Classic Las Vegas casino announces it is CLOSING, as Sin City’s rip-off prices trigger devastating tourist slump

A mom-and-pop casino in Las Vegas is set to close in the fall, after Sin City’s rip-off prices sent tourism into freefall. 

Poker Palace, a casino in North Las Vegas situated on the Las Vegas Boulevard, notified its 126 employees on July 29 that layoffs were set for September 30, with a final closing date of October 1, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification. 

WARN notices are required by federal law to inform employees of closings and mass layoffs at least 60 days in advance. 

The casino was sold, impacting all of the employees’ jobs, but it’s unclear what the future holds for the local spot. 

No reason for the closure has been given. Las Vegas saw tourist numbers fall by 11 percent in June compared to the same time last year 

Soaring prices and viral complaints about rip-offs have put some prospective visitors off. Canadian tourists – who are particularly important to the local economy – are also shunning Las Vegas and the US after President Trump threatened to turn their country into the 51st state.

And while Poker Palace doesn’t sit in a tourist hotspot, the citywide slump has seen many locals losing their jobs and falling behind on mortgage repayments, giving them less to spend at the city’s off-the-beaten-track spots.  

Poker Palace has served the community of North Las Vegas since 1974, when the casino was simply a blackjack table, eight slot machines, and two pool tables. 

The entire casino was the size of a studio apartment at a measly 700 square feet. Poker Palace grew over four decades to a 25,000 square foot casino with over 250 slots, seven table games, eight poker tables, and a bingo room.

Poker Palace prides itself on being the ‘Locals’ Casino’. They’ve advertised as a place where residents of Las Vegas can ‘Come, relax & experience for yourself the “neighborly” hospitality that we have to offer’.

The casino also has a restaurant called Maddy’s Cafe that’s open late on the weekends and was branded ‘one of North Las Vegas’ favorite restaurants’. 

The closure of a North Las Vegas staple marks a troubling trend for the city as tourism declines. 

According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, tourism dropped by 11.3 percent in June compared to last summer. 

Visitors checking in at local hotels have declined 7.3 percent, and consumer spending in the city is down. 

Brian Gordon, a consultant with a Las Vegas-based firm, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that there’s been a ‘pullback’ in the market. 

The combination of increased tariffs, inflation rates, and high prices has prevented people from traveling to the notorious spending city. 

Las Vegas has also shifted its reputation from a gambler’s paradise to a luxury enclave with soaring resort costs and expensive prices. 

Michael Schoenberger, a professor of hospitality management, echoed this sentiment to Business Insider. 

‘You’re starting to change the mentality of the visitor where they’re thinking, “Well, I could go to Las Vegas, but it’s going to be a pain in my neck, or I could go to Cancún”‘.

‘It’s a cumulative effect that’s just now starting to show up’.

Andrew Woods, the director of the University of Las Vegas’s Center for Business and Economic Research, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the city’s reliance on discretionary spending means it often gets hit the hardest before other markets. 

Woods told the publication that if the US economy struggles, Sin City often gets the brunt of economic downturn first and recovers last. 

The city continues to rake in cash from gamblers, but other sectors, such as restaurants and retailers, have experienced a slump due to fewer tourists visiting Sin City. 

Daily Mail reached out to Poker Palace for comment on the casino’s closure.