The more I’ve been thinking about the situation on the Strip, the more I’m convinced that those who have a major stake in the continued viability of the Strip as a walkable pedestrian thoroughfare really need a better response to the performers/panhandlers/salespeople who are crowding out the tourists. So I wrote an open letter to […]
An open letter to the NRA in the LVBP Read More »
Las Vegas Business Press, life in vegasKeeping my finger on the pulse of Vegas entertainment, I decided last week to check out the official unveiling of the Blue Man Group interactive statue and write about it for Vegas Seven: Last Wednesday, with a T-shirt slingshot and plenty of Twinkies, a new colossus had its formal debut on the Strip. In front
Another Shade of Blue in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThis week I’ve got three separate pieces in Vegas Seven. The first is a short news item comparing and contrasting two Strip casinos with similar origins and dissimilar fates: The Tropicana and the Sahara are a study in contrasts despite some shared history; at opposite ends of the Strip, both holdovers from the 1950s managed
Sahara Vs. Trop in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas Seven, writingIt’s pretty rare for a Strip casino to get knocked out. Sure, more than a few have taken the standing eight count of bankruptcy, but usually, no matter how far in debt a casino gets, it produces enough cash flow that the lenders would rather see it open than closed. The Sahara’s scheduled May closure,
Requiem for (a Vegas) Methuselah Read More »
writingThere was a fire in a Las Vegas Strip casino yesterday. From KLAS: A mattress fire at Bally’s Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Sunday afternoon sent one person to the hospital. Clark County Fire Department spokesman Dan Kulin says the blaze was confined to a room on the 25th floor of the hotel. The
Bally’s fire: Reminder about progress Read More »
news about gamblingVegas Seven is back on its weekly schedule after its end-of-year double issue, which means that today you have a brand new Green Felt Journal to read. It’s about how smaller casinos competing with the New Year’s parties on the Strip: The lion’s share of that haul goes to the big Strip resorts, which host
New Year’s Off-Strip in Vegas Seven Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingInteresting column in The Economist that I don’t necessarily agree with: More important, few residents of Las Vegas would any longer agree that their city is either great or happy. Nevada has America’s highest unemployment rate. In Las Vegas, unemployment has risen more this year even as it has flattened in the rest of the
Is the party really over? Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingAnother Thursday, another Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. This week, I tackle casino debt with the help of Eugene Christiansen: It’s no secret that casino companies are more debt-encumbered now than they’ve ever been. In 1990, the average big Las Vegas Strip casino (those earning more than $72 million a year in gaming revenue),
Talking Vegas debt in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingThe September gaming numbers are out, courtesy of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and I’ve got my analysis of the historical trends up over at gaming.unlv.edu. Here’s the low down: For the second straight month, Nevada gaming revenues posted a year?over?year increase, but there are still several continuing weaknesses in the overall revenue picture, and
Head-scratching September in NV Read More »
news about gamblingIt’s Thursday, so my long-awaited piece on Cosmo, 90 days out, is out in Vegas Seven: It hasn’t been easy for the Cosmopolitan. When ground was broken in October 2005, it was one of a crop of planned casinos that were going to re-make Las Vegas. The Palazzo, Encore and Aria opened, but Boyd Gaming
Countdown to the Cosmo in V7 Read More »
news about gambling, writingMy latest Las Vegas Business Press column is out, in which I dissect the June Nevada numbers: The June results are in, and whatever the national economic picture, one thing is certain: Nevada gaming remains moribund. The figures released by the Gaming Control Board aren’t much cause for optimism, though things look a little better
Not a happy June in the LVBP Read More »
news about gambling, writingMy interview with Steve Inskeep of KNPR’s Morning Edition has aired: Las Vegas just added a bit more bling to its famed Strip with the unveiling of a new marquee for The Cosmopolitan — a resort-casino opening at the end of the year. There already are questions about how the city will absorb another 3,000
Too many rooms? on NPR Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingThis week’s Las Vegas Business Press column takes a closer look at the game of baccarat, which is becoming more and more important on the Strip: At the level of the individual casino, there are even greater swings of fortune. Unlike Nevada, New Jersey discloses separate results for each of its casinos. This allows analysts
Bacc talk in LVBP, thoughts on empiricism Read More »
news about gambling, writingIt’s a happy day in UNLV gaming-land. An article I wrote a while back about how Las Vegas bounced back from the 1980s recession is out in Gaming Law Review and Economics: MOST WHO HAVE CONSIDERED Las Vegas history have concluded that not much happened in Las Vegas gaming between the openings of the original
The Burger King Revolution Read More »
news about gamblingThe May numbers have been released from the Nevada Gaming Control Board, and while on the surface they seem to be not such bad news, they actually send a mixed message. Here are my thoughts, broken down by region. Statewide Across the state, the gaming industry continues to shrink–we’ve got about 2,500 fewer slots and
When MGM Mirage changed their name to MGM Resorts International, I wasn’t bowled over. “Resorts International” is forever linked in my mind to May 26, 1978, and a big red hotel on the Atlantic City Boardwalk (sure, it’s been painted white for 20 years or so, but in my mind Haddon Hall will always be
MGM name game in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingReally good piece in the LV Sun today about the rise of phony online hotel reviews, and what travel sites are doing about them: The rise of traveler-generated online reviews has forced hotel managers to contend with anonymous posts from angry or disappointed customers. For people in the business of promoting Las Vegas hotels, it
It’s (possibly) a faaake! Read More »
news about gamblingThe Gaming Control Board has released Nevada’s April 2010 gaming revenue numbers. To give everyone some perspective on the month, I’ve put together a new report: Nevada Gaming Statistics: April Comparison. This four-pager charts the performance of Nevada casinos over the past 7 Aprils. This month, we’ve got four reporting areas: Statewide, Las Vegas Strip,
April numbers tell a story: volatility Read More »
news about gamblingMy latest Green Felt Journal piece is out, in Vegas Seven. I get to name-drop Heraclitus to sound sophisticated before talking about the redo of the Trop: That’s because the only thing that doesn’t change around this town is change. There are few other places where anyone would even consider spending $150 million to “relaunch”
Trop tale in Vegas Seven Read More »
news about gambling, writingGreat story from KLAS about efforts to police the seamier side of the Las Vegas casino pool culture: Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak says what happens in European-style pools around the world doesn't necessarily happen in Las Vegas. "International visitors have increased considerably, and this is something that they've asked for," Commissioner Sisolak said. "There
Casino pools warned Read More »
life in vegas