cinevegas turns 10.

Doug Elfman of the Las Vegas Review Journal puts a pretty good wrap on CineVegas:

Unlike some others, celebs at CineVegas talented, classy

DOUG ELFMAN

Japanese artist and filmmaker Takashi Murakami points to one of his animated characters after arriving at a screening of "Planting of the Seeds" at the Wynn Hotel and Casino during the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas on Monday, June 16, 2008.
AP Photo/Laura Rauch

For 10 days, actors strolled red carpets and private parties at CineVegas. When prompted, they told stories of their younger days as messy tourists in Las Vegas. But their admissions were hardly ripped from the pages of Pamela Anderson's diaries.

Sam Rockwell, star of 2002's "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," confessed: "The last time I was in Vegas, I woke up in a lawn chair." But he didn't elaborate.

Gabriel Mann, a player in the "Bourne" thrillers, said his last visit here was 10 years ago, when "I lost all my money -- my money and my mind." Yet he declined repeated requests to explain this rap.

So even though CineVegas was a little crazier than usual -- with one Britney Spears sighting, an official party held at a strip club, and gobs of star-gazing parties stocked with free booze -- its stars were reserved actors showing art house fare to film lovers at the Palms. Read more.

$4 gas prices forcing gamblers to stay close to home?

Howard Stutz at the Las Vegas Review Journal has my job! He writes a weekly column about the gaming industry.

Here's a little bit of today's Inside Gaming column:

No surprise, but gasoline prices of more than $4 a gallon don't bode well for regional casino markets. Deutsche Bank gaming analyst Andrew Zarnett said Atlantic City would suffer as gamblers stay close to home.

"Consumers will choose the convenience of Pennsylvania casinos over Atlantic City amenities," he said.

Potential casino patrons are spending more for necessities, such as gasoline and food, leaving fewer dollars for discretionary activities, including gambling.

Zarnett said casinos in Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana and Missouri are experiencing declines in visitation. Here's a little bit of today's Read more.

I made the rounds in Vegas this past May and all the talk among the employees in the pits was how its business was...well, in the pits.

Whether or not we're in a recession is a debate best left to the wonks on Meet The Press, but when people are paying $4 for a gallon of gas? Something's got to give.

jacko in las vegas?

Looks like the talk of a Michael Jackson show in Las Vegas is back. From Reuters, by way of Yahoo news:

Michael Jackson in talks on possible Las Vegas act
By Steve Gorman 5 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson may relaunch his career as a Las Vegas act, thanks to the private equity group that recently bought the loan on his Neverland Ranch in California to help the pop star avert foreclosure.
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The investment firm Colony Capital is discussing with Jackson various repayment options for the $23 million debt, including a possible long-term engagement as the resident performer of a Vegas casino or nightclub, a source familiar with the talks said on Friday.

Colony Capital, based in Los Angeles, owns the Las Vegas Hilton and is a major shareholder in the Station Casinos chain. Read more.

space-age gaming at the rio.

Harrah's is going after the millenials with new gaming options. From the AP:

Casino debuts new touch-screen bar table
By OSKAR GARCIA

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) (MSFT) and Harrah's Entertainment Inc. introduced a high-tech interactive bar table Wednesday that lets patrons order drinks, watch YouTube videos, play touch-screen games and even flirt with each other.

The tables offer Harrah's a new way to track its customers' habits and behaviors, adding to its sophisticated costumer rewards program that tracks users' gambling habits.

"Of all the goodies up our sleeves lately, this is one of the most dramatic," Tim Stanley, chief information officer of Harrah's, told The Associated Press. "The range of opportunities are fairly limitless."

The six rectangular tables with built-in 30-inch flat screens using Microsoft Surface technology were installed in a lounge at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, with custom applications built for Harrah's.
Read more.

I am very curious to see this in action. I may have to swing by the Rio in August to check it out. Touch-screen gaming isn't necessarily a new thing, but I'm going to bet (ha!) this system is much more sophisticated than the standard video poker consoles embedded in casino bars. The "flirt" option makes me laugh because I can see that being used by those who are working in "the oldest profession." I know. Hookers in Vegas? I'm shocked...shocked. :-)

revenues still down in vegas.

No real surprise here...from the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Gaming revenues decline again

Gaming revenues in April decreased 5 percent compared with the same month a year ago, the fourth straight month in 2008 casinos took in less than they did in 2007. Gaming revenues were $1 billion, compared with $1.053 billion a year ago.

On the Strip, gaming revenues were $524.1 million in April, a 1.28 percent decrease compared with $530.9 in April 2007.

Gaming taxes collected by the state based on April's gaming revenues were off 3.5 percent from a year ago, the seventh month out the last 11 that gaming tax collections have shown a decrease.

