Monday, June 9, 2025

Las Vegas, once the unstoppable heartbeat of American entertainment, is now staggering—joining Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and New York City in a brutal decline. The latest data paints a grim picture: the Trump Slump is no longer a whispered concern. It’s a full-blown crisis. Tourism numbers are crashing. Casino profits are being wrecked. Hotel jobs are getting gutted at an alarming pace.

This isn’t just another market hiccup. It’s a seismic shift, and it’s hitting fast and hard. Las Vegas, which once danced in neon glory, is now blinking under pressure. Meanwhile, Los Angeles is losing footfall, San Francisco is watching its hotels go half-empty, Washington D.C. is suffering from thinning tour groups, and New York City is bleeding international traffic. These powerhouse cities are buckling.

What makes this even more shocking is the synchronized collapse across multiple major metros. One would expect Las Vegas to hold the line with its casino cash flow, or New York to hold strong with its global pull. But no. The slump is spreading like wildfire.

The Trump Slump is doing more than just bruising egos—it’s ripping through revenue streams. Tourism boards are scrambling. Hotels are slashing staff. Casinos are falling eerily quiet.

A new report confirms it all, and the findings are deeply unsettling. How bad is it really? Why now? And who’s next?

This isn’t just a downturn. This is a devastating reckoning. And what happens next could change the U.S. travel industry forever.

America’s Casino Cities Face Rough Odds as Travel and Tourism Get Hard Hit in 2025

America’s legendary casino cities are facing a losing streak in 2025. Travel and tourism, the lifeblood of these destinations, have taken a hard hit—and the cracks are beginning to show across Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Reno, Biloxi, Tunica, Lake Charles, New Orleans, Detroit, Black Hawk, and Philadelphia.

Las Vegas, the crown jewel of casino tourism, is seeing a dramatic slowdown. Packed casino floors and glittering lights are dimming under the pressure of fewer flights, rising costs, and global uncertainty. Hotel rooms sit empty as travel demand weakens, and the Strip’s once-pulsing energy feels noticeably slower.

Atlantic City isn’t faring much better. The East Coast casino hub has seen a dip in visitors as inflation curbs spending and entertainment budgets shrink. Its iconic boardwalk and historic casinos like Borgata and Tropicana now face quieter seasons, with tourism getting hard hit.

Reno, known as the “Biggest Little City in the World,” is also showing signs of stress. Casino traffic has dropped, and fewer Californians are making weekend gambling trips. In Biloxi and Tunica, two Mississippi casino cities that once thrived on Gulf Coast and Memphis-area travel, hotels and gaming floors are operating well below capacity.

Meanwhile, Lake Charles and New Orleans in Louisiana are feeling the pain too. As fewer visitors flock to resorts like Golden Nugget or Harrah’s New Orleans, the tourism slump deepens. Detroit’s casino industry, including MGM Grand and MotorCity Casino, faces shrinking foot traffic, and its downtown economy feels the impact.

Even in scenic casino towns like Black Hawk and Central City in Colorado, where travelers used to combine mountain views with gambling getaways, the slowdown is undeniable. Philadelphia, a rising urban gambling hotspot, is now scrambling to recover from sharp tourism drops that have hit its casino revenue hard.

From coast to coast, casino cities are facing a reckoning. Travel is down. Tourism is hard hit. And the once-booming casino sector is suddenly rolling the dice on recovery.

Las Vegas Faces Economic Crossroads as Tourism Slump Guts Casino Jobs and Hotel Revenue

Las Vegas, long celebrated as the mecca of nonstop excitement, is now facing a painful tourism reality. Visitor numbers have dropped sharply. The buzz of casino floors is fading. And behind the curtain of neon lights, the people powering the city—its dealers, hotel workers, and hospitality staff—are feeling the sharp edge of this downturn.

In April 2025, Las Vegas reported a 5.1% year-over-year drop in tourist visits. That decline may appear small, but in a city that lives and breathes on consistent high-volume foot traffic, the impact is severe. Every percentage point lost ripples across hotel corridors, casino pits, and service jobs that depend on steady crowds.

Casino Tables Go Quiet as Layoffs Begin

Some of the Strip’s largest resorts have quietly begun trimming their workforce. Casino dealers—often the frontline ambassadors of Las Vegas nightlife—are being laid off in clusters. With fewer players occupying tables, their positions have become increasingly expendable. Fontainebleau and Resorts World are among the first properties to cut staff in response to the declining traffic.

Thousands of hospitality jobs have been lost over the past year. As demand slumps, casinos are seeking leaner operations. Automation is one of their go-to solutions. More venues are turning to electronic table games and digital betting interfaces, which reduce the need for trained dealers. The charm of human interaction is giving way to LED screens and self-serve terminals.

Economic Strain Spreads Across the Strip

The numbers paint a stark picture. The Las Vegas metro area ended 2024 with an unemployment rate of 5.9%—the highest among all major U.S. metro regions. This isn’t just a local hiccup. It’s a structural problem gripping the city’s core economic driver: tourism.

Travelers are simply not spending the way they used to. Rising airfares, shrinking discretionary budgets, and global economic uncertainties are all taking a toll. International tourism, once a key pillar of Las Vegas’ diverse visitor base, continues to shrink due to lingering geopolitical tensions and costly long-haul flights.

Hotel occupancy dropped 1% overall in April, with downtown hotels experiencing a steeper 2.6% decline. This erosion in guest volume compounds losses for restaurants, entertainment venues, and local attractions that thrive on tourist dollars.

