How to Stay Safe in Las Vegas

Last update: June 12, 2026

Most crime rates in Vegas are much higher than the rest of the U.S., e.g.:

1. Rape:  Twice as common
2. Robbery:  56% higher
3. Assault:  25% higher
4. Burglary:  88% higher
5. Theft:  9% higher
6. Vehicle theft:  Twice as common (source)

On average, a visitor is murdered every two weeks (including being shot and killed or run over while being robbed in parking garages). (2022)  Kidnappings and abductions are up 40% in 2026. (source) 

So, take steps to stay safe.  Here are some ideas.

1. If you don't need a car, don't rent one or drive your own.  Parking garages are one of the most dangerous places.
2. If you do use a car, don't leave anything valuable in it.  Cars are easily and frequently broken into, even at the nicest casinos.
3. Don’t put all your credit cards in your wallet or purse.  That’s putting all your eggs in one basket.  If your wallet or purse is stolen with all your cards in it, you’ll have to cancel all your cards, and then you won’t have a credit card to use for the rest of your trip.  Since you’re probably traveling with someone, your strategy is:  half of your cards on you, half of your cards on your partner, and one card in the hotel safe.  Don’t have three credit cards?  Get them now.  (And a side note: before your trip, let your credit card companies know you're going to Vegas so they don't shut off your card for suspicious activity.)
4. Don't carry large amounts of cash.  Plan to use credit cards for most purchases.  For gambling, wire your money to the casino cage ahead of time (or if you're already in Vegas, deposit your cash at the cage).  If you have a safe in your room, leave half of any money you didn't deposit at the cage.  (Hotel safes get robbed sometimes, so half in the safe and half on your person means you don't have all your eggs in one basket.)
5. Put your wallet in your front pocket, the hardest pocket to pick.
6. Carry a decoy wallet with $100 and an unimportant credit card.  If you get mugged, hand that one over.
7. Bring a second cell phone and SIM card, and leave it in your room (in the safe, if there is one).  If your phone gets stolen, you'll have a backup handy.  Make sure your phone is backed up to the cloud so you you can easy load your data onto your backup phone.
8. Don’t hire a prostitute.  Vegas prostitutes regularly assault and even kill their customers.  One man was murdered by a prostitute in Venetian.  Another man was murdered in his room at Caesars Palace by two 20-year-old women who made off with his bag; news reports didn’t mention a prostitution angle, but do the math.  Yet another customer got shot at by a prostitute as he tried to flee towards Treasure Island, another got stabbed in his room at the MGM Grand, and another got stabbed by a prostitute in his room in the Venetian.
9. Don't walk alone at night, or go to a parking garage alone.
10. Use a safety device on your hotel door.  There are numerous reports of burglars entering people’s hotel rooms, somehow (such as at Rio, Paris, and various others).  It’s not clear if the doors weren’t completely closed or if the burglars know ways to defeat the locks.  In any event, Amazon has lots of helpful anti-burglar products like door stops ($10), a door security bar ($20), and a door alarm ($30). (I get a commission if you buy any of this stuff.)  
11. Don't leave the strip or the lively casino area of downtown.  It starts getting really sketchy just a block or two from either.
12. Don't accept a drink from anyone, especially at a club.  It could be spiked.