Royally Flushed

Say good-bye to one of the worst years for the casino industry.

Onward with more resolutions we think casinos should make for 2009.  Getting butts into the chairs - gambling, restaurants, and show seats — is the Number One priority for stayin’ alive in ‘09 so here are some ideas to help you do just that.

– Stop screwing around with your Player’s Club rules and regs - particularly as they affect your faithful players.  I have heard more complaints from players about this one issue than any other this year.  You have less money but so do we.  (more…)

The spectacular new Wynn Las Vegas property Encore will be opening this coming Monday, December 22, with a sold out crowd for that specific night.  Rooms (including New Year’s Eve) are available beginning the 23rd.  Reservations at the original property, Wynn Las Vegas, can be had throughout the time period.

The new Encore website is up and running with lots of photos and information along with a video of the very cool Encore commercial showing owner Steve Wynn atop the stunning copper-colored tower.

For up-to-date information along with “live” reports from the opening celebrations, tune into a new website built specifically for this grand event.  This exciting new venture is helmed by the editors/bloggers of two popular Las Vegas websites, vegastripping and ratevegas.  Thanks to them, we can all ride along as they experience the exhilaration of opening night at the fabulous new Encore resort and casino.

By far, one of the coolest interactive maps I have ever seen is at the Las Vegas Sun website.  You have got to go check this out to see a graphic history of the rise and fall of casino development throughout the Las Vegas area. 

There are actually three maps to explore — The Strip, Downtown and the Valley — and on each one, you click on what era you want to see and the map shows you what casinos were in place at that point in time.  For instance, head to “The Strip” map and click on the tab “1960″ for an idea of the places Frank, Sammy and Dean were hanging out at during the Rat Pack years.  As you click on each casino, a pop-up appears and you can read a short history of the property and see some photos.  I thought it really interesting to see the original Caesars Palace pics to get an idea of the multiple expansions that property has gone through in order to morph into what we now see on The Strip. 

The entire History section, aptly called “A Gamble in the Sand,” is a goldmine of facts and photos and a truly fascinating look at a remarkable American city.  Spend some time there and you’ll know Vegas as never before.

In doing my research this past weekend for some upcoming articles, I came across tons of news items detailing the stock declines of the major players in the gaming industry.  And it’s not just the casino owners/operators who are seeing double-digit stock drops but also the game and technology manufacturers.  Thought it would be interesting to see some of the numbers — all in one spot — so here’s a chart showing just that:  (All prices are as of market close November 14, 2008.) (more…)

Lucky cherries...why not lucky lawyers or smoke monsters? (Photo courtesy of Lisa Brewster, http://sophistechate.com

I think being a slot machine inventor, game developer, whatever you want to call it, would be one of the coolest jobs on the planet.  I want to be the person who decides that the cherry gets to be the lucky fruit.  Sorry apples, pears and pomegranates…move back to the bowl because you just don’t cut it.  Triple diamonds, blazing 7’s, weird Slingo™ dude and even you, Monty Hall -  yep, you’re all in.  But “Chainsaws & Toasters®?”  What kind of weird nightmare did the person have before coming up with that game?

So, if that game made it through the vetting process, why not some of these?

Magic Ex-Wife -- Get five lawyers in a row to go to the bonus round where the machine takes all your credits and your dog.  Sorry, there’s no winning this one. (more…)

Could something like this bring you casino luck?

When it comes to good luck charms, I’ve seen a lot of strange things in casinos in Las Vegas, here in Arizona and, really, all across the country.  I remember one “regular” at a casino here in town who, back in the days when actual coins still poured out of the machines, would accumulate buckets of quarters and carry them from machine to machine.  If he was having a good day, you’d see him perched on his seat in front of a slot machine with three, four or even five completely full buckets of change under his chair.  Watching him move from machine to machine with a stack of change cups sort of piled atop each other “Leaning-Tower-of- Pisa-style” was a pretty interesting sight.  When asked why he carried around all those quarters rather than cashing in for some lightweight bills, he said his method of only going to the cashier at the end of his gambling day brought him luck.  (I’m sure he’s not having near as much fun with the paper tickets spit out by the machines today.) (more…)

Beautifully-rendered bunches of colorful spring flowers await at The Bellagio... if you just look up.

What do the Sistine Chapel and Las Vegas have in common?  Well, if you want to see the good stuff at either place, you’re going to have to stop walking (recommended if you don’t want to crash into other people,) throw your head back and look up.

While much is made of the crazy colorful carpeting found in casinos all around the country — and rightfully so - you also need to look UP as well as down to see some of the more remarkable design elements scattered throughout favorite casinos.  Nowhere is this truer than in Las Vegas where over-the-top design is simply commonplace and excess is the norm rather than the exception.  But hey, this is why we love the place! (more…)

Screech.  Thud.  Those are the sounds of casino construction being brought to a halt across the country.  It seems there is news every week about another project being put “on hold” as the downturn in the economy continues to affect all segments of the gaming industry.  Curious, I compiled this list of who is stopping what and where…so far.

