Tens-of-thousands of poker players are getting ready to descend on Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, and United States citizens planing to get there by airliner need to know they can no longer pass through airport security with their state-issued driver’s license alone.
Starting May 7, travelers will either need to have obtained a Real ID, or carry with them any of number of other forms of identification. They are:
- State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License.
- U.S. passport.
- U.S. passport card.
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST).
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents.
- Permanent resident card.
- Border crossing card.
- An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs).
- HSPD-12 PIV card.
- Foreign government-issued passport.
- Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card.
- Transportation worker identification credential.
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766).
- U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential.
- Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC).
Issued through states
The Real ID is issued by state’s driver licensing centers. While some states are able to provide a Real ID in one visit to the DMV, most states will take about two weeks to process the application. In order to get one, you’ll need:
- One document proving identity and lawful status (e.g., U.S. birth certificate, passport, etc.).
- One document proving your Social Security number (e.g., Social Security card, W-2, etc.).
- Two documents proving your Pennsylvania residency (e.g., utility bill, lease agreement, etc.).
- If you have a name, gender designation, or date of birth change that’s not on your current license/permit/ID card, you’ll need proof of the change.
Check with your state to make sure what is acceptable.
Las Vegas lay-offs
In what may be a sign of what’s coming, MGM Resorts International is closing its in-person concierge desks at six of its Strip properties. They are the MGM Grand, The Signature, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM and Vdara.
The ARIA, Bellagio, and The Cosmopolitan will keep their desk’s open. Guests of all the resorts will have their concierge calls routed to the ARIA and Bellagio. The lay-offs affect 34 employees, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. They were offered other positions.
While MGM downplayed the personnel move as corporate streamlining, there are some signs that Las Vegas is in a downturn. Casino stocks are down since last year, and the UNLV’s Center for Business and Economic Research predicts a decrease in visitor volume, gaming revenue, and hotel occupancy rates in Southern Nevada for 2025 and 2026 — 5.8% this year, and 6.9% next year.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority also issued a warning that revenue will continue to dip.
Users on Reddit’s /vegaslocals are reporting a trimming in warehouse staffs, housekeeping, and within the food services industry, as well as industries that run independently of the casinos, like limousine services. While those reports are anonymous and unverified, it will be interesting to see if the predictions hold true.
