props to my vegas friend, heather.

One of my dear Vegas friends, Heather, was hired as a dealer at The Palms Casino. This is my little shout-out to her. Heather and I were dealers at Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City, Indiana. She eventually was promoted (deservedly), but always remained one of my favorite dice dealers with whom I preferred to share a table.

She and her fella, Tyrone, moved to Vegas a few months ago. I have been insane with jealousy ever since. Ty is a musician by trade, a pit boss, by night (am I allowed to say that?). He was a games manager at the Blue Chip and I always enjoyed working with him. Ty and Heather were two of my favorite folks during my days as a dice dealer. I have since "retired" from the dice pit, but I hope to join them very, very soon in the ranks of those employed in the industry.

In the meantime, props to you, Heather!

"...an unprecedented $7 billion urban metropolis..."

Do you want to live on the Strip? Thanks to MGM Mirage, you will be able to, very, very soon. A little detail about the under-construction Project CityCenter currently underway (from their Web site):

Among Project CityCenter's key elements:

Hotel/Casino: Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the contemporary design of this striking landmark tower will become the focal point of the Las Vegas skyline;

Condominium/Hotel: Designed by Rafael Vinoly Architects, this 50-story ebony tower located between Bellagio and the Hotel/Casino will include 1,543 residential units;

Murphy/Jahn-Designed Residences: Designed by Murphy/Jahn Architects, these two silhouette towers of glass together will include 810 modern, loft-like residences surrounded by the best retail, restaurants and entertainment on the Strip;

Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Residences: Designed by KPF Architects, this extraordinary building will mix the prestige of an internationally renowned resort brand and its unparalleled amenities with a world-class, five-star hotel and residential experience. Renowned interior designer Adam Tihany, noted for extraordinary projects around the world, will be the principal designer of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. The Mandarin also will feature 215 luxury residential units;

Lifestyle Hotel and Residences: Designed by Foster and Partners, this lifestyle hotel conceived and operated by Andrew Sasson's Light Group will define hip, urban living on the Strip and deliver top-flight service and amenities for guests and residents;

The Retail District: Designed by Studio Daniel Libeskind, Project CityCenter's retail district will feature international luxury brands and high-end couture under a crystalline canopy of unprecedented brilliance. For the interior architecture, David Rockwell and Rockwell Group will create an experiential environment within the retail district complementing the overall city scene. This inviting neighborhood of unique retail shops, dining and entertainment venues will form the core of this urban metropolis. Read all about it.:

boyd gaming/mgm mirage are movin' and shakin' on the jersey shore.

The company for whom I once worked and the man I once called the boss is making some moves at their Atlantic City property. From the Boyd Gaming Web site:

Borgata Opens $200 Million Expansion Project

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., June 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boyd Gaming Corporation (NYSE: BYD) and MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM) today announced the opening of its public space expansion at the Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, located at Renaissance Pointe in Atlantic City. The newly opened expansion is anchored by three new signature restaurants led by Bobby Flay, Michael Mina and Wolfgang Puck and adds additional casino games, an 85-table poker room, and a second nightclub experience called mur.mur.

Borgata's next expansion is already underway and will include a second hotel adjoining the property. The Water Club at Borgata is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter 2007. The second hotel will feature approximately 800 guest rooms and suites with its own porte cochere and entrance, along with four swimming pools and a spa in the sky.

William S. Boyd, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Boyd Gaming, commented on the opening, "We began working on this expansion only five months after we opened Borgata in 2003. We believe this will add considerably to Atlantic City's revitalization as an overnight destination with an abundance of entertainment options." Read more.

here come the north strip mega-resorts.

More buying, selling and constructing on the Strip. Huh...imagine that. It looks like this is on the north end. From the Las Vegas Business Press:

Alamo descendant strikes deal with Archon Corp
By DAVID MCKEE

After years of uncertainty, the fate of the former Wet 'n Wild site moved closer to resolution today. Archon Corp., owner of the site -- immediately south of the Sahara Hotel & Casino -- announced that it had inked an option agreement to sell 27 acres of Strip real estate to Christopher Milam. A developer from Austin, Tex., Milam will pay $450 million (or $16.98 million an acre) for the derelict, graffiti-festooned remnants of the Wet 'n Wild amusment park, which closed in September 2004.

The price represents a new high-water mark for North Strip real estate. Nearby acreage cobbled together by Concord Wilshire for a Maxim Magazine-branded casino averaged $9.6 million an acre and the former site of the Westward Ho was recently revalued at $12 million per acre.

