ONLINE GAMBLING AND CASINO GUIDE

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:  What do you get when you cross a PR person with an elephant?
A:  An elephant that lies its ass off.

I just made that one up.  Bite me.

Anyway, the Public Relations industry in Las Vegas is actually fascinating on some level.  I knew a couple of people who work in this field in other cities, but the Vegas PR and marketing world is a bit different than anywhere else.  It’s almost cliquish in a way where some of the firms try to become more important than the entities they manage.  You might say that they try to adopt the Sub Pop philosophy.  Don’t worship the band, worship the label.

This is a true story:

Some time ago, there was an “event” here in Las Vegas, and the folks running PR for it were soliciting media registrations.  It wasn’t a very well-known event, which is why I was surprised to receive an email from an acquaintance of mine asking me if I was attending.

This person was (and is) far bigger than I when it comes to online publishing.  As a matter of fact, I think it is safe to say that he has national name recognition among Internet users.  If you held an event, and you wanted word to get out to the cherished 18-49 netfreak demographic, this person would be damn near the top of your list.

When I informed him that I might go, he asked me if I could get some photos for him.  When I asked him why he was not attending himself, he explained to me that he had already applied, but was rejected due to “space concerns”.  For those of you who are unaware, “space concerns” is PR-speak for “you don’t have a big enough dick for media credentials”.

If you are an aspiring blogger, these emails are how you will pay your dues.  You will email a request to attend the Dildo World Expo as a working blogger, and you will get an email that says “Thank you for your request, but due to space concerns we are unable to give you media credentials at this time blah blah blah”.  It’s their way of saying “Nigga please, you ain’t nobody.  You better check yo’self before you wreck yo’self”.  At least that’s what it would mean if Ice Cube was running Dildo World PR.

The thing is, my acquaintance was in the top 1% of his field, so his readership size could not be questioned.  Of course, I asked for clarification.

He explained to me that he had gotten into a petty disagreement with a member of the PR team at a previous Vegas event, and that the firm was punishing him … at the expense of the event they were representing.  I asked him for details of this “disagreement”, and believe me when I tell you — it was petty.

Basically, the Public Relations firm pulled a power move because of a perceived slight … not against the event … but against themselves.  How much exposure did the firm lose?  In my opinion, it was substantial.  The firm sold out their client to settle a personal grudge.  It’s terribly unprofessional.

Some weeks later, I spoke to one of the clients themselves.  They were unaware that my acquaintance had been interested in attending, and were more than a little pissed off when they found out that he was barred entrance.  They agreed that his attendance would have been important.

To make a more simple analogy, this is like your Real Estate Agent turning down a generous offer for your house because the buyer criticized her blouse — then telling you that you need to lower your asking price because there are simply not enough buyers.

The problem is that some Vegas PR people seem to forget that events are not about them.  It’s about the entity they represent.  Their job is to get publicity and exposure for the property.  Their own petty squabbles are completely irrelevant.

And with that small anecdote, my phone number and email address have just been stricken from every PR database in the city.

On second thought, I should probably cover my own ass: the firm I am talking about DOES NOT REPRESENT THE ADULT ENTERTAINMENT EXPO in any way.  Those people are the most professional and courteous folks I have ever dealt with.  Not only that, but everyone handling PR for the event is highly attractive, and their bowel movements smell like a cross between a flower shop and a Cinnabon.

I’ll kiss anyone’s ass for porn.

“Look Cletus, Rex hi-jacked his own post again!”

Yeah, I had no intention of writing about the Vegas PR Industry but I’m completely out of Ritalin.

Anyway, at this point, it looks like Lake Las Vegas is more or less over as of next month.  If you have yet to visit Casino MonteLago, I would recommend doing so at least once.  Even if it doesn’t do anything for you, it will still be a piece of Vegas history.

Once it is gone, there will be no real reason to visit LLV.  I suppose it will still serve as a golfing destination, but with the loss of its primary hotel and the loss of its casino, it will be just another housing complex on the outskirts of town.

I’m not a super-frequent visitor to the Lake resort, but I do visit often enough to say:

It will be missed.

• Keep updated through Newsletter or on Facebook

  E-mail:
  

  Subscribe
  Unsubscribe