MGM Mirage - Announced in its third-quarter earnings release on October 29 that the company is postponing indefinitely its MGM Atlantic City project citing “current economic conditions and the impact of the credit market environment.”   In Las Vegas, MGM Mirage has also halted plans “for the development of a major resort complex on the southwest corner of the Las Vegas Strip and Sahara Avenue in Las Vegas….” 

There’s better news, however, for MGM’s CityCenter Las Vegas development.  In an interview with Market Watch, company officials said the $9 billion resort complex “will get the financing it needs to be completed.”  (more…)

Workers recently installed this sign at the new Gila River Casino, Lone Butte.

The new Gila River casino, Lone Butte, at Loop 202 and Kyrene Road in Chandler, Arizona is coming together nicely for the scheduled November 20 opening date.  I am really looking forward to playing in this new Phoenix-area casino which is slated to have 850 slot machines, a 750-seat bingo hall, new high-limit player areas and exciting table games including Fortune Pai Gow Poker Progressive, Let It Ride Three-Card Bonus and Three-Card Poker.  And, for a non-smoker like me, the thought of a state-of-the-art smoke removal system built right into the facility makes me swoon.

In grand opening promotions, casino customers can play their favorite games for cash and prizes including a new Pontiac Soltice which will be given away on December 4th.  Prior to the main event car giveaway, the “Luck Has a New Home” promo will award cash prizes to players from 6 - 10 p.m., November 5, 12 — at the current Lone Butte location —  and on the 26th at the new casino. (more…)

Voters will have their say on gambling issues in several states.

Election 2008 sees some interesting gambling-related issues on ballots in several states.  Of these, two are of particular interest to me and here’s why.

This past summer, P.B. and I took a cross-country jaunt and stopped to stay and play at several mid-West casinos including Harrah’s St. Louis.  When we arrived at the casino, we were informed that we needed new player’s club cards and to obtain them, we had to produce picture ID’s plus sign the backs of our replacement cards.  We were told that we must insert these cards into the machines in order to play and that’s when we learned about the $500 loss limit.  Huh?  Yes, unique to Missouri, is a law that says a player cannot lose more than $500 in any two-hour period.  (The cards keep track of your play.)  (more…)

Casino gaming revenue is down all over the country.  No surprise there considering the state of the economy.  In September alone, Biloxi casinos — hit with Hurricane Gustav and forced to close over a typically busy Labor Day Weekend — reported revenue down a whopping 26% from a year ago.  In Atlantic City, September brought the biggest monthy drop ever for the seaside gaming community - 15.1%.  And for August – which included most of the Labor Day weekend numbers – Nevada reported an 8.1% decrease with gaming capital, Las Vegas, down 7.4%.  I’m sure we’re going to see Nevada’s September numbers more in line with the double-digit declines reported above when they are released later this month.

And in Arizona, the state department of gaming, announced Friday that for the quarter ended September 30, tribal contributions from Indian gaming revenue – which are based on gaming earnings — to the state fell 9.5% from the same period a year ago.  

According to the Arizona Department of Gaming press release, “Arizona tribes’ combined contribution for the quarter…was approximately $25.0 million.  That’s down from $27.6 million in the same quarter a year before.”

So what do these revenue drops mean for casino visitors?  Look for more competition among gaming venues for your gambling dollars.  More and bigger promotions (think Harrah’s Ak-Chin “Win Your Million“), enticing hotel rates all around the country, especially in room-laden Las Vegas, and lots of other events and ideas aimed at getting fannies into the gaming seats.

The shining new Encore resort at Wynn Las Vegas opens in December.

UPDATE:  Check HERE for the latest on the grand opening of Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.

The new Encore resort at Wynn Las Vegas has begun taking room reservations for January 12, 2009 and beyond according to a recent press release.  The $2.3 billion resort is scheduled to open December 22 and a rumor is out that the grand opening may get tied into Steve Wynn’s late-January birthday.  Since P.B. and I always go to Las Vegas in January for P.B.’s birthday maybe this year we’ll be celebrating it with Steve Wynn.

Encore’s 2,034 suites will no doubt feature all the luxury and attention to detail that Wynn Resorts is known for when designing guest rooms.  The property’s resort suites will be more than 700 square-feet while Tower Suites clock in at up to 5,800 square-feet!

Wynn Encore, situated next to the flagship Wynn Las Vegas, will feature five “signature” restaurants, seven bars & lounges, a new “ultra-chic” nightclub and several new retail entities.  And, according to the press release, “A vibrant atrium and European-inspired pool area are centerpieces of the Encore experience and signature design elements include an abundance of natural light, a landscape of foliage and shimmering pools of water. Butterflies flirt over vibrant carpets, mosaic tiles and textured walls to draw guests into a playful juxtaposition between indoors and out.”

For reservations and a peek at the new room design, check out the Encore Las Vegas website.  (Click on the ”reservations” tab at the bottom of the screen to pull up a photo of the new rooms.)