Vegas casino owner introduces ‘at par’ pricing for Canadian tourists amid slump

A Las Vegas casino owner who says he has “deep” ties to Canada is pitching a promotion he’s hoping will get Canadians to return to Sin City.

Derek Stevens, owner and CEO of Circa Resort & Casino, as well as two other casinos, said he will be going “at par” and make the exchange rate for Canadians equal at his hotels and select bars at their three Fremont Street properties.

“Whether it’s with paper money or using your credit card you get the appropriate discount based upon the exchange rate,” he said in a post on X.

Stevens said in a video that Canada has been a “part of my story,” with his father attending the University of Toronto and he visited Windsor, Ont., many times as he lived across the border in Grosse Pointe, Mich.

According to Circa’s website, Circa Resort, the D Las Vegas, and Golden Gate Hotel & Casion will see $1 equal to US$1.

The current exchange rate is US$1 for every $1.37.

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Stevens said the “at par” rate will apply to accommodations and drink prices, with hotel stays paying the “same number shown in U.S. dollars” charged in Canadian dollars.

Canadian guests also able to redeem up to $500 at the slot machines and it will be treated the same as U.S. dollars.

“$500 Canadian goes off as $500 American to give you a good shot,” Stevens said. “I miss Canada, Las Vegas misses Canada, our team misses Canada.”

All promotions require a Canadian passport or government-issued ID and no one under 21 can participate, Circa resort says in its rules.

The offer from Stevens comes as Vegas sees a decline in tourism numbers in the past year.

Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority found in its tourism indicators that the number of visitors to the city had dropped by 5.2 per cent in November 2025, compared to one year prior.

Data from Harry Reid International Airport also showed the number of passengers on flights operated by WestJet, Air Canada, and Porter had all dropped in October 2025 compared to the same month in 2024.

The percentage drop year over year on those airlines ranged from 22 per cent on Porter up to 33 per cent on WestJet.

The numbers of Canadians heading south of the border have consistently dropped since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Return trips to the U.S. were down almost 24 per cent year-over-year in November.

Flight Centre Canada reported when asked about their 2026 travel intentions, 62 per cent of 1,000 Canadians said they were less likely to visit the U.S. compared to 2025.

The survey was conducted by YouGov in November 2025 and shared with Global News.

In addition, an Ipsos poll conducted in September exclusively for Global News found six in 10 Canadians said they could never trust the U.S. the same way again. A separate Global News Ipsos poll conducted in June found about three-quarters of Canadians surveyed said they intended to avoid travel to the U.S.

The promotion being held by Stevens’ hotels will be in place until Aug. 31.

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