Annual visit shows why you should wait a while to plan a trip to Vegas. I'm not sure what type of visitor other than a slot player would enjoy the current experience. Shows are coming back but only small venues, so no headliners. Restaurants are a mixed bag of open and closed with longer lines/reduced hours and fast-food is either closed or takeout/delivery only in most cases. Table games have increased minimum bets with limited seats and limited tables for BJ. VP paytables continue to tighten and social distancing has reduced machines. Retail seems unaffected by COVID but I have no interest in that. Many of the LVA coupons outside the gambling category will be useless.
COVID has definitely impacted the experience. Wearing a mask for 8-12 hours a day is unpleasant even if you agre that they help reduce the transmission of disease. BJ is usually limited to 3 players per table with plexiglass dividers that eliminates the social experience as well as increasing your expected loss (fewer players = more hands/hr). Pokeris less fun with plexiglass divides and masks reduce the ability to see facial tells. Local casinos are doing a good job with temperature screeing while it's completely missing on the Strip or Downtown. I suspect mask enforcement is more rigorous at the local casinos as well.
Kudos to South Point for offering a buffet that feels pretty much like normal at a reasonable price. The Bellagio Fountains are still spectacular. You can find a seat on the Deuce bus. I came home with a 50% win rate as a low-stakes, coupon-running gambler.
The experience will probably not improve for another six months at least and some of the changes affecting gamblers are likely permanent. If you have casinos nearer to home, focus on them for a while. If you are an international visitor, my condolences.
