Las Vegas Canadian Visitors Still About 30% Below 2019 Levels
Bonjourrrr, Canada. On Tuesday 13 October 2026, CBC reported that Canadian visitors are still staying away from Las Vegas, and the slump has landed in Nevada's November midterms. One downtown casino owner decided to answer with a bet of his own.
The Strip has a Canadian-shaped hole in its floor plan, and on Tuesday 13 October 2026 CBC put it at the centre of a campaign. Canadian travel to Las Vegas keeps falling, the broadcaster reported, and Nevada Democrats and the Culinary Workers Union Local 226, which represents about 60,000 casino and hospitality workers, blame President Donald Trump's trade war and his remarks about Canada. Republicans in the state point instead to the no tax on tips policy, which has helped hospitality workers. The Post stays out of the campaign. It watches the casino floor.
The floor is quieter than it was. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, 1,196,300 Canadians visited in 2025, down 17.4% from 1,448,700 the year before, though Canada was still the biggest international market. In September, LVCVA chief executive Steve Hill told Nevada forecasters that Canadian visitation was about 30% below 2019. CBC adds that visitor numbers, airport arrivals and hotel occupancy all fell again in August, and that barely half of the rooms in downtown Las Vegas were occupied that month.
Now the number that makes the whole story spin. Hill also said total visitor volume is running 3.5 million to 4 million below 2019, when a record 42.5 million people came. Yet gaming revenue has grown to 135% of its 2019 level, and it is up 2.3% from 2025. Millions fewer visitors, and the tills are still ahead. WATATATATAFAK.
Then there is the counter-bet. Derek Stevens, who owns Circa, the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate, ran an At Par promotion through 31 August 2026: one Canadian dollar treated as one US dollar on select hotel rates, drinks and up to $500 CAD of slot play. It was a crazu simple idea, and Politico described it as effectively a 30 percent discount. The exchange rate was the dealer's edge, and Stevens simply took it off the table. «We miss Canadians here,» he said when he announced it. The Spirit has always had a soft spot for a host who bets on being missed.
Does it work against a boycott driven by national pride? Nobody can say, and the Post will not pretend to. When a casino offers to meet youluwu at par, how long does a principle last? GWLUGWLU to anyone who can price that one.
The chairs in front of the dealer are fewer, the stacks on the felt are taller than in 2019, and the Spirit keeps one eye on the door in case a Canadian walks in.
Would a Vegas discount end your boycott?
No right answer. Just your gut, and the Spirit watching.
