Hitting the Jackpot: How Casinos Are Slashing Energy Costs

Casinos that invest in energy upgrades hold the winning hand.

With massive floorplates, 24/7 operations, dense crowds, high ventilation loads, kitchens, shows, and back-of-house systems all running at once, casinos are among the most energy-intensive commercial buildings in the US. Research by Casinomeister reveals that a typical land-based casino uses 15,070 kWh of electricity per day, that's enough to charge over one million smartphones or power a home for nearly two months. That intensity translates into outsized utility bills. It also presents a giant savings opportunity.

Here's a quick guide showing what casinos can do to secure six- and seven-figure annual savings by upgrading their energy systems.

Upgrade HVAC infrastructure: The biggest lever ... and the fastest payback!

A typical casino is a windowless box, traditionally isolated from exterior air and light. Gaming floors demand masses of outside air (and filtration) to maintain indoor air quality. In addition to ventilation, HVAC equipment must carefully manage temperature and humidity, which climb quickly due to the dense crowds, heat-generating gaming machines, and high-intensity lighting. As a result, HVAC generally accounts for 40% to 60% of a casino's total energy bill. Studies and case work in casino environments repeatedly flag HVAC infrastructure as a prime savings target.

Modern energy-efficient HVAC systems can cut energy use by 20–40%, while smart controls, advanced air purification, and improved ventilation boost performance, minimize waste, and drive down operating costs. The outcome? Improved overall profitability.

Five strategies casinos can employ to optimize HVAC system performance:

1. Upgrade to High-Efficiency Equipment: Replace or retrofit aging HVAC units with high-efficiency models or variable-speed systems that adjust airflow and cooling based on real-time demand, reducing energy waste.

2. Implement Advanced Controls and Sensors: Use demand-controlled ventilation (DCV), CO₂ sensors, and smart thermostats to automatically adjust ventilation and temperature based on occupancy and indoor air quality.

3. Optimize Air Distribution and Zoning: Redesign air distribution to create separate zones for gaming areas, restaurants, and hotel spaces, ensuring each receives the appropriate ventilation and temperature without over-conditioning other areas.

4. Integrate Energy Recovery Systems: Install energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) or heat recovery systems to capture and reuse waste heat or cooling from exhaust air, improving overall system efficiency.

5. Regular Maintenance and Filtration Upgrades: Schedule routine maintenance, filter replacements, and coil cleanings to maintain airflow and efficiency—especially crucial in smoky or high-traffic environments where filters clog faster.

The result?

Upgrading to modern HVAC systems can deliver major energy, cost, and comfort benefits for casinos. Advanced technologies such as variable-speed drives, demand-controlled ventilation, and energy recovery can reduce energy use by 20–40%, especially in high-load areas like gaming floors and kitchens. These systems not only lower utility bills but also use automated controls to optimize performance during peak pricing periods and minimize demand charges.

State, local and utility rebates can offset up to 40% of project costs, speeding up payback. Beyond savings, upgraded systems improve indoor air quality by removing smoke, odors, and excess heat, creating a more comfortable environment that keeps guests on the floor longer. They also help casinos stay compliant with energy codes and sustainability standards while strengthening brand reputation as environmentally responsible destinations. Integrated with on-site solar and battery storage, modern HVAC systems enhance energy resilience, maintaining comfort during outages and extending backup power duration.

Modernize Lighting and Controls: Improve overall facility efficiency

Lighting typically accounts for 20% to 30% of a casino's total energy bill. Upgrading lighting systems and controls is one of the smartest, fastest-return investments a casino can make. Casinos operate 24/7 with extensive gaming floors, hotel spaces, restaurants, and event venues—all of which rely heavily on lighting. Beyond functional lighting, illuminated signs and decorative fixtures serve both entertainment and wayfinding roles. Spotlights, for example, are often used to highlight gaming tables and electronic machines, but these lighting elements also consume significant energy and contribute to higher ambient temperatures.

Five strategies casinos can employ to optimize lighting:

• Replace Old LEDs: Today’s LEDs are significantly more efficient, offer better color rendering, and integrate seamlessly with smart controls for dimming and automation. Upgrading not only reduces energy use and maintenance costs but also enhances the visual appeal and ambiance across gaming, dining, and entertainment areas.

• Install Smart Lighting Controls: Use occupancy sensors, dimmers, and programmable lighting schedules to automatically adjust brightness in response to activity levels, daylight, or time of day.

• Layer Lighting for Flexibility: Design lighting zones for gaming areas, restaurants, and walkways separately. Layered lighting allows for mood changes, special events, and energy savings without affecting overall visibility.

• Integrate with Building Automation Systems (BAS): Connect lighting controls to the casino’s BAS to coordinate with HVAC and other systems. This enables centralized monitoring, real-time adjustments, and optimized energy performance.

• Leverage Utility Rebates and Retrofits: Take advantage of utility incentives for lighting upgrades and controls—programs like NV Energy’s can cover a significant portion of costs and accelerate project ROI.

The result?

Modern LEDs also lower maintenance costs, lasting 5–10 times longer and reducing labor in 24-hour operations. Smart control systems let staff manage lighting zones, schedules, and scenes from one interface, minimizing disruptions and improving efficiency.

Upgraded lighting enhances the guest experience, creating vibrant gaming environments, comfortable lounges, and upscale dining areas while improving visibility and reducing glare. Efficient lighting also boosts sustainability credentials, cutting carbon emissions and strengthening brand reputation with guests, investors, and regulators.

