Valuetainment - October 05, 2025


"Can Vegas Make A Comeback?" - Las Vegas In CRISIS As Tourism PLUMMETS To All Time Low


Episode Stats

Length

11 minutes

Words per Minute

206.36835

Word Count

2,452

Sentence Count

271

Misogynist Sentences

3

Hate Speech Sentences

2


Summary

Vegas is no longer the place to go if you want to get a good night out. It s time to ask the question, will Vegas ever be as big as it used to be? Rob and Sarah talk about what s going on in Vegas and why it s not as good as it was 25 years ago.


Transcript

00:00:00.000 Rip-off Las Vegas faces another huge tourism slump thanks to government shutdown as Americans avoid flying over fears of travel chaos and plane crashes.
00:00:11.820 Give me a flipping book with that title.
00:00:14.160 But let me read it to you.
00:00:15.000 So what is this, Rob?
00:00:15.740 Is this the clip about the article?
00:00:17.680 Yes.
00:00:18.300 Go for it.
00:00:19.140 It was another rough month for Las Vegas tourism.
00:00:21.720 In May, nearly every major stat took a dip.
00:00:24.580 Strip gaming revenue dropped 4% year over year with downtown down over 11%.
00:00:30.220 And the Boulder Strip was off by 8.3%.
00:00:33.200 Visitation fell by 6.5% both for the month and year to date.
00:00:38.280 And hotel occupancy on the Strip dropped by 3.2%.
00:00:42.440 Even airport traffic and cars entering from California were down.
00:00:46.720 Surprisingly, the average daily room rate also slipped below $200 for the first time in a while.
00:00:53.000 So that is good news.
00:00:54.040 The only bright spot, convention attendance, was up nearly 11%.
00:00:58.200 Is the era of nonstop growth and sky-high prices finally cooling off?
00:01:03.480 The numbers say maybe.
00:01:05.560 Yeah, I mean, it's so bad.
00:01:07.260 You know how they have these waitress girls that walk around?
00:01:10.340 They can't afford them no more.
00:01:11.760 Most of them are not.
00:01:12.520 Like 62% are transgenders now.
00:01:14.320 Really?
00:01:15.020 No, no.
00:01:15.580 Allegedly.
00:01:16.180 Allegedly.
00:01:16.620 That's what people are saying.
00:01:17.440 Well, from Tajistan?
00:01:18.800 So I just got back from Vegas yesterday.
00:01:20.860 We went to Vegas, visited MGM.
00:01:24.280 Excited above all.
00:01:25.020 2026 will be at the MGM.
00:01:27.040 Sick.
00:01:27.880 The amount of surprise we'll be making with that is going to be awesome.
00:01:30.120 But we're there.
00:01:31.240 We're walking around.
00:01:32.080 We finished the meeting.
00:01:33.040 We take off at 3.30, 4 o'clock in the morning yesterday.
00:01:35.940 And we land.
00:01:36.360 Had a full day yesterday.
00:01:37.180 I finished at 10 o'clock last time.
00:01:38.980 But Tom had a very good dinner we had last night.
00:01:41.540 Cool stuff.
00:01:42.460 Yeah, very good stuff.
00:01:43.320 But while we're there, we're looking at MGM's new, what do you call it, the pool party they
00:01:49.640 do outside.
00:01:50.440 Like, I don't know what it's called, but it's called the Palm Beach or something at the MGM.
00:01:54.760 Nice area.
00:01:56.320 With the pool parties, we may be shutting down now, doing something with it.
00:01:59.040 But I asked the guy, I said, let me ask you, how is tourism right now in Vegas?
00:02:05.580 We're walking around the tables, nothing, nobody's there.
00:02:10.220 He said, tourism is down dramatically, okay?
00:02:14.960 That's the guy I was actually talking to.
00:02:17.120 Tourism is down dramatically, okay?
00:02:20.660 Tourism is down dramatically.
00:02:22.100 He looked like that guy.
00:02:23.280 Tourism is down dramatically.
00:02:24.900 Events are up.
00:02:26.740 So people doing conventions, Vegas is slowly taking over Orlando.
00:02:31.800 It used to be Orlando for many years for convention town.
00:02:34.220 But Vegas is becoming a convention capital of America today.
00:02:38.340 Tom, would you agree with that, that Vegas is it now?
00:02:40.520 Yeah, very much so.
00:02:41.580 They've built a lot of stuff there trying to attract the convention crowd back and a lot
00:02:45.660 of things since COVID.
00:02:46.820 But now, all of a sudden, they don't have the other half of it.
00:02:50.080 They don't have the tourism.
00:02:52.240 Yeah.
00:02:53.000 So to me, when you hear stories like this with Vegas, you're talking to drivers, you're
00:02:58.380 talking to different people, you're talking to what people are saying.