A few years ago, when I was a dealer, we at the casino used to comment how casinos were recession-proof. That's not the case any longer. Although I would guess the riverboats and Indian casinos across the nation are hurting worse than Vegas as a whole. Just a guess, though.

Just a year ago the Strip was gearing up to skew high-end with lavish resorts catering to affluent people. That's not going to change, but the gaming side of things will have to skew toward "average" players until we come out of this poor economy.

Again, duhhhhh!

it wouldn't be the first time mediocre talent sold out in vegas.

That's so crazy it might work! Mike Weatherford of the Las Vegas Review Journal has an idea that's begging to be picked up.

'Idol' should have home on Strip

With the "American Idols Live" tour headed for the Thomas & Mack Center on July 5, it once again begs the question, "Where's the permanent, sit-down version of 'American Idol' on the Strip?"

"It's crazy that it hasn't happened. Can you imagine? It would sell out twice a night," says Andy Walmsley. He is both the "Idol" set designer and a Vegas producer himself, albeit on a modest level, with "Laugh Out Loud with The Scintas" at the Las Vegas Hilton.

I've long accused casino entertainment types of being imitators, not innovators. But there is a disconnect between the big entertainment ideas -- some obvious, some less so -- and the current reality of casinos serving as innkeepers, collecting rent from the more humble likes of magicians and comedians. Read more.

changes abound for tropicana.

I think the most surprising part of this story is Tropicana Entertainment is based in Kentucky. From the Wall Street Journal:

Embattled Tropicana CEO Steps Down

By TAMARA AUDI

Less than two years after emerging victorious in a billion-dollar bidding war that gave him control of the legendary Tropicana casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, William J. Yung III has stepped down as CEO of Tropicana Entertainment LLC.

According to a statement from the company, Mr. Yung stepped down this week. He will remain on the company's board of directors.

He is replaced by company president Scott Butera. Read more

water, water (not) everywhere...

Right now we're fighting around the world for oil. In the not-so-distant future, don't be surprised if we go to war over an even more valuable resource: water. From the Gant Daily:

Are Water Wars in our Future?

By Lisa Duchene

"Freshwater access is a classic example of the tragedy of the commons," said Robert B. Packer, lecturer in political science at Penn State, who studies international political economy and the causes of war. "As with all common resources, unlimited demand and waste by some can lead to depletion of the resource for all. The hydroelectric dams that power the air conditioners of Las Vegas and Phoenix have depleted the waters of the Colorado River for agriculture. Heavy pesticide and fertilizer chemical use in agriculture has spoiled drinking water in many parts of the globe."

Now before you get all apoplectic about Vegas corporate interests depleting the planet, holster it. The Nevada tourism industry has been out in front of this crisis, leaning on the hotels and casinos to conserve water.

NPR did a story about it back in 2003: Las Vegas Copes with New Water-Use Limits

They also covered it last year during its Struggling Over Water series:

• Stakes High for Las Vegas Water Czar
• Las Vegas Water Battle: Crops vs Craps

no hotel check-in at mccarran?

Does anybody out there know why the major hotels removed their check-in desks from McCarran Airport's baggage claim area? I ask only because I thought this was a great idea when I noticed it a few years ago. I actually used it last year when check into Harrah's during my summer trip. It was nice to be able to go directly to your room instead of checking in at the hotel itself. It struck me as a nice amenity. Perhaps there wasn't enough traffic to warrant the cost of rental, personnel and resources to operate a satellite check-in desk.

McCarran's Web site only notes MGM Grand's airport check-in desk but I don't recall seeing it when I was there in May. But the baggage claim area at McCarran has been under expansion, so who knows.

dubai-dubai-doooooo.

Las Vegas is proving itself to be a model for international gaming ventures. First Macau, now Dubai. From the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Dubai firm sets sights on LV hospitality: Investors aim to grow Light Group's brand

By BENJAMIN SPILLMAN

It's been less than two decades since business leaders in Dubai sought to transform the desert emirate into a leading global tourism destination.

Now an investment firm that grew from the roots of Dubai's transformation wants to reinvent hospitality in Las Vegas, long one of the world's top tourist spots.

"We should be able to do it better," said Mohammed Ali Al Hashimi, head of Zabeel Investments, a financial firm that recently bought a 50 percent stake in the Las Vegas-based Light Group.

Zabeel is a private company with a stake in everything from real estate to aeronautics and a property portfolio with an estimated $5 billion value, according to news reports. Read more.

Dubai is one of those places in the world I'd love to see some day. It's such a rich nation, I bet even the homeless people wear Armani.

labor dispute?

Another labor dispute in Vegas? Hmm....from the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Walkout possible if MGM Mirage, Perini don't address workers' concerns

Union workers "will take action tonight," including a possible walkout, if MGM Mirage and Perini Building Co. do not take action by midnight tonight to address safety concerns at the $9 billion CityCenter construction site, Steve Ross, secretary-treasurer of the Southern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council, said today.

