Las Vegas is dying. Where the hell is everyone? [Music] It does feel quiet. As you can see, it is dead. This is starting to get creepy, don't you think? >> And one quick search will tell you all about it. >> Vegas is dying, guys. >> $8 to $20 a cocktail. That could be a reason why people are not coming to Vegas. I mean, to come on out here and have a good time. You can blow through a couple hundred quick. >> Oh, thousands. What do you mean thousands? >> Vegas is showing real signs of decline. >> Things have changed dramatically in recent years. Las Vegas is definitely not what it used to be. And you just might be surprised at how bad the situation has gotten. >> This place is dead. >> And the scary part is they might not be wrong. The tourism numbers are down a whopping 11%. June alone saw 400,000 less visitors. Multi-billion dollar resorts are empty. The Vegas airport is losing hundreds of thousands of passengers and overall the numbers haven't been this low since there was a global pandemic. >> Officially announced that this is a global pandemic. We will be suspending all travel. >> This hotel has an entire theme park and as you can see it is dead. This is a Saturday. A Saturday and it's just like a couple stragglers walking around. All of the restaurants are pretty empty. This is pretty crazy. Look at around. So much space just for me kicking about. But how is this even possible? What is it that is turning people away from the world's entertainment capital? Well, I decided to investigate exactly that. So, I invited five of my Gen Z friends from different parts of the world to spend the next 7 days soaking up all Las Vegas has to offer. Throughout the trip, I'll be checking in on them. >> No, we don't need alcohol. It's going to be really expensive here. I spent a lot of money on cheesecake and I was like tipping in America is just insane >> cuz it's shocking >> updates. Uh, and I lost it all. >> Yeah, tough cell. But on the last day, they will have to answer the ultimate question. Based on what you did and what you saw, is this a city that is dying or not? >> Trust me, this answer was not what I was expecting. So with no idea what was to come, we packed our bags, headed to the airport. But before we even got to Sin City, Sin City prices were already getting to us. So um before we even get into Vegas, uh these flights here, they cost us $3,300 US >> for our economy. >> But that's the starting point before you even get to hotels or anything, which is pretty expensive. >> We'll win it back. But we refused to let that falter our spirits. And with the hope of winning our flights back on the slots, we solded on until we got taken into a back room in the Vegas airport for the first time ever. So, we've actually just had our first experience of the border crackdown. We got detained in a little back room and you see these chairs like this. There was even little handcuffs on there and we were waiting in this little room where you couldn't use your phone. There was a movie on. And everyone was looking all nervous. They're bringing the sus characters in, but uh they let us go because obviously we're all above board. Uh it's real. It's real. It's happening. >> Be careful out there, guys. >> So, with our egos bruised and Elliot's belongings bruised even worse, >> we got into a $74 Uber from the airport and arrived at the newest major hotel in Vegas, Fontaine Blue. Actually, after the booking fee, airport search charge, recovery search charge, transportation recovery tax, Uber venue search charge, and waiting time charge. For some reason, the Uber was actually $95 for a 19-minute drive. [Music] This is our friend Manuel, who traveled 25 hours from Australia to get here, and it's the first time we've seen each other in years. Yeah, I got I I got zapped like twice doing this. Ah, I literally just got zapped. You heard that, didn't you? >> Yeah. He only said he was locked in for from his hip searches. He set up a profile in Vegas before he got here. >> No, you didn't set up a profile. You just changed your location. [Music] Oh Okay, so just to give you an idea of how expensive Vegas can be, this is not just any mini bar. If you read here, if you take anything from the tray for longer than 60 seconds, you get charged. And you do not want to get charged because for a packet of potato chips, $12. For cheese crisps, $14. You want one of these Coca-Cas? One can, $12. And if I don't put that back in 60 seconds, Elliot will get charged cuz we're >> The fact that you're picking this up right now is two shots. >> Yeah. What the hell? >> I might just come into your room. >> No. No. >> You can threaten someone. You can go to the bar like 60 59. >> Ah, Las Vegas. It's 1969. You're watching Elvis perform at the International Hotel. Your room, drinks, food, and even show tickets are completely free, and you're having the time of your life. You don't know it yet, but the spirit and allure of Vegas for decades to come is going to be built off of nights like these. And for the Vegas resorts, it made sense to give all of these things for free because profits from gambling were never higher. It was their single largest source of revenue and the freebies were almost seen as marketing to get people in the doors and on the tables because that's where they made their money. But things in the big 25 tell a very different story. The source