By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

For more than a decade, the skyline along the Boulder Highway stood unchanged. A few smaller casinos opened, and the major casinos underwent expansion and renovation projects, but nothing new has been added to the inventory of casino space and hotel rooms in the area known as the Boulder Strip since Sunset Station opened in 1997.

That changed in August when Cannery Casino Resorts celebrated the opening of the company’s third Las Vegas casino, Eastside Cannery. The $250 million resort is on Boulder Highway south of Sam’s Town, at the site of the former Nevada Palace, which was operated by CCR. With the new project, company co-owners and co-founders Bill Paulos and Bill Wortman are hoping they can replicate the success they have enjoyed with the Rampart casino at the Resorts in Summerlin and the Cannery in North Las Vegas.

The company is building on the industrial theme of the North Las Vegas property for its newest resort. Eastside Cannery will be a more “modern” cannery, drawing on art and pop culture items from the early 1960s, as opposed to its sister property, which is designed to resemble a late ‘40s or early ‘50s canning factory.

Like the North Las Vegas property, Paulos and Wortman both said they wanted the Eastside to be a place that the locals would call comfortable.

“We want to make people feel at home, like this is their place,” Paulos said. “We want people to feel like we built this for them, because we did.”

The timing of the opening isn’t perfect. The economy is not what it was when the project was announced. Company officials, however, are not concerned.

“We’ve done most of our projects in hard times and opened them in the tail end and we have grown very well,” Paulos explained. “You never know when the bottom is and you never know when the top is.”

Additionally, the company is happy with the numbers it has been posting at its other Las Vegas properties. It has not had to lay off any workers, and even found a way to keep on board the 300 workers displaced when Nevada Palace shut its doors earlier this year by moving them to other casinos.

Sal Semola, vice president and general manager of the Eastside Cannery, admits there are challenges to operating right now, but notes that “at the end of the day, there’s always room for good product and good experience and that’s what we strive to provide.”

Ultimately charged with the task of delivering the experience Semola promises are the 1,100 team members who will bring the property to life. The company received close to 25,000 applications for the 800 positions it needed to fill, allowing the company to choose the best candidates to be part of the new team.

“The most important thing is hiring the right people,” Semola explained. “We all buy our slot machines from the same manufacturers, we buy our food from a lot of the same vendors and so forth, but the people are truly the point of differentiation that sets you apart from everybody else.”

Opening a new casino can be a time-consuming challenge. It takes a lot of work and dedication to guide a project through years of design before bringing it to life. But, it is something Paulos, Wortman and Semola are all familiar with.

For Semola, Eastside Cannery is the fourth casino opening with which he has been involved, about which he joked that he is a glutton for punishment.

“Really, it is a lot of fun to take a project from nothing and put it together,” he said. “And it’s not just the physical plan, but the human resource element, bringing on folks and watching them grow and develop. It really is something that does require a lot of work, but yet is very rewarding at the same time.”

Even with a proven track record of delivering new properties, Wortman said he still deals with doubts, wondering if anyone will show up.

“It’s just the nature of the business,” he explained. “We’ve opened several of these, and certainly my partner has opened many more than I have, and at the end of the day, you always think about what happens if you open and not one person shows up.

“Those are the kinds of crazy thoughts you have.”



A New View For Food

Eastside Cannery will have a few other things that set it apart from the other casinos on Boulder Highway and in Las Vegas. While the gaming options are similar to what you will find in the area, there will be some different dining options, as well as a top floor lounge offering amazing views of the valley.

Perhaps the most talked about innovation is the new approach of adding tableside service to the ubiquitous casino buffet. Sweet Lucy’s will feature a number of dishes from a menu that is created daily. Food will vary from American comfort foods to Tex-Mex, Italian, Asian, barbecue, seafood and more. And with the addition of a server, the only time people will have to get up is to take advantage of the 20-foot, self-service dessert bar.

The other big news is the 16th floor lounge and restaurant, ONE SIX.

“Something unique on the east side of town will be the restaurant club we have on the 16th floor that will oversee the Las Vegas Strip,”  Wortman said. “It will face west and actually have a spectacular view of the entire valley.”

Eastside Cannery will also bring Casa Cocina to the Boulder Highway. The popular Mexican restaurant from the North Las Vegas property was a natural fit, Semola explained, because it is well-known and it has been so successful at the other property, earning a Best of Las Vegas nomination from the staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“We felt we needed a Mexican restaurant in this location, and what was better than Casa Cocina,” Semola said. “It’s a great brand, people like it and they know what it is.”

Other restaurants include the fine dining option of Carve, which is similar to Waverly’s at the North Las Vegas property. The 112-seat restaurant centers around the prime rib carving station, the signature dish. Also available are steaks, chicken and seafood.

The Eastside Deli offers a quick bite to eat, though Semola notes that it is much more than just a simple deli. “It’s a 60-seat outlet and the (cooking) line is pretty substantial; there is more than just turkey sandwiches and chicken salad,” he said.

The deli is located just behind the race and sports book, and across from a floor bar. The idea is to create a location where people can come and hang out, watch games or races and have something to eat and drink. Because it is located across from the poker room, the deli will see additional activity.
“There’s a lot of synergy in this area,” Semola said.



The Other Draws

In addition to the restaurants, Eastside Cannery has all the other trappings of a local’s casino as well. The property features 307 hotel rooms, which like ONE SIX are designed to take advantage of the views from the east side of town, whether they overlook the Strip or the mountains in any direction.

“All of the hotel rooms have a terrific view of the valley,” Wortman said. “They all have great views of the Strip or the mountains. It’s really, I think, a totally new paradigm on that side of town.”

The property also features 65,000 square feet of casino space, room for 2,100 slot machines and a 26-table pit. While the floor will feature many familiar looking machines, it will also be the first Las Vegas home for IGT’s new bar-top machines, upright cabinets and slant top cabinets. Eastside is also the first property to feature Aristocrat Veridian Gen7 cabinet.

There is also a state-of-the-art race and sports book, located immediately inside the south entrance, directly across from the 10-table poker room.

Nightlife at Eastside Cannery isn’t just limited to the top floor. In addition to the Pin-Ups center bar, the property features the 200-seat Marilyn’s (as in Monroe) Lounge. The venue works for concerts and smaller performances, and can also be used for showing televised sporting events like football games and boxing.

“It’s not necessarily a show room, but it’s more than just a lounge,” Semola said.

For larger events, the 20,000-square-foot ballroom comes into play. The facility can be used as a 1,400-seat headliner venue or a 2,000-seat boxing/wrestling/MMA arena. The space is also available for meetings and conventions, with a 17,000-square-foot main ballroom that can be divided into five rooms, as well as two additional meeting rooms and two boardrooms immediately outside the main room.


The Difference Makers

For Cannery Casino Resorts, the most important things are the team members who bring a property to life.

“I tell everybody that the bricks and mortar are fine, but nothing comes to life, none of these places come to life without those 1,100 people who are in it creating personality and creating the life of the building,” Paulos said.

The importance of the team members is what prompted the company to keep on the employees of Nevada Palace during the transition period. It was a decision that cost money, but that wasn’t a big concern for company officials.

Instead, they were focused on how they could keep people employed between the time Nevada Palace closed and the day Eastside Cannery opened. It involved moving people into positions at Rampart and Cannery during the interim. Some have decided to stay at their new properties, but the majority are returning to the Boulder Highway.

“We knew we were going to need employees at our new property and we thought it was the right thing to do to make room elsewhere for those who had worked with us and had been loyal to us all that period of time,” Wortman explained.

Many of the workers at Nevada Palace had been there for the better part of 20 years, and while Cannery Casino Resorts has only existed since 1996, Wortman’s association with Nevada Palace dates back to the 1980s. In those two decades, the workers took on as much importance as family, and when it was announced that a new property would be built, Paulos said there was no question of what the company was going to do.

“There was no way that if we’re going to have a new property and we have two properties already, that we wouldn’t assimilate these folks into our properties so they could continue to make a living and so that they can come back to the all new and improved ‘Nevada Palace,’” he said. “They’re part of our family, and you’ve got to take care of our family.

“We’re very fortunate in the fact that we’re not a public company and can make a lot of our own decisions. If some of those decisions happen to cost us money, but are for the benefit of the folks who work with us, then more likely than not, we’re going to take that route.”

There are added benefits to the decision. It creates a more stable corporate culture and it allows the existing team members to inculcate the new hires in the family. It also sends a message to the community about how Cannery Casino Resorts treats its team members. And it creates comfort for old guests of Nevada Palace, who will be able to come back and see their favorite dealers in a new environment.

“We didn’t do it for that purpose,” Wortman noted. “We did it because it was absolutely the right thing to do.”



Time for Change

A short time after construction started on Eastside Cannery, an announcement was made that Crown Ltd. was acquiring Cannery Casino Resorts. The Australian gaming company headed by James Packer is working on regulatory issues before it can complete the purchase, which is expected to happen between the end of this year and the coming summer. Crown needs licensing to operate in both Nevada and Pennsylvania, where CCR is also building a casino, and there is little doubt that the transaction will clear. It’s just a matter of time.

For Paulos and Wortman, the deal was about more than making money by selling a successful company. It was also another way to benefit Cannery Casino Resorts’ 3,000 employees.

“When we had people looking at our company, one of the criteria Bill and I had was we wanted to make sure that the company that took over provided a like atmosphere for our employees and provided a greater opportunity for our employees,” said Paulos, who worked for Crown as COO/deputy chairman in 1994. “Crown is making its entry into this market. They don’t have an over-abundance of U.S. management, and they have every intention of expanding, so it gives our employees upward mobility.”

Paulos and Wortman expect to stay with the company in an advisory role for a while after the transaction is completed. Once they leave, both said the thing they will miss the most are not the properties they built, but the people they’ve worked with.

“I think whenever you have this kind of situation, you form an emotional attachment to the company, but more importantly, you form an emotional attachment to the people you work with,” Wortman said.

“I’m very proud that we’ve been able to create a business, that we were able to support the lives of 3,000 or 4,000 people and to have them be our associates and, for the most part, our friends,” Paulos said. “That’s huge for us.”T

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Bob Arum and Don King have slugged it out—verbally, economically and legally—for nearly 40 years.  As boxing’s two original heavyweight promoting champions, they scrapped for the spoils of a
multibillion-dollar, unregulated industry. They lambasted each other, battled for network dates, jockeyed for soaring profits and sought to control the ascending boxing-gaming marriage.

Along the way, they revolutionized gaming. They brought big attractions, frenzied excitement, enormous media attention, celebrities and expensive players through casino doors. They brought revenue.

Now the industry extends its gratitude. It will induct the promotional duo into the American Gaming Association’s Hall of Fame September 16 at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa.

Yes, the men who fought repeatedly in courtrooms, at press conferences and in the media will be honored, together, for the first time. They also will become the first sports personalities ever admitted to gaming’s Hall of Fame.

Arum and King will be enshrined along with Bernard Goldstein, the father of riverboat gaming, and award-winning, cutting-edge celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

“For me, this is a terrific honor and it is also nice to be placed in the Hall of Fame alongside so many gaming moguls—guys like Steve Wynn, who have made enormous contributions to gaming,” said the 76-year-old Arum, who maintains his promotional base in Las Vegas. “I also think it’s appropriate to be inducted along with Don. He was there with me when we brought great, memorable events to the casinos. He deserves the honor as well. Yes, we battled, but there comes a point where you get too old to fight.”

King, now based in Florida, added a similar sentiment.

“I think this is a wonderful honor and I’m very happy and proud that Bob is being inducted too,” said 77-year-old King. “This was a marvelous thing we both contributed to, the expansion and the growth of gaming. He richly deserves to be inducted, and I couldn’t be happier. Bob is a great guy.”

Induction into the Gaming Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed in the gaming-entertainment industry. Only slightly more than 60 people have gained entry since its 1989 inception. The honor roll includes gaming, entertainment and political giants, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Don Rickles, Barron Hilton to Donald Trump and Steve Wynn, Siegfried & Roy to Senator Harry Reid.

“The gaming industry is one that is constantly changing, and it is because of innovators like Bernie, Bob, Don and Emeril that the industry continues to rise to new heights,” said Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., president and CEO of the American Gaming Association. “Their contributions are truly outstanding.”


Satisfying Career Twilight

Arum and King relish this distinction. They are already boxing hall-of-famers. Outside of their industry battleground, they can be appreciated as visionaries, pioneers and venture catalysts. They can be honored for helping shape the gaming booms in Las Vegas, Atlantic City and many other casino markets throughout the world.

Their conflicts, once intense, barely matter to those outside boxing. It almost seems comical now that Arum often accused King of conflict of interest, controlling both boxers in an event by making a manager share his rights with King’s son Carl. Or that King once labeled Arum a “rat fink,” and that each was accused in the business of controlling world sanctioning bodies. They knew each other’s tricks. They were also targeted—and unscathed—by government investigations.

King and Arum, who sued each other over fighter contracts and reigned as gunslingers in boxing’s near-lawless world, have put down their weapons. They advance to this Hall-of-Fame setting, where industry leaders aren’t scorned for being sharp-edged, even ruthless. This rivalry wasn’t much different from Wynn and Donald Trump, also members of the Hall.

“When Bob was my antagonist, he was fiery and tenacious and our rivalry was intense,” King said. “I admire his never-say-die attitude and his perseverance. We were doing things nobody did before, creating hundreds of billions of dollars in the cities in which we promoted. I needed a rival. I would never know how good I am if it wasn’t for Bob Arum.”

Their fellow honorees had less-publicized battles.

Goldstein followed a successful 40-year career in scrap metal recycling, river freight transportation and affiliated business to start a second career in gaming. He was instrumental in lobbying for the original riverboat gaming legislation in Iowa and opened the nation’s first riverboat casino, the MV Diamond Lady, April 1, 1991 in Bettendorf, Iowa.   

Lagasse is the chef-proprietor for 10 restaurants in New Orleans, Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami and Gulfport, Mississippi. His branding became increasingly significant as casinos utilized high-end cuisine to attract non-gaming revenue. Lagasse’s personality and famous “Bam!” phrase, which he shouted while adding a key ingredient to a meal in his televised show, vaulted him to fame.


Selling the Fantasy

Arum and King supplied the figurative sizzle for Emeril’s steak. They provided legions of electric personalities, from Muhammad Ali to Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard to Marvelous Marvin Hagler, along with Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez. Fighters spent their final training week at the hosting casino, generating substantial free advertising in the guise of a boxing news story.

The events dramatically impacted the casino bottom line. Some results could be measured via post-fight revenue. Much of it could not. Boxing matches created a mystique for the hosting casino, which lured future customers.

Did Arum realize his events impacted the bottom line?

“Only when I was negating,” he laughed.

“I remember a story Henry Gluck, then the chairman at Caesars World, told me. When he and his wife Arline were traveling in Europe, the guy carrying his bags found out he was the head of Caesars. When he mentioned Caesars to Henry, he made a motion like he was a fighter. It was amazing. Caesars was identified throughout the world because of the sport of boxing.”

King and Arum, boxing’s original power brokers, were joined in the early 1980s by Main Events. The trio became boxing’s version of American automotive giants Ford, Chrysler and GM. A promoter, manager, network, casino or boxer who did not proceed through them rarely did meaningful business.

