Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' says gambling isn't dying even as Las Vegas poker rooms close one by one

The driblet successful Las Vegas tourism has been well-documented, with full visitant numbers down 7.5%. At the aforesaid time, poker rooms on the Vegas Strip are closing — raising questions astir the entreaty of in-person gambling. 

Rick Harrison of "Pawn Stars" fame — arsenic good arsenic proprietor of the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop successful Las Vegas — told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation that gambling successful idiosyncratic is not dying.

"We cognize what the oldest assemblage is, gambling was astir apt the second," Harrison joked. "People ever gambling and plus, you know, Vegas, it's conscionable not the gambling."

LAS VEGAS POKER ROOMS FOLD AS CASINO TOURISM PLUMMETS TO RECORD LOWS

Harrison said Las Vegas hosts definite conventions dissimilar anyplace successful the satellite and radical are coming to Sin City for much than conscionable gambling.

"Keep changing it around, spot what sticks to the wall, and springiness your customers what they want, and they volition support connected coming back," helium said.

Travelers usage the slot machines interior of Harry Reid planetary airdrome successful Las Vegas, NV, Saturday, September 20, 2025. (Michael Anthony for Fox News Digital)

The latest poker country that closed was Resorts World on March 30, a casino typical confirmed to Fox News Digital.

The closure volition permission conscionable 8 poker rooms unfastened connected the Las Vegas Strip, according to the blog "Vital Vegas."

"However, we volition beryllium introducing caller gaming opportunities to regenerate the poker room," the typical said.

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The typical did not elaborate connected what caller gaming offerings would instrumentality the room’s place. It presently features No Limit Texas Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and mixed games.

"You don't person conscionable the full aged benignant [where you] person blackjack tables, [it’s] acheronian and everything other similar that," said Harrison.

Fontainebleau Resort & Casino, featuring a 150,000 quadrate ft casino and 3,600 rooms, is viewed (George Rose/Getty Images)

He credited Circa Resort & Casino for changing it up sharing  "You spell down to Circa [and] there's go-go dancers dancing down the blackjack tables. It makes it much fun."

Las Vegas Strip gaming revenue fell 11% twelvemonth implicit year, from $840,093,428 successful January 2025 to $747,655,527 successful January 2026, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB).

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Nevada’s nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a full gaming triumph of astir $1.35 cardinal successful January of this year, dropping 6.55% compared to the aforesaid period past year, according to the NGCB.

The online gambling marketplace is expected to scope a projected gross of $22.2 cardinal by 2030, according to Grand View Research.

Nevada’s nonrestricted gaming licensees reported a full gaming triumph of astir $1.35 cardinal successful January of this year, dropping 6.55% compared to the aforesaid period past year. (iStock, Fox News Digital)

Harrison says determination has been a displacement successful Vegas since backmost successful the day.

"The rooms weren't expensive. You had large entertainment. [It] wasn't brainsick money. The nutrient wasn't expensive; they made astir of their wealth disconnected the gambling," helium said. "Nowadays, younger radical don't gamble arsenic much, truthful you person to alteration your concern model, however you're going to marque money," said Harrison. 

"In the end, you person to deliberation astir the lawsuit experience."

In 2025, determination were astir 38.5 cardinal visitors, a 7.5% driblet from 2024 according to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCA).

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Robby Starbuck, a blimpish activistic and the big of "The Robby Starbuck Show," antecedently told Fox News Digital that in-person gambling is becoming little popular. 

"Now astir everyone nether 40 who bets seems to do it online," Starbuck said.

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"I don’t cognize 1 idiosyncratic nether property 40 who goes to Vegas regularly to stake oregon play slots," helium added. 

"This inclination volition proceed with younger radical because, honestly, our minds are wired differently."