How Las Vegas Casinos Are Embracing Environmental Issues

If there is one thing that Las Vegas is known for, it is the aura of excess that comes with an economy that is built so heavily on casinos and gaming. According to the Las Vegas Sun, water usage has dropped across the city but the wealthier residents continue to use more than their fair share, a serious issue for a city in the middle of a desert.

The perception that all casinos are damaging to the environment is one that many are keen to see change. People around the world still want to travel, but the impact of their vacations on the environment is an increasingly important factor in choosing their destinations, to the point where the New York Times put out a list of ways to travel and minimize your carbon footprint.

Casinos like Turtle Creek Casino in Michigan have used planned refurbishments to create a more environmentally-friendly build, with lots of windows to increase energy efficiency and reduce power consumption.

Bally’s is another massive casino in Las Vegas that is looking to cut its water usage. The hotel and casino is well-known for its entertainment offerings. In fact, Bally’s will co-host the World Series Of Poker this year with Paris, both of which are part of the Caesars Entertainment Group.

Each hotel that Caesars owns, which includes Harrah’s, the Flamingo, and, of course, Caesars Palace, were tasked with cutting water consumption by 25 per cent by the year 2025, showing a forward-thinking commitment to reducing their impact on the local environment. That’s great news for the ethically-minded poker players, such as the environmentally-minded Dan Negreanu.

All along the Las Vegas Strip, you can see the effects of this water conservation mindset. Gone is the lush green grass outside, which was the number one source of water wastage in the city for years. While grass almost immediately loses water to the air or to the ground, preventing it from being reclaimed or recycled, native trees and cactus require significantly less water to thrive and have the added bonus of accentuating the local flora for visitors.

There’s more; a decision by the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) recently allowed three major casino operations to leave the NV Energy market. This meant the trio, namely Sands Corp, MGM Resorts and Wynn Resorts, are now able to explore alternative methods of powering their locations, including solar or wind power.

When you consider the bright lights use an awful lot of energy, it is refreshing to know that change is afoot, even if it is not obvious right now. The Luxor Beam, which projects out from the top of the pyramid-shaped casino, is one of the worst offenders when it comes to excess consumption.

It uses 40,000-watt bulbs to maintain its strong beam, lighting up the night sky. Whilst solar power is unlikely to power that alone, the position of the city in the desert means other lights may eventually run purely on solar power.

How long these initiatives stay in place will depend entirely on how successful they are, and if customers continue to return to the casinos. These venues are betting heavily on the idea that players care enough about the environment that it will influence their destination choices.

If you’re looking for how you can make your home more energy-efficient all throughout the year, check out our list of great ‘Alternative Energy Sources for Your Home’.