Further north, Sahara CEO Al Hummel and CB Richard Ellis are rumored to be seeking as much as $20 million per acre for their 55-acre parcel. No takers have yet materialized, although Pinnacle Entertainment CEO Dan Lee made a high-visibility inspection tour of the property last spring.

"It's a phenomenal piece of real estate," Milam told the Business Press, pointing to the potential synergies available from nearby Turnberry Place, Sky Las Vegas, Hilton's adjacent timeshare towers and several forthcoming developments, including Boyd Gaming's Echelon Place. "This site is right in the middle of it and there's nothing to tear down."

Acquiring Wet 'n Wild would give Milam 950 feet of Strip frontage and 850 feet on Paradise Road, and 26.5 acres in between. He plans a $3.75 billion to $4 billion megaresort and said he's lined up three prestigious design firms: the Paul Steelman Group, for the casino; RTKL, to design the retail component; and the Chicago branch of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill for the hotel tower. Read more.

"we're a place to be seen."

This place sounds kinda interesting for all you local hep-cats in Vegas. From the Las Vegas Sun:

No slots. No neon.
Secluded hotel gets by on style

By Jerry Fink

Tucked away in an industrial district - surrounded by freeway overpasses, welding shops, recycling businesses and the occasional topless club - a Las Vegas jewel hides.

You can see the 64-room boutique hotel from Interstate 15. You can find it in the phone book: the Artisan Hotel and Spa, 1501 W. Sahara Ave. But unless you are familiar with the confusing convergence of major arteries and dead-end streets, getting there can be an adventure.

"I like the seclusion," says Michael Dennis, who discovered the diamond in the rough a couple of months ago while searching for a hip spot to hear jazz - close to the Strip but miles away from its chaos.

Tireless celebrity reporter Robin Leach and creative impresario Franco Dragone have discovered the Artisan. Casts from the Strip's shows find it a convenient place for a celebration - the third anniversary of "Zumanity," the first of Dragone's "Le Reve" - or for lamentation - the farewell party for "Hairspray."

"Word has gotten out that we are a unique and interesting place," DaSilva says. "We're a place to be seen." Read the whole story.


The Artisan Hotel

operation: vegas 2k8

I think it's time to lay out a real plan of action to get to Vegas. And by "get to Vegas," I don't mean a vacation. I go there all the time for that. No. I mean "get to Vegas" and stay there. Permanently.

I'm ready. But for the job, that is.

This is sort of a personal post among posts about the gaming community and such, but that's what this is all about; to position myself to work for the gaming industry in Las Vegas. I want to use this blog as an exercise in monitoring, tracking and discussing what's happening out there -- the economy, business community, local politics, social scene, and so on. This is all a not-so-subtle ramp-up to move out there.

My unofficial goal is 2k8. That means, at minimum, I've got about 18 months to get my shizzle togizzle so I can move to Las Vizzle (or is it Vegizzle? I forget).

I need to figure out a few things:
* Cost of renting/buying a house
* Cost of moving
* THE JOB MARKET!!!
* How much I want/need to bank between now and 2k8

I won't move unless I have a job.

What I'm going to do first is work a few contacts for potential networking. I would rather get noticed via contacts who know folks. I'll be meeting up with my Vegas-connected friend prior to my next trip out there in a few months. I'd like to meet some of those people and let 'em know I exist and known what the hell I'm doing.

Anyway, sorry for the personal session here. Rest assured that won't happen too much. I just wanted to get it out there that I am angling to move to Las Vegas in two years...or less.

As you were.

“we feel we have a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper.”

William Weidner, President and COO of Las Vegas Sands is currently presenting at the Bank of America Securities 2006 Gaming Conference in Vegas.

It’s what you would expect it to be: a rah-rah about the company’s success in Vegas and how it’s put them in a position to “seize market leadership” in Asia; particularly, Singapore.

“We feel we have a copy of tomorrow’s newspaper,” he said, referring to the Venetian’s map for success in Vegas.

The U.S. gaming industry is moving into the Asian market pretty rapidly, there’s no secret about that, and it’s moving that way with good reason. He spoke glowingly of a captive audience in Singapore that “loves to game.” (notice he did NOT say ‘gamble’.)

Las Vegas Sands is doing well, as it is building a new, luxury hotel wing at the Venetian, The Pilazzo.

Business is good for Las Vegas Sands (they're trading at just under $70 a share right now.).

klondike closes its doors.

