All Fermi answers
Fermi #36 · Question 3

How many slot machines are in Las Vegas?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

3QUESTION 3 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

135,000

slot machines

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

Vegas is wall to wall casinos. How many are there? Big ones on the Strip plus all the smaller spots, call it 120. Each one runs around 1,000 slot machines.

Casinos in Vegas
~120
Slots per casino
~1,000
120 × 1,000
≈ 120,000

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
Clark County licensed gaming devices
≈ 135,000
Includes casinos, bars, gas stations, airport
—
Las Vegas Strip share
~40% of total

Reference cited by Fermi: Nevada Gaming Control Board

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