00:03:00.920 It is kind of happening.
00:03:01.820 Man, it's just not what it once was 25 years ago.
00:03:05.920 We used to go to Vegas, Vinny.
00:03:07.500 Oh, man.
00:03:08.100 If you think about it.
00:03:09.000 I mean, it is.
00:03:09.920 So now what companies put Vegas out of business?
00:03:12.740 OnlyFans, okay?
00:03:14.520 Online gambling.
00:03:17.620 Tinder.
00:03:19.660 You know who else is putting Vegas out of business in a big way?
00:03:23.280 Everybody who's a health podcaster that's got young men not drinking, not smoking, not
00:03:32.720 doing, like they're changing the habits of health.
00:03:35.340 So you're like, why am I going to go there and do that?
00:03:37.580 The habits are changing.
00:03:39.640 Chip Wilson and I did a podcast about 10 years ago.
00:03:41.820 Chip Wilson is the founder of Lululemon.
00:03:43.560 And he said something to me.
00:03:45.540 He says, Patrick, in 20 years, almost everybody in America will be in shape or will know whether
00:03:52.380 they're in shape or not.
00:03:53.440 But you're going to see six packs are no longer going to be a big deal.
00:03:56.400 I said, why is that?
00:03:57.020 He said, because clothes are going to become smart.
00:03:59.540 Clothes, you're going to wear clothes and the clothes are going to tell you, stand up
00:04:01.860 and walk for five minutes.
00:04:03.440 Yeah.
00:04:04.080 Watches are doing it already.
00:04:05.140 He's going to say, go drink some water.
00:04:06.220 Your body is this.
00:04:07.680 He's going to say, we're going to have smart clothes, not smart watches, not smart, smart clothes,
00:04:12.340 things that you wear, right?
00:04:13.780 So who knows what's going to happen to Vegas with the stuff that they're experiencing, right?
00:04:17.640 And I just kind of wanted to share that because I was in Vegas yesterday and I saw that article.
00:04:21.640 I said, probably a good idea for us to bring it up.
00:04:23.260 Adam, you look like you want to say something about Vegas.
00:04:24.140 I was going to say, what are they going to do to fix it?
00:04:26.160 Well, yeah, I was just going to say that.
00:04:27.920 I mean, every company is going to have to, or every attraction or every city is at that
00:04:32.840 point going to have to reinvent themselves.
00:04:34.880 So, you know, what's the value prop that Vegas brings to the table?
00:04:38.000 Pat, you highlighted it.
00:04:38.860 I was just going to kind of reiterate that.
00:04:40.660 Gambling, less people are gambling.
00:04:41.900 And if you can do it, you can do it online.
00:04:43.160 You can do sports gambling.
00:04:44.020 You don't need to go to Vegas to do that.
00:04:46.500 Drinking, less people are drinking.
00:04:47.680 You talked about that.
00:04:48.480 Sex.
00:04:48.740 You don't need to go all the way to Vegas.
00:04:50.340 You know, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
00:04:51.840 Yeah, what also happens on OnlyFans can stay on OnlyFans or on Tinder or on Grindr.
00:04:56.000 Shout out to you, Mike Johnson.
00:04:57.640 Nightlife.
00:04:58.140 I mean, less people are going out there partying as much these days.
00:05:01.880 People used to go get married in Vegas.
00:05:05.240 Britney Spears famously got married in Vegas.
00:05:07.340 Nobody's getting married these days.
00:05:08.460 Who's crazy?
00:05:08.900 Who does that?
00:05:09.760 So they need to reinvent themselves.
00:05:10.900 Vegas used to be known, Sinatra, Elvis.
00:05:14.860 Have you ever seen the movie Swingers?
00:05:16.100 When they're like, we're going to Vegas.
00:05:18.240 Nobody's excited for Vegas anymore.
00:05:20.280 PBD is actually single-handedly keeping Vegas afloat with his conferences.
00:05:23.560 And that's exactly what they're doing.
00:05:25.160 So what's the new value prop Vegas is bringing to the table?
00:05:28.140 Nothing.
00:05:28.700 Really?
00:05:29.180 They're in bad shape.
00:05:29.580 Actually, think about it.
00:05:30.680 Like, what can they do to shift it?
00:05:32.120 You know, Oakland A's are about to go to Vegas.
00:05:34.780 Did you know that?
00:05:35.660 Tom, did you know that?
00:05:36.680 Yes, the Oakland A's will play in Sacramento until the stadium is built in Vegas.
00:05:41.800 Yeah, we drove by it.
00:05:42.980 They're building a stadium on the Strip.
00:05:46.080 That's the stadium right there.
00:05:47.020 Look at that.
00:05:47.420 Oakland Athletics are relocating to Vegas.
