Classic Las Vegas casino announces it is CLOSING, as Sin City's rip-off prices trigger devastating tourist slump

The Daily Mail ^ | SOPHIE GABLE | 24 Aug 2025

[Veto!]

My daughter, SIL, and two friends were in LV a few years ago. Absolutely hated being there because you can’t even walk down the street without getting stoned. Worse inside casinos, even their hotel lobby.

[irishjuggler]

“the illegals pushing pornos in your face at every street corner, timeshare salesmen, street scammers, outrageous prices, ghetto thugs, gee what’s not to love about vegas?”

^^^THIS. Thank you. Vegas’ problems go way beyond the nickel-and-diming of customers with parking fees and the decline and fall of cheap prime rib buffets. Last time I was in LV, the most off-putting thing wasn’t resort fees but rather all the Snoop Dogg wannabes standing around on The Strip smoking weed and conducting petty drug deals.

[KevinB]

Gambling is for losers, literally.

[Liz]

Cheap buffets largely disappeared from Las Vegas, with most closing permanently after the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a significant reduction in the number of available buffets. The remaining buffets have transformed, becoming more expensive and focusing on luxury dining experiences rather than cheap, all-you-can-eat value. Instead of returning to the old buffet model, many casinos have repurposed the buffet spaces for food halls or other dining options.

The pandemic forced temporary closures of many buffets, but many didn’t reopen as casinos opted to discontinue the model.

The demand for cheap, all-you-can-eat options has waned, with casinos recognizing a shift toward more curated, upscale dining experiences.

For casinos, the buffet model can be expensive to operate, and many found it more profitable to convert the large spaces into other concepts like food halls.

Even before the pandemic, casinos were exploring ways to reduce food waste. The transformation to food halls or other dining options provides a more sustainable approach to managing food resources, such as sending leftovers to local farms.

The number of casino buffets in Las Vegas has dramatically decreased, with only a handful remaining on the Strip compared to over 70 prior to 2020.

The surviving buffets are generally more expensive, with some costing as much as $75 per person.

Many former buffet spaces have been transformed into food halls, allowing for more variety and different price points.

While most buffets are gone, some high-end options remain, such as Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace and The Buffet at Wynn, but these are not “cheap” by any means.

[CodeToad]

Haven’t been in nearly 20 years. It was an expensive hassle even then.

[j.havenfarm]

I’m surprised they didn’t squeeze climate change into the article

[alternatives?]

“I’m surprised they didn’t squeeze climate change into the article”

After reading through the comments I was going to post that. They got their Trump bashing in though.

[sheana]

They still comp rooms. But you still have to pay the resort fees. I get offers all the time. And the drinks are still free if you are gambling. Along with my comped room offers usually comes a $50 free food credit as well as at least a $40 free play. I got an offer the other day for MGM. I still don’t go near the strip. lol

[Fiji Hill]

I hope Cugino’s Italian Deli on Maryland Parkway stays in business. I often eat there when I visit Las Vegas. I never go to the Strip.

[faithhopecharity]

Vegas has simply become too d***ed expensive for most Americans to visit.
It used to be reasonably affordable (and with free or almost-free food as a good incentive). ‘
Something’s gone wrong

[neverevergiveup]

I could be way off base, but I personally think people in general have significantly less disposable income come than they’ve had previously. ‘Circuses’ become less important when ‘bread’ becomes more expensive.

[tophat9000]

Yes it a thing in Las Vegas.... You have slots and video poker pretty much anywhere in Las Vegas.. In the 7-Eleven in the grocery store anywhere.... Next level is your local bars all open 24/7 can have video poker slots in them.. next level up you have kind of a little mini casinos It’s kind of the reverse of a bar it’s a mini casino bar... Then all around the perimeters smaller casinos growing into full size hotel casinos

It’s really quite simple any business can have gambling in it It’s free money companies will just put in machines for you and you get a part of the take

[MinorityRepublican]

I personally think people in general have significantly less disposable income come than they’ve had previously. ‘Circuses’ become less important when ‘bread’ becomes more expensive.

Yep. Plus everything is way more expensive in Vegas. It's no longer a "good deal".

[abb]

Organized Crime never left. It is now known as “government.”

[exnavy]

Well, i feel for you, i am in Michigan, we are fighting against voter fraud and stupid democrat ideas everyday.

[Eagle Forgotten]

“Allowing the city to be run based on Universal Voting has destroyed the city, the same way Zimbabwe was destroyed by Universal Voting....”

Would you explain this? I don’t know what you mean by Universal Voting. The national trend has been toward expanding the franchise — blacks, women, 18-year-olds — but does that have something to do with Las Vegas?

[Menes]

Hmmm…am I right in assuming that the buffets in LV casinos were sometimes „subsidized“ through the profits made from gambling?

Maybe they were used to attract potential customers who would try their luck at the slot-machines, Black Jack, roulette and other games of chance after having treated themselves to a delicious meal 😋 (and why not? 🙂)

I still have a bad conscience, because during my visit to Vegas 31 years ago, I did content myself with the excellent dinner which I enjoyed at one of the casinos, and I didn’t gamble away more than three or four dollars…and it was worth it🙂

[Orosius]

There’s a tribal casino twenty minutes from my house and the staff all know me, I get comps and the reservation cops don’t brook any nonsense. What else would I need?

[Vaduz]

Indeed California creep causes that it’s what keeps U Haul in big bucks.

[Liz]

Cheap buffets were used to attract those to try their luck at the slots, Black Jack, roulette
and other games of chance after having treated themselves to a delicious meal (and why not?)