Wages Flatline While Cost of Living Soars

Even those lucky enough to keep their jobs face an uphill battle. In 2024, the average hourly wage for casino dealers in Nevada stood at $19.96. That’s barely above the national average of $19.25. For a state that is globally synonymous with casino culture, this wage stagnation is glaring. Nevada doesn’t even rank among the top five states for dealer pay, highlighting a growing mismatch between brand power and worker compensation.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ cost of living continues to climb. Rent, gas, and grocery prices have surged, putting added pressure on workers in an already stressed sector. Fewer benefits, reduced shifts, and limited job security are becoming the norm.

The Dealer Pipeline Dries Up

The fallout extends to training institutions. Once booming with hopefuls ready to learn the ropes of blackjack, poker, and roulette dealing, dealer schools are now seeing enrollment nosedive. Many who would once relocate to Las Vegas in search of quick career starts are reconsidering. The opportunity promise is dimming. The dream of quick tips and high-stakes tables is now shadowed by uncertainty.

Without a fresh talent pipeline, even a future rebound could be hindered. The infrastructure of skill development is faltering just as demand for adaptability rises.

Industry Adapts, But at What Cost?

Casino operators are reacting—but not always in ways that safeguard livelihoods. Budget tightening is rampant. Shareholder reports show weakened earnings across several properties, and cost-cutting is the prevailing strategy. Capital expenditures are shifting toward automation and digital engagement. Unfortunately, that often means less human capital and more machines.

Some properties are opting to scale back live entertainment or reduce gaming floor hours. These subtle shifts further discourage extended visitor stays and lower ancillary spending on food, shows, and nightlife.

What This Means for the Future of Las Vegas

The Las Vegas tourism ecosystem is at a tipping point. The convergence of economic pressure, automation, and waning visitor demand could trigger long-term structural changes. The danger isn’t just in job losses—it’s in eroding the unique human experience that made the city iconic.

The Strip, once a symbol of limitless energy, now reflects something more sobering: vulnerability. Without decisive strategic shifts, including improved wages, targeted tourism incentives, and greater international outreach, the industry may struggle to rebound fully.

Travel authorities, city planners, and hospitality leaders must act swiftly. Investment in infrastructure, diversified tourism products, and fair employment practices are no longer optional—they’re essential for survival.

The world is watching what Las Vegas does next. Will it reinvent itself again, as it has many times before? Or will it fade into a high-tech but soulless shell of its former self?

For now, the cards are still in the air.

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WASHINGTON – A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit is among the many organizations facing uncertainty as the Trump administration places a temporary pause on new student visa interviews, leaving international students — some just days away from beginning summer internships in the capital — in limbo.

Last week, the U.S. State Department halted visa interviews for prospective international students, citing potential changes in social media vetting procedures. 

While the administration frames the pause as a matter of national security, education leaders and students warn of significant and far-reaching consequences.

Local perspective:

One of the affected organizations is The Fund for American Studies (TFAS), a non-profit that has operated since 1967. Each summer, TFAS brings together around 300 students for internship programs in areas ranging from Capitol Hill and Fortune 500 companies to journalism and public policy. 

Many of the participants are international students, selected through a competitive process for their academic excellence and leadership potential. These students also complete coursework through George Mason University.

Now, dozens of those selected international students may not be able to attend.

“It’s disappointing,” said TFAS Chief Operating Officer Steve Slattery. “They’re telling us that they don’t know if they’re going to be able to come here because they need this interview at the embassy. Usually that’s the last hurdle, and often times there was a backlog for these interviews, so yes, there’s anxiety.”

The backstory:

The Trump administration has ordered U.S. embassies worldwide to pause issuing new student visa interview appointments. The White House is reportedly considering expanding social media screening for applicants. However, no clear guidelines have been issued regarding the criteria for approval or the length of the delay.

“As far as I know, they’re vetted pretty vigorously,” Slattery added. “We vet them through our process. Embassies do their own interviews and scrutiny of applicants.”

Mark Vodianyi, a TFAS alumnus and international student from Ukraine currently studying at Georgetown University, says while he is not personally impacted by the pause, he’s concerned about its broader implications.

“Lots of the TFAS alum, they go home and advocate for democracy and civil liberties,” Vodianyi said.

He also emphasized the long-term consequences of limiting access for international students.

“I’m thinking long term, the U.S. is losing a lot in this. International students contribute a lot to the U.S. economy — they support thousands of jobs nationwide.”

What they’re saying:

While the administration insists the move is rooted in national security interests, some of its own officials have made controversial remarks.

Linda McMahon, U.S. secretary of education, stated that, “The president certainly had great concerns that there are foreign students — not everyone — but there are foreign students who come to the country I do believe will help create this unrest.”

TFAS and other educational organizations argue that existing screening processes are already thorough and should not prevent forward progress.

“If they want to screen these students — which they already do — but if they want to do that more tightly, that’s fine,” said Slattery. “But we just want the process to move forward.”

What’s next:

Though the pause has been described as temporary, the State Department has not announced a timeline for resuming visa interviews. Applicants are advised to monitor their local U.S. embassy or consulate websites for updates.

The impact of international students on American society is substantial. From founding major tech companies like Google, Yahoo, and YouTube, to contributing across the healthcare and research sectors, the role of these students extends well beyond academia. And that’s why, for many, this story hits home.