It was a lucrative era. The spread of gaming beyond Nevada made boxing a precious commodity. The Arum-King influence spans many eras—closed circuit in the 1970s, the revolution of gaming and site fees in the 1980s, pay-per-view in the 1990s and Internet revenue today. They have always managed to be at the forefront of significant change.

Both men also remain active. They each promoted significant boxing cards shortly before this induction.

This tandem has been at the pulse of boxing history.

King has presented more than 500 world championship fights, including those with Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes, Leonard, Holyfield and Duran. He promoted or co-promoted 11 of the top 15 grossing live gates in Nevada history, including bouts at Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand Garden and Mandalay Bay. He also promoted more than 20 championship bouts in Atlantic City, and has a street named after him there. He was the first promoter ever inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York.

King, educated on the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, ruefully acknowledges gambling’s effect on his career.

“I would have to say, humbly, that gaming has been a way of life for me for a long time,” he said, eyes twinkling. “Before ever going to Las Vegas, we had these after-hours joints, you could call it Las Vegas in the neighborhood. We had the players, the hustlers, the blackjack and all types of gamblers. I ran those types of operations. We had gambling, just like Caesars Palace.

“Back then, it was an outlaw industry. It was looked on with disdain, almost like robbing from the poor. Now it’s an in-law industry. There is a community involving boxing and the gaming institutions, a marriage made in heaven.

“You surround players who want to be wined and dined with celebrities and the slogans, and they will attend your fight. You ask a celebrity like Michael Douglas if he will come, and then you surround him with his friends, so more people want to come.”


Different Routes, Same Destiny

The entrepreneurial heavyweights prospered via different roads. King supplied his celebrity status to drive event revenue. He has appeared in movies like When We Were Kings, a documentary of the 1974 Ali-Foreman battle in Zaire. King was the only promoter named to Sports Illustrated’s “40 Most Influential Sports Figures of the Last 40 Years” in 1994.

Arum has been a technical pioneer. Beyond his contract knowledge, he mastered the six-month promotional tour for major events, the dynamics of closed-circuit theater revenue and the pay-per-view universe. He prefers the low-key, effective administration role. It befits his background, first as a graduate cum laude from Harvard Law School and then as a Justice Department lawyer for U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy. Arum helped the government win major verdicts against ConEd, CitiBank and Standard Oil. He became enthralled with boxing when asked to secure the proceeds of a 1962 heavyweight championship fight between Sonny Liston and Floyd Paterson.

He would later display savvy gambling instincts.

In 1983, Arum signed cast-off Roberto Duran and took a major financial risk by putting the Panamanian legend against champion Davey Moore in Madison Square Garden.

The event sold out, which only brought Arum to even. But then Duran won the bout, setting up a lucrative meeting later that year with Hagler in Las Vegas. Had Arum not rolled the dice, placing months of work into a promotion that could have lost substantial money, he would not have landed the big score.

While conceding the high-profile stage to King, Arum is good for blunt quips.

He routinely referred to the World Boxing Association ratings committee, based in Central America, as “the Noriegas of Panama,” to great laughter. Arum also grasped and serviced the burgeoning Latino market before anyone else. Like King, he has promoted many of boxing’s all-time highest-grossing bouts, including the 1985 Hagler-Hearns blockbuster at Caesars Palace.
 

Memories…

“As I look back, it was that outdoor arena at Caesars,” Arum said. “All those great fights: Hagler-Hearns, Leonard-Hearns, George Foreman knocking out Michael Moorer (to become the oldest heavyweight champion ever, 45). It was magic. Nothing will ever, ever supplant that. We staged an event and the world came.”

King retains fondness for the Rumble in the Jungle, his break-out role as a promoter in 1974 and the night Ali upset Foreman in Zaire.

“Ali had always been running his mouth, but Foreman wasn’t going to fight him because people would think he was picking on an old man,” King said. “Finally, one day George says, ‘Man, I should shut his mouth,’ and that’s how we got him in the ring. Then, Foreman got hurt and the fight was delayed, but we kept it together.”

King and Arum dealt with corresponding gaming heavyweights. They sold fights to Trump, Wynn, Barron Hilton, Kirk Kerkorian and Cliff Perlman in Las Vegas. Atlantic City executives Ken Condon and Arthur Goldberg made similar contributions.

Boxing, conversely, aided their bottom lines.

“It has made their hotels better, their goods and services better,” King said. “The cab driver, the bus boys, the boutiques, the restaurants, everybody benefits. You look at all these buildings rising in Nevada on the Strip and now into Henderson. And they are all built on people’s caprices, whims and dreams. We as promoters made casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City household words around the world—from every nook and cranny to every shanty.”

Their collective journey through the nooks, crannies and shanties comes full circle September 16—on the podium. It seems fitting that David Copperfield is a past Hall of Fame inductee.

After all their fighting, Arum and King can enjoy some magic.

By Martin Baird   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Some people believe casinos are losing one of their traditional roles in the entertainment industry—serving as a refuge from the troubles of the outside world.

A recent article in the Arizona Republic stated that movie theater ticket sales are doing well. It noted that industry insiders say movies have long been a refuge for the masses during economic downturns. Then it had an interesting quote from Patrick Corcoran of the National Association of Theatre Owners in Washington, D.C.: “If times are tough, people still need to get out and get away.”

Yes, people do need to get away, and they used to flock to casinos to do that. We all know that isn’t happening right now. So what can you do to make your casino a refuge again? The answer is as simple as getting back to the basics of good service. Quality service then leads to the ultimate goal—creating an outstanding gaming experience.

Heck, if movie theaters can get people to spend their money on what may or may not be a good movie, then casinos can get people to try gaming. There’s a 50-50 chance a moviegoer’s experience will be lousy. Either the movie was good or it wasn’t. But great service can give casino guests a good experience each and every time even though they lose some money. Give people that experience and they likely will come back to play again.

Casino employees need to start thinking about some rather vague words and phrases that relate to having a good experience and then find ways put them into action.

Take the word “great,” for example. Guests should have a great time at your casino. You want every person who walks out of your property to leave feeling great. If you do the right thing, if you help them in every way you can, chances are they will have a bounce in their step as they leave. Odds are they will already be upbeat the next time they come to play because they will anticipate a great experience.

The phrase “good time” is another example. Many people patronize casinos simply to have a good time and nothing more. Guests know in the back of their mind that the chances of winning are fairly slim. But they’re OK with that because they come to your property to have fun and escape for awhile.

“Unbelievable” is the kind of experience your guests must have. They must be in awe of how much fun they had and how nice everyone was. When guests visit your property, they must have an unbelievable experience they can take home. That’s what they have to show for the time and money they spent at your casino.

What about the word “warmth”? Guests don’t want to walk into a place that feels sterile and cold. They want your casino to project warmth and personality, and you’re a major part of making that happen. Your smile and eye contact help guests feel warm and welcome.

This may sound a little corny, but if your guests had such a wonderful time at your property that they had to make up a word to describe their feelings, “yowza” would be ideal. If you can find a way to get people to actually exclaim “yowza!” because they had so much fun, well, you’ve done your job.

There are plenty of other words that describe the kind of gaming experience casinos need to deliver—exceptional, stupendous, marvelous. Sure, they’re vague, but all it takes is the right word to get casino employees thinking about ways they can make that word happen. Casinos can reclaim their rightful place as a refuge for people in tough times. These days, people want and need to get out and get away. Give them a reason to come to your place.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

One out of every 175 households in Nevada is in foreclosure, according to a recent report released by the foreclosure-tracking company RealtyTrac. The Silver State has led the nation in foreclosure rates for the last six months, and it seems that ranking will hold until the housing slump begins to subside.

For unsuspecting homeowners who were sucked into adjustable rate mortgages and are now in foreclosure, or for those who want to wait out the recession before purchasing a home, renting a house, apartment or condominium may be the best alternative.

Many real estate gurus claim renting a home is akin to throwing money down a drain, but that’s not always the case. For young employees just entering the workforce, renting an apartment is a good practice run in terms of sticking to a budget and being fiscally responsible. Former homeowners down on their luck can rent in order to get their finances in order and rebuild their credit scores.

Renting offers a variety of options, and it is relatively easy to find a price, size and location that work for you. But before you get stuck in a lease that’s difficult to break, there are five easy steps to finding the best deal possible.

1.) Set a target move-in date. Knowing how much time you have to scout out a new place is pivotal. You don’t want to be in a huge hurry, otherwise you might settle for a place that’s in a neighborhood you hate or end up paying more than you bargained for.

After you know when you want to move, you can begin your search. Find a few neighborhoods that you like, whether it’s Downtown where all the action is or in the quiet subdivisions of Summerlin. And with gas prices remaining well above $3 per gallon, living near places that you frequently drive to (work, school, church, etc.) is a good idea.

While hunting for a new home, go with your instincts. If a certain apartment complex seems like a poor fit, then it probably is. If you think a home will require more than a few repairs, think twice. Keep all of these factors in mind when narrowing down your search.


2.)   Decide what type of home you want. Once you’ve narrowed down your list of potential neighborhoods, figure out what type of home you’re going to need. Are you living alone, or do you need a big space for your family? An apartment is a great fit for a single person, a couple or a few roommates. Condos are typically more spacious and are suitable for people who need more room. Houses are obviously a good choice for families or a handful of roommates to split the rent.

Now that you know what kind of living space you’re looking for, it’s time to step up the search. Apartment complexes abound in Las Vegas, and are typically owned by large companies like Picerne, ConAm and Camden, among others. To find a great, affordable apartment, get recommendations from friends and coworkers who have lived in nice apartments, or simply take a drive around the area and write down the names of the complexes you like. Also, if you know of a great apartment management company, check out their website and see what complexes look good to you.

ApartmentRatings.com also provides reviews of apartment complexes written by people who have lived there. If a complex has an overwhelmingly negative rating, you may want to look elsewhere.

Renting a house or condominium may be a bit more difficult than renting an apartment, but you will also have more space. Houses and condos can be rented through companies or individuals, which provides a great deal of options. If you need someone to walk you through the process, many real estate companies offer rentals, and you can contact an agent to begin looking at places.

If you want to rent from an individual, try looking in the classifieds section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal or on Craigslist.org. You can find a great house or condo to rent by looking online, though it may take longer to find something you like.

If you find a few places you’re interested in, call the complex, realtor or homeowner and set up a tour. This should help you determine which place is right for you.


3.) Make a budget. After deciding which home you want, sit down and figure out your finances. First, you need to know what your post-tax monthly income is. Then, make a list of your monthly expenses—car insurance, cell phone bill, student loan payment, etc. Deduct those amounts from your income, and what you’re left with should be enough to cover rent and utilities.

Experts recommend that you spend about one-third of your monthly income on a housing payment, whether it is a rent or mortgage. If your rent is more than half of your income, you will be unable to build up your savings for vacations or emergencies.

Also, make sure you have enough money saved before you sign a lease to pay for the move-in costs, which is typically the first month’s rent, last month’s rent and security deposit. If you’re going to need to rent a U-Haul or hire movers, have enough money to cover that as well.

And look into renter’s insurance, which can usually be purchased from your car insurance agent for a reasonable amount. It will cover your belongings in case of theft or damages.


4 .) Know the facts. Before you sign a lease, find out all the information you can about your potential place. During your tour, you should have noticed any problems the home may have and been able to have maintenance work done before you move in. Ask the company or individual you’re renting from what utilities, if any, are included, and what additional fees you will be expected to pay.

If you’re renting a house, you should also be aware of the homeowner’s mortgage situation. If they are anywhere near foreclosure, find another place to live. A July 27 article in the Las Vegas Sun detailed a number of stories about Las Vegas tenants whose landlords stopped paying their mortgages and allowed the homes to fall into foreclosure. The tenants typically had less than a week to move out. There is no law requiring homeowners to share financial information with potential tenants, but find out as much information as you can in order to prevent being evicted due to irresponsible landlords.

If you are comfortable with your finances, the state of the property you’re renting and the company or individuals you’re renting from, then it’s time to sign the lease.


5.) Keep records of everything. Purchase a filing bin and a few folders and mark separate tabs for your lease, general information and bills paid. Keeping a copy of the lease is of the utmost importance, because it is a legal document with your signature on it. If your landlord agreed to terms stated within the lease and then violates those terms, you will have proof.

Also pay attention to every piece of paper with your name on it, otherwise you may not notice when your cable company overcharges you that month or your power bill seems too high. If you have a copy of each statement, rectifying any discrepancies will be much, much easier.

And at the end of the day, whether you rent or own, you now have a place you can call home.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

As desert days cool down,  and leaves turn from springtime green to dusty yellow, Southern Nevadans emerge from their air-conditioned homes to breathe in the autumn air. Before the dry cold of winter sets in, Las Vegas will play host to a number of fall festivals that will likely attract families and friends looking to make the most of the season. Here is a guide to the best of this autumn’s activities.

September 7 | East Las Vegas
Local Las Vegans will celebrate this year’s Mexican Independence Day with a variety of food, including traditional dishes, as well as live musical performances, activities for children and entertainment for adults. The festival’s fun and games will honor Mexico’s struggle to break free of Spain’s colonial forces. The Mexican Independence Day celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Sunset Park. Call 702-284-6400 for more information.

September 9–14 | West Las Vegas
Twice a year, the Las Vegas Valley opens its doors to the San Gennaro Feast, a five-day festival celebrating Italian culture, music and, of course, food. A Ferris wheel’s neon glow lights up the dark and the scents of baked ziti and Italian sausages waft through the air, delighting the crowds of people who mill around the rides and vendors. On September 10, there will be a procession to celebrate the event, and a Catholic priest will bless the feast: a clear indication that the festival is a tribute to the patron saint of Naples. The San Gennaro Feast will begin at 4 p.m. on September 9. For directions and ticket information, visit www.sangennarofeast.com.

September 13 & 14 | Henderson
2008 marks the 18th year the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club will host the annual Prince Jonah Kuhio Ho‘olaule‘a Festival, which honors Hawaiian culture and also raises funds for the Civic Club. A portion of the festival’s proceeds also goes toward providing scholarships for students of Hawaiian descent. The annual celebration offers food, music and entertainment for both adults and children to enjoy. The event will take place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Henderson Events Plaza. For more information, call 702-382-6939.

September 18-21 | South Las Vegas
The annual Las Vegas Greek Festival is one of the longest-running cultural celebrations in Las Vegas. Initially established as a fundraiser for St. John the Baptist Greek Orthodox Church, the festival has drawn Greeks and non-Greeks alike to share food and fun for more than 30 years. For four days this year, a plethora of traditional Greek cuisine, a variety of entertainment and countless vendors will be available to the public, all in the spirit of Greece and its people. The festival kicks off Thursday at 5 p.m. For ticket information, call 702-248-3896.

October 4&5 | Boulder City
Art aficionados who love First Fridays but are seeking a large-scale art show can rejoice—the 46th Annual Art in the Park festival will showcase the work of more than 400 artists. The festival, which is a fundraiser for Boulder City Hospital, is the largest show of its kind in Southern Nevada, and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to accommodate the tens of thousands of expected attendees. Food vendors will provide snacks, in addition to the paintings, jewelry and other works of art on display. Visit www.artinthepark.org for more information.

