Pictures: Lightning jolts Las Vegas gamblers

A thunderstorm over Las Vegas Boulevard, known as "the strip", gave gamblers at the Luxor Hotel and Casino a shock.

Local media reported the area had been hit by wild storms this week, with fierce winds and powerful lightning toppling trees around the Las Vegas Valley.

But the light show proved popular with both amateur and professional photographers who posted images online of the hundreds of lightning strikes.

- NZHERALD STAFF