While there has been talk (and media coverage) about the effects of tariffs on tourism in Las Vegas, no one has recognized the ability of Las Vegas to impose its own brand of tariffs.
In an era of paid parking, resort fees, and reduced services on the Strip, we should expect Las Vegas to add more barriers for accessing entertainment, dining and gaming. Here’s what guests (players) could look forward to in this new era:
- $5 in chips gets $4 in play. Think of it as fair trade. One dollar goes to benefit dealers. (And besides, the dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to.)
- An extra 10 percent is added to your bill in the gift shop for anything made in China. Looks like that could be the whole inventory.
- If you use the swimming pool, you will be assessed a water resource charge.
- Room Service adds a 10 percent “room enter” fee to the standard charge.
- There’s an add-on charge on your showroom bill for any performers who are Canadian.
- Self-Parking will now add $2 to the parking bill, which is for “insurance” in case you hit a pillar or another car.
- Convention attendees are normally not charged by the facility, but could see a non-resident conventioneer tax.
- For each play at the Craps table, there will be a value added tax.
- Casino entry will now require a domestic visa (unless you’re a high roller, in which case you just pay cash. As usual).
- Special Events charge. For every special event attended at a casino, there will be a SE charge.
- Valet Parking charges 10 percent more if your car is foreign (imported), naturally.
- Every airplane passenger arriving in Las Vegas will be charged a $10 “experience fee.” The upside is that you will be able to reserve your own seat at a slot machine.
- Fair trade is fair trade. Any car crossing the California-Nevada state line into Vegas with food and/or beverage, will pay an import tax to compensate the county for not buying it on the Strip. After all, resort food and beverage departments are expensive to maintain.
While Las Vegas continues to raise prices, decrease services and potentially enact tariffs, other resort destinations could take a page out of our own history books and compete with our city by lowering prices.
Did someone say “99¢ shrimp cocktail”?
