I had a pretty quick–though comprehensive–tour of Foxwoods and the surrounding area yesterday, and it’s pretty impressive. It’s amazing to me that, in less than 20 years, a gambling operation that started as bingo has grown into the world’s largest casino resort. On the Greyhound ride up there (I’ll post some pictures of that; it was quite a journey), I read a bit of sci-fi, which got me thinking:
Imagine if someone traveled back in time to 1985 and said the following:
1. Poker will be a spectator sport shown on several television channels
2. The world’s largest casino will be in rural Connecticut
3. The world’s biggest casino poker room will be in that same casino
4. The communist government of China would be encouraging Americans to build casinos (albeit in a “Special Administrative Region”
5. A company whose main asset is a virtual poker room would have an IPO worth $10 billion (give or take)
People would think that person was writing an implausible story.
It just goes to show that, as I’ve steadfastly maintained, the truth is stupider than fiction. That, and never, ever underestimate the willingness of people to gamble.
Anyway, Foxwoods was really something else. Even if you’re not a gambler, it’s worth a trip just for the people-watching.
Also, for you foodies, the buffet has the best cole slaw I’ve ever tasted, and some really interesting bread pudding. It tasted like it was made from sweet potatoes or carrot cake or something like that.
But that wasn’t the most interesting thing about the tour: I’ll hold that honor for the cultural/historical museum, which incredible almost beyond words. For those of you who think that Indian gaming doesn’t “give back,” I’d advise you take take a tour of that facility.
Here’s another observation. The cultural gestalt image of a casino surveillance room is something like the NORAD command center as seen in War Games. As a former CCTV operator, I know that’s pretty far from the truth, unless NORAD is run out of a small, cold, dark, dusty room lit only by the glow of video monitors. But the Foxwoods room I saw–and there are more than one–was pretty close to what people think a surveillance room looks like. I was half expecting Dabney Coleman to run in and try ineffectually to shut down the WOPR or whatever that supercomputer (that only took up three rooms or so) was called in War Games. Anyway, if you’re thinking about past-posting or doing something else stupid, don’t do it at Foxwoods: this is a state of the art casino surveillance operation.
And if you’re a surveillance director who feels slighted because you think you’ve got the best casino surveillance operation this side of the Ministry of Love, shoot me an email–I’d be happy to get a tour. I’ve got to warn you, though, that I’ll probably ask to sit down at a monitor and put the cameras to the test.
Lot’s of gaming news, too, but no time for me to write about it. I didn’t know that Harrah’s bought the Bourbon Street–is there anything they don’t own–but it’s hardly news that the casino is closing.
That, and if you don’t already have a yellow wristband a’la Lance Armstrong, you can get a spiffy orange problem gambling bracelet. You might want to check the story to make sure I’ve got it right–it seems a bit far-fetched, but as I’ve said, the truth is…you know the rest.