Casino Connection Nevada

Media madness

by Dave Bontempo

It’s nothing new for Las Vegas casinos to outbid competitors for major fights. When the MGM wants something, it digs deep. When Atlantic City or Connecticut show interest, MGM digs even deeper.

But the major force bringing the Miguel Cotto-Antonio Margarito blockbuster to MGM July 26 was an intangible one: the media. Actually, West Coast media.

“We were told by West Coast writers that their sports editors would not send them out to Atlantic City to cover the fight if it was there,” says Bob Arum, the president of Top Rank Inc. “We need the writers and the publicity to keep the Hispanic market interested in the fight. It’s really that simple.”

Score one for the press.