Las Vegas poker rooms fold as casino tourism plummets to record lows

20 Mar 2026 By foxnews

Tourism has been taking a hit in Sin City - and now comes news of another poker room closure on the Las Vegas Strip.

A Resorts World representative confirmed to Fox News Digital that its poker rooms will be discontinued on March 30.

"However, we will be introducing new gaming opportunities to replace the poker room," the representative said.

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The representative did not elaborate on what new gaming offerings would take the room's place. It currently features No Limit Texas Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha and mixed games.

The closure will leave just eight poker rooms open on the Las Vegas Strip, according to the blog "Vital Vegas."

Robby Starbuck, a conservative activist and the host of "The Robby Starbuck Show," previously told Fox News Digital that in-person gambling is becoming less popular.

"Now nearly everyone under 40 who bets seems to do it online," Starbuck said.

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"I don't know one person under age 40 who goes to Vegas regularly to bet or play slots," he added.

"This trend will continue with younger people because, honestly, our minds are wired differently."

Las Vegas Strip gaming revenue fell 11% year over year, from $840,093,428 in January 2025 to $747,655,527 in January 2026, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB).

Nevada's nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a total gaming win of roughly $1.35 billion in January of this year, dropping 6.55% compared to the same month last year, according to the NGCB.

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The online gambling market is expected to reach a projected revenue of $22.2 million by 2030, according to Grand View Research.

Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LCVA) recently released its year-end summary for 2025 as well - and those numbers are worrisome to many.

There were 38,545,700 people who visited Sin City - down 7.5% from 2024, the report said.

The highest visitation year ever recorded in Las Vegas was in 2019 - with 42,523,700 people coming by.

That was before a dip during the COVID pandemic, according to data that LCVA posted on its website.

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The noted visitor volume in 2025 closely mirrors the levels seen in 2000, 2002 and 2003.