Sin City has alwaus had a reputation of being “recession-proof”, but the recent economic downturn appears to have caught them. Most leading indicators for the gamblng mecca are down, as US citizens deal with historically high gas prices, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and rising prices of food. This means less people traveling, and less people traveling to Vegas with a pocket full of discretionary dollars.

People are staying closer to home throughout the country.

Several Vegas properties, including Jay Kornegay’s Las Vegas Hilton, said the 17-14 Giant win was a tough result for their sports books.

“It was like watching a train wreck,” Kornegay said of the 17-14 Giants victory as a 12-point underdog. “It’s not like the books made a mistake. We thought the odds were in our favor with New England. The public just wanted the Patriots to lose.”