of profits resorts make today has completely flipped. For most, gambling now accounts for less than a quarter, while non-gambling sources like retail, shows, events, and dining have now become king. And for the visitors, you can really feel it. Guys, I'm not going to lie to you. I'm getting really sick of everything being so expensive here. Sandwich 17 bucks. Coke $6. Tip: I don't even know. Probably 20% on top of that. Uh, I just got a drink and a chapstick 12 actually $13. Man, these prices can add up. >> Little show of just two energy drinks. Uh 18 bucks. >> I was going to buy as well. I am not. So expensive. >> I can't even get it. >> It's done. >> Do we all want to uh take a guess on how much this this just cost me? >> What is it? >> Just Just water. >> $8. >> $10.95. >> That's more expensive than [Music] >> Get me out of here. That's Vegas, man. This is why people are saying it's dying. And look at her. >> Can I get my big sauce? >> Everything in this city feels like it is built to take your money. In fact, just last week, a tourist visiting Vegas claimed she was charged $224 for using the wall sockets. You see, this tiny little note over here says, "Please refrain from unplugging the tray. If this occurs, a $50 fee will be applied each day. Taxes also apply. And this is the outlet it's plugged into. To make it worse, it's not even a refrigerating tray to try and prevent the snacks from spoiling. It's one of those weight sensing trays to detect if you've picked something up so they can charge you. And it's not just these one-off horror stories. These hidden fees and sneaky ways to charge you extra are now built into the very system itself. >> Some restaurants like Chio right behind me here at the center of the strip add a fee of about 5% onto your bill, but the server is not going to tell you upfront. Instead, what the restaurant does is they put the writing in tiny print at the bottom of the menu. So, you have to find it. And in order to get it removed, you have to check the printed receipt to notice the charge and then ask them to remove it and then they will with no questions asked. This is exactly what's making people say Vegas is dying. I mean, we stayed at Circus Circus one night for a Page Bros video, and despite the room only costing $17 a night, when you actually get to the checkout with the added fees and taxes, it jumped to a whopping $70. And the thing is, it's not just that Vegas is expensive. It's the feeling of getting overcharged. The feeling you have to become a forensic accountant on vacation or you'll get ripped off. And remember, for the millions of international visitors, even the tipping culture in America is hard to get used to. Uh, has there been anything that's shocked you? >> Tipping has been crazy. I spent a lot of money on cheesecake and I was like, "Oh, it's not that bad." And then you realize you also have to tip on top of >> man. Well, I hear that you're pissed about something. >> Okay, I'm pissed because I saw the price tag for $10. I'm not tipping that right? And then basically what happened was I get the smallest cup ever. Look, Elliot, get over here, mate. Come on. Look at the cup. Look at the cup size. $10. And how much was yours? >> Seven. >> That is a ripoff. Holy And it's mainly just ice. I think so. The conspiracy theory is real. And I'm telling you right now, Las Vegas is a joke. >> One Starbucks broken. But people can only get burnt so many times before they stop turning up. >> This is your last time that you want to come here for a while? >> Um, yeah, I think so. >> But when you throw in like your hotel prices, taxes that aren't even included on it, like obviously we're British, so that's not what happens with us, so we don't expect it. And then food, like even Uber's here, I swear I like double the price of anywhere I've ever been before. And we've been around quite a few places in America nowadays. I'm being honest, like these places used to be buzzing. Looking around now, like no one's gambling. Like we I would call this busy right now. It's not even 50% full. And I mean like even like walking up and down the strip, there's just like no one around. The newest projects in Vegas are now hurting. Not only did it take 19 years and about $3.7 billion to build Fountain Blue, making it the second most expensive resort to ever be built in Vegas, but also according to local creator Vegas Poly C, who claims that he was sent financial records by a disgruntled employee, they were losing about $400,000 per day last year, and the city's tourism numbers have only declined since then. But things got even crazier when we went to the $4.2 2 billion resorts world. >> Bro, this is the most expensive resort that's ever been built in Vegas and it is absolutely dead. Wow. >> Damn. Just another empty hallway, bro. >> This is starting to get creepy, don't you think? This is a Saturday, too. Oh my gosh. >> Jesus, >> bro. I'm getting lost in here. There's so much empty space. I don't know what to tell you. I don't think I've ever seen somewhere so empty. Look, there's just a couple of toilets down there. Every escalator we've been on, we're the only ones on there. This is truly insane. A Saturday and it's just like a couple stragglers walking around. All of the restaurants are pretty empty. This is pretty crazy. This is remember the most expensive. Literally all of Vegas right