Slot machines have been king in the Natural State since Arkansas legalized casino gambling, and it doesn't look like they'll be giving up their crown anytime soon.

Some players say those perks are getting harder to come by, even as casinos appear to be leaning more on amenities beyond the casino floor. Las Vegas casinos saw an 11% drop in gaming wins from January 2025 to January 2026.

Las Vegas Strip and downtown casinos closed out 2025 with a slight uptick in gambling revenue despite a significant drop in visitors and signs of pricing fatigue among customers, according to public data and industry analysts.

Final 2025 numbers are in and confirm what Las Vegas tourism officials could see coming for most of the past year -- a grinding halt to the steady increase in visitation to the destination since the pandemic.

While visitors and pundits continue to grapple with affordability concerns in Las Vegas, a few casino operators are separating themselves by resisting the industry’s post-COVID march toward higher prices and fewer player-friendly perks.

The state’s Gaming Facility Location Board is placing an expensive bet that New York City can support three full-fledged casino gambling operations just miles apart, with one in the Bronx and two in Queens.

Visitor numbers may be down compared with last year, but Las Vegas resort officials and analysts say it is not time to hit the panic button.

The number of tourists visiting Las Vegas fell this summer, but gaming revenue increased for many casino operators throughout the valley. Nearly 3,000 miles away in Atlantic City, the story was comparable as visitation to the seaside resort was essentially flat, but casinos had their best summer in over a decade.