Because LED retrofits typically pay back in just 1–3 years, especially with state and utility rebates, they remain one of the fastest, highest-return energy improvements available to casinos today.

Need proof? Casinos across the U.S. are proving how powerful lighting upgrades can be. For example: Westgate Las Vegas saves over $1.3 million a year after converting 20,000 fixtures to LED lighting. The Shooting Star Casino expects to cut energy use by up to 35% annually and earn a $290,000 rebate through recent efficiency upgrades. At Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, replacing 35-watt CFLs with 13-watt LEDs reduced energy use by over 576,000 kWh, saving $58,600 per year with a payback under one year thanks to utility incentives.

Install on-site solar + battery storage: Hedge rates and trim demand charges

Casinos can significantly cut operating costs and improve energy reliability by adding solar power and battery energy storage. Large rooftops and parking structures make ideal sites for solar panels, generating clean electricity that offsets daytime peak demand when utility rates are highest.

Pairing that with on-site battery storage allows casinos to store excess solar power for use during evening hours or outages—reducing demand charges and providing backup resilience for 24/7 operations.

Here's why casinos across the U.S. are embracing solar and battery storage:

 Major Energy Cost Reductions

• Casinos operate around the clock, consuming massive amounts of electricity for HVAC, lighting, gaming equipment, and entertainment.

• On-site solar offsets a large share of daytime energy use, often 20–40%, directly lowering utility bills.

• When paired with battery storage, excess solar power is stored and used later, cutting expensive demand charges and avoiding peak-time pricing.

• Properties like Mandalay Bay and Viejas Casino have demonstrated millions in annual savings from large-scale solar and storage projects.

Reliable Power During Outages

• Casinos can lose hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour during a power outage.

• With battery backup, operations can stay online, keeping gaming floors, restaurants, and critical systems running.

• During planned utility shutoffs battery systems provide seamless continuity and protect revenue.

• This resilience also enhances guest confidence and safety.

Predictable Energy Costs and Peak Shaving

• Battery systems discharge during high-rate periods, reducing exposure to utility demand and time-of-use (TOU) charges.

• This “peak shaving” smooths out consumption spikes, resulting in more predictable monthly energy costs.

• Combined with long-term solar production, casinos can stabilize energy expenses for 20+ years—an invaluable hedge against rising rates.

ESG, Sustainability, and Brand Value

• High-profile casinos are increasingly judged by their sustainability commitments.

• Solar + storage projects make a bold, visible statement—cutting carbon emissions and aligning with ESG and corporate social responsibility goals.

• Guests notice: visible solar installations and “clean power” branding strengthen reputation and loyalty.

Integration with Existing Systems

• Battery storage can integrate with Building Automation Systems (BAS) to intelligently manage HVAC, lighting, and EV charging loads.

• By coordinating when and how energy is used, casinos can maximize efficiency and extend the life of critical systems.

Incentives and Rapid ROI

• Federal Investment Tax Credits (ITC), bonus depreciation, and utility or state-level incentives can cover up to 40–60% of system costs.

• In many regions, ROI is achieved within 4–7 years, with decades of low-cost energy following.

Offer EV charging: Earn incremental revenue and extend guest dwell time

EV drivers are loyal, higher-spend guests who plan their stops around charging. For destination properties, chargers act like digital billboards on every app map, and the economics show up in real transactions. Here's how offering EV charging will boost your bottom line.

Attract and Retain High-Value Guests

• EV drivers are typically higher-income, tech-savvy travelers who plan their stops around charging availability.

• Casinos with on-site charging become destination choices on EV navigation maps (Tesla, ChargePoint, PlugShare, Google Maps).

• Studies show that EV drivers spend up to 50 minutes longer on-site than non-charging guests, translating to more playtime, meals, and entertainment revenue.

New Revenue Streams

• Casinos can monetize chargers through per-kWh, per-session, or valet-charging fees.

• Integrating charging into loyalty programs or VIP perks encourages guest retention and increases cardholder engagement.

• EV chargers near hotels, restaurants, and event centers can be tiered—free for premium members, paid for general guests—turning infrastructure into a marketing asset.

Strengthen Sustainability and Brand Image

• EV charging signals leadership in sustainability, a growing priority for gaming corporations, regulators, and investors.

• Guests notice: charging stations make a property look modern, responsible, and forward-thinking.

Future-Proofing for Market Growth

• EV adoption in the U.S. continues to rise sharply, with millions more chargers needed to meet demand by 2030.

• Installing EV infrastructure now positions casinos ahead of regulatory mandates and future guest expectations.

• Properties that act quickly can capture state and local utility rebates, tax credits, and infrastructure incentives while they’re still available.

• Many leading U.S. casinos already offer EV charging, especially those owned by MGM Resorts International, including the MGM Grand, ARIA, Bellagio, New York-New York, Luxor, Excalibur, and Borgata in Atlantic City. Other participating properties include Silverton Casino Lodge, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, and Viejas Casino & Resort in California.

In Conclusion: Fate Favors the Bold

Casinos that take a strategic, full-portfolio approach to energy modernization by optimizing ventilation, integrating on-site solar and battery storage, viewing EV charging as both an amenity and a marketing tool, and upgrading lighting and controls are already realizing six- and seven-figure annual savings.

Beyond the cost savings, these properties are improving guest comfort, building brand loyalty, and strengthening resilience against outages and utility volatility. The case studies from casinos across the country prove the results are real and repeatable.

With available incentives, rapid paybacks, and measurable ROI, the question isn’t if you should modernize—it’s how quickly you want those savings, efficiencies, and brand advantages showing up on your balance sheet.