here. Everything looks popping. And then you turn around and there's just more emptiness. It only opened in 2021 after many delays and setbacks, meaning it's a baby compared to many of the other resorts Vegas has to offer. It has a very modern theme and the Resorts World's executives announced that the entire project was being rethemed for a younger crowd. And if anyone needs a reference, this was the resort that Mr. Beast held the infamous Mr. Beast experience, which has been likened to Fire Festival and the Wonka Experience. And was such a disaster, it left fans outraged demanding refunds. Now, this was by far the most empty, dead resort we'd been to the entire week, and the numbers agreed. In the first quarter of 2025, Resorts Worlds reported a 22% year-over-year decline in revenue and a staggering 75% fall in earnings. You could call it a dying resort, but you'd have to first question if it ever had life in the first place. And if this is happening to one of the newest, most expensive resorts which was built to entertain the next generation of Vegas, what does that say for the future of the city? You know what? I I wasn't really thinking Vegas is dying, but now? Well, to understand that question a little bit more, we have to travel back in time and visit the hotel that has been open in Vegas for 119 years. We are at the oldest hotel in Las Vegas, the Golden Gate. It's been open since 1906, so it's over a hundred years old, still running. But the interesting thing about this is that recently they made the controversial decision to get rid of all of their human dealers and move exclusively over to robot dealers and electronic games. Now, the oldest Vegas hotel, getting rid of car dealers, an occupation synonymous with Vegas has caused quite a stir, and many say it's a sign of the times. So, we went to investigate. We checked in and oh, for anyone that's wondering if it's possible to still do Vegas on a budget, well, yeah, it is. This room was only $70 a night, but you got to be okay with not sleeping, >> bro. Imagine trying to sleep here. Are the windows shut? The windows are completely shut. >> No way. Listen to that, >> bro. It's rattling. Come over here. It's rattling this. You got a DJ, bro. Just partying. Damn. [Music] >> Can you keep it down? >> And I'm not going to lie, after seeing the room, I was expecting the worst downstairs at the casino. But then something very unexpected happened. As we were filming, we were approached by management. But instead of telling us to stop recording like we were expecting, he not only encouraged us to record, but he told us that they were running a promotion where people not only get free drinks, but between $5 and $1,000 in free money to gamble. And guys, I'm not going to lie to you. We got lured in. The Vegas effect was in full swing. And honestly, this moment right here, standing in a literal relic of the city, Vegas never felt so alive. You know what's so ironic about this whole situation is that I came in here to show you guys that they've replaced their dealers, as you can see over here, with digital electronic dealers, right? And this is because Vegas is dying. But here I am. They've just given us free money to gamble. They've just given us free drinks and they've allowed us to record and here we are having some of the greatest nights that we've had since being here and we're sucked in just like that and we're all having a great time. How did they change our mind so quickly? This is the Vegas effects. Well, let's gamble. Woo! >> Maddie even turned her free $5 voucher into over $100 of real cash. >> OH MY GOD, THAT IS INSANE. BRO, you clicked that three times. I mean, what is happening here? Has our opinion of Vegas started shifting? >> You know what? For a Monday night and a hotel that's supposed to be dying in a city that's dying, it's pretty lively. It's got a lot of people here. A lot of people are having a good time. I don't see it. I just don't see the feeling of it dying. But how can this be? How is it possible we had a better time in an old rundown hotel than in places which spent billions to become the future of Vegas? This is when it slowly started occurring to me. Vegas is a city deeply entrenched in the nostalgia of its heyday. When you think of Vegas, you think Elvis Presley showgirls, the mob cheap buffets, the phrase, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." But times have changed. There's an entirely new generation whose habits are trending in the exact opposite direction of what Vegas is known for. Gen Z drink less alcohol than any other generation on Earth. They're smoking less. Their spending habits are different. They're the most likely generation to search nature when booking a vacation. They're much more conscious about their health and well-being. >> Saturday night on the strip. This is the central of Vegas. You drinking? Hell no. You drinking? >> Nah. You drinking? >> Hello. >> You drinking tonight? >> Yeah. I'm seven deep. You drinking tonight? >> No, sir. >> And even though they're still gambling, >> I can only have one vice and gambling takes it at the moment. >> They're gambling online. And as for our Gen Z test subjects, they fit almost every single stereotype. I mean, look at them. They haven't been outside in weeks. Not a single drop of alcohol was consumed the entire week. Not one club was entered. Most nights