October 10–12 | East Las Vegas
The annual Renaissance Faire is quite sincerely a blast from the past. Each year, attendees and festival performers are transported to a time where jousting competitions and ruffled collars went hand in hand, and knights of shining armor frequently rescued ladies in distress. Many antiquated ideas from the Middle Ages have long since died, but they are annually revived by Renaissance festivals across the country. This year, expect to be entertained by comedic performances, live music, old-fashioned English cuisine and, of course, sword-fights. This three-day celebration of the Renaissance era will take place at Sunset Park, beginning at 10 a.m. each day. For more information, visit www.lvrenfair.com.

October 15–November 15 | Downtown Las Vegas
The 6th Annual Samuel Beckett Festival is a month-long series of theatrical performances dedicated to the absurd and often comedic aspects of life. Each play in the festival was hand-picked to reflect the spirit of Samuel Beckett, the famous author of Waiting for Godot who was known for his postmodern, often pessimistic works. Throughout the history of the festival, many of the performances have been works by Beckett. This year, Waiting for Godot is on the schedule, in addition to works by Tony Kushner (Slavs), Jean-Paul Sartre (Huis Clos) and Tennessee Williams (Chalky White Substance). All of this year’s performances will be held inside the Mission Building at 101 S. 1st St. Tickets can be purchased at www.thebeckettfestival.com.

November 6–8 | Downtown Las Vegas
Authors and the readers who love them will take part in the three-day Vegas Valley Book Festival this fall. The biggest literary festival in Las Vegas will showcase famous writers like Neil Gaiman, who is delivering the opening keynote address, and Michael Chabon, who will be closing the festival. There will also be readings by as-yet-to-be-determined authors, in addition to workshops, panel discussions, book signings and spoken word performances. A comics festival and children’s literature festival will be specialized portions of the book festival as a whole. All of the festival’s sessions will be free and open to the public, with most taking place at the Fifth Street School on Fourth Street and Lewis Avenue. Call 702-229-5431 for an updated schedule.

November 6–9 | Las Vegas Strip
The ultimate in culinary artistry is presented during the four-day Odyssey Las Vegas, a celebration of fine dining that benefits The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and The Odyssey Foundation’s Le Cordon Bleu Scholarship Program. Each evening, ticket holders will dine in some of the Strip’s most decadent restaurants, including SushiSamba at the Palazzo, RM Seafood at Mandalay Place and Simon Restaurant & Lounge at Palms Place. Celebrity chefs will dazzle guests with several courses, and some of the dinners will be accompanied by live entertainment. Tickets range from $125 to $300 per person. The festival will close with a celebrity chef golf tournament at the Las Vegas Paiute Resort. Call 877-370-9182 for ticketing information.

November 7–9 | Downtown Las Vegas
For 25 years, Cashman Center has hosted the Great Craft Festival, an event that features exhibits from more than 300 artists. Each craft worker can only sell handmade, original work; mass-produced or commercial art is banned from the show. Crafts range from jewelry and clothing to paintings and sculptures. In addition to artwork and food, live performances from Sue Palmer’s Motel Swing Band will delight audiences, and a 10-man comedy troupe will entertain the crowds as well. Tickets are $8 for adults, $7 for seniors and free for children who are 17 or younger. For more information, visit www.stevepowers.com.

November 8 | East Las Vegas
The annual Strut Your Mutt event is a yearly highlight for Las Vegas dog lovers. The event features performances, games and family fun for people and pets of all ages. Last year’s festival was the most successful in the event’s history, but 2008 may draw more dogs than ever before. Strut Your Mutt will give animals a chance to shine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Dog Fanciers Park on East Flamingo Road. More information is available at www.strutyourmuttlv.com.

November 8&9 | East Las Vegas
Aspiring pilots and military fans are guaranteed to be shocked and awed by the annual Aviation Nation air show hosted by the U.S. Air Force at Nellis Air Force Base. The two-day show will feature a variety of historical aircraft, as well as the newest fighters and bombers the Air Force has to offer. The Thunderbirds, a U.S. Air Force demonstration squadron, will also be performing during the free event. Visit www.aviationnation.com for more information.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The formal title may be concession cashier, but Margie Perry is essentially everything but the cook at Palace Station’s oyster bar. There really isn’t much that can be done about it. Palace Station’s oyster bar is one of the worst-kept secrets in Las Vegas, and it can get pretty busy, with waits in excess of an hour just to get a seat. And while the rush can be a little hectic, Perry, who has worked at Palace Station for 12 years, wouldn’t have it any other way. Busy is actually better, really, because it means more customers, and the customers are what Perry loves most about her job. She knows what it takes to keep them happy, and even what to do with those who have soured after waiting too long for a seat or having a rough night at the tables. “By the time they leave, they’re all happy customers,” Perry said. Her positive energy rubs off, and while the food certainly helps, it’s largely because of the attitudes and service provided by people like Perry that make Palace Station’s oyster bar the success it is. Regardless of their mood when they first arrive, if they’re happy going away, there is a great chance they’ll be happy to come back in the future.

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Craig Amiott came here for a wedding six years ago and wound up marrying the Venetian.

The Boca Raton, Florida resident schooled in the hospitality industry had an eye-opening experience when sampling Las Vegas. Before long, he became an indispensable part of the world’s largest resort.

“To see the sheer size of this operation was impressive,” Amiott said. “I had been in the food-and-beverage and hospitality business for a long time. I had worked in a place with 1,000 rooms and thought that was a lot. This dwarfed that. During the dot com days, I had gone into a technical field for awhile. Coming out here and seeing the Las Vegas operation was like revisiting my roots.”

So he stayed, first as a front-desk operator and now as a catering and conference manager. The Palazzo recently joined the Venetian, providing more than 10,000 rooms and employees on the grounds. Amiott holds one of 23 such positions for the Venetian, performing a job that entails, well, everything. He’ll speak with conference managers, double-check the hotel rooms for guests, confer with meeting planners and discover the nuances every client needs to feel fussed over.

That’s the luxury of Amiott’s position. It’s almost a freelance world. Although employees don’t report to him, Amiott can make decisions. And because his title is broad in scope, he can mingle with numerous departments.

“You can describe this job as almost being a producer,” he said. “We coordinate with banquets, meeting services, the front desk, etc. We’re on top of where something needs to be, when it needs to be there, and we make sure that it gets done right.

“It’s a wide variety of roles in this job. You can handle corporate convention clients, anywhere from five people up to 300 or 400. We’ll work some of the in-house meetings, do some work with government relations, team-member appreciation events, holidays, whatever pops up.”

Details vary with each assignment. A major convention may prompt him to contact clients by telephone, start working on menus, go back and forth with the rooms and ensure that the convention leader coming has an overall contact. He likes to have everything operating months in advance, if possible.

Yet that’s not always a reality. Improvisation is golden, especially during the blitz known as the Palazzo opening last January.

“That was a very large event,” he said, laughing. “Sometimes you felt like you were at the end of your string. It had numerous components. It was a relief, almost a jubilation, actually, when things finished and they went well. Everything has come together here.”

Venetian colleagues say Amiott is a walking inventory of logistical information. He knows where and how to get project approvals. And large numbers don’t bother him.
 
“When I first started, the feeling was, ‘Oh my God,’” Amiott said. “The sheer size and volume was overwhelming. But working at the front desk was an excellent experience to start off with here. It was a shaping experience; I would suggest it to anybody.

“You are dealing with mass volumes of people who want their service. In many cases, you deal with people who are happy. In some cases, you get the unhappy ones; you learn how to get them what they want.”

There are good days and better days for him, just like any other good marriage.

By Joe Legato   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Who would have expected to find Yoda and Darth Vader in a 16th century European town? Namco shows just how close a galaxy far, far away can be as they usher in the latest in the Soul fighting series with Soulcalibur IV.

Soulcalibur IV continues the epic tale of the legendary “soul” swords and the fighting melee that determines their ultimate possessor. The swords are called Soul Calibur and Soul Edge, with one being good and one evil, respectively. Each fighter has his or her own reason for pursuing the powerful weapons.

The warriors of Soulcalibur IV are so diverse, in fact, that they include a couple of Star Wars characters who have traveled great distances to join in the battle.

In addition to the standard arcade and story modes, Soulcalibur IV includes a new mode for players called the Tower of Lost Souls. In this mode, players can obtain treasure chests with special weapons and character upgrades by defeating enemies as they climb a tower. The mode adds some single-player action to a game usually played by two or more.

Soulcalibur IV also includes an extra gameplay feature called the Soul Gauge. This gauge changes colors during battle if players simply block moves without ever actually battling. If it flashes red and a gamer continues passively defending, then the opponent will get a chance to do a one-hit super finish to win the battle.

Fans will be happy to see Soulcalibur IV finally brings online play to the Soulcalibur series. This long-awaited feature solidifies this game as a hit, as you now have the ability to prove yourself across the globe in one of the most vivid and dazzling fighting games around.

Plus, with online play there will likely be updates and downloads released for the game. So, if you find yourself unable to obtain the holy Soul Calibur, you can probably just download a smaller sword from a friend.

By Marjorie Preston   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Margaret Mitchell wrote just one book in her lifetime, but for readers—and publishers—apparently that wasn’t enough. For a second time, the immortal characters of Gone With the Wind have stepped onto the literary stage, in what purports to be “the other side of the greatest love story ever told.”

As one who grew up with Gone With the Wind, then read and abhorred the first “authorized sequel” (that dreadful foolishness called Scarlett by Alexandria Ripley), I was prepared to be disappointed again.

Imagine my astonishment—shock—delight—to come upon Rhett Butler’s People. In this captivating epic, which has all the sweep and grandeur of the original and perhaps a more profound understanding of the Civil War and its people, the charming, cynical opportunist of Mitchell’s book is revealed as a deeply wounded and self-defensive man who is capable of great love, but has been thwarted once too often to trust it.

Mitchell hinted at this complexity in GWTW, and McCaig tells the story in full. It starts with Rhett’s father, the intractable Langston, whose cruelty toughens Rhett’s hide, seals his defiant nature, and makes him deeply compassionate, albeit in a very unsentimental way.     

Other characters include Rhett’s weak mother, his rebellious sister Rosemary, his tragic slave friend Tunis and assorted boyhood chums who go on to be pivotal figures in the war between the states. Belle Watling is a central character, as is her son, Tazewell, who may or may not be Rhett’s illegitimate child.

And then there is Katie Scarlett O’Hara. She first appears on page 89, and readers who know the original novel will marvel at how deftly McCaig recreates scenes from GWTW from a slightly different yet telling perspective.

McCaig also wrote Jacob's Ladder, a book the Virginia Quarterly called “the best Civil War novel ever written.” Rhett Butler’s People may not rise to that level, but it is rapturously well written, deeply satisfying, and a worthy companion to Gone With the Wind.

By Chris Borino   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Conor Oberst, best known for his work as fronting the indie rock band Bright Eyes, has stepped away from the group to make a solo debut, of sorts. His new self-titled CD was recorded in a mountain villa in Mexico with a small group of musicians, and has the lush and breezy feel of that evocative setting.

Oberst has been recording since he was 12, and he’s always been independent—so independent that he canceled shows upon learning that Live Nation (Clear Channel) was associated with some of the concert venues. And when he reached his biggest stage, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, he sang a protest song rather than something with more commercial appeal.

It’s difficult to avoid recognizing the similarities between Oberst and Bob Dylan. Both are left-leaning politically, despite their Midwestern backgrounds. Both have prolific discographies that cross many genres. Both have voices that are an acquired taste. In Oberst’s case, he overcomes his wobbly delivery with force and conviction. He believes in what he’s singing, and his thoughtful wordplay make him one of the most literate songwriters in American music.

Dylan would certainly enjoy Oberst’s “I Don’t Want to Die (In the Hospital),” a stand-out track from this CD. The song pleads not for life but rather a more beautiful death. The singer chants, “I don’t give a damn what the doctors say / I don’t wanna spend another lonesome day... They don’t let you smoke and you can’t get drunk... I don’t want to die in a hospital / You gotta take me back outside.”  

Call it indie rock, folk, alternative country—it makes no difference. Oberst has put together his best record to date, an ode to storytelling and all that’s right in music today.

By Marjorie Preston   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

On the small screen, Sex and the City was a girl’s best friend. It affirmed in witty fashion the value—the absolute necessity—of having people around who care when you cry, rejoice when you win, give advice whether you want it or not and stick with you when the going gets rough. What woman didn’t want a gaggle of pals like Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte?

Then Sex came to the big screen, and fans held their breath. Would it be wonderful, like the TV series (which was only wonderful after its awkward freshman year, but then got better and better)? Or would it be horrible and superfluous, like one of the in-between Rocky movies?

Happily, most critics (as well as every woman and gay man I know) agreed that Sex and the City—out on DVD September 23—was a great coda to the HBO series-overly long, yes, but wonderful, so wonderful you really didn’t care that it clocked in at almost two and a half hours.

As it opens, we find columnist Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) right where we left her: in New York, in love with Mr. Big (the dreamy Chris Noth) and, for the first time in ages, content in her relationship. He oh-so-casually proposes marriage, and before you know it, Carrie’s mounting a spectacle not unlike the Barnum & Bailey circus, complete with Vogue layouts and hundreds of guests. It doesn’t go over well with twice-married Big, who wants to get hitched quick at city hall.

Complications ensue, along with more misunderstandings for the star-crossed duo. Meanwhile, Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) learns her loving husband Steve has strayed, Samantha (Kim Cattrall) realizes monogamy (even with hunky Smith) is just not her style, and Charlotte (Kristen Davis) pines for a baby of her own, to join adopted daughter Lily.

When Big—real name, John James Preston—leaves Carrie at the altar, you’ll be hard-pressed to figure how it will all end. And though it doesn’t end for a long, long time, it’s an ending fans will love.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

More than 10 years have passed since Nirvana ruled the airwaves, but Kurt Cobain’s former bandmate Dave Grohl is still carrying the rock ‘n’ roll torch with his own band, the Foo Fighters.

Grohl teamed up with other notable musicians after Cobain’s death to take what Nirvana had begun and build upon it. Today, the Foo Fighters have released six studio albums and contributed to the evolution of rock. With grinding guitars and perfect pop song structures, Grohl and his musical partners in crime (including drummer Taylor Hawkins, bassist Nate Mendel and guitarist Chris Shiflett) have shown the world what post-grunge rock is—and also what it could be.

The Foo Fighters have also proved they aren’t afraid to take risks to develop their musical identity. In 2005, the band released the double-disc In Your Honor, of which one disc was acoustic and the other was electric. The exploration of both sides of rock was a success, and the band achieved more hits, including “Best of You” and “DOA.”

Grohl and company continue to rock audiences with tracks from their latest album, Echoes, Silences, Patience & Grace. If you’re looking for drums and guitars that will thrash your eardrums, a Foo Fighters concert is likely the best place in town. Purchase tickets now for a show during the band’s two-night engagement in Las Vegas this month.

Foo Fighters perform at The Joint September 25 and 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $62 and $172.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Mexican musicians Saul Hernandez, Sabo Romo, Cesar Lopez, Jarris Margalli and Alfonso Andre banded together in 1995 to form Jaguares—so named due to a dream Hernandez had of performing inside a jaguar’s mouth.

