Shares in gaming stocks surged after MGM Mirage dispelled fears that its $9.1bn CityCenter project was facing financial difficulties and said visitors were still coming to Las Vegas in droves.

MGM Mirage, owner of the Bellagio and Mandalay Bay Casinos, and Las Vegas Sands, which owns the Venetian, have been battered by concerns about the effect of the consumer slowdown on the gaming industry.