00:05:49.440 Go back, Rob.
00:05:50.500 That's what they're thinking.
00:05:51.620 Is that what it's going to look like?
00:05:52.720 That's a sick-looking stadium.
00:05:53.500 Sick, but horrible timing right now.
00:05:55.500 It's going to be hot as hell to go over there.
00:05:56.460 Hot.
00:05:56.700 Hot as hell to go over there.
00:05:57.780 But we'll see.
00:05:58.160 Nobody's there.
00:05:58.480 Do you think Vegas can reinvent themselves and make a comeback, Pat?
00:06:01.920 Do you think bookstores can reinvent themselves and make a comeback?
00:06:05.320 Nope.
00:06:06.140 No.
00:06:06.980 Why?
00:06:08.180 Well, they can if they completely change their business model.
00:06:11.400 Which is what?
00:06:12.800 You know, bookstores used to be a place to go buy books, just like Starbucks was a place
00:06:17.880 to go buy coffee.
00:06:19.020 At this point, social gatherings and getting people together still is important, right?
00:06:24.960 Why do we do the vault?
00:06:25.920 Hey, you can go watch it online.
00:06:27.100 I go to the mall to get chicks with Umberto all the time, bro.
00:06:30.140 So people are still going to want to hang out, but what they're going to do when they're
00:06:33.160 hanging out, I guess, varies.
00:06:36.080 But bookstores, if you, you know, have reasons to come together, get together, group settings,
00:06:41.300 what have you, nobody goes to a bookstore to buy a book.
00:06:43.540 That's what you buy Amazon or Audible or anything like that.
00:06:45.880 That was the theory of, you know, the theory that they had on the Oakland Raiders going to
00:06:50.800 Las Vegas was that, you know, Adam and I, let's say we live in Cleveland and, you
00:06:56.320 know, we have a couple of friends.
00:06:57.100 We love the Cleveland Browns and it's December 10th.
00:07:00.200 It's cold.
00:07:01.120 It's between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
00:07:03.440 Not much going on in Cleveland, but Cleveland will be at the Raiders in Las Vegas.
00:07:08.540 We say, Hey man, let's grab a Southwest flights and let's go out to Las Vegas and see the Browns
00:07:12.480 play the Raiders this weekend.
00:07:13.440 And they pull a lot of away team fans into Vegas for those games.
00:07:19.860 But guess what?
00:07:21.040 Those people do not spend as much as they thought they would be spending Pat in Vegas.
00:07:26.720 They go to average hotels.
00:07:28.900 They come to see the Browns play.
00:07:30.440 They go back.
00:07:31.240 They're not dropping another thousand, $2,000 on partying and gaming.
00:07:35.460 They're not.
00:07:36.180 Of course.
00:07:37.100 So the whole thesis about the Raiders being a magnet for all the away team fans.
00:07:41.800 Yeah.
00:07:42.080 It's a small magnet.
00:07:42.880 It's coming true, but not a big magnet.
00:07:44.280 No, it's what I said to the driver yesterday.
00:07:46.200 I said, no, who goes to road game, baseball games?
00:07:49.220 Nobody goes to road baseball games.
00:07:50.960 Except if it's the big names, Cardinals, Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers.
00:07:58.520 Who else would put on that list?
00:07:59.920 No, no one's going to Marlins on the road.
00:08:01.640 You're not doing that.
00:08:02.340 So what was your point with the bookstores?
00:08:06.020 If you think bookstores are not making a comeback, Vegas is not going to make the same comeback because technology put them out.
00:08:12.720 Wow.
00:08:13.380 Tinder, you know, Bumble, OnlyFans.
00:08:18.060 You know how they say, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?
00:08:21.860 No.
00:08:22.280 Nowadays is what happens on OnlyFans, what happens on Tinder, what happens on, you know, online casinos.
00:08:28.140 It's there now.
00:08:29.560 It's there now that you have.
00:08:30.920 So who knows?
00:08:32.340 I have a lot of great memories in Vegas as a young man coming up, and I was in Vegas quite often.
00:08:37.960 At one point, I was going every other week.
00:08:39.300 I would drive up Zizik's, if anybody knows that exit.
00:08:42.120 Yeah.
00:08:42.520 Z-I-Z-I.
00:08:43.420 Zizik.
00:08:43.880 So you know.
00:08:45.500 No, no.
00:08:46.480 Zizik.
00:08:47.520 Dirty.
00:08:49.000 Dirty.
00:08:49.440 You're a dirty man.
00:08:49.960 I learned Armenian from my fanarty.
00:08:52.500 Can I give a contradictory statement right now?
00:08:56.540 I think, actually, my buddy Michael Sartain talks about this in Vegas.
