Casino Connection Nevada

Opportunities Abound

by Roger Gros

In our cover story this month, we outline changes that are going to occur with the design of the casino floor. Over the past 20 years, the designs of the properties themselves have gone from the mundane to the spectacular, but the casino floor has remained relatively unchanged. Sure, it’s fancy—nice plush chairs and luxurious settings—but it’s still the basics—slots and tables—that we saw 20 years ago. Author Mark Birtha explains how technology and forward-thinking design will change that.

And we also recap just a few of the projects that are currently under way or contemplated on the Las Vegas Strip. And I emphasize “just a few.” We left out Crown Las Vegas, on the former Wet n’ Wild site (joint ventured by Australian billionaire James Packer and Texas-based developer Christopher Milam); the Kerzner project across from the Sahara (a JV with MGM Mirage); the adjacent MGM Mirage CityCenter-like project that connects to Circus Circus; the M Resort and Southern Highlands Resort at the far southern terminus of the Strip; the massive sports/casino/mixed-use complex planned for the 61 acres Downtown; just to name a few more. There’s not enough information available on these projects, so they didn’t make the article, but most of them are more than likely to be built.

The point is that while we once thought that Las Vegas was growing fast, it’s now progressed to supersonic speed.

Along with that growth come problems and opportunities.

Nevada Resort Association President Bill Bible outlines some of the transportation issues that come with this rapid growth and why all the entities in the state must get together to solve these problems. Patrick Roberts describes the outcome of the current session of the legislature and the many problems that have yet to be solved.

So clearly, the growth must be managed, and that’s a hurdle we’ll have to overcome if we want Las Vegas to continue to be a vibrant, comfortable and attractive community in which to live.

It’s the opportunities for those who are currently employed by the resort industry that should have you most excited. The number of jobs being created by these massive developments is astounding. Just at CityCenter alone, MGM Mirage estimates it will create approximately 12,000 jobs (not counting the 7,000 jobs during the construction phase).

And that’s just one project. When you add Boyd Gaming’s Echelon, the Palazzo, Wynn’s Encore and all the other projects mentioned in the article and this column, the pressure to find qualified employees and executives is going to mount as each one launches their recruiting drives.

Anyone with experience in a Las Vegas (or any locale) casino resort is going to be gold. And gold is the remuneration you can expect (along with stellar benefits) if you fit the bill. What this does for current employees of casino resorts is make them more valuable. Not only are the new resorts going to go all out to attract quality employees, but existing employers are going to have to match the offers.

As an employee, you’re going to have options. Do you stay with what you know or do you venture out into the world and take a chance on a new company, a new organization that offers excitement and advancement? That’s a choice only you can make, but that’s a choice that will undoubtedly come your way if you are at all interested.

If you work hard, learn your craft and exhibit the enthusiasm that is so desired by new and existing employers, you can’t lose in the new Las Vegas.