This week Vegas Seven released its nightclub issue. Since that’s such a big part of the casino scene these days, I thought I’d tackle the question of how clubs rebrand in this week’s Green Felt Journal: In the wake of the Great Recession, nightclubs have been a crucial part of the identities and business plans […]
Reinventing the Party Machine in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI don’t have a Green Felt Journal in this week’s Vegas Seven, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t contribute. This time out, I focused my gimlet eye on the fact that, several times over the past year, “local bloggers” beat the mainstream media to the punch: Looking back at the past year, several important casino
Breaking the Casino News in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIf your Turkey Day could be made any better by having another Green Felt Journal to read (or if you’re more of my many international readers for whom this is just another Thursday), you are in luck: this week’s treat from Vegas Seven deals with the question of poker rules, and an organization with a
Rounders’ Rules in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn the past few weeks, I’ve been lucky enough to have some very good conversations with people in the casino business that, I hope, have translated into good writing about the business. Here’s the first, a Green Felt Journal column about the challenges that Ramesh Sadhwani is taking on at Caesars Palace. From Vegas Seven:
Heavyweight Hospitality at Caesars in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenMy piece on the Riviera is out in Vegas Seven as of yesterday. Busy day, so I didn’t have time to post this. It’s this week’s Green Felt Journal: As destroy/erase/improve gives way to rework/repaint/recycle, older Las Vegas hotels that a few years ago might have been imploded have gotten new leases on life. Over
Riviera’s Rebirth in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenLast week when I first tweeted news that O’Sheas was being closed as part of the great Linq construction, I got a lot of questions, testimonials, and eulogies about beer pong. So I asked Rick Mazer (I’m too tired to retype his entire title, but he’s in charge of CZR’s Center Strip properties) what was
Beer Pong Forever! in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenAt long last, an article that I wrote during the recent Creation Entertainment Star Trek convention is out as this week’s Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven: The first thing you see walking into McFadden’s at the Rio is William Shatner in his full late-1960s Technicolor glory on one of the wide-screens that’s usually devoted
Trekkie Nightlife in Vegas Seven Read More »
life in vegas, Vegas SevenToday Vegas Seven‘s gigantic, double-wide “best of” issue hits news racks everywhere around Las Vegas. I contributed a few items (see if you can guess them), but I wrote more than made the final cut. So, for your reading pleasure, to spark discussion and stimulate debate, I’m sharing what I wrote here: Best Casino Memorabilia
In today’s Vegas Seven, you can read my brief profile of Joe Magliarditi: In his new job as president of the Palms, Joe Magliarditi sees some obvious reminders of his earlier experiences.The Rio, where he got his start in gaming in the 1990s, was the prototypical casino with a visitors/locals marketing split. The M Resort,
Joe Magliarditi profile in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIt’s Thursday, so that means another Vegas Seven. This week, I look at the Vegas staycation in the Green Felt Journal: Not everyone has the luxury of a Malibu summer home or the accrued sick/personal leave to spend their summer crashing in the Pacific waves or touring the Continent, so Las Vegans have increasingly turned
Staycations in Vegas Seven Read More »
life in vegas, Vegas SevenIf you missed it last week, here’s my latest Green Felt Journal, a look at why poker isn’t going anywhere: A lot of folks are surprised that the World Series of Poker isn’t doing so badly this year. So far, about one-third of tournament events have had record numbers of participants. Back in April, many
Poker, the Great Survivor in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenMy contribution to the coverage of the Great Sahara sale is in Vegas Seven this week: At the Sahara, NCL put 600,000 items for sale, from camel-base lamps ($150; they were the most consistently pilfered item from hotel rooms) to the wooden doors from the House of Lords restaurant ($825). The two-month liquidation sale is
Selling the Camel in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenIn today’s Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven, I take a look back at the career of Bill Pennington, who had a much bigger impact on Las Vegas than is generally recognized: Last month the Nevada casino industry lost one of its pioneers when William N. “Bill” Pennington died at the age of 88. He
The Quiet Pioneer in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI’ve got a news piece in today’s Vegas Seven about the paradox and problems of pitching Vegas as a party hearty/business friendly destination: The Las Vegas tourism business is a paradox these days. On paper, things look great: So far this year, visitation numbers are up by more than 5 percent from last year, when
Courting Business Travellers in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenThis Thursday I have a new Green Felt Journal in Vegas Seven. It’s about the implications of William Hill’s growing footprint in Nevada sports betting, which I think is noteworthy: With all of the sound and fury stirred up by the recent “Black Friday” indictments of three online poker operators, some major news that’s bringing
Goin’ mobile in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenA little while ago, I had a really interesting conversation with J Barnard, who does a whole range of things at the Casino Royale. I thought he had a really interesting story, so I decided to share, via Vegas Seven: It’s not easy for the little guy on the Las Vegas Strip these days. Of
Old-School New Media in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenKeeping 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 SevenThere’s a Green Felt Journal in today’s Vegas Seven, focusing on what many slot players don’t see: To most players, slot machines are only screen deep. The spinning reels are what’s important. But there’s a lot going on behind the scenes that makes the action possible. Without back-end systems to track play and account for
Behind the reels in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenI got an email a few weeks ago from Gena Marler, co-owner of the Vegas Box, asking me if I’d like to share news about her company on this blog. I thought it was an interesting idea, and I’m always in favor of giving start-ups some attention, so I decided to write a Green Felt
Vegas Box in Vegas Seven Read More »
Vegas SevenEveryone’s been talking about the “Dotty’s issue” here in Vegas, so I thought I’d focus on an aspect that hasn’t received as much press–the moratorium that was in effect from December to April on new taverns. Here’s my Vegas Seven article: The debate over the “Dotty’s model” of a gaming tavern—an establishment with no kitchen,
Caught in the Crossfire in Vegas Seven Read More »
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