The Las Vegas Sun has a graphical “snapshot” of gaming revenue numbers for the past five years: Gaming win at Clark County casinos – Las Vegas Sun. As far as revenue per game/slot goes, this is an interesting graphic because even if this number remains constant gaming revenues will still decrease, as there has been […]
Gaming win at Clark County casinos – Las Vegas Sun Read More »
news about gamblingWere the players complaining about tighter slots right? Well, the answer (since late 2007, at least) is…yes and no. I decided to take a look at how each financial quarter since 2007 broke down for the state, the Las Vegas Strip, and the Boulder Strip. This way, I figured I’d have a good gauge of how casinos catering to tourist (LV Strip) and local (Boulder Strip) crowds responded.
Slot hold and the recession Read More »
news about gamblingThere’s a great article by Liz Benston in the LV Sun today about the investigation that ultimately deprived a nightclub of its license: Managing a Las Vegas nightclub requires the deft and daring skill of operating a party environment that almost crosses the line into illegal activity. Anything less would be considered too tame to
Prive investigation and gaming regulation Read More »
news about gamblingHarrah’s had announced–in very unspecific terms–what it plans to do with its fantastic assortment of Strip acreage. From the LV Sun: They didn’t announce their intentions at the time. The economy was still humming, and with tourism booming and new resort construction expected by consumers and demanded by investors, the decision was something of a
Hey! What passes for good news on the casino revenue front: the decrease in revenue isn’t as bad as it’s been. Who would have thought we’d be saying that back in 2007? From the LV Sun: Casinos along the Las Vegas Strip won $480.8 million in May, making it the 17th straight month of a
Nevada revenue decline declining Read More »
news about gamblingTaking a minute from the grind of analyzing the April Nevada gaming revenues, I figured I’d post this story, which surprisingly hasn’t really been picked up by the Vegas blogosphere. From KLAS: The Raelian Movement is announcing plans to build a UFOland in Las Vegas where visitors can attend a Happiness Academy and see a
If a red flag is flying, brazen bold against the blue… Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegas, news about gamblingA high-roller who lost an incredible amount of money gambling in Las Vegas casinos is seeking to avoid paying some of his markers, claiming that he was too drunk to know what he was doing. From the LV Sun: High-rolling Nebraska philanthropist Terrance K. Watanabe is mounting an unusual defense to charges he failed to
The intoxication defense Read More »
news about gamblingDoes this excerpt from an article at The American about the decline of middle class cities sound like the past few years on the Strip? I think so: Ultimately, in good times or bad, cities have to want a middle class to have one. And politicians, if asked, will genuflect to the idea of maintaining
Luxury cities and high-end casinos Read More »
news about gamblingLas Vegas has lost one of its true legends. Claudine Williams, after a storied career, passed away yesterday. From the LVRJ: Claudine Williams, the first woman to run a Strip casino and considered one of the pioneers who shaped the gaming industry and Las Vegas, died Wednesday after a long illness. She was 88. Williams
The March gaming and tourism numbers are out, and it doesn’t look pretty, though only time will tell whether the bottom is near or somewhere in the distance. Statewide, all nonrestricted locations won 11.61% less this March than they in March 2008. In Las Vegas, visitor volume declined by 6.5%. Clearly, fewer people are coming
March revenue thoughts Read More »
life in vegas, news about gamblingAs a former casino security officer, I take a greater concern than some with people keeping themselves safe while on vacation at a casino resort. Often, carelessness and lack of vigilance can lead to burglaries or worse. Since most crimes committed in casinos are crimes of opportunity, you can be proactive and prevent most, but
Always check your door Read More »
life in vegasI did a short radio interview with 94.9 in San Diego about, of all things, casinos and smells. Here’s a description and a link to the audio: After reading an article in the Union-Tribune about new scents (that’s right, smells) being installed in a local casino to entice gamblers to stay and play longer, Hansen
Nosing around w/ 94.9 Read More »
what's newI’ve got a new Las Vegas Business Press article up. I got the idea after coming across the quotation that I mention in Hayek’s The Road to Serfdom: In the past 10 years, the national casino industry has become progressively more concentrated. Through buyouts, mergers, and acquisitions, effective control of the gambling business has been
LVBP column on the Strip and monopoly Read More »
news about gamblingI’m in the middle of the website update, and in answering a question about the Flamingo I found out that they have a restaurant named “Voga.” It’s the ultimate evolution of taste, according to the folks who wrote the copy for the website. It’s apparently the name of an Italian wine, but it makes me
The February gaming revenue numbers are in for Nevada, and the news is not good. From the LVRJ: Casino revenue statewide continued a 14-month downward spiral in February. But there was one bright spot in the avalanche of negative numbers — gaming tax collections increased for the first time in seven months. Throughout Nevada, gaming
NV casino revenue down Read More »
news about gamblingI guess this is what’s going to become of the Cosmopolitan. from the LV Sun: Hilton Hotels Corp. of Beverly Hills, Calif., said Tuesday its creating an eclectic brand called Denizen Hotels and is working to bring that brand to Las Vegas and other major destinations. "Denizen Hotels, a lifestyle brand that will attract business
Mission statement inn Read More »
haphazard world, life in vegasThe revenue numbers for January are out, and they are not good, if you are in the casino business or are supported by it. From Bloomberg: Casino gambling revenue dropped 15 percent on the Las Vegas Strip in January and tumbled 19 percent in Atlantic City last month as the U.S. recession curbed spending on
AC, Vegas gamblers lose less Read More »
news about gamblingI got some ideas about the possible future of the Strip’s hotel inventory by reading this Wired article on Netbooks, which are ultra-cheap, low-performance laptops that are good to connect to the Internet and not do much else: Netbooks have ended the performance wars. It used to be that when you went to an electronics
What’s the Netbook of the Strip? Read More »
news about gamblingDoing some research for my epochal article on the Strip’s recovery from the travails of the early 1980s, I found this quote in a Boston Globe Magazine article written by Connie Paige: This year’s visit…was different. Life seemed to have switched into neutral. Snatches of conversation with some of the army of casino workers…soon made
More pessimism from the past Read More »
news about gamblingThey’re turning down the lights on the Strip, and it has nothing to do with not being able to pay the electric bill. From the LVRJ: Planned marquee outages on the Strip come along about as often as Megabucks jackpots. And like many of those slot-machine fortunes, lights-out events on Las Vegas Boulevard typically don't