Although all the big casinos are doing their best to attract more Vegas visitors this year with price cuts and vouchers, their slot machine business is dropping. And while Vegas slot machine business creates about two thirds of Sin City’s profits, it’s not such good news for the Las Vegas casinos.

According to the Gaming Control Board, Sin City gamblers wagered $1.1 billion less in slot machines than last year. Slot machines on The Sin City Strip are down half a billion dollars. This corresponds to a drop of 12% compared to 2007. With drivers shelling out more than $4 per gallon for gas, gamblers are really having to count their pennies nowadays. Although with the cost of gasoline going down, these numbers may change in the near future.

Casinos aren’t really bothered about this drop in slot machine proceeds, the latest reports show that table game play is actually going up. On The Strip the volume for Las Vegas table games is up 5 percent, with baccarat play up 15 percent and blackjack on the rise at 7 percent. This might seem like good news but, the truth is that Las Vegas hotel casinos won 21 percent less in July as a result of some lucky gamblers as well as bettors taking home a larger percentage than usual.

The famous saying, “The house always wins”, may have been true in the past. But as these reports tell us, Sin City casinos are having a harder time making a profit than in the past. This could be a great time for bettors to start using their hotel casino coupons, taking advantage of rebates, and using their frequent flyer miles. With the Las Vegas, Nevada casinos having a run of bad luck, this could be the most convenient moment for you to take a trip to Las Vegas.