The rock group has released more than five albums in the 13 years they’ve been recording together, and their music is wildly popular in Spanish-speaking countries. Jaguares plays straight-up rock music, occasionally tinged with ‘60s psychedelia and traditional Mexican elements. Their lyrics are also similar to those of most contemporary rock outfits, with a dash of hippie-inspired political protest and the romantic edge of Spanish poetry.

Jaguares draws fans from around the world, including a following of Spanish-speaking youth in the United States. Listeners have turned out in droves to purchase records like the acoustic El Primer Instincto and 2005’s Cronicas de un Laberinto. Those same listeners will likely be just as supportive of Jaguares when the band comes to town this month for a show inside Mandalay Bay.

Jaguares appears at House of Blues September 13 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $40, $55 and $65.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Once the fresh-faced teen star of the WB soap Summerland, pop singer Jesse McCartney has shed his clean-cut image to follow in the footsteps of bad boy Justin Timberlake.

Like Timberlake, McCartney put his musical chops to work in a boy band before delighting teenage girls with his baby face and pop songs like “Beautiful Soul.” These days, McCartney is showing his grown-up side with a new album, the aptly named Departure, and its lead single, “Leavin’,” which he wrote at the Palms. He also helped catapult superstar Leona Lewis to radio success by co-writing her hit song “Bleeding Love” with OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder.

McCartney’s sound has evolved as he has aged in the spotlight, and he gradually shed simple, cheerful love songs in favor of dance beats and sexual lyrics. Will he inherit Timberlake’s coveted throne? Only time will tell.

Jesse McCartney plays Mandalay Bay Beach September 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $32.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Indie darlings Vampire Weekend are hitting the road again in support of their long-awaited debut self-titled album. The band first emerged in 2006 and quickly cultivated a large Internet fanbase. Though it took a couple years to rework many of the web-released songs, it was worth the wait. Vampire Weekend’s literary indie-pop songs are the stuff Sundance Film Festival award winners are made of.

Their debut is chock-full of quirky melodies and referential lyrics: “First the window, then it’s to the wall / Why would you tape my conversations? / Show your paintings at the United Nations / Lil’ Jon, he always tells the truth.”

College life is aptly depicted, with songs like “Oxford Comma” and “Campus” transporting you to classes at a British university. But don’t think Vampire Weekend is the stuffiest band this side of the Atlantic. Sunny world music touches transform this indie band’s potential pretentiousness into polite, Jamaican punk-tinged dance tunes.

It’s difficult to imagine a band that can successfully combine a love of libraries with Caribbean influences and a punk rock heart, but if anyone can do it, Vampire Weekend can.

Vampire Weekend performs at The Joint September 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

This month, pop-turned-country singer Jessica Simpson will perform new songs and old favorites during Nina’s Night Out, a fund-raiser for the Rape Crisis Center of Southern Nevada presented by KTNV Channel 13 anchor Nina Radetich. All of the proceeds from the concert will be used to help with the costs of operating the Rape Crisis Center, which aids hundreds of rape victims each year.

Simpson fans will get a chance to hear snippets from her new album as well as give to a good cause when they purchase tickets to Nina’s Night Out. The singer, known for her breathy pop songs and soaring ballads (as well as her tabloid romances), has decided to branch out into country music—perhaps an inevitable move given her Southern roots and her turn as Daisy Duke in the recent Dukes of Hazzard remake.

The first single from her latest album, Do You Know?, is a relaxed, twangy tune called “Come On Over.” Simpson seems more at ease with the genre switch, and perhaps she’ll do well as a country star.

To see Simpson debut her new musical persona, and to help one of Las Vegas’s most beneficial non-profits, buy your tickets for Nina’s Night Out now. For more information about the concert, visit www.ninasnightout.org.

Jessica Simpson appears at Palms Casino Resort September 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $47 and $60.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

At the age of 42, Ms. Janet Jackson knows who she is. She also knows what her fans want and expect, and she continues to deliver some of the fiercest R&B cuts around. The key to Jackson’s success may be that she hires the best producers in the business, which, combined with her openly sexual lyrics, have made her one of the most provocative (and popular) singers today.

Of course, Jackson comes from a musical family, and for many years, brother Michael was considered the vocal genius of the Jackson children. But Janet has long since become a star in her own right, with 10 studio albums to her name and countless No. 1 singles under her belt.

Jackson’s most recent album, Discipline, brings the same brand of excellence she has consistently delivered in the past. Songs like “Feedback” and “2Nite” have Janet’s signature “Miss Jackson if you’re nasty” attitude. Though older and perhaps a bit wiser, Jackson proves she can still get down with the best of them.

Janet Jackson plays Mandalay Bay Events Center September 19 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55.75, $100.75, $150.75 and $300.75.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Billy Idol’s punk looks and pop songs garnered plenty of attention back in the ‘80s, and though it’s been years since his last hit, you can’t deny the awesome power of tunes like “White Wedding” and “Rebel Yell.”

Idol, neé William Michael Albert Broad, began his career as a Sex Pistols groupie. Next up was a failed attempt at forming a band, before Idol changed his name and hit it big with a cover of the 1960s Tommy James single “Mony Mony.” A new music video channel called MTV noticed Idol’s platinum spikes and alluring British sneer, and videos for each of his hit singles soon dominated the TV station’s airwaves.

Like all rock stars, Idol has a Behind the Music-worthy story of celebrity and excess, but he has lived to tell the tale, even releasing an album of new material called Devil’s Playground in 2005. And no matter what anyone says, “Dancing With Myself” will never be outdated.

Billy Idol performs at The Joint September 12 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $56.50 and $142.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Collective Soul emerged in the 1990s as one among many alt-grunge bands dominating radio at the time. Songs like “Shine” and “The World I Know” had enough thrusting guitar hooks to plant them in the rock scene, but also had enough pop sensibility to sound happy. Or as happy as a grunge band can sound.
    Alternative rock veered away from grunge and moved to the bland depression of nu metal, and Collective Soul took the opportunity to jump ship. The band’s members, Ed Roland, Dean Roland, Will Turpin, Joel Kosche and Shane Evans, embraced the love of pop music that bubbled beneath the surface of their rock songs. In 2001, they released Blender. Shiny melodies and a guest appearance from Elton John marked the band’s shift from hard rock to adult contemporary music, and critics panned the transition.

So now Collective Soul has returned to their roots with 2007’s Afterwords, an album full of rocking guitars and pop melodies similar to those on their 1995 self-titled record. More than a decade after they burst on the music scene, Collective Soul is now just trying to get back to where they once belonged.

Collective Soul appears poolside at Hard Rock Hotel September 5 at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.50, or free by registering at spyonvegas.com.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Genius. Icon. Legend.

Words that describe Bob Dylan would seem hyperbolic if they weren’t so… well, true. The fact that the rock ‘n’ roll star has managed to remain relevant to contemporary musicians is a feat in its own; Dylan also has released new material that is just as good as any of his previous work (see 2006’s Modern Times).

Bob Dylan’s story is well-known—Minnesota boy hits the big time with acoustic guitars and political protest songs, and though he eventually goes electric, he never loses the deft song-writing skills or plaintive vocals that made him a folk hero to start. Along the way there were women loved and lost (singer Joan Baez, wife Sara Lownds), album hits and misses, and the inevitable growing up and older.

Through it all, Dylan has maintained his legacy both as a brilliant artist and an inspiration for generations of musicians who have followed. His iconic records are as fresh today as they were when they were released, and only the best of his peers can say the same (namely the Beatles). Much has been said and written of the musical master, but Dylan will always be somewhat of a mystery. He probably prefers it that way.

Bob Dylan performs at the Joint September 1 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $62, $92 and $172.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Louis C.K. is a well-known and well-respected comedian among those in the know, but he has only recently showed up on the mainstream radar screen following the release of his HBO standup special Shameless in 2007. He recently taped a new stand-up show for Showtime that will begin airing in October, and he will be in Las Vegas in September as he works on a new batch of material with the hopes of shooting another special in about a year.

His material is largely observational, but not the Jerry Seinfeld, “You ever wonder why?” kind of way. It’s a little bit hard to explain without examples, and for the most part, the better examples aren’t suitable for print in a family-friendly publication.

C.K. has tried his hand at writing, working for David Letterman, Conan O’Brien and Chris Rock, and has been in front of the camera for a short-lived sitcom on HBO called Lucky Louie. He is working on a pilot for CBS right now, but standup is where he is comfortable and happy.

His return to Las Vegas will feature all new material about how life as a “fat, white, 40-year-old guy with two children” who is “half dead and miserable,” as he said, adding, “Everyone can relate to that.”

Louis C.K. plays the Joint at Hard Rock on September 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22, $32 and $42.



When you step on stage, do you have an exact plan of where your show is going and what jokes you’re going to do when, or does it change from night to night?

I have a set that I’m developing. I’m always looking at developing a new hour and shooting a special at the end of the year.

I just shot a special in March, and now I’ve got a new hour I’m working on. Every night I’m trying to refine it and make it better and add material to it.

The order changes pretty much every night, but it’s not just a jumble for the hell of it. It’s like I’m trying to make it as good as possible. Every show is like a step forward toward that.

It takes the summer and spring to build that hour, and then take it on tour in the fall. And if people saw me, probably people saw me last time I was in Las Vegas at the House of Blues last year when I was working on the special I shot in March. Now I’m working on a new one. Whoever saw me at HOB, if they’re coming now, they’ll see a totally different hour.



Some comedians like to go back to the same jokes, sometimes using a similar set for two years. You throw away your material once you shoot the special and force yourself to come up with a new hour. Why?

Part of the reason I do it—I don’t just do it for the specials—I’m sort of on this constant national tour for almost two years now. When I come back to a place that I’ve played before, I don’t want to be doing the same jokes. I usually come back to a place every year or so, so hopefully when I get back it’s new stuff.

It’s hard to do, but I happen to really love doing it.

Some people are afraid of going on stage without any reliable material, but I like it.

I find it exciting that every year I’ve got no jokes. Literally not a single joke and I’ve got to start from scratch. And it’s fun. If you believe that you get better and not worse, then every new batch of material, you’re getting better. If you keep doing the same jokes, you’re not improving or developing or getting anything new.



Is stand-up something you always saw yourself doing?

I’ve been doing it for 23 years, so, yeah. this is exactly what I wanted to be doing, touring around playing theaters.

It’s worked out in that sense. The question now is how long I can do it.

I might be teaching community college in a couple of years.

I’m more worried about where I am going now than I used to be. When I was young, I figured if it didn’t work out, I would be OK. Now I really need it to. I have a family and only a few more times around before I get discarded.



Comedians can have a pretty long run. George Carlin was performing until the day he died.

I guess… at the ripe old age of 50-something... we’ll see.

You’ve got to work hard to get there, you can’t just assume that it will work out for you that way. I assume that I’m going to be on the street next week, so that keeps me motivated.



When you’re in Las Vegas, do you partake in any of the city’s offerings like excessive drinking or gambling?

I do like to gamble sometimes, but I don’t really have the money to gamble so I don’t do a lot of it. And you can excessively drink pretty much anywhere, so that’s never new to me there.

I’ve got two kids and to me, sleep is the big thing. If I’m in Vegas, that’s what I’m doing, because I can’t sleep when I’m at home. I can’t, there’s just no time, so that’s my big indulgence.

There is all this amazing stuff going on downstairs… and I’m upstairs just sleeping, beautifully and soundly.

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Jeff Dahl enjoys a new gaming perspective. The Las Vegas native viewed it from the outside as an accountant, the inside as a controller and from the very top as a president.

Now it’s time to be a guru. Dahl recently opened Jay Daniel, a management consulting company based in Texas and Louisiana. The company looks to help clients develop casinos, complete projects or improve the performance of their financial holdings.

Dahl’s partner, Daniel Davila, is a former Wall Street gaming analyst. Together, Dahl and Davila ran the Torguson Group, a development company based in Mississippi, until beginning their new partnership last month.

Dahl brings more than 30 years experience to the business, much of it in Las Vegas.

“I went to Southern California as a teenager, and when I ran out of money, it was time to come back to Vegas,” he laughed. “Then it was time to get serious.”

He did. Dahl attended UNLV, obtained a business administration degree and gained his casino legs by auditing gaming properties.

“It was mostly doing their annual audit required by the gaming commission,” he said. “At first it was what someone else might consider mundane—setting up internal controls, evaluating internal controls, looking at and evaluating financial systems. Yet for a young guy getting exposure to senior management and seeing the industry through their eyes, it was a great place to learn the nuts and bolts of the business.”

Nuts and bolts did not have to be dull, however. He drew some interesting assignments because some Las Vegas properties thought outside the box. Or inside the glass.

“There was some excitement too,” Dahl said. “Bob Stupak had this deal where a customer could get his picture taken with $1 million, which was in plexiglass. My job was to verify there really was $1 million in the plexiglass case. Seeing all that money was pretty exciting.”

Stupak was a wild entrepreneur who later won a widely publicized $1 million Super Bowl bet. It was the freewheeling philosophy of people like Stupak that helped Dahl intersect gaming’s worldwide boom. He became the bean-counting equivalent of an international host.

“We did a lot of the work for the Dunes, which had international customers,” Dahl said. “One of my roles as auditor was to go to Mexico, verify when the peso was de-valued, examine reports, etc. It was always fun and interesting to do the international travel.”

Dahl’s customers were linked more to currencies than comps. The fluctuating markets affected how many dollars international players could expect when they came here.  It was important for properties to know the rates of exchange, both for their protection and a source of enticement. A casino could provide a better deal than what a player could obtain back home, or even wrap it into a trip package.



The Wynn-ing Hand

Dahl left his position as an auditor and joined Steve Wynn for the inside view. Five years at the Golden Nugget and Mirage produced a wealth of education. They also provided the springboard for his role of operator.

“It was a fascinating, interesting point of my career,” he said. “Steve Wynn was always one of the greats. He looked out for the right product, invested in the right product, spent the right time putting the system in place, and he’d make sure that every last detail was right. I began assuming some administrative functions. That meant flying to Taipei, spending a week in Hong Kong, meeting with auditors over there and making sure the collections were going to the bank.

“Mirage created business that nobody had ever seen before. The volumes being created and the complexity attached to them were tremendous.”

Wynn had launched a Las Vegas renaissance. Mirage re-defined the Strip, launching an expansion boom that later brought New York-New York, Excalibur and Luxor, for starters. Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran helped baptize the property from a special-events standpoint with their third fight.

Slowly, subtly, Dahl made the crossover from bean counter to casino executive. The financial background proved invaluable when he sought to predict the return of a company’s investment.

“Before a fight, we would have estimates of what we could generate, and then afterward, we would have the privilege of evaluating the results and seeing how we did,” Dahl said. “This allowed the marketing guys to make better decisions going forward. As I moved on to making financial decisions, it helped to know that I understood the process. I understood what went into generating that piece of paper and what flowed up into that piece of paper. I was grateful, after reaching a position like a company president, that I knew how the numbers were generated. It was a substantial building block for me.”

Dahl’s ties with Wynn never weakened. He made a significant career move to Mississippi. A stint as the regional CFO at the Grand Casino in Gulfport followed. Then he became president of the Treasure Bay casino in Biloxi, and ran Casino Magic in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Ultimately, Wynn asked him to be president of the Beau Rivage, and it became Dahl's proudest achievement.

