LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Las Vegas visitors are spending more money gambling, according to a study released Tuesday.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's annual "visitor profile" report showed that visiting gamblers had a gaming budget of just over $761 in 2022.
That's up about $40 from 2021 and up well over $200 from 2018.
David Schwartz, a gaming historian at UNLV, said interest in gambling in Las Vegas has trended up in recent years.
"The demand for gambling has increased in Las Vegas post-pandemic," Schwartz said. "It could be that people's attitudes about gambling have shifted a little bit."
Visitors also spent more on lodging last year. The average daily hotel room rate paid by visitors last year was just over $154, which was up almost $50 from 2021.
Six percent of all visitors to Las Vegas last year — just under 39 million came here in 2022 — told the LVCVA that they attended a sporting event.
That's double the percentage of people who responded the same in 2017.
Overall, visitors spent much more on shows and entertainment in Las Vegas last year when compared to previous years.
In 2022, tourists spent more than $117 on shows and entertainment, more than double what they spent in 2019 and nearly four times what they spent on the category in 2021.
As in previous years, a healthy amount of visitors came from California last year. In fact, more than one-fourth of all visitors in 2022 came here from Southern California alone.
