Las Vegas is feeling the pinch this year, and it’s shaking up the way casinos do business.
The Golden Gate Hotel & Casino, the oldest casino in Vegas, has announced it will completely replace all human dealers with electronic table games — a first for downtown Las Vegas.
This big move comes as rising prices and fewer tourists hit the city’s vibrant casino floors.
What’s Changing at the Golden Gate Casino?
Derek Stevens, the owner and CEO of Circa (which owns Golden Gate), said the casino is “reimagining” its floor by introducing an exciting new electronic table games area.
Though electronic tables have been around for decades worldwide, Golden Gate will be the first downtown Vegas spot to fully remove live dealers.
Stevens teased that players can expect “more excitement, faster gameplay, and all the newest machines,” but didn’t spell out exactly why the change was made.
Industry experts say the move reflects a growing trend toward electronic gaming in the U.S., expected to nearly double in market size over the next decade.
Why Electronic Table Games Are Taking Over
These electronic tables come with benefits casinos love: better accuracy, efficiency, and lower operating costs since fewer dealers and supervisors are needed.
They also optimize the use of floor space and can boost revenue with faster game rounds.
There are different types of electronic table games.
Some still have a dealer running the game while players use individual terminals.
Others are fully automated, and a third type — stadium gaming — combines live or automated games shown on a big screen with many players joining in from their own terminals.
What This Means for Casino Workers
For Golden Gate’s human dealers, this change means job shifts. The casino says all current table game employees will get a chance to move to other roles within Golden Gate or other Circa hotels. While the switch offers players easier, more private gaming with lower minimum bets, it also reflects the financial pressures casinos face.
The average annual salary for a Las Vegas table worker ranges from about $22,500 to $40,000. Casinos have been phasing out low-minimum bets, as the money earned from those tables doesn’t cover the cost of paying dealers.
Vegas Tourism and the Bigger Picture
This move comes amid troubling signs for Las Vegas tourism.
Visitor numbers have dropped over 6% this year, with tourism down 11%. Service workers report tipping down by as much as 50%, blaming fewer visitors and lower pay.
Some say the drop is due to changes in international visitors — with political factors and global economic issues at play.
For example, the city saw fewer than 3.4 million visitors in March, down from almost 3.7 million in February, and midweek hotel occupancy has declined.
Circa CEO’s Take on Vegas Tourism
Despite the grim numbers, Derek Stevens pushed back against reports that Vegas tourism is in crisis.
He told Fox News that downtown Vegas, where Circa is located, still offers “better value” and that business has been “really booming.”
He admitted international tourism is down, but blamed global economic factors like currency exchange rates rather than local issues.
Stevens is optimistic, predicting that Vegas tourism and the economy will improve significantly within six months.
What’s Next for Vegas and Its Casinos?
With casinos embracing electronic gaming and tourism facing challenges, Vegas is adapting to new realities.
For visitors, this means a faster, more tech-driven casino experience.
For workers and businesses, it means navigating a tough landscape and hoping for a bounce-back in the near future.