In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take up bowling, which seems to be heading towards a renaissance in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas’ first casino bowling alley opened in 1959 when the off-Strip Showboat added lanes as part of its successful effort to refocus on locals, driving growth at the property for the next 20 years.
Showboat’s success has made bowling a mainstay of locals casinos—so much so that the International Bowl Expo came to Paris Las Vegas this month it ends June 28. Yes, it’s ironic that the expo settled on a casino without a bowling alley, but the lanes have been the purview of locals casinos: Station has five bowling alleys in the Valley, with lanes at Red Rock, Sunset Station, Texas Station, Santa Fe Station and Wildfire Sunset.
Researching this gave me a chance to learn a little about bowling. I really like that aspect of writing the Green Felt Journal: I get to learn quite a bit on a variety of subjects.