A downtown Las Vegas resort chain has launched an incentive to lure back visitors from Canada, offering a currency exchange deal to make up for lost footfall last year. However, this could have well come from the introduction to online casinos in several Canadian provinces but there also remains other reasons for the decline in footfall...
Data released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) showed that the number of Canadian visitors dropped by around 20% in 2025.
This has been attributed to "a multitude of issues", including costs and airline capacity as well as the wider political backdrop in the United States, with many protesting with their feet against President Donald Trump.
President Trump's impact on relations with Canada
In recent times, Trump has contributed to a change in tone and feeling from Canadians over international tariff policies and his remarks about making Canada the 51st state of the US.
Most recently at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Trump was involved in a frank exchange with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, when he declared that Canadians "should be grateful to us".
After that, the US leader posted an AI image on social media, depicting the Western Hemisphere with American flags planted on Canada, as well as Greenland, Cuba and Venezuela.
The gambling industry in Las Vegas and elsewhere across the states cannot do much to impact the wider geopolitical situation, but it is making efforts to change what it can.
At Par initiative from Circa Resort & Casino
To address the shortfall in visitors from Canada, Circa Resort & Casino has launched the 'At Par' program across its Circa, the D Las Vegas and Golden Gate venues.
The incentive will treat CA$1 as US$1 for hotel rooms, gaming, and drinks, with the CAD/USD exchange rate sitting at $0.72 at the time of launch.
Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of Circa Resort & Casino, is the mastermind behind the plan, which has captured plenty of attention on both sides of the border.
"We miss Canadians here", said Stevens, as he revealed the influence for his promotion was a similar scheme he remembers from growing up in Detroit, less than 2km across the river from Windsor, Ontario.
"We really wanted to address the issue and let everyone know that Canadians are missed. Canadians are a great demographic, fun-loving", he added.
The press release from Circa Resorts went on to detail that:
"The initiative gives all Canadian travellers and locals an immediate financial advantage, eliminating conversion stress and reinforcing downtown Las Vegas as a guest-first destination built on value, accessibility and fairness."
Visitors from the Great White North don't need to stay at Circa, the D, or Golden Gate to avail of the deal.
All that is required to redeem up to CA$500 in slot promotional play (in full US dollar value) at Circa's casinos is to present a valid Canadian passport or government-issued ID.
That is all.
LVCVA statistics show that Canada was the biggest international market for tourism in Las Vegas, accounting for 44% of air travel into Sin City between 2019 and 2024.
As well as numbers dropping 20% in 2025, airline capacity from Canada also slumped by 30%.
"We have a great Canadian base and I just really wanted to try to accelerate it a bit more", said Derek Stevens.
The 'At Par' promotion will run through to August 31, and it will be interesting to monitor how successful the incentive will be and if any of the major Las Vegas casino operators follow suit.
