Vegas is in the midst of a culture shift. Oldest generation of visitors now grew up in the 60's with rock and roll, stones, etc. Gen X'ers are now the high wage earners, but also have the obligations of mortgages, kids in college, planning for retirement, etc. My wife and I blow money in Vegas while our friends are staying home because we are DINK professionals with high income, and little to no college debt.
Contrast that to the millennials where 50K in school debt is nothing new, grew up with the internet, messaging or social media is the primary form of communication, and YouTube stars are held in as high regard as traditional movie stars. We also are seeing a shift in show trends. Vegas went thru the Cirque phase, Broadway show phase, and is now in a residency phase.
Since there is higher margins to be made on alcohol sales in clubs, marketing spend has shifted away from show entertainment as a primary revenue stream.
It takes a lot of capital to put on and host a production show with a high risk of return. MGM learned the hard way with two flops at
Aria. Headliners offer an established customer base and
outside of any financial commitment to performer, untapped profit with meet and greets and brand advertising.
The millennials are the new growth engine for Vegas so expect more entertainment shift. Married middle age white males are still edging out other demographics for now. These guys aren't coming to Vegas for a show unless they are with their wives. Maybe the nudie ones.
Read more about Vegas stats from the LVCA visitor statistics report. Page 50 has the age and gender profiles.
http://www.lvcva.com/includes/content/images/media/docs/2015-Las-Vegas-Visitor-Profile.pdf