For decades, the casino resort model was built on a simple premise: get guests to the gaming floor and keep them there. The hotel room, the restaurant, the entertainment — these were largely understood as amenities designed to extend the time a guest spent on property, which meant time they might spend at the tables or the slots.
That model still generates billions. But the most sophisticated operators in 2025 understand that the relationship between gaming and non-gaming revenue has fundamentally changed — and the properties building the most resilient businesses are the ones that have deliberately developed non-gaming into a primary revenue driver, not a supporting character.
Gaming fills the floor. Non-gaming fills the calendar, the hotel, the restaurant, and the future. The properties that understand this build businesses that can weather any economic cycle.
The Current Revenue Picture
The U.S. casino hotel industry reached $84.9 billion in revenue in 2025, sustaining 11.6% annual growth over the past three years and a 5-year CAGR of 4.8%, according to Kentley Insights market research.
$84.9B U.S. casino hotel industry revenue in 2025, with 11.6% annual growth over three years (Kentley Insights, 2025)
Gaming still represents the largest single revenue category, accounting for 46.25% of aggregate industry revenue in 2025. But that means more than half of casino resort revenue — 53.75% — now comes from non-gaming sources. And non-gaming streams are growing significantly faster: at an 8.28% CAGR through 2031, compared to gaming’s more modest trajectory.
46.25% of casino resort revenue from gaming in 2025 — meaning 53.75% comes from non-gaming sources (Mordor Intelligence, 2026)
The F1 Effect: What a Single Event Can Do
The Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix provided one of the most compelling demonstrations of integrated resort economics in recent history. The event added an estimated $1.3 billion in local economic value and raised RevPAR — revenue per available room — by 25 to 40 percent during race week.
$1.3B in local economic value generated by the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, with RevPAR up 25–40% during race week (Mordor Intelligence, 2026)
The Las Vegas Strip ADR — average daily rate — reached a record $193.16 in 2024, reflecting the sustained premium that well-positioned integrated resorts command in a competitive market.
Source: Mordor Intelligence, January 2026
Events like the Grand Prix illustrate a principle that the most successful casino resort operators have internalized: the best performing properties are not primarily casinos that happen to have hotels and restaurants. They are entertainment destinations that happen to have casinos. The distinction shapes every decision from capital allocation to marketing strategy.
The Non-Gaming Revenue Streams Driving Growth
Hotel and accommodations
The luxury segment of casino hotels commanded 60.67% of revenue in 2025 and is growing at a 7.42% CAGR through 2031 — the fastest growing segment by star rating. Guests willing to pay premium room rates are also the guests most likely to spend across other property amenities. MGM Resorts’ partnership with Marriott Bonvoy generated 140,000 incremental bookings within months of launch, illustrating how strategic alliances amplify hotel revenue beyond what direct marketing alone can achieve.
Source: Mordor Intelligence, January 2026
Food and beverage
Chef-driven dining concepts have become brand anchors for major integrated resorts — not just profit centers, but reasons guests choose one property over another. The best F&B programming extends average length of stay, increases per-visit spend, and provides marketing content that reaches audiences who may never have thought of themselves as casino visitors.
Entertainment and events
The arena-scale entertainment infrastructure that major Las Vegas properties have built creates a revenue diversification that extends well beyond gaming. Concerts, boxing matches, residencies, sporting events, and conventions fill hotel rooms on off-peak gaming nights and attract demographics that gaming-only marketing never would.
Branded retail and wellness
Branded retail partnerships and spa/wellness offerings contribute to the non-gaming revenue mix while reinforcing the luxury positioning that commands premium room rates and higher per-visit spend across every category.
The Market Trajectory
The global casino hotel industry is projected to grow from $182.61 billion in 2025 to $325.85 billion by 2035, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.96%, according to Market Research Future. The growth is being driven not by gaming expansion alone, but by the integrated resort model’s ability to capture spending across multiple categories from a single guest visit.
$325.85B projected global casino hotel industry value by 2035, up from $182.61B in 2025 — a 5.96% CAGR (Market Research Future, 2025)
What This Means for Casino Resort Marketing
A revenue mix that’s increasingly split between gaming and non-gaming requires a marketing and communication strategy that reflects that complexity. The guest who books a three-night stay for the entertainment headliner is a different person from the guest who drives in for a gaming session on a Tuesday. Both have value. Both require messaging that speaks to their specific motivation — and both represent the kind of relationship that the best loyalty programs are designed to deepen.
The properties that will capture the largest share of the projected growth are the ones whose communication across every channel — advertising, loyalty emails, social content, direct mail, in-property signage — reflects the full scope of what they offer. Not just gaming. Not just rooms. The complete experience of a destination that rewards the decision to choose it.
A revenue mix this diverse requires communication that does justice to every revenue stream.
I write for gaming and hospitality properties — from loyalty campaigns to resort positioning to non-gaming marketing that converts.