High gas prices have caused some Southern California gamblers who regularly drive to Las Vegas to curb their visits by one-third, while others who still travel to the gaming mecca have trimmed their gambling budgets by nearly 30 percent, according to a recent poll.

The findings show gas prices having a bigger impact than indicated by statistics generated by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, according to a Las Vegas Sun article on the poll. The findings show key figures, such as the number of visitors who drive or fly to Las Vegas, hotel occupancy and room rates but don’t try to quantify how gas prices affect tourism.

The number of incoming vehicles on Interstate 15 counted by the Nevada Transportation Department at the Southern California border is down 5 percent from January through April compared with the same period in 2007.

The visitors authority has indicated tourist traffic from January through April was flat compared with the same period last year.

The new poll was conducted in June by Jim Medick of Precision Opinion, a firm that conducts proprietary marketing research for political campaigns as well as for corporate clients, including casinos and retailers.

Medick completed a similar survey in 2005 to gauge the response of Southern California gamblers to gas prices that had then reached more than $3 a gallon.

About 48 percent of the polled Southern California gamblers in 2005 said gas prices had affected their decision to drive to Las Vegas casinos.

n      Staff reports