Howard Stutz on four decades covering Las Vegas and where gambling goes next

Howard Stutz, a Las Vegas journalist with some 40 years in the business and now a senior reporter at the Nevada Independent, retires at the end of the year. In this exit interview on Low Rollers, host Eric looks back at his career with him and asks what comes next for Vegas gambling.

In this episode

• Stutz says he has reserved a Substack name, wants to "go away for six months" after retiring and that "a book has always come to mind" (6:59, 7:08).

• He picks Hurricane Katrina's hit on Gulf Coast casinos as a story he followed for about 10 years, starting with a week-long trip that became a seven-part series (11:49, 12:29).

• Gambling, he says, is no longer the Strip's primary revenue driver: it is "about 40%" for the casinos, with shows, hotel rooms and shopping drawing people (17:55, 18:17).

• On the A's, he says the ballpark will be completed and the team will be in Las Vegas in 2028, but the planned resort and entertainment district around it looks delayed until about 2030 (19:58, 20:55).

• He predicts the stadium's current casino partner will not be the one in place at first pitch in April 2028 (21:19).

• He calls the Hard Rock on the Strip, opening next year, "neat" and "a really fun attraction" (0:00, 23:04).

Episode from Low Rollers by Casino Reports, published on YouTube.