Las Vegas is in a bit of a slump, so I was very curious as to what I would find there on a recent trip.

I was only there from Sunday through Thursday,  so I didn’t experience the peak weekend time in the heart of football season. That said, things were certainly a bit slower than I had seen in years past. Not crazy slow, but enough to notice the difference.

One of my stops was The Cosmopolitan. In recent years this was the hot spot on The Strip. Of course there are plenty of other casinos battling for the luxury crwod, but the young, hip, beautiful crowd could be found at The Cosmo.

With that context, I have to say that I wasn’t overly impressed with what I saw (again, considering the off-night visit). The crowd seemed like any other ordinary Las Vegas crowd. It wasn’t the low rent or older crowd of the second tier casinos, but it wasn’t at all a luxury crowd as well. The most glaring difference was the complete lack of the “beautiful” crowd. No hot babes. No real buzz.

Again, it’s only one night, but this is consistent with what I’ve been hearing from others. Since MGM Resorts took over operations a few years ago, some longtime visitors have noted a shift: the vibe has become a bit more mainstream and less exclusively “sexy/cool/elitist.” It’s still attractive to 20s-40s partygoers and influencer types, but the crowd can feel more mixed now. You see more ordinary tourists rather than the ultra-glam scene of the past.

Now, it’s still a very solid option if you’re going to Las Vegas. It remains one of the most popular and vibrant casinos on the Strip and consistently ranks as a top choice for its central location, stylish vibe, nightlife, and dining scene. We noted the Bungalow Suites a few years ago. It’s still very much “hot” in terms of energy, events, and appeal to a younger, party-oriented crowd as compared to other Vegas spots. The Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub continue to draw big crowds.

But something has changed. Part of it might be related to the dip in Vegas tourism. Recently, the Cosmopolitan started offering special perks for locals like other Vegas casinos. When you have to offer specials, then you’re no longer the hot and exclusive option.

We’ll see how this develops, but we’re old enough to remember when spots like the Hard Rock and The Palms had that special, exclusive feel. Things change.

Things have been changing for years in Las Vegas. With so many options on there for the gambling fan, Las Vegas is no longer the only viable option out there. This is true whether you’re a high roller or a casual one-armed bandit. For example, you can go to these sites if you’re a high roller, so now there are more options to meet your needs. Sure, high rollers love junkets to Las Vegas and all of the fringe benefits that go along with it. But many guys just love the rush of gambling and the thrill of winning, and now people can get that whether they go to Vegas or not.

Las Vegas is now selling the overall experience and entertainment just as much as they’re selling gambling. You can see that with new spots like the Cosmopolitan which is the latest hot spot where the beautiful people like to congregate. It can be fun as hell, but that also affects the gambling crowd. It seems like the casual gambler is much less educated these days, so the casino plays around with the table games offered. They haven’t messed with craps much, but games like blackjack are manipulated with the decks and the odds. Ignorant gamblers don’t know any better, so they’ll sit down at a one-deck game thinking they have an advantage, but not realizing that the altered blackjack payouts are screwing them.

This is less prevalent in the high roller areas, as those gamblers are usually much more educated. But the casinos have been messing with the formula on the casino floor for so long that they’re chasing away the guys who aren’t quite high rollers but will come to Vegas with a $1,000 bankroll. If you mess with them too much, you lose them to other outlets, like online options or the casinos around the country. It will be interesting to see how the gambling experience continues to evolve.