Poll - 2017-12-06 | Las Vegas Advisor

A recent Question of the Day about average gambling budgets propelled us to check own polls on the subject and we were taken aback that we haven't run this poll since January 2008, almost exactly 10 years. It's time to rerun it and see if budgets have changed since then and if so, by how much.

So, how much do you budget for your gambling bankroll on an average trip to Las Vegas?

1699 Total Votes

$1,000-$2,000

24% (404)

$2,000-$5,000

24% (400)

$500-$1,000

22% (373)

$250-$500

12% (205)

More than $5,000

7% (121)

$100-$250

7% (117)

$50-$100

3% (46)

$0 -- I don't gamble.

1% (17)

Less than $50

1% (16)

Analysis

These are almost exactly the same results as our last poll on gambling budgets, 10 years ago: Today, 77% of respondents bring a trip bankroll of $500 or more, while it was 78% in 2008. Not much has changed among our readers in a decade, apparently.

This is, however, qualitatively different from Las Vegas' official "Visitor Profile Study," which found that the average trip bankroll among its 3,600 randomly selected respondents was a little less than $620 in 2016.

We’re not surprised. In fact, just about every such study we’ve ever done has shown the gambling bankrolls of LVAers at a much higher amount than the "Visitor Profile" average. And why wouldn’t it be? LasVegasAdvisor.com was created for and caters to gamblers. Heck, even our most populated category, $1,000-$2,000 (24%-27%), is better than double the "VPS" average.

And one more comparison is interesting. Whereas 31% of those polled in the 2016 VPS claimed not to gamble, only 1% of our respondents say they don't. There’s little doubt that many who don't play casino games didn’t vote, but we’d wager that even the non-voting non-gambling total falls far short of 31%.

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Comments

Michael Lasky Dec-05-2017

Budget

My wife and I don't really budget. We are low limit table game players.  If we are getting beat up we just slow down.

Gramps Dec-06-2017

Gramps

I put down 1 to 2 thousand, but that's for the whole trip which could last a week or two. I try to keep it between 3 and 4 hundred a day if I'm losing.

Leonard Accardi Dec-06-2017

I Play, I don't Gamble

I play only craps, only on a table with a lot of players, and my only bet is the table minimum on the pass line.  I have action every roll, and since the house percentage is only 1.4%, the cost of playing is low.  For example, on a full and active table there are about forty decisions per hour. On a five dollar table, my total bets would be $5 × 40 = $200.  My expected loss is $200 x 1.4% or $2.80 per hour in the long run.  I don't consider this a gambling loss, I consider it the cost of playing and having fun.  Short term wins and losses are sometimes as much as $50 per hour, but my average cost per hour over every hundred hour period is always close to the expected value of $2.80 per hour, a figure that I am very comfortable with.

Ray Dec-06-2017

Vegas Budget

A lot does depend on the length of the trip, and since we drive cross country we have stops at other casino locations to or fro. But in general, my wife and I usually don't budget more than about $100 each per day that we stay. But Laughlin, New Mexico and Oklahoma claim some of our gambling budget, too.

Toni Armstrong Jr. Dec-06-2017

Gambling Budget

It would have been more useful to ask how much do you budget PER DAY for gambling. If I'm there three days the number will be a lot lower than if I'm there a week or more.

cjen Dec-06-2017

gambling budget

It's been 4 or 5 years since I've been to Vegas.  I don't have a budget for gambling.  On my forays into the casinos here in Oklahoma, I'll start backing off the tables if I lose around 5 grand.  This is on a weekly basis.

Sharon Dec-06-2017

PER DAY BUDGET

I allocate $100.00-$125.00 per day for gambling.  My trips to Vegas are usually 8-14 days, so my budget is $800 - $1,750.00.  Curious to see what other people spend.

Texas Transplant Dec-06-2017

"Budget PER DAY and how many days do you usually stay"

Good question but I think that it should have been phrased a little differently,  Asking two things, "how much to you budget PER DAY."  Then "how many days do you usually stay".

I am coming out this month and will be there for 5 days, allowing myself around $400=$500 per day or around $2500.  On a three day trip the number is obviously less, around $1500.

James Mason Dec-06-2017

bankroll

I am an AP  VP player from out of town. My bankroll
is 8 to 10k for 0 ROR on quarters. generally never
down  more than1k per trip usually up 1-2k. annually up 2-3k on average, cash. a fun hobby😎 luck helps

Toad Dec-07-2017

Not what it was

I don’t budget anything anymore. 

Gambling has stopped being gambling. Gambling implies I may win something. I noticed I wasn’t winning anything, not even a decent bonus or deal. At a point it stopped being fun and entertainment. Gambling in general and certainly on The Strip truly just became a donation. And a quick one at that.

Brian Duholke Dec-14-2017

good old days

In the past the amount was higher, but as a retired senior with no pension I have to be a bit more careful.

Jeff Tabler Dec-23-2017

Length of stay?

I suggest adding or combining the question with how long someone will be in Vegas.  The amount of money someone brings for gambling can vary greatly based on the length of their visit.

Roy Furukawa Dec-23-2017

Today’s Vegas

I think maybe the results in the VPS shows how Vegas has changed from a gamblers paradise to a drinking and clubbing mecca. Not that gambling is secondary just yet, but it’s an easy money maker for hotel/casinos to put a club inside, charge an arm and a leg for booze, and get patrons to spill into the casino to lose what little they might have left.

Poll : 06 December - 19 December 2017

Analysis

Comments