Formula 1, Super Bowl LVIII, and a host of conventions: as the over 150,000 Las Vegas hotel rooms are anticipated to book out for multiple large-scale events in the coming months, data shows over 1,800 hotel jobs remain vacant in the valley.

Though a recent report shows Nevada leading the country in unemployment rate, experts say the statistic isn’t so simple.

Like the rest of the economy, gaming was on a roll in 2019. It appeared set to continue into 2020. But as we all know, an infamous “black swan” showed up in the guise of a global pandemic. Again, like the rest of the economy, gaming came to a halt. It was a full stop with all casinos in the country closing in March. It wasn’t until May that some states permitted casinos to reopen with restrictions. It took the rest of 2020 for most of the nation’s gambling halls to reopen.

Economists at UNLV are loosening predictions of a recession in the next 12 months, while nationally many are expecting at least a mild recession beginning later this year — a sign that shows the uncertainty swirling around how the economy will perform.

The latest earning reports from casino operators and tourism officials show strong earnings and visitation and convention attendance on an upward trajectory in Las Vegas.

There are nearly 1,200 miles of Union Pacific Railroad track carrying freight through Nevada, its rail cars loaded with everything from coal and chemicals to consumer goods.

Las Vegas resident Michael McCarthy used to visit casinos about five times a month, but now it’s down to once a month for one reason — inflation.

Las Vegas resident Michael McCarthy used to visit casinos about five times a month, but now he only visits once a month for one reason: inflation.