“When I went there, it had gotten some negative press; in fact, the whole Mirage company had been hammered a little bit,” Dahl said. “The company had been a slow opening at Beau Rivage; there were statements made that it would not match up with what Mr. Wynn had envisioned and that it was not a great market. The feeling was that the employees would not be good enough, they would not measure up to the great building they had been given.

“Within 18 months, we were doing well financially and gotten all sorts of rewards. Condé Nast (the world’s premier travel magazine) made us one of the top five places to visit in the country. The great thing is we did it with 95 percent of the same people. It was the same people, the same job, but a completely different attitude. It was positive. We believed that we could deliver first class service and we did. That turnaround really occurred. I would like to think I played a good part in that.”

As the president, he would be right.

Dahl has enjoyed an interesting journey. At one point, more than 5,500 employees reported to him. Now, as a 30-year gaming veteran, he offers some insights into success.



Lessons Learned

• Understanding the financial world is more important than ever. Entrepreneurs and employees need to know where information flows through and how people make decisions.

• Become more open-minded as a career progresses.  “As we get older, we may have to realize that some stuff we had opinions of early on, might be a little off base now,” Dahl said. “If you evaluate how decisions are being made and you may not like something, don’t be afraid to change it.”

• Listen and learn. Understanding the ups and downs of others will enable you to emulate success, but not repeat failure.

• Don’t forget the intangibles. One night in freezing Minnesota weather prompted Dahl to decline a job offer there and head to Mississippi.

• Customer service comes from the heart. “You can’t fake enthusiasm,” Dahl said.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

You can usually catch all the NCAA and NFL action you care to in any of the sports books around town. And, if your favorite team is an SEC front-runner, well, those games will be on CBS.

But every week, there are countless games that aren’t televised nationally, and unless you have a satellite dish or like watching a game with no sound in the book (not that the commentators add much to the game, but…) you’ll have to find a bar that is showing your game. PT’s is affiliating a number of its locations throughout Las Vegas with college teams and showing their games. For all the information, visit www.goldentaverngroup.com.

In the meantime, here is a quick rundown of teams in the top teams in the pre-season rankings (and UNLV) and the location where you can watch them play (a full listing can be found at www.casinoconnectionnevada.com).

UNLV (105)
PT’s Pub  |  1089 E. Tropicana Ave.
PT’s Place  |  46 S. Water St.
PT’s Gold  |  81 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy.

Georgia (1)
PT’s Gold  |  2135 E. Centennial

Ohio State (2)
PT’s Pub  |  10940 S. Eastern Ave.
PT’s Pub  |  3935 S. Durango Rd.

USC (3)
PT’s Pub  |  739 S. Rainbow Blvd.
PT’s Gold  |  630 S. Hualapai Way

Oklahoma (4)
PT’s Place  |  347 N. Nellis Blvd.
Sierra Gold  |  6929 Aliante Pkwy.

Florida (5)
PT’s Gold  |  10075 S. Eastern Ave.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Food and beverage workers can sample the greatest gift from the desert during the second annual Las Vegas Tequila Fest at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino on September 12 and 13.

The two-day tasting event brings together representatives from the major labels to producers of smaller boutique tequilas to celebrate everything tequila.

It will be an opportunity to taste the best blancos, reposados and añejos (or learn the differences between them) while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and live entertainment and discussing the latest trends and recipes involving tequila.

The event is free to F&B workers. For more information or to request an invitation, visit www.lasvegastequilafest.com.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

 Throughout September, club members at El Cortez have a chance to collect gas or gift cards or accumulate free play for hitting a $200 or greater jackpot on slot machines and nickel-or-lower video poker machines, or a $300 jackpot on other denomination video poker machines.

Jackpot winners will receive a prize ticket that can be redeemed for a $10 gas card (Mobil/Exxon, Arco, Chevron or Shell) or a $10 gift card (Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Sears or Smith’s). The ticket can also be redeemed for free play.

Additionally, all winners will be entered into a weekly drawing held Saturday night for $2,000 in cash or an LCD HDTV.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

If having your picture taken with $1 million isn’t good enough for you, you can head to the Stratosphere for your free spin and a chance to win $1 million or a share of $120,000 in prizes.

The promotion, which runs from 10 a.m. to midnight through November 18, is open to new and existing Ultimate Rewards Club members. New members automatically get one spin, while existing members must earn 100 points in slot play in a single day to receive a spin. There is a limit of one spin per day.

By Greg Jones   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Binion’s Gambling Hall is reintroducing its legendary $1 million in cash display, and new club members have a chance to get photographed with the big box of money.

The display has been around for five decades, but it was recently redesigned to make it more contemporary. The new $1 million display,  created by Jorge Arturo Serrano of Creative Plastic Design Inc. in Las Vegas, updates the design of the old horseshoe display.

“The $1 million display is a major component of the Binion’s legacy and a piece of Las Vegas history remembered and loved by locals and visitors alike,” said Tim Lager, general manager of Binion’s. “Reintroducing the display with a modern look is part of our strategy to preserve the tradition while refreshing the Binion’s brand for today’s market.”

Located next to the Club Binion’s Booth, the $1 million display is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Guests who join Club Binion’s can opt for either $35 in slot play or table game non-negotiable chips, or just $20 in free play plus a picture with the $1 million.

The new display is just one of a number of changes new owner TLC Casino Enterprises is bringing to the property. Since the company, headed by Terry Caudill, who also owns the neighboring Four Queens, took over in March, new table games have been added, gaming odds have been improved on blackjack and craps, and ticket in/ticket out technology is being added to the casino floor.

By Patrick Roberts   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Like many Nevada towns, the founding of Ely (sounds like “freely”) was a result of mining operations nearby.

But rather than gold or silver, the salvation of Ely has been copper. The huge open pit mine at Ruth fed a giant smelter on the old McGill ranch, and the copper was shipped away from Ely by the Northern Nevada Railroad, which completed a spur to Ely in 1906. Like a roller coaster, Ely rode along with the booms and busts of the copper business, but it looked like the end in the 1980s when the copper market crashed and the last mine closed. But the current boom in copper has once again seen mining resume here, although the copper ore is now sent to Seattle for shipment to Japan where it is smelted.

Today, Ely relies as much on tourism as it does on mining. The historic Hotel Nevada in the city’s downtown section opened in 1929 and was the state’s tallest building well into the 1940s. A restoration of this property has brought back the elegance for which it was once known. Suites in the hotel are named for famous people who have stayed here: Hoot Gibson, Ingrid Bergman, Tennessee Ernie Ford and others.

As the seat for White Pine County, Ely lies at the southern end of the beautiful Steptoe Valley, where it meets foothills of the Egan Range. Several state highways converge on Ely, including routes 6, 93 and 50.

The Nevada Railroad Museum is located in Ely, drawing train buffs from around the world. A short section of the Northern Nevada line—which runs between Ely and Cherry Creek—has been restored and visitors can climb aboard the restored trains for a trip back in history.

Ely is also the center for wildlife enthusiasts. The Ely Elk Viewing Area offers visitors the rare opportunity to see an elk community up close and personal.

One of the newest national parks, Great Basin, is just a few miles away and returns visitors to the dawn of time when the inland ocean drained from the Southwest and left a dazzling landscape full of wildlife of all sorts.

Downtown Ely is a historian’s delight. Much of the original “small town” architecture has been retained and restored, with goods and services that will entrance the visitor.

As with all Nevada towns (except Boulder City, of course), gaming plays a big role in Ely. In contrast to Hotel Nevada, the modern Jailhouse Casino offers all the gaming entertainment anyone could possibly want.

Ely is within a short drive of Las Vegas or Reno and makes a delightful weekend getaway. Although it doesn’t quite fit with the popular new “stay-cation” idea, Ely brings Nevada’s heritage and natural beauty to all its visitors and residents.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Downtown Las Vegas is slowly becoming party central for locals who want flash without the hassle of maneuvering through tourists on the Strip. The Fremont East District in particular has developed into a hotbed of cool bars that eschew gaming for glamour. Downtown Cocktail Room is one such lounge, combining old-fashioned elegance with hip drinks and an even hipper clientele.

In a bar like Downtown Cocktail Room, atmosphere is everything. The mystery begins when you try to step inside, because the door is hidden in plain sight. Regulars often chuckle watching newcomers press on the glass partition that separates the lounge from the busy street.

Downtown Cocktail Room’s small, intimate core is deep and dark with scarlet walls and reading chairs clustered around small, black tables. Sheer, wine-colored curtains cover the bar’s lone glass wall and surround the center grouping of tables, creating a rosy haze. The music is pulsating, even during the day, and at night evokes a drum and bass club in the alleys of Manhattan.

If the bar’s mood is distinctly metropolitan, then so are its drinks. The menu is comprised entirely of original cocktails dreamed up in-house, and the specialties change every four months. This season, Downtown Cocktail Room’s beverages are decidedly summery, with citrus flavors and sweet liqueurs the unifying theme.

There is a cocktail for every taste on Downtown’s menu, ranging from light and fruity to the dark and steamy, a classic drink that blends rum with ginger beer. The bar also caters to the health-conscious, using several organic brands of alcohol and fresh produce in its mixers. The ginger kumquat caipiroska melds organic vodka with fresh kumquats and white ginger, while the prickly pear is a blend of organic tequila, natural pear liqueur, organic agave nectar and lime.

A few classics are included on the menu as well, but with a Downtown twist. The Mai kind of daquiri is a refreshing mix of organic white rum, natural orgeat syrup and fresh lime juice, while the dill bloody mary combines gin, cucumber, lime and the lounge’s signature Downtown Bloody Mix.

The mixture of fresh ingredients and organic liquor creates smooth, somehow healthy-tasting drinks that are flavorful without being overpowering—well worth the $10 price tag. The careful bartending is also a contributing factor in Downtown Cocktail Room’s delicious drinks; it seems like every ingredient is carefully measured, every concoction hand-tailored just for you.

Typical Las Vegas bars line up glasses of alcohol and hose them down with mixers, but Downtown Cocktail Room harkens back to the days when sitting down and having a drink was an occasion, not just another Friday night.

Those in the mood for a quiet rendezvous will enjoy Downtown Cocktail Room’s weeknight happy hours from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. There are always plenty of open tables and discounted drinks. But don’t be fooled by the low-key, late afternoon vibe. On weekends, Downtown Cocktail Room parties with the best of them, often playing host to DJs and private parties and offering absinthe by the bottle. The classically hip Downtown Cocktail Room manages to combine the best of old and new, providing Las Vegas locals with an upscale ambiance this urban valley often lacks.

Buzz Worthy: Mary Pickford
A combination of:
Bacardi rum
Luxardo maraschino liqueur
Sonoma pomegranate grenadine
Pineapple juice

One of Downtown Cocktail Room’s specialty signatures is a sunset-colored cocktail that seamlessly blends the fruity flavors of cherry, pineapple and pomegranate with a healthy dose of Bacardi. Garnished with a lemon peel twist, the Mary Pickford is a perfect summer drink.



111 S. Las Vegas Blvd.

Hours
Monday-Friday 4 p.m. to close
Saturday and Sunday 7 p.m. to close

702-880-DOWN

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

In a city filled with a variety of culinary choices, from small restaurants to large-scale chains and high-end eateries, Taco Yayo is one amongst a plethora of options. Outwardly non-descript, the taco shop is buried in a shopping center across the street from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. It seems dead in this neighborhood during the dog days of summer, and Taco Yayo is nearly empty, its wooden picnic-style tables waiting for nights when UNLV students fill the space for concerts and parties.

But Taco Yayo isn’t just for broke college kids looking for a decent happy hour, though coordinating evening activities with campus events has turned the taco shop into a hip hangout for the young and cheap. Taco Yayo’s uniquely original menu and large selection of beer and tequila are the main reasons why hungry and thirsty locals seek out the trendy restaurant.

If you walk into Taco Yayo expecting to order a few basic small flour tortillas filled to the brim with ground beef and shredded cheddar, then you might want to turn around and find the nearest Del Taco, because this is surely not your average Mexican restaurant. The menu at Taco Yayo offers fusion gourmet tacos, ranging from traditional carnitas to Chinese, Indian, Italian and vegetarian options.

Not many taco shops cater to herbivores, but Taco Yayo has tacos that will satisfy any veg-friendly diner. The tofu fuma taco contains slices of tofu coated with a barbeque marinade, as well as a variety of vegetables and a medium-sized squiggle of sour cream to round it out. The equally delicious tofu nuez serves up sautéed tofu and veggies, topped with Taco Yayo’s special (and spicy) nuez sauce.

Taco Yayo’s fusion specialties add to the restaurant’s worldly style. There is a Shanghai taco (wasabi-seared steak in Chinese-preserved black bean salsa with a light helping of cabbage slaw and a dose of wasabi crema), a Sicilian taco (chicken covered in a spicy basil pesto sauce and topped with red pepper balsamic cruda) and a Bombay taco (chicken sautéed in green curry coconut with mint and sweet and sour chutney sauce).

For taco fans who like to play it safe, Taco Yayo also supplies more classic options, like the carne asada taco (marinated steak with a cilantro onion relish) and the pollo taco (pulled chicken in mole with tomatillo serrano verde).

Taco Yayo offers specials for diners who want to try a variety of tacos. The taco combo comes with four tacos of your choosing, as well as two sides and a drink for $7.25. UNLV students can grab four classic tacos, two sides and a canned soda for $5 with a student ID.

The side dishes at this specialty taco shop are a little different from the average servings of beans and rice (though there are those as well). The camarones ceviche in particular is like something out of a gourmet Southwestern fusion restaurant. The chefs cure the shrimp in lemon juice for 24 hours and serve it up cold. The Aztecan quinoa salad is an interesting alternative to plain  salads, with quinoa grain and onions complementing each other perfectly.

With its contrast of almost-gourmet fusion food artistically placed on banana leaves and the graffiti-covered walls and tables, Taco Yayo offers something a little out of the ordinary. And don’t forget to take a shot of tequila—the taco shop offers more than 100 varieties to choose from, so you might as well.

4632 Maryland Pkwy #18

Hours
Monday and Tuesday
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Wednesday—Saturday
11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

702-262-0201

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Don’t look now, but as triple-digit temperatures bake the desert, three words will soon emanate from the Orleans Arena: “Drop the Puck.”

The Las Vegas Wranglers, who reached the Kelly Cup finals before losing to Cincinnati last season, open the new campaign October 23. More on them in the next Casino Connection.

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The Golden Boy is back.

Oscar De La Hoya, whose bouts have brought millions to Las Vegas, scores again September 13 with his Golden Boy Promotions company when two of boxing’s hottest names will collide.

Juan Manuel Marquez scored one of boxing’s best 2007 victories by outslugging fabled veteran Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas.

Joel Casamayor owns one of 2008’s monster victories, a pulsating knockout against Michael Katsidis March 22 in California. The pleasing matchup of hot names and contrasting styles—Marquez is a straight-ahead puncher, Casamayor moves on angles and is a strong-punching lefty—unfolds at MGM Grand Garden. One major factor: Marquez moves up to Casamayor’s natural weight division.

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

How random and momentum-oriented is football handicapping? A book titled Gig highlights people who work various jobs throughout the United States. One interviewee was an anonymous mob leader who booked football bets and made about half a million dollars a year. He had all the angles covered, until facing the bettor who nearly broke him.

