Casino bettors usually know that the house always has an edge. The goal for many players is to find a game with the slimmest of casino advantages and hope to get lucky and walk away with some winnings. A new report shows that casinos are making sure that is an even more difficult proposition.
New figures from the Nevada Gaming Commission detail how Las Vegas casinos are working to bring in more revenue and taking an even larger house edge to achieve that in many cases. Those efforts helped lead to Strip casinos pocketing more than $1 billion of players’ money via blackjack in 2022 alone. How are they doing this?
“Some Las Vegas casinos cut back the number of blackjack tables with dealers, raised minimum bets during busy times, and lifted their advantage over players in some games – doubling-down on a prepandemic practice of making subtle changes that favor the house, according to industry executives, researchers and gamblers,” the Wall Street Journal noted. “These changes are part of a broader effort by companies to make Las Vegas more of an upscale destination.”
A Changing Travel Destination
At one time many viewed a trip to Las Vegas as a cheap getaway offering cheap meals, hotel rooms, and drinks. Gamblers staying within their own budget could enjoy a somewhat low-cost vacation. That has changed in recent years however.
Not only have meals, drinks, and entertainment seen major price increases over the last decade, but casinos are finding ways to add more revenue at the gaming tables as well, the report notes. But that hasn’t kept gamblers away.
Strip casinos won more than $8 billion from casino gambling alone last year. That’s a new record 25% above revenue before the pandemic, despite fewer numbers than seen in 2019. How are casino corporations achieving this? Many are adjusting the traditional house edge to make those advantages ever juicier. A few examples include:
- Ditching the traditional 3:2 payout for a blackjack and instead offering inferior payouts of 6:5. Finding those 3:2 payouts are becoming much more difficult.
- Casinos are also offering games only at higher stakes. Players are having to reach more in their pockets for heftier amounts to play table games.
- Adding more electronic games that don’t require staff and can offer lower limits than traditional table games.
Adjusting to Economic Situations
These types of adjustments are only part of doing business, according to gaming companies. In a time of inflation, the industry is dealing with rising costs and employee salaries. That means finding ways to bring in additional revenue.
The growing revenue numbers also come at a time when there are actually fewer of some table games on the Strip.
“Casino executives say labor costs make table games expensive to operate, making the lower-priced bets more difficult to offer,” the Journal notes. “Casinos are also offering fewer opportunities to play at a table. Last year Strip casinos had about 1,090 blackjack tables, down about 19% from a decade ago, state records show.”
Players looking for betting bargains are now being funneled more toward electronic games when playing on the Strip. These types of games are counted as slot machines by Nevada gaming regulators. Slots overall saw a record $4.6 billion in revenue in 2022, up 15% a year earlier, which had also set a record.
Betting on a Budget
There still remain some lower-cost Vegas options when it comes to gaming, entertainment, and hotel stays. Downtown casinos and local casinos located off the Strip offer better hotel deals than the megaresort properties.
These can also feature lower betting limits. For bettors, the Internet can offer plenty of information for those seeking some of the better bets in Las Vegas. For example, a site called VegasAdvantage.com offers insight on where to find 3:2 blackjack. According to the site, players can still find these games at:
- Cannery
- Ellis Island
- Jerry’s Nugget
- Pass
- Skyline (only open Thursday through Sunday nights)
- South Point
- The Plaza (occasionally)
- Downtown Grand (occasionally)
Sites like LasVegasAdvisor.com and other sites also offer discounted hotel and show tickets as well as some other bargain players can find around town.These sites also offer insight on other aspects of a stay in Las Vegas, such as buffet deals, players club promotions, budget-friendly happy hours, and much more.
Many locals casinos offer players a chance to find some of the best odds and limits in the Vegas area. These properties go out of their way to offer the more discerning player more bang for the buck. Some of these properties even feature more family-friendly venues like bowling alleys and movie theaters.
Las Vegas still has some bargains to be found, gamblers just have to work at it a little more.