On Saturday, a sixth worker was killed on the CityCenter construction site since work began in early 2007. Read more.

If you haven't seen the CityCenter construction site, it's positively monstrous. It's like they're building a whole new city on The Strip.

nostalgic for old vegas.

My first trip to Las Vegas was in February 1999. The Strip has undergone a magnificent transformation since that time, making my first trip seem like light years ago. What are the differences? How about:
* Paris
* Mandalay Bay (opened in March 1999)
* Wynn Las Vegas
* The Aladdin Planet Hollywood
* The Venetian
* The Palazzo
* The Palms (off Strip)
* The Encore (coming this year)
* The Echelon (coming 2010)
* CityCenter (coming 2010)

More importantly, the corporate culture has changed dramatically (thanks to 9/11 for the nudge). The separate entities began merging a few years ago, creating several mega-corporations. Long story short, Harrah's owns at least seven Strip properties while MGM Mirage owns 10 or 11, including the monstrous CityCenter.

Where am I going with all this? I was reading a bit about the Sands Hotel and Casino and it made me nostalgic for the Las Vegas I never knew personally. If I had a time machine I'd love to go back to Vegas in the 60s and 70s, when corporations of a different sort ran the town.

Don't get me wrong. I truly love what's become of Vegas. In the 10 years we've been dating, I've watched Las Vegas grow into an international entertainment destination. It's not just for gamblers anymore. But there's something magical about the Rat Pack days of Las Vegas that we'll never get back.

These days, we get Paris Hilton.

That just doesn't seem fair at all.

vegas on a shoestring.

Thanks to a flabby US economy, the Strip casinos have to scale back their collective plans to cater strictly to the affluent, upscale travelers. From Sunday's Las Vegas Review Journal:

RELAXING DEALS, FUN DEALS, FOOD AND DRINK DEALS: Vegas on the Cheap
Sour economy could be sweet deal for savvy shoppers

By SONYA PADGETT

If there's anything positive about Las Vegas' struggling economy -- and that's a big if -- it's the return of the good casino deal.

While we're nowhere near the $3.99 all-you-can-eat buffets of yore -- yet -- there are some decent deals to be found, even for those whose budgets are tighter than a Rio cocktail waitress's uniform. Read more.

I observed the struggling economy in action when I was in Vegas last month. I had a chat with a pit boss table games manager at The Mirage who told me, "we're starting to pick back up right now."

She's a veteran of the Strip for many years, I gathered. I was somewhat surprised that the Mirage was feeling the pinch, since it's one of the more lavish destinations.

But that's the problem. When the economy is doing better, middle America has more disposable cash to throw around. And where better to throw money than the desert? But when gas is running twice as much as it was from four years ago...well, you get the point.

The economy will pick back up. And when it does, bye-bye deals.

coming back hard again.

I've been neglecting this blog for far too long now. It's time to come in from the cold...or wherever the hell I've been. There haven't been too many developments over the past few months, but I did make a return engagement to Las Vegas in early May. Most of my time was spent playing video poker at the various Strip casinos, but I did take an opportunity to visit the Fremont Street Experience with a friend and future colleague in the desert.

We ambled in and out of the various casinos, taking in the ambiance, the action at the tables and the overall experience of Fremont Street. Compared to the Strip, you couldn't get any further away. Where the Strip is run by monstrous, lavish hotel/casino/resorts, Fremont Street has a decidedly more intimate, more relaxed flavor.

The Golden Nugget was the best of Fremont Street. It was a well-appointed, top-notch casino. The dealers were smooth and professional and the place was clean (something you can never overlook).

I compare the Nugget's dice dealers to the lumps on a streetside table at O'Shea's on the Strip. Now I love O'Shea's...LOVE it! Among the monolithic resorts on the Strip is this rowdy little joint that feels like a college party every night. Nevertheless, the dice dealers I witnessed at O'Shea's were simply checked out.

The stickman's eyes were everywhere but on the dice. The base dealers were simply going through the motions. And the boxman was giving his mediocre best. The best example is when a player threw in a bet for the dealers. "Hardways for the crew," he said to the stickman, who promptly booked hardway bets for the player.

"No," the player said. "For the crew."

"Huh?" said the confused stickman.

Shaking his head and physically slapping himself, the player looked at me with exasperation.

As a former (and soon to be un-retired) dice dealer, I know what it's like working a game. I know there are days you are mentally checked out. But when a player is betting for you, you give that player your best service. A crew bet is ALWAYS a bet! And for the base dealer and stickman to not book it is positively weak.

I could've tapped in and shown them how it's done.

I'll be back in Vegas in August, when the average temperature should be somewhere around 105° F daily.

I can't wait.