The house won: Las Vegas tourism had its best year ever in 2012

Tourism authorities say Las Vegas welcomed a record number of gamblers, clubbers and convention-goers in 2012.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority said Friday that 39.7 million visitors toured Sin City last year. That’s 800,000 more guests than 2011, and a half-million more than the previous high, set in 2007.

The visitors authority calculated that the flood of tourists brought $40 billion into the local economy. The authority highlighted the resurgent convention industry as one of the factors driving the surge in visitors.

Room occupancy increased slightly to 84.4 percent for the year, and average hotel room rates increased by a little less than 3 percent, to $108 per night.

Gambling revenue for Clark County, where Las Vegas is located, grew by 2 percent to $9.4 billion

Copyright (2013) Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.