In the latest Green Felt Journal, I talk about the importance of casino infrastructure: It’s not as sexy as a new restaurant opening or a big winner in a sports betting contest, but infrastructure—all the stuff that needs to work for any large building to operate—has been in the news quite a bit lately for […]
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Vegas SevenIn my last Vegas Seven column of 2016, I look ahead to 2017: Having gotten through a year that has seen the first post-recession casino opening and the birth of paid parking on the Strip, 2017 will likely bring even more change. The year ahead will see many shifts in gaming and hospitality in Las
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Vegas SevenI went full meta in this week’s Green Felt Journal. It was the first issue of a revamped Vegas Seven, so I talked with architect Brad Friedmutter about why Las Vegas hotels are constantly refreshing themselves: With that in mind, while the new look of your favorite casino or weekly magazine might take some getting
Redesign, Rebuild, Reconnect Remains a Must for Casinos – Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI got the opportunity to write a piece about how the NHL’s announcement it is coming to Las Vegas fits in with the history of gambling for the Washington Post. Here is a small sample: In that atmosphere, professional sports — whose legitimacy has at times been tainted by gambling-related scandals from the infamous 1919
Reading the VegasTripping review of the new Julius Tower rooms, I was struck by the art. So I wrote my latest Green Felt Journal about it: Usually, hotel room art at best presents a regional accent; at worst, it says nothing and moves no one. For the creatives at KNA Design, the distinctly Caesars touch
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at seasonality in Las Vegas: How seasonal are gaming and tourism in Las Vegas? My hometown, Atlantic City, had a well-defined busy season: Memorial Day to just after Labor Day (the Miss America Pageant was created to extend the summer an extra week). Vegas has its
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Vegas SevenFrom this week’s Green Felt Journal: Last year, I wrote that locals gaming was on the rebound (“Locals Casinos Are Back in Business,” July 8). At the time, several indicators suggested it was in the midst of a resurgence after several rough years. Its revival has become even more apparent thanks to recent moves by
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Vegas SevenMy latest Green Felt Journal is a brief look at a group that is proposing a revival of the fabled Moulin Rouge on Las Vegas’s Westside: That interest, though, never translated into meaningful action, which leads us to 2016. Scott Johnson, president of Moulin Rouge Holdings LLC, is committed to change on the Westside. His
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I consider the future of transportation in the “core” of Las Vegas: Today, Las Vegas gladly welcomes 42 million-plus visitors each year. But there’s one more guest who has been showing up too much lately: gridlock. Read more:The Future of Las Vegas Transportation – Vegas Seven In some ways,
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I talk about a truly amazing group that recently visited Las Vegas: The men gathered in this room, however, are extraordinary. They are members of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the United States military. Read
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I look at the resurgence of locals casinos in Las Vegas: Since the recession, the locals casino market has endured some tough times, but the 2015 numbers so far suggest those tough times might be over. In particular, North Las Vegas and Boulder Strip properties, after several rough years,
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authorIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I share some insights from the latest Las Vegas Visitor Profile: Increasing international visitation has long been a goal of the LVCVA, and the numerous investments the agency has made toward that end continue to bear fruit. In 2007, 12 percent of visitors came from abroad; in real numbers,
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I look at how the Vegas visitor is changing–and what that means: The big question is, Why do people come to Las Vegas in the first place? Naturally, there are many reasons, so GLS Research, which compiles the profile, asks subjects for the primary purpose of their most recent
A Fresh Study Sheds Light on the Habits of the Vegas Visitor | Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIf you have heard the most recent Vegas Gang podcast, you heard my thoughts on Monte Carlo. In this week’s Green Felt Journal, I elaborate: If you were born in a gambling city back when that meant you were a little different from everyone else, you grew up vaguely holding Monte Carlo as the platonic
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Vegas Seven, I’ve got the cover story: a look back on John F. Kennedy’s visits to Las Vegas: It was a meeting for the ages: the midcentury King of Cool getting together with one of the nation’s fastest-rising political stars. The star of From Here to Eternity and the hero of PT
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Vegas SevenBusy week, so I’m just posting this week’s Green Felt Journal about the EB-5 program, which is changing Las Vegas: “Invest In Your American Dream,” reads the text next to a photo of the “Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas” sign. The words are quickly replaced by “LAS VEGAS EB5 IMMIGRATION CENTER IS YOUR BEST CHOICE,”
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Vegas SevenI’ve been wanting to write more about Macau, which is such a huge gambling story, for a while, and when given a feature slot for Vegas Seven, jumped on the chance to talk about Macau’s impact on Las Vegas. The result is this week’s cover story: Back in the early days—2006 or so—American executives signing
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Vegas SevenA few weeks back I got an email about an event connected to the launch of Virgin America’s thrice-daily LAX-LAS flights. I usually don’t go to those kinds of events–there’s not too much to “cover” outside of photo ops. But I got thinking…wouldn’t it be fun to ask Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson how Vegas
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at how a British invasion has changed Las Vegas nightlife: The two biggest demographics in Las Vegas these days seem to be nightclubbers and international visitors. As a bit of anecdotal evidence of the trend, the casinos in development that have stoked the imagination plan
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Vegas SevenIn this week’s Green Felt Journal, I take a look at what lies ahead for Las Vegas in 2013. Seem like the right time: The New Year has its restorative elements—the celebrations, the resolutions, the fresh hopes. But, against the background of the Great Recession, it’s also another occasion to fret about what lies ahead
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