LAS Vegas locals are turning their backs on the famous Strip after a “shameful and ridiculous” decision left residents fuming and tourists baffled.
Tourism chiefs have already seen a 7.8% drop in visitors between January and August compared with last year, with many complaining they’re being fleeced at every turn.
GettyLiving costs on the Strip are more expensive than ever[/caption]
One furious resident slammed: “The parking fees are ridiculous. There’s no justification for charging them — taking advantage of people is shameful.”
It’s the latest example of how Vegas is pricing out ordinary visitors, as costs across the city spiral out of control.
PARKING CHARGES
A fed-up Las Vegas local has revealed the real reason residents are steering clear of the Strip — claiming sky-high parking charges are the final straw in a city that’s fast pricing everyone out.
In an anonymous letter published by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a man named Jean Man blasted “ridiculous” parking fees after being charged $40 to leave his car at Mandalay Bay Casino and Resort for a Las Vegas Aces game — and a staggering $50 the next time he returned.
Both times, he was forced to park on the sixth-floor roof.
“Do you want to know why locals are going to stop going to the Strip?” he fumed. “The parking fees are ridiculous. There is no justification for charging these fees. Taking advantage of people is shameful.”
His letter reflects growing anger over the soaring costs in Sin City — with many claiming Vegas has become a playground only for the highest earners.
Locals have been quick to back the frustrated resident, flooding social media with similar complaints about sky-high parking charges.
In a Facebook group for Las Vegas locals, one user blasted: “There’s no free parking on the Strip anymore — not even for residents!”
Another hit out at the casinos themselves, saying: “Some of these casinos are so greedy even their employees have to pay for parking when they go to work.”
A third fumed: “The corporations are gouging when they charge to park. There’s no shortage of parking in Vegas — it’s nothing but garages as far as the eye can see. There’s literally no reason to charge for it other than to gouge.”
BAR PRICES
And it’s not just parking that’s driving people mad — visitors say the sky-high prices across the Strip have made Las Vegas almost unrecognisable.
Tourists have reported being stung $26 for a single bottle of water from a hotel minibar and $74 for just two drinks at the futuristic Las Vegas Sphere.
Social media is filled with similar horror stories.
One Reddit user fumed they felt “more like a spectator than a participant” after being forced to cough up $30 for a glass of house wine and $50 for two bottles of water in their hotel room.
They added: “I have honestly never been to a place that was more absurdly priced.”
UNEMPLOYMENT RATES
Sin City’s soaring prices are changing the face of Las Vegas — and it’s not just tourists feeling the pinch.
A new report from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority found that 64% of visitors last year earned at least $100,000, up from 48% in 2023 and just 28% in 2019 — showing how the city is fast becoming a playground for the rich.
But while high-rollers flock in, locals are struggling to stay afloat.
Nevada lost 4,300 jobs in August alone, and unemployment in Las Vegas now sits among the worst in the country for metro areas under one million, at 5.6%.
Some residents say they’ve been forced to sell plasma to make ends meet, with work drying up in construction and hospitality — two of the city’s biggest industries outside of gaming.
With living costs climbing and the Strip more expensive than ever, it’s little wonder locals are giving Las Vegas’s glittering heart a wide berth.
GettySome residents say they’ve been forced to sell plasma to make ends meet[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
