Welcome to our Casino Blog section
CasinoGuide.com is proud to present the world's best Casino Blog, bringing you the inside story from Vegas and beyond.
Latest Posts
The Bitch is Back
February 20, 2010
Sometimes I try to ignore news and not comment on them, but I've received more emails about this topic than just about any other story in the past several weeks. Well, with the exception of the axe murderer. For those who are unaware, a man attacked a small child and a couple of other people with an axe last week, and while the crime happened near (not in) Rexville, I really don't know what to say about it. Crime happens here all the time. The story simply got national press because it was a freaking axe. Had it been a gun, a knife, or a baseball bat, you probably wouldn't have heard about it. There are roughly 20,000 murders annually in the USA. This was one of them. They are all a shame. What more can be said? The other big story here in town is that another kind of murder will be ... Read the full blog post...
In The Zone No Longer
Let the changes at Planet Hollywood begin. The Hawaiian Tropic Zone is closing. According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun: A spokeswoman for the Miracle Mile Shops said a new concept will be moving into the space, but she wouldn't elaborate on Wednesday. A representative from the Hawaiian Tropic Zone said the restaurant-nightclub will be open all day Saturday before closing early Sunday morning. A manger or owner wasn't available to comment on the reason for the closure. The Hawaiian Tropic Zone opened in January 2008. The restaurant, bar and nightclub has direct access to Las Vegas Boulevard. This is rather disappointing news. Businesses in this city are in serious trouble. I know it sounds like naysayer hyperbole, but yesterday was another one of those days where reality unavoidably smacked me in the face. You see, my kid's birthday is this weekend, and I decided to buy her the Nintendo Wii that she had been asking ... Read the full blog post...
Glass Houses
February 19, 2010
This is starting to get silly. Tensions between President Obama and Nevada elected officials over the president's anti-Sin City remarks escalated Thursday when Las Vegas's mayor refused an invitation to meet with Obama when he arrives in town. "I've got other things to do quite frankly for my constituents here in Las Vegas who rely on me to do the right thing as a mayor," Mayor Oscar Goodman told KTNV Action News. Goodman was invited by the White House to meet the president on the tarmac when he arrives Thursday night and to the town hall event scheduled for Friday, Goodman spokesman Jace Radke told , adding that the mayor would consider the invitation if Obama promised to apologize for his remarks. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Goodman is still smarting from comments Obama made suggesting that people saving money for college shouldn't blow in it Las Vegas. Really ... Read the full blog post...
A PR Nightmare
February 18, 2010
Talk about going from bad to worse. On March 14, Casino MonteLago at Lake Las Vegas will close. As soon as I heard the news about the Ritz last week, my thoughts immediately shifted toward the Lake's casino. I had no idea how they were going to survive. Fortunately, a casino public relations director quickly allayed my fears in the Las Vegas Sun. After the Ritz-Carlton announcement, Jennifer Morton, marketing and public relations director for Casino MonteLago, predicted last week that business for the casino would remain steady without the luxury hotel. “We have a strong local base, so it’s just going to be business as normal for us." DOH! And public relations folks wonder why they have credibility issues. I know, I know, she was just doing her job, but I think it is important to note that PR people get paid for one reason, and one reason only. To lie their asses off. Q: ... Read the full blog post...
Un-Jumping the Shark
February 13, 2010
Numbers are out for December of 2009, and like everyone predicted, it was a good month. This was due, of course, to the opening of City Center. The new property which opened in stages throughout the month of December drove a 2% increase in tourism and a 6% increase in gaming win. Even though this is good news, frankly, the month was less stellar than I thought it would be. Had I been forced to put money on it, I would have taken the "over" on a 10% December increase without hesitation. Although we finished strong, 2009 as a whole was dismal. Tourism was down 3% over 2008, gaming win was down 6%, and convention traffic was down nearly 25%. As we ramp into the new year and bask in the glow of a happy ending (to the year 2009), a very large question comes to mind as I sit here contemplating the state of ... Read the full blog post...