they went to bed before 10:00 p.m. and they were up and in the gym at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. But as for what they did do, they spent their vast majority of time and money on experiences and wild places to eat they found on Tik Tok. And so considering this, Vegas may not only have a tourism problem, but also a generation problem. You see, right now those aged 45 to 60 years spend the most money. But according to a report by World Data Lab, Gen Z globally will be the largest, wealthiest, and highest spending generation in history. So if in 10 years time, Vegas is still known as the city to party, get drunk, gamble, and spend all your money on the night of your life, they might have an even bigger problem on their hands. But here's the thing. These are all just numbers, speculation. And as our trip came to its last days, opinions of Vegas started to shift. I don't care what generation you are, you walk into a place like this and you're like, "Wo, >> bro, we're just looking at the sky right now. That's crazy. Look at that. That's the sky up there. Jeez. Holy cow. Oh my. That's Caesar." I'm like, I have to take a million photos. I'm never probably going to see this again. It feels like you're in a photo. It's crazy because like we've been to a lot of different places, but the kind of things that Vegas has, you can't find anywhere else. Even if you're not into clubbing, drinking, gambling, all of that, you can experience things like this. And it's like, it's pretty unique. Yo, should I should I get a whole squad? Yo, I was Yeah, yeah, let's do a picture. I'm doing I'm doing a video on, you know, when on TikTok people are like, "Oh, Vegas is dying." >> And so I was coming here to see. >> Do you guys think Vegas IS DYING OR NOT? THERE YOU GO. OKAY. WELL, that's so pretty confidently we're saying no. Have an awesome time, guys. >> I mean, Vegas really is a place like no other. Where else can you be in a giant glass pyramid of Egypt, but then walk down the road and end up in a Turkish castle and then cross a bridge and end up in New York, all in the same night. Las Vegas also has such a contagious energy the likes of which I have never experienced anywhere else in the world. And it's one of those where if you just let go, you stop fighting it and you just embrace the wild strangeness of the city and where it can take you, boy, it takes you on a ride. Last day in Vegas. You want to have a turn around? One last look. >> This is the final point. How was Vegas? How was your trip? Now, I believe what he's trying to say is we lost money and we made money, but it's Manuel. >> We spent money and we lost money. What did you think of your uh week in Vegas? >> Incredible trip. A lot of fun. >> Morgan, that was your first time in Vegas, eh? What are your thoughts? >> I had an idea of it, but actually being here is just way more grace. >> We spent money and we lost money. How was your week? It's been fantastic, hasn't it, for me? Glorious. >> It was expensive, wasn't it? We spent money and we lost money. Give us a number. Uh about 6K. >> Yeah. >> 6K US. Oh, pound. That's You're looking at 8 9K for the two of you. How much has a 7-day Vegas trip set you back? >> It would be about 5K. >> 5K? >> Yeah. >> So, how much did you spend in total for a week in Vegas? >> Just over 6K. >> 6K. Yes. Based on what you guys did and what you experienced, do you believe that this is a dying city? I don't think dying because if you think about it, I don't think there's anywhere else on the planet that can offer this experience. But I do think people's spending habits are shifting. It might just be a bit of a struggling time right now. Maybe it'll peak again in the future. I don't know. >> From my experience, I wouldn't say it's dying. >> Is this a city that is dying or not? >> I do not think it's dying. It's uh that Saturday night really showed that it's uh it's alive. Dying city or not? >> Overall, yes. on a Saturday night. No, >> I guess my ultimate opinion of whether Vegas is dying or not, it's honestly no. It does not feel like a dying city at all. We've been to many, many cities and that is not one of them that is dying. Uh I think it is hurting. >> Yes, >> I think that there are issues with how it's built up, but it is absolutely not dying. and the hotels and the resorts that are hurting, they've got multi multibillion dollar companies that own them and they can hurt for a while, but the big problem is it's very expensive. So, you can only come here rarely at the minute. >> And one thing I would say is if you come here, it will spoil the fun by trying to budget. >> Yeah, Vegas is one of those yolo places you just got to throw it all on black and have a good time and leave with a smile on your face. Was it worth that money in your opinion with uh hanging out with the boys? It was definitely worth it. Yeah. >> All right. What about without hanging out with the boys? If you went with like good friends, it would not be worth it at all. That right there. You know, Manuel is known for his wisdom, but he outdid himself with that one. And that's just it. Two quotes will forever be ingrained in our experience of Dying Vegas. >> We spend money and we lost money. >> With the power of friendship, you can do anything. You really can. Apart from pay for all these goddamn tips. >> All right, we're out. Love you. [Music]