Springtime is boomtime in Las Vegas -- with pool-perfect weather drawing business travelers, gamblers, golfers and spa-goers eager to put winter behind them. The only catch: $500-a-night rooms; $300 meals; $200 show tickets.

Not this spring.

Reacting to a national economic slump that has depressed gambling revenues and room rates along the tourist zone known as the Las Vegas Strip, casino and hotel operators are offering up a buffet of spring time deals normally reserved for the hot, slow summer months.

Already, room rates along the Strip are predicted to decline 23% through May 3, according to one analyst. Gambling revenues recently dropped for the second straight month, and visitation is down slightly. Conventioneers -- those lanyard-wearing herds responsible for driving up midweek hotel-room prices -- are cutting their stays short. Leisure travelers aren't coming in their usual peak spring numbers.

That "has a significant impact" on revenue, said Terry Jicinsky, senior vice president of marketing for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. "That's where we're beginning to see some of the opportunities in discounted room rates and packages."

Source:http://www.casinonews.org/