The Nevada Resort Association warns losses could be as high as $39 billion (£30.5 billion) by the end of the year – most likely a record loss for this normally immensely profitable honeypot.Įven inside casinos which have reopened, life is odd. It is now shuttered with a sign saying: ‘Sorry, we’re clothed.’ Little Darlings tried to stay open, offering ‘coronavirus-free’ dancers and nude, hand-sanitised wrestling. The daytime pool parties and nightclubs – which a single Prince Harry once so infamously enjoyed before playing ‘strip billiards’ inside his room at the Wynn Casino – are just a memory.Įven Vegas’s ubiquitous strip joints are no more. Posters may advertise hit shows by Cirque du Soleil and A-list superstars including Robbie Williams, Lady Gaga and Diana Ross, but all performances are cancelled. The entertainment mecca of the Strip, which attracted 49.5 million people in 2019 from around the world – including half a million from the UK – is neglected and deserted.Ī 150ft-tall replica of the Statue of Liberty is wearing a face mask, while no one is clamouring for a selfie by the flashing neon signs.Īt the Venetian Resort, bored-looking gondoliers punt passenger-less boats along the fake canals.
Sin City has a well-earned reputation for offering every kind of thrill 24 hours a day – from high-stakes poker tournaments, slots and roulette wheels in the casinos to the strip joints, showbiz glitz and all-night bars.įortunes can be so easily made – or lost – in an instant.īut today, in the shadow of Covid-19, Las Vegas is on its own losing streak.įor while few places have been left unaffected by the pandemic, perhaps nowhere has had its devil-may-care attitude rocked as much as this narrow pocket of Nevada.Ĭasinos, hotels and shows which last year generated $60 billion (£48 billion) in tourist revenue are either almost empty or shuttered. It’s America’s gaudiest playground, where crowds mill around the world-famous neon ‘Welcome To Fabulous Las Vegas’ sign, jostling for selfies as the notorious Strip bustles with tourists seeking the buzz of debauchery.
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