The novice better was slamming the bookie, hitting percentages like 8-of-9. The bookie was blasted for several weeks on expensive bets. The worried mob figure thought the games were fixed. They were not. He believed the novice bettor had inside information, which was untrue.

Then he found the answer. The “hot” bettor worked in a kitchen with a mentally disabled colleague. For some reason, perhaps a gesture of friendship, he let the friend make all his picks. Then he bankrolled the selections.

His friend became absurdly hot for one reason. He looked at a pre-printed NFL schedule, which carried the helmets of each team. All he did was point to the brightest one.

That’s how a streak of luck nearly bankrupted an illegal bookmaking operation. Who says this isn’t rocket science?

By Dave Bontempo   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Nothing beats the decadence of Nevada sports books. September renews the freewheeling and impulsive thrill of sports betting’s pioneer city, the poster child for indulgence. Here come the prop-bet smorgasbords, handicapping contests and weekend madness. Here come the giant screens, screaming patrons and substantial payouts of this multimillion-dollar fall party.

And here comes something else: the annual reminder that average Joes can beat handicapping “pros.” Literally anyone can get hot at any time and ride any streak to riches.

Last year a grocer won Leroy’s Sports Book College Football Challenge, not someone with a professional service and not an “expert” charging for his selections. A Henderson man under the alias “Bobby W.” won $32,100 by hitting 63 percent of his college football selections. He selected weekly prime cuts of Air Force, feasting on a weekly underdog that seemed to be “on sale.”

Imagine realizing he was hot when you strode into his store: “Bobby, pack the meat and potatoes, and don’t forget the football tip.”

“I’m a dog player first, and you have to have a strong argument to get me off that position,” Bobby said. “That’s how I played a lot last season, especially with Air Force. They seemed to come in as a dog every week and cover the spread. But by the end of the season, I played a lot more favorites. I really do my homework; that’s the only advice I would give. Last year I did a lot of work handicapping the handicappers.”

They provided insight, to be sure, but not the selection. Ultimately, it was his decision, which creates the beauty of sports book competition. In contests, nothing is worse than ignoring one’s gut feeling to follow an “expert” who is ultimately proved wrong.

And in the financial realm, “pros” can’t provide the money management. Those who prosper slam the right games and minimize their investments on borderline calls. If they don’t, Mr. Vig, the 10 percent premium added to most bets, will eat them alive.

The Leroy’s Challenge, which adds pro football to the 2008 menu, carves an interesting local niche.

The company serves 61 sports book locations, more than anyone else in Nevada. It appears in some small properties, many mid-size ones and a few large facilities. Leroy’s enables properties to provide a necessary service without hiring full staffs and helps keeps betting lines consistent in Las Vegas.

This competition sits under the radar of fabled events like the Hilton Sports Book Challenge, which requires a $1,500 entry fee. The Leroy’s version charges $250, and last year it paid 15 places.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Basil | Ocimum basilicum

uses: Basil leaves are typically found in pasta dishes, as they are a great pairing with tomatoes. It can also be used to make salads or breads. Basil is often used when it is fresh, but can also be bought dried.

benefits: Basil leaves have many medicinal uses. When digested, they can treat gastrointestinal distress (nausea, stomachaches). Externally, they are used to alleviate acne and other skin problems.



Dill | Anethum graveolens

uses: As a leaf, dill is used to add spice to salads, though it loses its flavor once cooked so it is best eaten raw. In seed form, dill can be used to make soup or bread. An essential oil can be extracted from the herb to flavor a multitude of foods.

benefits: Essential oil from a dill seed has been used for thousands of years to relieve intestinal pain and alleviate digestive problems in children. Chewing the dill seed also eliminates bad breath.



Coriander | Coriandrum sativumvum

uses: Coriander leaves are used to flavor soups and salads, though if eaten in large quantities, coriander can have a narcotic effect. The coriander root is turned into powder and used as a condiment.

benefits: Eating coriander seeds aids in digesting food and also eliminates bad breath when eaten after garlic. Coriander also eases maladies such as colic.



Marjoram | Origanum majorana

uses: As a close relative of oregano, marjoram is a sweet herb that is used in cooking many vegetable and bean dishes. It can also be incorporated into salad dressings.

benefits: Marjoram is used medicinally to treat a variety of ailments, specifically muscle pain, arthritis and sprains. It can also alleviate headaches, insomnia and bronchitis. Pregnant women should not consume marjoram in large quantities.



Rosemary | Rosmarinus officinalis

uses: Rosemary leaves are very bitter, while the flowers are more delicate and used in soups and vegetable dishes. Rosemary has a strong taste and can also be used to make a pungent tea.

benefits: Rosemary is typically used as a tonic, treating mental nervousness, depression and headaches. Rosmarol, which is extracted from rosemary leaves, can also be used as an antioxidant (which some researchers have found can prevent certain types of cancer).

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Finding ways to remain healthy can be a challenge, but exploring all-natural alternatives can help maintain wellness. Traditional Chinese medicine incorporates the use of herbs and massage to treat the stress of everyday life, and these ancient practices can help modern men and women as well.

In ancient China, healers studied herbology, combining different plants with medicinal properties to treat specific maladies. Though not always successful in curing serious problems, herbology intends to readjust the body’s balance of yin and yang. Visiting a physician licensed in Chinese medicine is recommended for a specific diagnosis, but there are also pre-packaged patent medicines available for purchase.

Combinations of herbs can treat normal nuisances like the flu (for which menthol is one method of treatment), stress (ginseng), high blood pressure (wolfberry) and the common cold (ginger). Most herbal remedies are taken from plants, though ancient healers often used animal parts.

Traditional Chinese medicine practitioners also use massage to help heal patients. Called tui na (which translates into “poke-pinch”), Chinese massage focuses on unblocking pathways and allowing the body’s energy to flow smoothly.

Though there can be some poking and pinching involved, tui na incorporates kneading techniques, as well as stimulation of acupressure points to treat specific problems.

By Caitlin McGarry   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The world’s spotlight shined on China during the Beijing Olympics last month, but the country’s athletics aren’t the only focus of fascination for Westerners. In recent years, Chinese medicine—acupuncture, herbs, massage and other alternative healing practices—have risen in popularity, particularly in the United States.

Acupuncture alone has drawn followers who believe the ancient practice is the key to maintaining health. According to the 2002 National Health Interview Study, more than 8 million Americans have used acupuncture, and the number has likely increased in the six years since the study was conducted.

The myths surrounding acupuncture and its efficacy are numerous, the foremost being that the 5,000-year-old practice causes pain. Photos of acupuncture patients typically show a large number of needles penetrating the skin’s surface in a particular area. Many people resist acupuncture due to what they perceive will be a painful experience.

Dr. Sharon Roth, an acupuncturist licensed by the Nevada State Board of Oriental Medicine, said she often sees patients who have exhausted all other options before trying acupuncture, which makes it more difficult for her to treat them.

“Almost every single person who walks in here is pleasantly surprised at how uneventful the experience is—that it’s as mild of a sensation as it is—when they expected it to be so much more intense,” Roth said. “Because of their preconceptions, they don’t get here until they’re in a lot of pain. Things have really deteriorated before they get to me. Which is too bad, because it’s easier to treat them when we get them right at the beginning.”

Many would-be patients are also wary of acupuncture because they’re not sure how the practice helps in the healing process. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, acupuncture restores balance to the body, using needles on specific points to unblock pathways down which qi (or “vital energy”) travels. There are 14 pathways and more than 2,000 acupuncture points.

Western researchers have studied the effect of stimulating points on the body using MRI machines. For instance, when a patient’s toe is stimulated, the brain’s visual cortex lights up “like the Fremont Street Experience,” Roth said. According to the annals of Chinese medicine, using acupuncture on the toe can improve vision.

Roth said she respects Western medicine and its capabilities, laughing at the idea that someone should see an acupuncturist instead of a surgeon for severe injuries.

“If I get hit by a bus, God forbid, take me to the ER,” Roth said. “I do not want to go straight to my acupuncturist if I’ve got a couple of legs broken and my spleen needs to be removed. That’s not the time that I would want to go to acupuncture.”

However, many of Roth’s patients have undergone surgeries and taken prescription medications that merely exacerbated their already serious conditions, problems common in Western medicine.

“The things that are suggested for treatment for some of those problems that are going on, sometimes they do more harm than good,” Roth said. “I know this because people come to me and they say, ‘I’ve had shots, I’ve had surgery, and I’m worse off now than when I started.’ And through all of it, nobody’s ever laid a hand on them. They’ve cut into them with scalpels, but they’ve never put a hand on their body and felt where it’s tight and where it’s lax and where people are holding and what they’re holding, and they’ve certainly never asked them what they feel about their pain, or where the patient thinks that the pain came from.

“There are lots of dimensions to being human that seem to get missed oftentimes when getting treated in Western scenarios. But I don’t think that it’s a contest between Western medicine and Eastern at all. I think both have their strengths, and I’m grateful for both of them, and it’s up the patient, the consumer, really, to figure out what’s going to be the best choice for them in various situations.”

In fact, Western and Eastern medicine often complement each other, though Roth said she thinks Western medicine is criticized for being too “disease-focused,” whereas Chinese medicine is centered around maintaining health.

“In ancient China, people used to come see the acupuncturist for maintenance and wellness, and they would only pay the acupuncturist as long as they were well,” Roth said. “If they became sick, they would go back to get better, but that’s when they would stop paying. It was kind of wellness therapy as opposed to illness therapy.”

Acupuncture can help patients remain healthy with regular sessions, though most only see Roth when they are in severe pain.

“A lot of people don’t start their healing journey at the acupuncturist,” Roth said. “Hopefully they’re ending their healing journey here, and we finally resolve something. And hopefully they don’t have to go on beyond that.”

Roth often sees patients with chronic work-related problems like back and neck strain, tendonitis, knee and shoulder injuries and headaches. She recommends visiting an acupuncturist once every few months to maintain health, minimize stress and alleviate pain.

By Oscar Goodman   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Whether you work Downtown or talk with tourists inquiring about all the construction in the area, Union Park is shaping up to be one of the most talked about projects in Las Vegas.

Construction is continuing at the 61-acre Union Park project located west of the railroad tracks. Most noticeable is construction of the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute, which is taking shape at the corner of Bonneville and Grand Central Parkway. The institute is dedicated to the conquest of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and all forms of memory disorders. The ultimate aim is to prevent the disabling symptoms of chronic brain disease and to promote healthy, vital aging in people at risk for dementia or memory impairments.

Frank Gehry is the internationally acclaimed architect who has designed the building for the Ruvo Institute. Gehry’s design of the institute will be the focal point of the new Union Park development. The institute is expected to open in early 2009.

Several more projects are scheduled to have their groundbreakings next year at Union Park, including the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, a planned multi-theater complex with a main theater seating more than 2,000 people, and the World Jewelry Center, which will feature corporate office condominiums of domestic and international gem and jewelry companies in an iconic state-of-the-art tower. There will be more than 125,000 square feet of retail jewelry venues in the 50-plus story building.

Other projects under design include Symphony Park, the Charlie Palmer, a 400-suite and room boutique hotel, and a residential-mixed use component that is being developed by Newland Communities. A 1,000 room hotel-casino is also planned for the north end of the site.

There is a lot of construction going on along Grand Central Parkway, due to a massive public works project that is under way to build the infrastructure at this project. The infrastructure work is expected to take seven months and will include, but is not limited to, site grading, roadway excavation and the installation of drainage features and structures, a temporary parking lot near the railroad, public streets including curbs and gutters, water and sewer system mains, utilities and traffic signage. In addition, a “Downtown connector” will provide transportation to the property and will travel to and from the Convention Center.

This is an exciting project for those of you who are residents and the tourists you come into contact with, and I encourage you to share the exciting details with them.
 
Despite what is happening with the economy, Union Park is moving forward, and I am confident it will be a driving force for a speedy recovery.

Tue, Sep 02, 2008

As director of operations for Golden Gaming Inc., Todd Parmelee oversees 44 tavern locations throughout Nevada that operate under the company’s Golden Tavern Group. The properties include the ubiquitous PT’s throughout Las Vegas, Sierra Gold in Las Vegas and Reno, and Spark’s in Reno.

He joined the company in 2003 when the PT’s Gold brand was being launched, but left a year later to take a position as assistant director of food and beverage at Hard Rock. He was soon promoted to director of food and beverage, a position he held until 2007.

He reconnected with Golden Gaming founder and president Blake Sartini and COO Steve Arcana when Golden Gaming was contracted to manage casino operations at the Hard Rock after Peter Morton sold the property to Morgans Hotel Group, and soon found himself working for Golden Gaming once again.

The economy has changed, however, and with people spending less at the casinos, it means the people who live in Las Vegas have less money to spend going out themselves. As director of operations, Parmelee is charged with finding ways to keep the tavern operations healthy despite the troubled economy. He talked to Casino Connection Managing Editor Greg Jones about the current challenges the company faces and where the company is ultimately headed.


Casino Connection: Now that you are back with Golden Gaming, what is your day-to-day focus?

Parmelee: It changes every minute. Just in Las Vegas, there are 36 taverns to operate. Really, the biggest part of it is playing air traffic control. I have six regional managers and an assistant director who are out in the taverns. They just keep feeding me information. I am the one asking questions a lot of the time from them because they’re in the taverns more than I am. I take what they need and work with the vendors or the marketing team here at Golden to really benefit each different tavern the best we can when we have all the information.



Do you enjoy being more removed from the gaming operations now, as opposed to your previous position at Hard Rock?

There are a lot of differences. In the casino world, it is easy to leave your office and go downstairs and check in on your operations. Dealing with 36 taverns throughout the valley is tough, but I really like this a lot more than the casino grind. The hotel is a big business and the competition is fierce—not that it isn’t in the tavern world—but with the support that I have with this company, I just feel a lot more comfortable with the operations of it. It’s a clearer picture of what we’re trying to do.



The current economic troubles are hitting everyone pretty hard. What are you seeing at your taverns, which primarily target locals?

I ask that question of our vendors and people I still have relationships with in casinos and around town. Thankfully, we’re not taking it as hard as everybody else.
 
I really have to credit everyone from the people who work in the taverns to my regional operations team. We’re not sitting on our hands. We’re out there working hard. We’re creating events to give people reasons to come into our places and it seems to be working.

In the past, it was just easy to go by a PT’s and think great food, great drinks, gambling and great atmosphere. Now we’re throwing different events to give people a chance to say, “You know what, things are down, I’m not making as much money working in the casino, I’m going to go into PT’s and they’re throwing a party. They’re taking my mind off of things.”

That’s what we’ve created this summer. Knock on wood, it’s been working.

We tell the entire team that that it is great to see the regulars, but we also need to recognize the new faces. We need to put our hands out and introduce ourselves as their neighborhood bar, introduce them to the people there and create that family, that Cheers effect, so to speak.

It sounds simple, and I guess we have realized that we have to get back to the basics and the foundation of what creates a good tavern experience.



How much do you compete with the locals casinos as opposed to other bars and taverns throughout the city?

We compete against everyone. If somebody is gambling at a grocery store we compete with them. I think if they’re putting their hard earned money in one of those, I want to get them into our bars.