"I got the feeling of an old-time joint. There were cheap rooms, cheap and plentiful food and everyone knew your name. In that sense we lose a piece of the old-fashioned Las Vegas, when there was more of a feeling of personal friendliness. The town was smaller and the casinos were smaller. You didn't need a computer to know that Joe liked to bet $20 on 20 at the roulette wheel."
-Michael Green, author of "Las Vegas: A Centennial History" and a history professor at the Community College of Southern Nevada, on the Kondike Hotel, which closed its doors this week.

Read all about it: CASINO CLOSURE: Well-worn Klondike bid a warm farewell

Honestly, I have no clue where this place is, or if I ever even saw it.

mccarran shooting update.

More info on that shooting at McCarran, from the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Police shoot man at airport
Authorities, witnesses say suspect grabbed boy at store, ran past security checkpoint

By DAVID KIHARA
REVIEW-JOURNAL

Las Vegas police shot a knife-wielding 19-year-old man at McCarran International Airport after he grabbed a 3-year-old Clark County boy and ran past a security checkpoint Tuesday afternoon, authorities said.

Police identified the suspect as Michael John Allgood of Oregon.

Police said they learned that Allgood suffers from mental illness and has a previous violent confrontation with police.

Authorities think the incident was isolated and not tied to terrorist activity, LVPD Capt. Terry Lesney said. Read more.

police shoot man at mccarran.

A pair of breaking stories from the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Two officer-involved shootings

Authorities are investigating two officer-involved shootings that occurred about 4:30 p.m. today, including one at McCarran International Airport.

In that case, a man with a knife grabbed a young boy on the non-boarding side of the A and B gates checkpoint, then ran through the exit for the checkpoint, which prompted a lockdown by airport security, police said. Three Las Vegas police cornered the man and shocked him with a Taser causing him to release the child and fall to the floor, police said. The man then got up and lunged toward officers so they shot him, police said.

The man, who is believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, was taken to a hospital, but his condition has not yet been released.

About the same time, Las Vegas police were involved in a shooting in the 6000 block of Washington Avenue near Jones Boulevard. The condition of the victim, who was transported to University Medical Center, was unknown.

Police said no officers were injured in either incident.

imperial palace releases collector's cheques.

Looks like my beloved Imperial Palace has released yet another batch of "collector's" cheques (chips) into the pits.

From Brett's Vegas View at the Las Vegas Leisure Guide:



The Imperial Palace issued limited edition 30th anniversary commemorative casino chips on Father's Day. Only 500 $5, 100 $25 and 50 $100 chips were commissioned. One side of the chips featured old photos showing the Imperial Palace, the hotel's former marquee and the Flamingo Capri, the predecessor to the IP. The flip side of the $5 chip showed the front exterior of the hotel at night; the $25 highlighted the Las Vegas Monorail; and a daytime front exterior photo of the Imperial Palace distinguished the $100 check.

word on the street...

Now this is potentially BIG news! Only time will tell whether or not it's just a rumor. From the Las Vegas Business Press "Strip Tease" gossip column:

Harrah's and Boyd to swap properties?

WE HEAR ... that Harrah's Entertainment might be positioning itself for a property swap with Boyd Gaming Corp. The land desired by Harrah's would be the 4.3 acres located on the NE corner of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard, where the Barbary Coast stands. In exchange, Harrah's would offer up the Rio Suite Hotel & Casino, cash, and a casino to be named later (Westward Ho, anyone?). The acquisition would give Harrah's, owners of Caesars Palace and Bally's Las Vegas, full control of three of the four corners at one of the busiest gaming intersections in the world. Although it takes a few years for trades to be analyzed (see "Billy Ball" by Michael Lewis), Strip Tease likes Boyd as the immediate winner. The Rio site would give it 88 1/2 acres, a lot of it undeveloped, next door to its Gold Coast Hotel & Casino, and The Westward Ho site would give it 14 acres next to the $4 billion Echelon Place that will Boyd is scheduled to build where the Stardust now resides.

I guess I never realized Boyd Gaming (my former employer) owned Barbary Coast. If Harrah's acquires that property, you can bet they'll gut the Imperial Palace, O'Shea's and Barbary Coast. As much as I enjoy the loose atmosphere of O'Shea's, I know its days are numbered.

see! i told you it was illegal!

