Las Vegas Poker Rooms Keep Closing as Resorts World Folds

Resorts World Las Vegas is shutting down its poker room by March 30, 2026, and the Las Vegas poker rooms count on the Strip just dropped to eight. It is a number that would have been unthinkable before the pandemic, when 31 rooms operated across the city. The closure is not a shock, but it adds another clear data point to a trend that has been building for years.

A Room That Could Not Hold Its Numbers

Resorts World opened in 2021 as one of the most anticipated casino launches in Strip history. Its poker room was part of the package from day one and even hosted the PokerStars North American Poker Tour (NAPT). But attendance at the 2025 NAPT Main Event fell to 738 entries, down from 895 the year before. That drop did not go unnoticed.

The casino confirmed the closure and said new gaming offerings would take the room’s place, though no specifics have been announced. Whatever fills that space, one thing is clear: poker was not pulling its weight. According to data from the UNLV Center for Gaming Research, poker accounted for less than 2% of annual revenue at average Strip casinos in 2024. For a property looking to maximize floor space, that math is hard to ignore.

The Strip Is Running Out of Poker Rooms

Resorts World is not alone. Planet Hollywood’s poker room closed in January 2026, just two months before this latest announcement. Each closure chips away at what was once a defining feature of the Las Vegas casino experience.

The backdrop makes it worse. Las Vegas tourism dropped 7.5% in February compared to the same month the previous year. Strip gaming revenue in January 2026 fell 11% year-on-year, according to the Nevada Gaming Control Board. These are not small fluctuations. They point to a city dealing with a real and sustained dip in visitor numbers, and Las Vegas poker rooms are absorbing a disproportionate share of the pain.

Poker has always needed a critical mass of players to function well. Tables sit empty faster than slot machines do. When foot traffic drops, poker rooms feel it almost immediately, and a slow room is a visible problem in a way that a quiet corner of slots is not.

Online Gambling Is Eating the Next Generation

Part of what is driving this is demographic. Younger gamblers are not showing up in the same numbers for live poker. The shift toward online platforms has accelerated, and players under 40 are far more likely to open an app than book a flight to Las Vegas for a few nights at the tables.

This is not a new observation, but the data keeps confirming it. Las Vegas poker rooms built their identity around the in-person experience, the atmosphere, the reads, the ritual of sitting across from an opponent. Online platforms strip all of that away and replace it with convenience and volume. For a generation that grew up with both, convenience tends to win.

That does not mean live poker is finished. The World Series of Poker continues to draw massive fields, and the Wynn Millions series keeps breaking attendance and prize pool records. High-stakes tournament poker still commands genuine excitement. But the mid-tier, everyday poker room model is under serious pressure, and the Strip closures reflect that reality.

Eight Rooms Left and Counting

The Las Vegas poker rooms that remain are facing a concentrated but shrinking market. Eight rooms serving a city of this size is a significant reduction, and there is no obvious sign that the contraction has stopped.

Resorts World’s decision fits a pattern: when a venue weighs what to do with underperforming floor space, poker rarely wins the argument anymore. The room will close, something else will take its place, and the Strip will move on. For poker players, each closure makes the trip a little less worthwhile. And for operators, that is exactly the problem.