Pollyanna Strikes Again
February 12, 2010
Earlier this week, The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Las Vegas announced that they will close their doors in May, eliminating another 400 local jobs. This will be the first time that the Ritz has ever had to close a property, and I think the fact that they burst their "failure cherry" in Las Vegas is a bit sad, but also a bit telling. It shows just how far we have fallen. Fortunately, for lovers of the Lake, the Loews Resort remains open, and now that they have less (no?) competition, this property may very well survive. Or maybe not. Lake Las Vegas is a very cool place to hang out for the day. Were it not so far from the Boulevard, I would go more often. It's as close to a Mediterranean seaside village as you will find within 200 miles of the Vegas Strip. The problem is, not enough people come to Vegas for ... Read the full blog post...
Up In Smoke
February 10, 2010
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. On March 19th, 2010 Las Vegas was supposed to see a somewhat ground-breaking convention. It was on this date that "Cannapalooza", a three day marijuana convention, was to descend on the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. The event was being billed as a "fun, safe, educational event" and also "the largest head shop on the planet". It sounded perfect for the nation's self-professed adult playground. Unfortunately, the Mandalay Bay recently canceled their contract with the event planners. According to the San Francisco Examiner: Woznicki (the event organizer) said he was embraced by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and major Las Vegas resorts when he first pitched the event. But he said he noticed "trouble brewing" when he talked to Mandalay Bay officials in December. "I felt there was a negative vibe there," he said. "Even at the meeting, a Mandalay Bay security guy said, `Pot smokers ... Read the full blog post...
No Publicity is Bad Publicity
February 4, 2010
Growing up in Washington, DC, I never thought much about Las Vegas. Then again, I don't suppose there was much to think about. It was a hole in the desert over 2,000 miles away where people gambled while listening to Elvis sing. I didn't have anything against the town, it just never crossed my mind. I probably said the word "Vegas" three times before I was 20 years old. These days, I get the impression that most locals would prefer this mentality from the folks back home. The only time someone in Washington mentions Las Vegas by name these days is to verbally kick the town squarely in the ass. Last year, President Barack O'Drama chastised corporations for using federal money to take trips to Las Vegas. I believe his exact words were "You can't go take that trip to Las Vegas or go down to the Super Bowl on the taxpayers' dime". Frankly, I found ... Read the full blog post...
One Step Closer To Primm
February 18th, 2010. An otherwise un-notable date has taken on a whole new significance in Las Vegas. It officially represents the last day that Planet Hollywood will be an independent property in any way, shape, or form. On the 19th, it will officially be a Harrah's venture from top to bottom. The first order of business for Harrah's once they take over will be to, what else, lay people off ... albeit "only" about 100 people. The layoffs are supposed to strike primarily management positions. It's very sad to see anyone lose their job, but since the office folks probably have more marketable skill sets outside of the gaming industry than do dealers and cocktail waitresses, I suppose these are the least tragic positions to lose. Besides, I'm not sure how much current Planet Hollywood employees would get along with the rhesus monkeys that Harrah's currently employs in management. On the noted date, Planet Hollywood workers ... Read the full blog post...
You Can’t Fight City Hall
February 3, 2010
I have always found Las Vegas City Hall to be somewhat impressive. Built in 1973 and extended in 2003, it is large, modern, and more than suitable for a city of 600,000 people. Depending on the latest turn in our numbers, Las Vegas is now a city that is either losing population or is experiencing miniscule growth. This being the case, one might surmise that our existing municipal infrastructure is just right. At a time when the city is hemorrhaging tax revenue without an end in sight, even if our City Hall were not ideal, one might think that we could hold on and make it work until things got a bit better. Obviously, I'm missing something. Municipalities like to chronically decry the fact that they do not have enough money, and they are always on the lookout for ways to rip-off the citizenry, but I maintain that nearly all budget shortfalls are ... Read the full blog post...
