The latest round of Nevada data sets for April showed similar themes to what stakeholders saw for much of 2025, that being higher gaming revenue but depressed tourism and air travel in Las Vegas.
According to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, the state posted gross gaming revenue of $1.29 billion for the month, a 5% increase year-over-year. Through this point in the fiscal year, the Silver State is now more than 2% ahead of its pace from a year ago. In Las Vegas, the Strip posted a strong 6.5% YoY jump to $689 million. America’s gambling capital is slightly up (+1.2%) three-quarters of the way through this fiscal year.
As is typically the case for the Strip, a surge in baccarat performance was a primary driver. The market won $124.8 million on the game in April, a 15% increase YoY. 2026 has been a great baccarat year for the Strip thus far, as its running three-month total is nearly 50% higher than the beginning of last year. Casino operators around the world are becoming increasingly interested in new baccarat data enabled through smart tables, researchers said at a UNLV conference last week.
While gaming was positive, travel figures were less rosy. Total visitation to Las Vegas declined about 2% to 3.2 million visitors in April, according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. That result snapped a short-lived two-month streak of YoY gains. Business metrics were relatively flat for the Strip, with average daily room rates and revenue per available room up and down 1%, respectively.
Air traffic woes continue post-Spirit
Total air traffic to Harry Reid International Airport declined 7% YoY to 4.4 million passengers in April, the airport announced. That brings the year-to-date total to 16.9 million, down more than 5% from a year ago.
International travel continues to be a huge sticking point for Las Vegas, particularly from top feeder markets Canada and Mexico. Total international traffic at Reid International declined 12% in April and is 15% behind year-to-date. Both major Canadian airlines – WestJet and Air Canada – were off more than 20% from the prior year period, while Aeromexico was down 26% YoY and VivaAerobus was down 6%.
Domestically, the bankruptcy of Spirit Airlines has been a point of concern for stakeholders. On 2 May, the company ceased operations after 34 years, meaning its April traffic (-72%) was its last in Las Vegas. Fellow budget carriers Frontier (+15%) and Alaska Airlines (+33%) appear poised to pick up some of that business.
Big deals could reshape Nevada casino sector
On the gaming front, this fiscal year has been largely positive not just for Las Vegas, but for the state as a whole. Elsewhere in southern Nevada, Laughlin (+16%), Mesquite (+4%) and North Las Vegas (+2%) all had solid months, while Boulder, the locals market and downtown Las Vegas were all flat. For the fiscal year, every southern market tracked by the NGCB is positive.
To the north, Reno (+11%) had another strong month, bringing its fiscal year total to $673 million, more than 5% above last year’s pace. Its neighbour Sparks enjoyed similar success, up 20% in April and 7% for the fiscal year. Every northern market except for North Lake Tahoe, by far the smallest in the state, is also positive for the fiscal year.
Overall, it has been a busy few weeks for the Nevada casino industry, as two of its biggest players are in sales talks. Caesars Entertainment was taken private by Golden Nugget owner Tilman Fertitta for $5.7 billion last week, following weeks of speculation. Competition concerns will be a major factor in the deal – Golden Nugget and Caesars compete in three Nevada markets (Las Vegas, Laughlin and Lake Tahoe) and divestments may be required for the transaction to close.
That mega-deal could soon be followed by a buyout of MGM Resorts by its largest shareholder, Barry Diller’s People Inc. People is proposing $48.30 per share for the 74% of shares it does not currently own, which would value the operator at about $18 billion. MGM has confirmed receipt of the bid and will deliberate next steps. The Caesars deal was slightly short of that, totalling $17.6 billion when considering the assumed debt.
Jess Marquez
Jess has covered the global gaming industry since 2022. A native of Reno, Nevada, he’d like to note that it’s Ne-va-da, not Ne-VAH-da.
Original article: https://igamingbusiness.com/finance/monthly-results/las-vegas-april-2026-data/
