This week’s Green Felt Journal is about the El Cortez: In many ways, the El Cortez is the anti-CityCenter. Built in 1941, it’s the oldest continuously operating hotel-casino in Las Vegas. Its most prominent feature—the “new” neon sign—was installed in 1946. It has only 364 guest rooms, and, for better or worse, it’s in the […]
Old-school at the eC Read More »
news about gambling, writingI somehow missed celebrating one of the biggest milestones in Atlantic City gaming history earlier this month: on April 2, the Trump Taj Mahal celebrated its 20th anniversary. But I did write a little about the road to opening in this month’s Casino Connection: Even before Atlantic City’s first casino, Resorts International, opened in 1978,
Happy birthday Trump Taj Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingHere’s some great news for MGM Mirage: Burton Cohen’s joined their board of directors. From the LV Sun: Attorney and retired gaming executive Burton Cohen has been elected to the MGM Mirage board of directors.Cohen, former chief executive of the Desert Inn Hotel & Country Club, retired in 1995 and the same year was elected
Vega$ veteran joins MGM Mirage Read More »
news about gamblingRemember my thoughts about tiered pricing a while ago? In it, I theorized that there would be a convergence between resort fees and “cost certainty” restaurant pricing schemes, like prix fixe at the high(ish) end and buffet passes at the low end. Harrah’s is rolling out a stay-and-buffet deal that I think qualifies. Check out
Tiered pricing at Harrah’s Read More »
news about gamblingInteresting article in today’s AC Press about local casinos’ new focus on…locals: The sluggish economy and fierce competition from Pennsylvania’s slot parlors for out-of-state customers have forced Atlantic City casinos to fine-tune their marketing strategies to focus more on the local area. In doing so, they have discovered there is a lucrative market right in
Evolution of AC: locals Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingLas Vegas Strip casinos had a strong February. From the LVRJ: When combining the first two months of 2010, gaming revenues are up 5 percent statewide and 13.4 percent on the Strip. “February turned out to be the perfect storm,” Control Board Tax and License Division Chief Frank Streshley said. “It was a record for
NV February numbers good, not great Read More »
news about gamblingA week ago today, Planet Hollywood officially became a Total Rewards property. In my latest Vegas Seven column, I talk a little about the behind-the-scenes work that made this possible:P If you didn’t notice anything unusual at Planet Hollywood recently, don’t feel bad: You weren’t supposed to. But behind the scenes, and occasionally in front
This isn’t the popular thing to say right now, but I’ve got real doubts about the AC mini-casino proposal. Here are my thoughts from the LV Business Press: Both Atlantic City and Las Vegas have had a difficult recession of course, by definition no recession is easy. Atlantic City, however, has suffered much more due
AC needs more than mini-casinos Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingMore news from Atlantic City, none of it good. From NJ.com: Resorts Atlantic City, the nation's first casino outside Nevada, says it may not survive; another Atlantic City casino hasn't made a loan payment since last summer; and three others are in bankruptcy court. Atlantic City's 11 casinos have been struggling for more than three
Interesting story about the Las Vegas Hilton’s Twitter initiative, though the timing couldn’t be worse, coming on the heels of yesterday’s LV Sun article about the Hilton’s abysmal 4Q earnings. From hotelsmag.com: The marketing budget for Las Vegas Hilton is miniscule when compared to multi-property powerhouse rivals like MGM Mirage, Harrah's Entertainment and Wynn Resorts.
Social media is cheap and effective, but… Read More »
news about gamblingSince it’s Thursday, I’ve got a new Green Felt Journal for you to read in Vegas Seven magazine. This week, I talk about March Madness on the Strip: The basketball-mad crowd covers all ages, from cigar-chomping sharp bettors in their 60s to still-in-school rowdies wearing their college colors. It skews young, however, with 20- to
Madder, leaner, Vegas Read More »
news about gambling, Vegas Seven, writingOne of Nevada’s legendary casinos is closing up in Lake Tahoe. From KVBC: Before the Las Vegas Strip ruled the gambling world, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. helped make the Cal Neva lodge one of Nevada's coolest casinos in the early 1960s. On Wednesday, roulette wheels will stop spinning and blackjack games
In addition to the cover story, my regular Green Felt Journal column in Vegas Seven this week tackles one very specific complaint about Aria’s casino, the lighting: But the thing most likely to provoke comment from casino-goers about Aria in its first three months hasn’t been Pelli Clarke Pelli’s spacious design or the cutting-edge technology
Shining a light on Aria Read More »
news about gambling, writingI had such a busy day yesterday that I couldn’t post this. It’s ironic because this article was the culmination of about a month of interviews, analysis, observation, writing, and re-writing. It’s the cover story for the March 25 Vegas Seven, about Aria’s first 100 days: Aria, the centerpiece of the 67-acre mini city, has
Yesterday I wrote a bit about the numbers behind the proposed mini-casinos considered for Atlantic City. Now, with news that Hard Rock is talking about spending $300 million to build a mini-casino, I thought I’d do a little number-crunching and learn if you’d be better off using that money to buy an existing property or
Comparison shopping in AC Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingWe’ve got our latest podcast up over at UNLV’s Center for Gaming Research: the Colloquium talk by our March 2010 Gaming Fellow, Pascale Nedelec, ” Urban Dynamics in the Las Vegas Valley: Casinos and Sprawl.” Here’s her abstract of the talk: Las Vegas is well known for its urban sprawl. While the casino industry has
New podcast up–locals casinos and urban growth Read More »
news about gambling, what's newHere are more details about the proposed regulatory changes in Atlantic City, which seem to make the tax process even more byzantine. Ah, I just wanted an excuse to use “byzantine” in a sentence. It’s one of those words that I don’t get to use enough. From Business Week: The new casinos would have to
Details of AC “overhaul” Read More »
atlantic city, news about gamblingOften, gamblers decide to pool their resources and share both the costs and the gains from their gambling. Lottery clubs are the best example of this. Sometimes, though, it ends badly, as in this Connecticut case. From the Boston Globe: For years, Theresa Sokaitis and Rose Bakaysa were the closest of siblings, whiling away long
Family feud over jackpot Read More »
gambling & culture, news about gamblingI’ve got a new column in the Las Vegas Business Press about that Arkansas casino nirvana, with some more exploration of a state without gaming regulation: Recent events in a state that's considering getting into the casino game have raised the question of casino regulation. Looking at intent and practice of regulation anew provides a
Casino regulation in context Read More »
news about gamblingIn case you were wondering, the former Sands site in Atlantic City continues to deteriorate. From the AC Press: The barren site overlooking the Boardwalk consists of little more than mounds of dirt and scruffy tufts of grass peeking through the soil. Intruders are kept out by a padlocked chain-link fence bearing a “No Trespassing”
Pinnacle Prairie update Read More »
atlantic city, news about gambling