Las Vegas casinos ditch live dealers for electronic games amid ongoing tourism decline

11 Sep 2025 By foxnews

Las Vegas tourism continues to decline as fresh numbers reveal that fewer visitors are traveling to Sin City.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) recently released its numbers for July visitors, noting a 12% drop from last year.

There were 3,089,300 visitors this July compared to over 3.5 million last year, while occupancy on the Strip dropped 7% from 86.5% last year.

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The tourism decline has been attributed to a combination of factors, including the impact of tariffs, the seasonal summer slowdown, and a surge in online gaming.

Most recently, the Golden Gate Hotel & Casino announced it will be forgoing live dealers, shifting to electronic table games (ETG).

Owner and CEO Derek Stevens told Fox News Digital about ongoing evolutions and shared updates.

"I think things continue to change. I remember that at one point in time, people played sic bo [a fast-paced dice game with Asian origins]," said Stevens.

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"Remember, there are a lot of different games that had their eras and their run, whether it's in Vegas or anywhere around the world," he added.

Stevens said he believes ETGs represent just another shift in the industry, with consumers more comfortable playing on their phones following the coronavirus pandemic.

"Some of this really has to do with how good these new electronic table games are and how good some of these new high-limit slot machines are," he said.

"The slot business has done a great, great job of attracting new customers, both young and old."

Given that slot machines are still a hit, Stevens said he's seen an influx of traffic at his other hotel, Circa Resort & Casino, by bringing in ETGs.

"I think [people] used to say slots were more for introverts. With these new games, it's completely different. Slots are now something that people play in groups - and there's a lot of hooting and hollering that goes along with it."

He added that that is what table games would be like. Sharing it is a "continued evolution."

Stevens said they've made the change to drive a lot more people to the Golden Gate Casino by changing the demographics of clients.

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"We think it is going to be great for Las Vegas because we're going to bring a lot of value back to the table," he said.

Stevens said dealers from Golden Gate were relocated to their other casinos, Las Vegas or Circa.

"When I look at the future of Las Vegas, I actually [think] a little bit of it [is] having to do with the economy in general. Right now [there's been] a little bit of a bifurcation of the market."

Stevens said he continues to see continued growth in the high-end market, but it is "the other end that is kind of hurting."

"I think the interest rate level that we're currently at is disproportionately hitting one end of the market," said Stevens.

With rates expected to go down, mortgage costs and car payments for Americans should drop as well, said Stevens.

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"I just don't think it's all equally spread out," he said. "But as interest rates come down, I think that's going to help overall and broaden the base of the economy."