Recent data for September indicates that gaming revenue and visitation to Las Vegas remained largely unchanged, while air traffic to the city continued to decline.
According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, gaming revenue from the Strip reached $693.4 million, representing a 1% increase compared to the same month last year. Overall, the market is up by 1.7% this fiscal year compared to the same timeframe last year. Statewide gaming revenue held steady at approximately $1.28 billion, with the state showing similar year-over-year growth of around 1.7%.
In more specific terms, the Strip experienced a $55.4 million win in baccarat, slightly below average but still a nearly 10% increase from the previous year. Over the past twelve months, the Strip has amassed $1.5 billion from baccarat, nearly matching the total from all other table games combined in that period.
Visitation to Las Vegas also flatlined in September, with just over 3 million visitors, as reported by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. Visitor numbers have fluctuated monthly, swinging both positive and negative, with a predominance of negative months in 2025.
Occupancy rates in the Las Vegas area remained steady, showing a minor decline of 0.5% in September, but other indicators exhibited poorer performance. Average daily room rates dropped 6% year-over-year, and fell by 10% for the Strip specifically. Revenue per available room decreased by 12% on the Strip and by 7% across the broader market, according to the LVCVA.
Air traffic at Harry Reid International Airport mirrored these struggles, recording 4 million passengers in September, an 8% year-over-year decline. This follows a 6% drop in traffic noted in 2025. The current year-to-date figure is tracking a decline of 7%. However, international travel did see a 6% rise in September.
Rising fuel and airfare costs are impacting all U.S. travel, especially for leisure destinations. During MGM Resorts' third-quarter earnings call, CEO Bill Hornbuckle noted that domestic airfares have risen over 10% since March, while prices specifically to Las Vegas have surged more than 40% since last summer. MGM reported declines in revenue and EBITDA for Las Vegas in Q3, a trend echoed by competitor Caesars Entertainment.
In other areas of Nevada, gaming performance varied notably. Downtown Las Vegas saw a decline in revenues of 7.5% year-over-year, totaling $82.5 million. The locals market decreased by 3% to $154.2 million, and Laughlin experienced a significant 16% drop to $33.7 million, the region's largest decline. On a more positive note, North Las Vegas reported a 9% increase, totaling $25 million, and the Boulder Strip remained stable at $83.2 million.
In Reno, gross gaming revenue decreased by 3.5%, amounting to about $73 million; this marks a rare decline for the area after a successful performance streak since the beginning of last year. Unlike Las Vegas, Reno is enjoying a record period for both visitation and hotel revenue, achieving record monthly hotel revenues from January through June, with August also marking a record high.
Regarding sports betting, Nevada's statewide gross gaming revenue held flat at $54 million, primarily driven by mobile betting, which accounted for $31 million of that. With NFL and college football seasons underway, sportsbooks in Nevada reported earnings of $35.5 million from football betting in September, a 7% increase compared to the previous year.
