 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! Related Links
|
Gaming News
Gaming's Lure Slipping13 June 2003LAS VEGAS – As reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal: “Sightseeing, spending time at the pool and shopping rank above gambling in drawing visitors to Las Vegas, a new MRC Group Research Institute survey released Thursday showed. "`The primary purpose of a (Las Vegas) trip isn't gambling any more. It's entertainment and just to get away, to have fun in Las Vegas. That's a big change. Even if you're coming back, the entertainment mix luring you doesn't change,’ said Jim Medick, CEO of the MRC Group, Nevada's largest market research and public polling firm. "Only 17 percent of visitors surveyed said they planned to gamble while they were in Las Vegas, trailing sightseeing (38 percent), spending time by a pool (29 percent) and shopping (18 percent). Gambling also barely beat seeing a show (15 percent) and fine dining (14 percent), according to the survey. "But once they get here, the bulk of visitors find themselves spending some time gambling. "…Erika Brandvik, spokeswoman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority, said other surveys confirm that visitors do not come primarily to gamble. "…Bill Thompson, Las Vegas professor and casino gambling expert, said the broad product mix and new interests of visitors combined are `very good because we need to market Las Vegas as other than gambling as long as 85 percent of the people who come still gamble.’ "…The poll found 30 percent of the people on the Strip are first time visitors, and 54 percent of them said they were satisfied enough with their trip that they want to return…” |