The event of the year, the one that made the F1 bosses fork up more than $500 million to take on their first-ever hosting duties, definitely lived up to the billing. There was a lot of controversy ahead of the Las Vegas GP, with fans and locals expressing their discontent regarding the disruption to their lives and the extraordinary ticket prices. However, the on-track racing action made up for it. However, now, two weeks later, as the numbers start pouring in, let’s look at the reality.

Many speculations and speculators discussed the Las Vegas GP and its viability and success based on the absurd timing, especially for the American audience. There might’ve been a good reason for the late Saturday night showdown in Vegas for the organizers, in this case, the owners. However, it did not make sense to the fans, and we have data to prove it.

Viewership numbers confirm the Las Vegas GP as a failure

The fans did not understand the super late timing, which is exactly why the overall event was deemed a failure. This stance was solidified after the North American viewership numbers came in. According to Front Office Sports, the overall numbers have tanked compared to 2022.

In the 2022 season, Formula 1 saw a massive rise in popularity, all thanks to the highly engrossing outcome of the previous championship season. The sport saw an enormous rise of 28%, with an average of 1.21 million Americans watching every race of the season. This broke the previous record of the 2021 season.

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However, in 2023, the viewership reportedly went down by 8%. The 22-race season averaged 1.11 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN 2, and ABC – the Disney-owned platforms. These stats definitely dampen Liberty Media’s goal to increase the sport’s popularity in the American subcontinent.

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Now the circus will return in 2024 with three races in the US, but with hopes of improved viewership stats. However, there is one segment that benefitted more than the others.

Wynn hotel dealers love the Las Vegas GP

The one segment that benefitted the most from the Las Vegas GP was the casinos. Despite the F1 weekend, Sin City did not lose its charm as the fans flocked to the casinos. Thanks to the F1 weekend, the Wynn Hotel’s casino broke an 18-year-old record.

According to the report, Wynn’s casino collected a pot of 700,000 just in tips. Every dealer in the casino picked a massive $2000 tip each from Saturday night alone. This was 5 to 6 times more than their average, which is around $350-$400 on average nights. So even though the Las Vegas GP could not attract a lot of viewers to the screens, it definitely attracted a lot of fans to the city.

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A win-win lose-lose situation, perhaps? However, let’s give the race weekend the benefit of the doubt, with it being the first of its kind.