From today's Las Vegas Review Journal:

Prostitution sting nets part-time judge
Justice of the peace pro-tem jailed on solicitation charge

By GLENN PUIT
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A weekend police sweep targeting street prostitution in Las Vegas landed a part-time judge in jail on a solicitation charge Saturday.

Mark Peplowski -- who is listed by Clark County as a justice of the peace pro-tem and who also teaches political science at the Community College of Southern Nevada in Henderson -- was arrested Saturday during a sting operation on Fremont Street. Detectives said he solicited a sex act from a prostitute, according to police reports.

Peplowski, 51, declined to comment on his arrest when contacted by the Review-Journal on Monday.

Las Vegas police Sgt. Chris Jones said the arrest was made during a police undercover operation called P.I.M.P., which stands for Prostitutes Incarcerated by Metropolitan Police.

The sweep resulted in 184 arrests in the Las Vegas Valley over the weekend. Read more.

I guess we need to review this one more time: prostitution is legal in Nevada only at the brothels way outside of Las Vegas. It is not legal within the city limits!

But I thought the mayor wanted to legalize prostitution in the city. Perhaps I'm making that up. Seems to me that these arrests are a waste of time for the Vegas PD, but that's just my humble opinion.

the 'music of the night' opens on the strip.

Yet another Broadway show opens in Vegas. From PR NewsWire:

PHANTOM - THE LAS VEGAS SPECTACULAR OPENS IN STUNNING NEW THEATER AT THE VENETIAN RESORT CASINO

LAS VEGAS - The world's most celebrated musical now has a home in the Entertainment Capitol of the World.

The Phantom of the Opera - The Las Vegas Spectacular opened June 24, 2006, in a stunning, $75 million production at The Venetian Resort * Hotel * Casino. The production reunites creator Andrew Lloyd Webber with original director Harold Prince, revisiting their musical masterpiece and combining its timeless story and captivating music with the technological advances of the last two decades.

"It's a rare opportunity we have to utilize all of the theatrical advancements of the last 20 years and create an environment that is singularly unique to Phantom," said Andrew Lloyd Webber. "But in the end, it is always the story of Phantom and the universal theme of love and love lost that stays with the audience." Read more.

This is at least the third or fourth major production that's opened in Vegas after either a London or New York opening. Here's the obvious: Vegas entertainment has come a long way, baby.

PhantomLasVegas.com

"We anticipate we'll be in the top 25 cities (in size) in a year or two."

I suppose we already knew that Vegas was booming and growing. Here's proof of it. From the Las Vegas Business Press:

Las Vegas' population increase second in nation
By VALERIE MILLER
BUSINESS PRESS

The latest Census Bureau statistics show Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing big cities in the country. Of cities with a population of 250,000 or greater, Las Vegas had the second-highest percentage of population increase from 2000 through 2005. Its 14 percent jump was behind only Fort Worth's 16.6 percent boost among major cities. During the five-year period, the Southern Nevada municipality grew from 478,000 to 545,147.

Suburban population growth within the city limits has contributed greatly to Las Vegas' expansion, according to Margo Wheeler, the director of the city's planning and development department. "The northwest is our fastest-growing area," she said, "and the area north of Cheyenne (avenue) in the western part of the valley."

Las Vegas is the 29th largest-ranked city by the Census Bureau. New York City remains by far the largest city in country with 8.1 million people. Read more.

I'm kind of curious to hunt down this data, because I think Indianapolis is about the 12th largest city in the nation, but I can't be 100% sure. I know Hamilton County, just north of Indy, is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, but we don't have all those groovy casinos here.

mgm mirage building a new strip monster.

Looks like the South Strip is getting another monster. From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

PROJECT CITYCENTER: HERE COMES THE NEW LOOK OF THE STRIP
MGM Mirage's $7 billion project starts construction

By ROD SMITH
GAMING WIRE

Construction on MGM Mirage's $7 billion Project CityCenter got under way just after midnight Sunday with the arrival of a convoy of trucks delivering 10,000 cubic yards of concrete to the largest privately financed construction project in the United States.


Trucks begin delivering nearly 10,000 cubic yards of concrete Saturday morning for the foundation of MGM Mirage's Project CityCenter, a $7 billion mixed-use "urban village" being built between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo.
(Photo by Jane Kalinowsky.)

Mirage Resorts President Robert Baldwin, who is overseeing the 18 million-square-foot, mixed-use urban village, said the pour is one of the largest in Las Vegas history and marks the first stage of construction on the project.

Further, he said it underscores MGM Mirage's commitment to the project and marks a paradigm shift for the company. Read more.