00:09:00.480 So cities start to expand.
00:09:03.360 And then they reach the breaking point where it's like, all right, we have too many clubs.
00:09:06.380 We have too many venues.
00:09:07.360 We have too many nightlife things going.
00:09:09.100 We have too many casinos.
00:09:10.240 Stop building.
00:09:10.860 And then they're going to contract.
00:09:13.580 And still the great casinos will still exist.
00:09:16.420 Still the great clubs like XS.
00:09:18.200 I think so.
00:09:18.260 I think events not going away.
00:09:19.140 And Marquee and all this stuff that Jason Strauss and these guys do will still exist.
00:09:23.820 But the newcomers, they will fall off.
00:09:25.900 It's like if you have 10 great bars in your city and that's the max.
00:09:29.480 And then you try to invent 12, 15, 20.
00:09:31.680 All right.
00:09:31.900 Those 10 are going to go out of business.
00:09:33.160 But the original 10 will stay.
00:09:34.880 Last night was a great night.
00:09:37.120 The Yankees beat the Red Sox.
00:09:39.040 Okay.
00:09:39.420 Notice one person not clapping.
00:09:42.120 Okay.
00:09:42.680 And that is none other than Tom Ellsworth.
00:09:44.520 So here's what we want to do with you.
00:09:46.300 Here's what.
00:09:46.720 Look at that.
00:09:47.100 Look at that.
00:09:47.420 Look at that look.
00:09:48.400 Zoom in on his face.
00:09:49.540 By the way, I want people.
00:09:51.380 Can you zoom in on his face, Jake?
00:09:52.720 Can't even control himself.
00:09:53.200 Zoom in on his face.
00:09:53.980 Can't even stop smiling.
00:09:55.000 And tell me, everybody in the group text last night was texting back except for one guy.
00:10:00.020 And the one guy who didn't respond back was this guy.
00:10:02.500 He says he doesn't have hate towards the Yankees.
00:10:05.220 I believe he does.
00:10:06.560 Having said that, the pitcher of the Yankees yesterday pitched a 12 strike.
00:10:12.760 You know, he hasn't pitched a 12 strikeout.
00:10:14.500 Not in the minor leagues.
00:10:15.940 This is the first time he does it.
00:10:17.760 Lights out.
00:10:18.740 Great stuff.
00:10:20.120 But here's what we like to see.
00:10:21.280 For some of you guys that are Dodger fans, you're from L.A. and you're on Tom's side,
00:10:25.940 we got the Dodger blue future looks bright hat.
00:10:27.640 Look at the timing of it.
00:10:29.760 What a sick hat that is.
00:10:31.600 By the way, whether you're a Dodgers fan or not, that is a legit one of the sickest blue
00:10:37.720 colored future looks bright hat we have.
00:10:40.360 But if you're a Yankees fan, folks, we also got the Yankees hat.
00:10:43.820 The navy blue future looks bright hat.
00:10:47.160 So here's a contest we're going to be playing.
00:10:48.500 We're going to be watching to see which of these two is going to get more luck.
00:10:52.460 Now, Tom was upset because Tom said people in L.A. are sleeping, Pat.
00:10:56.520 Yankees fans are up.
00:10:57.880 Yeah, we are.
00:10:58.540 But listen, California is one of the biggest viewers of the podcast.
00:11:01.260 So, Rob, we have to find a way to put the links of both hats there.
00:11:04.580 Folks, if you're searching it, you could put navy hat.
00:11:08.240 It'll come up.
00:11:09.120 And what's the other hat's title if somebody is searching it so they want to find it?
00:11:13.180 It's royal hat.
00:11:16.200 You type in royal, both hats are sick.
00:11:18.300 I know, I know.
00:11:18.620 Are there other colors?
00:11:19.340 Maybe you're somebody that's kind of like, you know, you're neither the Yankees or the Dodgers.
00:11:23.420 Some of you guys may be watching this.
00:11:24.700 You're pirates.
00:11:25.220 You're ready to go after the ump.
00:11:26.800 Some of you guys are like, where's that ump?
00:11:28.660 Give me the ump.
00:11:29.200 I want to go find that man.
00:11:30.060 I want to go chase that man.
00:11:30.880 I don't know if we guys saw it or not that we're chasing.
00:11:32.260 Did you see that afterwards?
00:11:33.520 Oh, my God.
00:11:34.460 They chased the ump.
00:11:35.280 They're holding the Pirates players back from destroying this ump.
00:11:39.240 Oh, man.
00:11:39.660 Because of a couple bad pitches that that Cubs obviously won.
00:11:42.680 Yeah, it's done, done, guys.
00:11:43.940 Next year it's a robot.
00:11:45.080 Yeah.
00:11:45.240 Well, we're going to see what's going to happen.
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