Question of the Day - 28 April 2012

Last weekend, we ran the results of our Reader Poll that sought to determine whether the typical LVA reader's travel and spending habits were changing in tandem with the results of the annual Visitor Profile Study for 2011 by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The survey revealed that average expenditure on gambling was down significantly (with only 7 percent citing it as their principal reason to come here), while visitors were budgeting more for shopping and dining.

As you can see from the link, that didn't quite jibe with our readers, who sent us lots of insightful feedback. There wasn't space to run it with the original poll results so here, as promised, are some of your comments:

• We're still coming to Vegas 2-3 times a year - just as we have for 15 years. Our gambling budget is the same/up slightly per day - but we're spending less days there and yet spending more money overall. Why? How? Airfare, for us, has almost doubled in the last three years. We are now choosing our trip days based on the lower airfare days. This means that we've been staying, usually, two nights instead of three or four as we did in the past. We gamble the same each day - but overall, we're gambling less because we have less days to gamble. We've also quit 'chasing comps' - which I usually did by focusing on our 'home' casino on one day when we were staying for several. Now, on our shorter trips to Vegas, we're trying different hotels (based on price) and still doing all of the non-gambling things we enjoy. By not focusing on one hotel/brand, our comps are down, so we're spending more on hotel rooms and dining. Overall, I'd say that gambling is now less than airfare and less than our hotel, but still more than food or our rental car budget -- thankfully! I’ll be interested to see how this poll pans out..." [Ed: As were we. Thanks for the feedback.]
  
  
• "I’m visiting Las Vegas less than I did 5 years ago, but more than I did 3 years ago. However, this actually has a lot more to do with my available time than anything going on in Las Vegas or with the economy in general."
  
  
• "I go to Las Vegas to gamble."
  
  
• "I have a Total Rewards Diamond card, Mlife Gold card and Cosmopolitan Identity Gold card. While I do get a lot of comped room offers, I am much more likely to splurge on a nice suite for a few days than shopping or a fancy dinner. I would have clicked ‘I spend more on rooms than gambling’ if that had been an option. It wouldn't be 100% true, but it would be true to how I approach most of my trips. "
  
  
• "I am planning a trip for this fall where my wife and I will focus specifically on spa and relaxation activities, instead of mixing that time together with long gaming sessions. We are treating it more like a retreat to Albuquerque or White Sulphur Springs, but with the benefit of special access due to my gaming history in Las Vegas. If we end up having to pay more because I did little or no gambling on this trip, that is OK. For an upcoming business trip, though, I have added days before and after specifically so that I will have time to gamble and play in a few poker tournaments. For that trip, I plan to spend very little on food, entertainment, or nightlife. "
  
  
• "I may start going less or stop all together because gambling is not as good as it used to be, especially on the Strip and downtown. I'm finding plays at casinos closer to where I live to be almost as good and after factoring in airfare, the stay-home EV is better."
  
  
• "I only do the other things mentioned to have a break from gambling."
  
  
• "I spend more than I used to because I have more to spend and would prefer to spend it in Vegas, but for me Vegas IS NOT changing for the better."
  
  
• "AIRFARE costs have been keeping me away from Vegas. It was my #1 resort, but Biloxi and AC are way cheaper! Hate to start off by being so far in the hole just to cover costs!"
  
  

• "Now there are 5 casinos within one hour from us in West Palm Beach, we are doing the Jean Scott thing down here and they are sending us more and more! It’s not like Las Vegas but is getting very similar. We go to Vermont for the summer but when we come back in October, we will be attacking the casinos down here twice a week and hitting all 5--soon to be 8--keeping records and seeing what we can accomplish. We will keep you posted." [Ed: Please do, and good luck!]
  
  
• "We used to go to Las Vegas only to gamble (of course, we would hit the food deals too, as we had to eat). Now, we still gamble and we still look for food deals, but we now look for a dining experience and a new show to go to, and gamble way less. The show and food come nowhere close monetarily to what we used to spend gambling, but we no longer win at gambling, which takes away from our Las Vegas experience, but has saved us $100s of dollars each trip! However, I tire of the foodie thing and have seen every Cirque show, so if they want us to continue coming to Las Vegas, they need to give us our winning ways back. I can stay home in Indiana and lose to the casino! The point is, I’d rather play in Vegas."
  
  
• "I am visiting Las Vegas as often as I use to. However, since I bought a time-share, I am now spending longer amounts of time when I visit. Generally, I will now spend an entire week in Las Vegas, rather than 4 or 5 days like I did before. Since I am there longer, I in turn spend more money, mostly on gambling."
  
  
• "I’m visiting less. Blame most of it on airline costs: When we were going to Las Vegas sometimes four times a year, we were paying $220 to $250 for a ticket. Now we would have to pay $500 to $600. I can't say that having local casinos (Michigan) doesn't have something to do with it, too, but it's mainly airfare that keeps us at home."