has drawn attention in Congress over mandatory resort fees.
A different customer strategy
Las Vegas visitor data points toward a wealthier customer base. In 2025, visitors from households earning more than $100,000 arrived in greater numbers than visitors below that income level. The average gambling budget reached $848.95, before resort fees, parking and other purchases.
That strategy can raise revenue per visitor, especially when high-income guests need fewer promotions. It also leaves room for Laughlin to serve retirees, teachers, RV travelers, working families and Las Vegas residents who want a lower-cost weekend. In Laughlin, rooms under $50, free parking and $5 beer remain part of the offer.
Golden Entertainment paid $190 million for the Edgewater and Colorado Belle in January 2019, adding them to its Aquarius property in Laughlin. On November 5, 2025, VICI Properties announced a $1.16 billion sale-leaseback transaction with Golden that included Aquarius and Edgewater. The portfolio covers 362,000 square feet of casino space, more than 6,000 hotel rooms, 4,306 slot machines and 78 table games.
VICI Properties, a gaming-focused real estate company, is financing major assets in Laughlin. Laughlin's visitor count remains a fraction of Las Vegas's total, while its lower-cost model has attracted institutional capital.
The timeline
- 1964Don Laughlin bought a small parcel of desert land on the Colorado River for approximately $250 and developed it into a bait shop, motel and casino.
- January 14, 2019Golden Entertainment completed its $190 million purchase of the Edgewater and Colorado Belle in Laughlin.
- June 20-22, 2025Resorts World Las Vegas announced a promotion waiving its resort fee and offering free parking.
- Through July 2025Las Vegas recorded 22.6 million visitors, down 8%, while Laughlin recorded 859,000, up 6%.
- November 5, 2025VICI Properties announced a $1.16 billion sale-leaseback transaction with Golden Entertainment that included Aquarius and Edgewater.
- April 1, 2026News3 Las Vegas reported that Laughlin rose 6.5% in January while Las Vegas fell 2.2%, with Laughlin slightly down in February.
What the video leaves out
The research dates Golden Entertainment's Laughlin platform to 2017, when the company acquired Aquarius as part of its purchase of American Casino & Entertainment properties. The research also reports that Las Vegas visitors averaged 1.9 visits in the past year in 2025, rising to 2.0 among repeat visitors. Those details add context to the ownership and repeat-customer trends but were not used in the main account.