You get more customers coming into our taverns because you’ll get that one-on-one experience with the bar host or server and you get to meet people who live or work in your area instead of the casino. And nothing against tourists, it’s just that there is more of a commonality.

My point being that it’s an experience that we’re really creating and I would hope that people walk into our taverns and get that great experience rather than going into a gas station or a grocery store.

We also have a program called the Golden Rewards program. It’s an incentive to join up. We track your gaming and you get a ton of rewards based on how you play. A lot of what I do with the marketing and promotions side is to come up with things to keep growing that sense of golden rewards to give more benefits to it. Our package is, if not better, then it is just as equal to local casinos and you don’t normally see that in the tavern world.

And we just rolled out a wide-area progressive on at our Sierra Gold brands. It is, for lack of a better word, a system that we have with our three Sierra Golds around town.

The progressive starts at $12,500 on quarter machines right now, and I believe it is at $13,500 now. We’re trying it with the three properties and if we have success, we’ll roll it out with our other brands. Then the jackpot will be huge.



The casinos also have the smoking advantage. While some of your locations have nonrestricted gaming licenses, the majority are limited to 15 machines, and therefore are subject to the Nevada Clean Indoor Air Act. Did you see any drop off when that law took effect?

We absolutely saw a drop off.

People can go into a casino and not worry about that.

At some of our very high volume gaming, we have built walls in there to separate dining from the gaming. So you can go into many of our Pubs or Golds and smoke depending on if we built the wall, but that gets expensive, too.

It created a bigger expense for us and it definitely drove more people to the casinos because they can do what they want as far as smoking. We definitely saw a big drop here, as well as in Reno.

Any time you have a gambler, you don’t want to divert them from what they’re there to do to go outside and smoke.



You also oversee the tavern operations in Reno. How does the Reno market differ from the market in Las Vegas?

Our taverns are branded as Sparky’s in Reno. It is like our PT’s here and we do have a Sierra Gold up there.

Reno is definitely a different market than Las Vegas. Reno tends to be, not for negativity, a little more conservative. They really got hit economically.

They were ready for a growth spurt before everything hit. Building was starting. They got hit a little bit earlier and then the smoking ban was enacted.

If tourism is down, the locals don’t have the money to spend. It’s the same thing down here in Las Vegas.

The bodies are still coming, people just are not purchasing the premium stuff. Those who used to drink Grey Goose are now drinking Absolut or a beer. The bodies are still here, they’re just not spending that heavily.



Last year at about this time the company was looking at a new concept that would add live music to the atmosphere of PT’s that would be branded the Loft. I heard that concept is currently on hold right now. What is going on with that?

When I came on board, that is what I was diving into. At that time, we started seeing the signs that this wasn’t the right move to make right now. It’s still there, we still discuss it, but we have to get through what we’re doing now.

The concept is one that will work, and it is a concept that will stand the test of time, so whenever we’re ready to discuss it again and we’ve got the right locations for it, it will happen. Right now, the focus is to get through the third quarter and see what the fourth quarter brings.

So your focus is strictly on the operations right now?

That’s been the direction my team is going. The team I have working with me is digging into everything that we can cut without detracting from the guests’ experience. These guys have done an amazing job. When we can sit in our reviews every month of the company and be able to go through line-by-line and say we’re making a difference for the better, it’s great.

With 36 locations in Las Vegas alone, I imagine there is some fat that can be trimmed from your operating expenses without causing any drop in customer service.
Yes, and it’s up to us as operators to find that.

That’s why Steve Arcana hired this team that he put together and there is no stone unturned. Not right now.

It’s called doing it the hard way.

The easy way is to just get the revenue on the top line and let it flow down. But, in times like this, we’re doing it the hard way, but it is making a difference.

By Roger Gros   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

An Ohio casino advocacy group says it’s come up with more than twice the number of signatures needed to put a $600 million casino project on the November ballot.

MyOhioNow presented 800,000 signatures to Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. The signatures, reportedly from 80 of 88 Ohio counties, must now be verified.

Minneapolis-based Lakes Enter-tainment Inc. wants to build a casino resort in Clinton County near Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati. It would include a 220,000-square-foot casino with up to 5,000 slot machines, 100 gaming tables and a 1,500-room hotel.

“We look forward to a positive and honest campaign to get the support of Ohio voters,” said MyOhioNow’s Rick Lertzman, saying the casino could create 5,000 permanent jobs and employ thousands of people during the construction phase. The group says the casino would return 30 percent of revenue to Ohio counties on a per-capita basis.

By Roger Gros   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, acknowledging his past year’s attempt to get new casinos and racetrack slots past state House Speaker Michael J. Madigan was a failure, now wants to lease out the Illinois Lottery to help fund the governor’s latest capital improvement program.

Blagojevich has downsized the planned budget for improving roads, schools and other infrastructure to $25 billion. When three or four taxable casinos and 4,000 racino slot machines were in the mix, he eyed $34 billion. Illinois has had no capital-improvements budget for a decade, partly because lawmakers worry about raising taxes to fund one.

The Daily Herald of Arlington Heights noted that Blagojevich abandoned the casino quest—which he pursued for taxes, not because he favors more gambling. In an extensive series, the paper reported that casinos are tightening slot payouts to maintain profits as play slacks off in the current economy and that Illinois ranks low in the Midwest for gambling addiction programs.

By Roger Gros   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Federal officials were busy considering conditions at three California tribal casinos last month:

• The San Pasqual tribe’s government has collapsed, which could force closure of the Valley View Casino in Valley Center.

The San Pasqual tribal council—called the business committee—has split, and each faction, claiming to be the tribal government, tried to suspend and institute impeachment proceedings against the other.
 
Without a government, the tribe can’t legally operate its Valley View Casino, which each month pays an estimated $4,000 to each enrolled member— which is the root of the dispute. Part of the tribal council, led by the vice chairman, has started proceedings to dis-enroll about 80 members of the 300-member tribe, claiming that they are actually not legitimate descendents of tribal members from the last century, although the BIA ruled in 1994 that they were.

The casino continues to operate without the internal tribal divisions having any noticeable effect.

• The Sycuan tribe’s lucrative amended gaming compact for the Sycuan Resort & Casino in El Cajon might need to be yanked because the tribe hasn’t ratified it.

California’s governor, legislature and voters have approved the pact that allows Sycuan to add 3,000 slot machines to 2,000 it already runs. The compact requires an upfront annual payment of at
least $18 million for the first 2,000 machines.

Sycuan’s agreement also says the tribal council must ratify the compact to make it active. Those 68 members of the tribe have never done so, for reasons tribal officials and attorneys have refused to disclose since the lapse came to light in July.

• Safety and other factors merited a visit to the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, which has been called unsafe after shootings and police tensions on the surrounding reservation.

Conditions may have been clearer at Soboba than Sycuan when National Indian Gaming Commission agents investigated environmental concerns, public health and safety there last month. NIGC told Riverside’s Press-Enterprise it was to be a routine visit.

Tribal Chairman Robert Salgado says he requested the visit “to make clear there was no violence at the casino,” the paper says, after three members of the tribe died in shootouts with Riverside County sheriffs on the reservation. County officials and others have called the casino unsafe, partly because of law-enforcement tensions on the reservation, and the county sheriff in July asked NIGC to close the casino for allegedly hindering deputies’ access to it.

By Roger Gros   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Neil Bluhm is saving the Pittsburgh slot casino after all. Last month, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board  approved the transfer of Pittsburgh’s sole casino license from Detroit developer Don Barden to Chicago billionaire Bluhm and his Walton Street Capital investment group.

Construction on the casino, which originally was to be called Majestic Star, resumed immediately.

Barden, who has struggled to arrange financing for the $780 million project since the outset, was facing the prospect of bankruptcy court for the project after defaulting on the $200 million bridge loan used to begin construction.

Bluhm, who also is the lead investor in the stalled SugarHouse casino project in Philadelphia, assembled his investment group and offered to assume the project’s debt, pay to meet all of Barden’s obligations to the community (such as partial funding for a new arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team and development money for a depressed city neighborhood) and make an equity investment of more than $200 million in exchange for a 75 percent stake in the project, which eventually grew to 80 percent. Barden will retain a 20 percent stake in the project, which will be renamed—possibly through a public contest.

By Roger Gros   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Weeks after blackjack and baccarat were declared illegal at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino near Hollywood, Florida, the games continue to roll on, with no immediate end in sight.

“If you’re a player, you can make reservations now for October, Thanksgiving and Christmas,” law professor and gaming expert Robert Jarvis told the Miami Herald. “The games will continue.”

Unless a special legislative session is called, the matter cannot be resolved until the regular session convenes next March. Meanwhile, the tribe and Governor Charlie Crist will appeal the high court’s July 7-0 ruling, which says Crist had no legal authority to grant the high-stakes card games last year.

According to federal law, tribal casinos can have Class III games as long as they have a valid compact with the state. The compact must give the tribe all the games already offered at casinos in Florida. But since Class III table games like blackjack and pai gow are illegal in Florida, the Supreme Court says the tribe can’t operate them either. Only the legislature or a constitutional amendment can change the law.

Tribal attorneys say banked card games are not illegal, and offered as proof the 1990s Million Dollar Flamingo Fortune TV show, run by the state lottery, which featured a banked game.

The outcome of the dispute is critical to Florida’s economy. In exchange for the games, the Seminoles agreed to pay at least $100 million a year for 25 years. If the court ruling is upheld, “the tribe can operate its slot machines and the state gets nothing,” law professor Kathryn Rand told the Herald. “That would be a pretty bad outcome politically for the state.”

With the outcome unknown, plans are still in place to offer blackjack at the Tampa Hard Rock later this year.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Dubai seems to have a preternatural interest in Las Vegas, with companies buying into MGM Mirage, Light Group and now Cirque du Soleil.

Government-controlled developer Nakheel and investment company Istithmar World Capital acquired a 20 percent interest in the performance troupe last week. The Montreal-based, gymnastics-meets-Broadway-meets-carnival freak show performs a number of productions in Las Vegas, primarily at MGM Mirage properties, including Bellagio, New York-New York and MGM Grand.

The purchasing agreement keeps control of the company in the hands of founder Guy Laliberte, and ends rumors that the company would be sold outright.

“This partnership is the best of both worlds for me and my management team,” Laliberte said in a joint statement with Nakheel and Istithmar. “We can keep control of our creative challenges and operations while accelerating our growth doing projects all over the world.”

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Shortly after receiving approval from state gaming regulators for a field trial in Nevada, PokerTek announced a deal with the Excalibur Hotel in Las Vegas to install 12 of the company’s automated poker machines.

The PokerPro tables have been popular in California card rooms and on cruise ships, where they provide a cost-effective way to facilitate poker games. In Las Vegas, the traditional thought has been that poker involves cards, chips and a dealer.

But with casinos looking to keep their costs down and their revenue up, the PokerPro machines offer a solution. The machines don’t cost as much to operate as it would cost to pay the salary and health care for the number of dealers needed to run 12 tables. The machines can deal more hands per hour than a human dealer—increasing the rake—and they never make mistakes or misdeal.

And while this makes a great way for a casino that hasn’t offered poker before to make the game available, there are some issues with introducing it to a place like Excalibur. Most notably, the 40 dealers who worked in the poker room had to be relocated to other positions. While Excalibur officials said most of the affected dealers had been placed, not all of them had.

Ultimately, it was a choice the property was forced to make, according to Todd DeRemer, vice president of casino operations, who said that interest in poker has declined at Excalibur over the past three years. The new machines will rekindle interest and hopefully create a new excitement about the game, he said.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

As Wynn Resorts continues to field applications to staff Encore, some dealers throughout Las Vegas say the man once seen as an inspirational leader now has a tarnished image.

“I can’t see any experienced dealer working in a decent casino giving up what they have to go over to Encore,” Mirage dealer Al Maurice told the Las Vegas Sun. “I believe he will have to settle for a lot of inexperienced help straight out of dealers school or from minor casinos.”

Maurice assisted the union campaign at Wynn Las Vegas, and the impetus for that organization drive is what Maurice thinks will cause the company troubles.

Two years ago, Steve Wynn enacted a tip-sharing policy. The policy led to the formation of a union, and is also being challenged in court. Dealers say enacting that policy was the worst thing Wynn could have done.

“His reputation is mud right now,” a dealer at the Rio who requested anonymity told the Sun. “But if you’re only making $80 a day at a Downtown property and you can make at least $150 a day at Encore, you’re going to take that job.”

The strong words from dealers seem to be at odds with reports coming from Wynn Resorts. The company reported 10,000 applicants in the first three hours it started hiring for Encore. Wynn himself told the Sun that everything is working well.

“We’ve never had a better culture,” he said. “The attitude of our staff is absolutely delicious.”

Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Like myself, the vast majority of Nevada residents are from somewhere else. We have been drawn to the Silver State by opportunities to advance our careers or change our lives in one way or another. The fact that these changes were available in Nevada didn’t really make a difference. We wanted to make the change and Nevada became our home.

Now, I had been coming to Las Vegas frequently for 20 years before actually moving here, and I felt at home even before deciding the make the necessary move. But I did not know much about the state besides the fact it is the gaming capital of the world—the reason behind my move.

As a history buff, I’ve read about how the state was founded, who played major roles in its development, and of course, the role gaming plays in the economic well-being of Nevada. But in terms of traveling around the state, I was pretty much limited to the I-15 corridor.

Last month, I had the opportunity to drive across the country from the East Coast back to Nevada. We took a northern route on I-80 going through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah. The scenery, frankly, was rather boring, with the possible exception of Utah. But it was when we got back to Nevada, turning south on Rt. 93 in Wendover, where things began to change.

Just minutes south of Wendover (one of our unique border towns that offers gaming to local residents, as well as citizens of neighboring Utah, where it is not legal), signs of civilization melt away. The ribbon of blacktop climbs over a mountain range, topping off at more than 6,000 feet, and then plunges into the gorgeous Steptoe Valley for more than 100 miles of breathtaking scenery, with virtually no sign of human habitation.

The sheer size of the tracts of vacant land is overwhelming, especially to Las Vegas residents used to being squeezed into every square inch and fighting bumper-to-bumper traffic to and from work. It is almost inconceivable that this is the same state.

South of Ely, things begin to dry out. The green of the Steptoe Valley began to fade as we entered Lincoln County. The vast cattle ranches and small towns dot the drive on 93. We passed through the charming towns of Pioche, Caliente and Panaca, each one different from the other and worlds away from Las Vegas.

During the drive we passed through the Paiute Indian Reservation and marvel at the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. Like a jewel surrounded by sand and rocks, the refuge includes several lakes, marshes and wild animal observation points on 5,380 acres of wet meadows and desert uplands. This is probably what Las Vegas looked like when the first European stumbled upon it.

Earlier this summer, we also visited a more recognizable—and certainly more populated—region of the state around Lake Tahoe.

It is as different from Las Vegas as is the eastern Nevada corridor along 93.

One of the highest alpine lakes in North America, Lake Tahoe is a wonder in all seasons. The upcoming fall season features a palate of colors only God could create. In the winter, snow is measured in feet, not inches, and the spring and summer seasons bring much cooler temperatures and the color green from the desert floor hundreds of feet below.

Nevada’s capital, Carson City, our most famous mining town, Virginia City, and the “biggest little city in the world,” Reno, are all fascinating visits from someone locked in the world of Las Vegas.

