On their way to Las Vegas, Ron Robbi and his wife stopped near the Nevada-California border to get gas. With prices hovering around record levels, the numbers on the pump spun by like the wheels on a casino slot machine.

That Wednesday, regular unleaded at the Chevron station in Primm was $6.92 a gallon.

“There’s no point in worrying about it,” said Robbi, who lives in the San Fernando Valley. “I have an economy car here and I just put half a tank in. … It cost me $50. The cost of everything is going up.”