For us Nevada immigrants, the wonders of life outside Las Vegas can only increase our appreciation of our adopted state. But even many Las Vegas natives have never ventured into the wilds of Nevada. So for something completely different, take a few days and explore the wonders of our state. There is truly nothing like it on earth.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The Laughlin Town Advisory Board refused last week to lower requirements for new casino developers looking to enter the market.

Supporters of an ordinance change that would lessen the restrictive rules for development in Clark County—the strictest rules in the state—say development in Laughlin has been lacking, largely because of the development ordinance.

The proposed change would put Laughlin in line with state requirements of a 200-room hotel, two bars and a 24-hour, 60-seat restaurant.

Clark County law requires a minimum investment of $50 million, 300 hotel rooms, two bars, 20,000 square feet of gaming space, 10,000 square feet of retail space, two entertainment facilities and a recreational facility.

Casino owners said the new restrictions would be unfair because they had to face tougher entry requirements to get involved in the Laughlin market. They said lessening the restrictions would make it easier for new companies to come in and build from the ground up, while they were forced to deal with renovations instead.

Board members who opposed the ordinance said they were afraid of what would happen to the city’s economy if it didn’t stick to the high standards in place throughout Clark County.

Novelt Mack Jr., Cheryl Crow and board vice president Gery Sheler said the ordinance would place undue strain on the already struggling operators in the area.  The financial community would take immediate notice of the vote and place additional stress on the city’s heavy debt, they said.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Nevada Governor Jim Gibbons has once again decided to engage in a battle over taxes collected on meals that casinos comp to players and workers.

During a special session last month designed to address a serious budget shortfall, Gibbons initially asked lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen the state’s case that taxes are owed on complimentary meals. That legislation, which had bipartisan support, was ultimately killed by Republican lawmakers after Gibbons threatened to veto the bill if it reached his desk.

At the time, Senator Bill Raggio said Democrats were hijacking the bill to achieve political gains, while the governor said the issue was becoming too big of a distraction. At the time, he said that the state could still win on appeal, and that if that fails, the legislature can address the issue in 2009.

Now, Gibbons wants the state to use new legal arguments in an effort to avoid the estimated $142 million in refunds the taxation department owes the state’s casinos.

Gibbons wants the state to argue that the meals are comped in exchange for something else of value—a player who wagers enough is given a free meal or points they can use for the meal. Because that tract was not used in the original case brought by the Sparks Nugget, the state would have to bring a challenge against one of the other casinos seeking a refund.

Carson City attorney John Bartlett said the new approach will not work. If the state succeeds in arguing that comped meals are sales, the Tax Commission would have to institute a new regulation to cover the transactions. The new regulation could not be applied retroactively to the refund claims already filed.

The majority of casinos in Nevada have stopped collecting taxes on comped meals. Many seeking rebates say they are willing to work out a deal for tax credits rather than force governments to start writing checks. The $142 million in refunds includes $37 million from the state general fund, $41 million from the K-12 schools, with the rest coming from local governments, according to Gibbons spokesman Ben Kieckhefer.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Herbst Gaming saw continued distress in the second quarter of 2008, reporting a $62.3 million loss for the period.

The company, which suggested earlier this year that it might have to file for bankruptcy, is losing money from its 7,000-machine slot route in Nevada—numbers that started to drop after the statewide smoking ban was enacted in January 2007—and is taking a heavy hit at the three casinos in Primm it purchased from MGM Mirage in April 2007.

In its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company reported an 11 percent drop in slot route revenue and an 8.4 percent drop in casino revenue. Overall revenues were $204.5 million, down 4.5 percent from the second quarter of 2007—a quarter in which the company reported only a $1.4 million loss.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

During a community open house held last week at Red Rock Resort, Station Casinos announced plans to break ground on Durango Station next year, leading to an opening in 2011.

The resort will open with a 201-room hotel tower, a casino, meeting space, movie theater and 190,000-square-foot shopping complex. A second phase would bring 525 more rooms.

Station has not released estimated costs for the project.

The shopping center will be the first large-scale retail development the company has undertaken. It is currently working to finalize a joint-operating venture to develop and operate the shopping center.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

According to Bloomberg News, Deutsche Bank is talking to a number of companies, including MGM Mirage and Hilton Hotels Corp., about operating the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas.

The German bank is in the process of foreclosing on the $3.5 billion casino, and is trying to decide whether to sell the property or hold on and look for a partner. With current economic troubles plaguing the United States, the company is playing the waiting game.

“Deutsche Bank wants to be engaged in banking, not running a casino,” London-based analyst Matthey Clark told Bloomberg. “They’ve had to decide between selling the Cosmopolitan into a bad market or holding on for better times.”

Bloomberg was unable to secure comments from any of the mentioned partners, but Reuters was able to get confirmation from bank spokesman Ted Meyer that the company is “looking for partners.”

Meyer also told Reuters that the property will still open as scheduled later next year.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Union officials say they have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract covering the 750 workers they represent at the Tropicana.

Initial negotiations were neither pretty nor were they private, with both sides making public allegations that the other side was engaged in underhanded tactics. The union said Tropicana executives were letting the property fall apart, while Tropicana officials accused the union of calling in police complaints to drive up crime statistics at the property.

All that was expected to change when Scott Butera took over as chief executive officer of Tropicana Entertainment, parent company for the casino. With the deal reached between the culinary and bartenders unions, it seems that was the case.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The Committee for the Advancement of Education in Nevada filed a petition it hopes will generate million of dollars for public education in the state through increased hotel room taxes.

The committee is comprised of representatives from Wynn Resorts, Station Casinos, Harrah’s Entertainment and the Nevada State Education Association.

The proposal is to raise room taxes as much as 3 percent, to a maximum of 13 percent. If the group collects enough signatures, it will go to the 2009 legislature. If not approved in 40 days, the plan will go for a public vote in 2010.

The effort was started in response to a proposal from the NSEA to increase the state gaming tax from 6.75 percent to 9.75 percent.

NSEA head Lynn Warne said the new proposal would generate as much as $180 million a year, and that amount would increase as more hotel rooms come online. The proposal would first direct funds to offset budget cuts resulting from a state shortfall. Additional funds could be used to supplement K-12 funding.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Details are sketchy, but the Reno Redevelopment Agency said that Nevada Land II LLC “has been working on the acquisition of the Grand Sierra site.”

A report from the agency says Nevada Land, which is building a baseball stadium for a Triple-A team in Reno, may be interested in acquiring the property outright, entering a joint-operating venture, or buying land surrounding the property.

Even Reno Mayor Bob Cashell is in the dark.

“I have heard joint venture. I have heard sale. I have also heard there are two other companies in negotiations with Grand Sierra and maybe they have it whittled down,” Cashell said.

Officials from the Grand Sierra and Nevada Land declined to comment, citing confidentiality agreements.

Grand Sierra Resort Corp. bought the property for $150 million from Caesars Entertainment in 2005.

Nevada Land wants to expand the property with a “commercial development specializing in destination retail and entertainment venues,” according to the redevelopment agency report.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria Parker are reportedly looking at plans to build a restaurant and casino in Las Vegas.

Longoria Parker wanted to build Beso II, a second eatery in her new Beso franchise, and Beckham came up with the idea to add a casino because of a strong interest in playing dominoes.

An unnamed source told the U.K.’s Daily Star that “when Eva said she was opening a new branch of Beso in the gambling capital of the world, Victoria had the brainwave of turning it into a place which specializes in food and their favorite game. Eva will oversee the restaurant while Victoria will channel her energies on the casino.”

Given the troubled credit markets, high cost of entry to compete in Las Vegas and the failures of previous attempts from celebrities to build a casino in Las Vegas, the plan seems unlikely to even get off the ground.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Two major projects on Las Vegas Boulevard were put on hold in August, with both Boyd Gaming and Elad Group deciding to wait for the market to improve before moving further forward.

Work at the $4.8 billion Echelon was already under way when the announcement was made that the company would wait until 2009 to resume construction. Elad Group was projecting a late 2008 date to break ground on its $5 billion Plaza resort, but now says that, too, will be postponed until next year.

Analysts said Boyd Gaming didn’t have much choice in the matter, and following the announcement, investors who have been increasingly weary of the Las Vegas market showed support for the decision by driving up the company stock price by 20 percent.

Elad, which purchased the New Frontier from Phil Ruffin last year for $1.25 billion, also announced that it will defer payment on the $625 million loan is used to finance the purchase.

Both companies are committed to Las Vegas and their projects, but want to see the market improve before they pursue additional financing.

While they may be able to find better financing in a year if the credit market stabilizes, the cost of construction materials and labor are likely to be higher, too. As the cost of projects like CityCenter continue to climb, it will be worth watching to see what impact, if any, these delays will have on the total cost of these projects.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Las Vegas visitation in June was down slightly, possibly indicating a worsening trend for the city’s casino operators.

Previously, operators were reporting seeing the same number of people in previous years, but noted that they were just spending less than they had been.

Michael Gaughan of South Point said he is seeing weekend occupancy rates nearing 100 percent.

“I’m keeping pace with last year,” he said, “but I’m doing it by bringing in more people.

“The people are spending less. If they’re going to spend less, you’ve got to bring in more people.”

With a 3.1 percent drop reported in June that might be harder to do. For Gaughan, 50 percent of his business is local, so it’s not as difficult, but it is still a challenge.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority reported the June occupancy rate was 89 percent, also down from the previous year.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Proposed budget cuts in 2010-11 could decimate the staff of the Nevada Gaming Control Board and decrease the effectiveness of the agency in policing the state’s casinos.

That, in a nutshell, is what Gaming Control Board Chairman Dennis Neilander told the governor’s office in a letter to budget director Andrew Clinger and copied to Josh Hicks, the governor’s chief of staff.

Governor Jim Gibbons has asked all state agencies to put together a snapshot of what a 14 percent reduction in its annual budget would look like. Neilander paints a grim picture.

The biggest fear he expresses in the latter, made public by the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is that the perception of diminished regulation could result in the federal government forcing its way into the state’s regulatory picture.

The board has already enacted an 8 percent budget cut this year by eliminating staff positions. Additional cuts would force the board to reduce staff in the audit, enforcement, tax and license and administrative divisions.

“The cut may only be accomplished by drastically reducing staff in those four divisions,” Neilander wrote.

The technology, investigations and corporate securities divisions are funded through fees collected from casino operators.

Ultimately, Neilander said additional budget cuts would require cutting 45 jobs.

“The board simply will not be able to regulate Nevada gaming to the extent to which has been customary and has served the state and its highly revered industry well,” Neilander wrote. “Casinos will be audited less frequently, there will be diminished state presence in gaming properties to perform regulatory and law enforcement functions, there will be less scrutiny on tax and fee

“In short, Nevada’s well-earned reputation would be tarnished, at least, and the industry will suffer a travesty due to inadequate regulation, at worst.”

Hicks said the budget process is in early stages, and noted that “the integrity of the gaming industry and the control board is important to the governor.”

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

According to a new report on the distressed Las Vegas housing market, values of homes throughout the area are at the same level as they were in 2003.

The report from Zillow.com shows that the market peaked in the first quarter of 2006, and home values have fallen more than 34 percent from that high point two years ago. Almost 98 percent of homes lost value in the second quarter of 2008, and over the past 12 months, 99 percent of homes are down in value.

More than 69 percent of people who have been able to sell a house in the current market have had to do so at a loss.

The average home price in Las Vegas is now $205,500, down 27 percent from last year, and off considerably from the peak average value of $313,275.

Perhaps the most distressing result of the declining values is the number of property owners who have negative equity on their homes. While the number is down to 26 percent of buyers in 2008, almost 70 percent of people who bought homes in 2005, 2006 or 2007 are dealing with negative equity.

This latest round of bad news for the housing sector suggests that the bottom may still be a ways off. Most experts are now suggesting that the market may not start to rebound until next year.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

Segway of Las Vegas launched a new tour of the casinos of Fremont Street last month, giving people the chance to view the historic gaming district from atop a Segway Personal Transporter.

The tours run from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. Each 90-minute session includes up to 30 minutes of instruction on using the Segway. While the machines are pretty intuitive, they’ve been known to throw a few people off, including President George W. Bush.

Patrick Hughes, co-owner of Segway of Las Vegas, said the tours should be another attraction for the Fremont Street area. He is hoping it will attract people staying in the area who are looking for something to do during the day, as well as draw more people to the Downtown corridor.

 “These are fun, interactive and unique tours,” Hughes said. “This is going to be a tremendous success.”

The machines are fun to ride, which makes the tour just a bonus.

“Every person I’ve seen aboard a Segway for the first time cannot stop smiling,” Hughes said. “It is a truly marvelous experience that makes our tour a ‘must-do’ attraction for Las Vegas visitors and residents alike.”

A number of safety procedures have been implemented to avoid disaster at the hands of a motorized pedestrian. The Segways, which typically have a top speed of around 12 mph, are limited to 6 mph for the purpose of the tours. Additionally, the staff at Segway of Las Vegas will be carefully screening people to make sure no one is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Segway of Las Vegas is located on Fremont Street between Walgreen’s and Hennessey’s.

By Casino Connection Staff   Tue, Sep 02, 2008

The M Resort, Spa and Casino reached an important milestone when officials and workers celebrated construction work reaching the top floor with a topping off ceremony.

M Resort CEO and Chairman Anthony Marnell III said the $1 billion property at St. Rose Parkway and Las Vegas Boulevard brings a new design and a new level of service to Las Vegas.

“I think it is bringing service back to this city the way the local market used to have it 15 or 20 years ago,” Marnell said. “That is the No. 1 thing and on the forefront of everything we do. It’s all based on service.”

The property will have amenities for people from out of town, but Marnell said local residents will be his primary target.

“It’s not going to be a tourist hotel on the large scale that you see down on Las Vegas Boulevard,” he said. “I really want to make sure that the service is right here and that we’re catering to and doing a good job of handling the people’s needs who we originally built this for. The high-end business is a small segment of what we’re going to go after.”

The property will have 390 hotel rooms, nine restaurants, 60,000 square feet of meeting space and 92,000 square feet of gaming space with 1,864 slot machines and 64 table games and a 1 million-square-foot retail area. The conference space will allow Marnell to target convention business during the week, but he ultimately expects his business to break down to 80 percent local and 20 percent tourist.

Marnell said there is room for growth on the 100 acres he has assembled. He is hoping to replicate the success his father, Anthony Marnell II, enjoyed with the Rio.

“It started off with 400 rooms and ended up with around 2,500 and became a much bigger hotel in the Las Vegas market,” he said. “I think I understand that strategy, I think our team understands that strategy and I think that is what we’re going to try to do.”

The design of the property will be modern and comfortable, with the exterior heavily landscaped and inside spaces designed to take advantage of the view from the property’s elevated position south of the Strip.

Company officials announced in July that Cantor Gaming will supply mobile gaming technology on the casino floor as well as the race and sports book. Guests at M Resort will not only be able to play on hand-held devices in designated areas throughout the resort but will be able to bet in unique ways in the resort’s race and sports book.

“We want to provide our guests with the best overall gaming experience available. Cantor Gaming is an industry leader in the mobile gaming market and shares in our commitment to provide guests with an unparalleled gaming experience,” said Joe Magliarditi, M Resort executive vice president and COO.