Opinion
Green Felt Journal
Nightlifeless
December 20th, 2012
For casinos without nightclubs, life not only goes on, but can go on profitably. In such places, you’ll find people doing the kinds of things they came to Las Vegas to do: gambling, drinking and trying to have a good time. And casinos without nightclubs don’t have DJ envy—as a matter of fact, they don’t really miss the action. Read more »
October Non-Surprise
December 7th, 2012
The Nevada Gaming Control Board released the October results for the state this morning, and they are an uninspiring start to the fourth quarter. Read more »
Comrade Grumpy’s Peeve of the Week
Family-unfriendly Hoa’s
December 6th, 2012
One of the unfortunate things about the most American of American sports—that’s basketball, not baseball, pal—is that it requires a 10-foot-tall piece of equipment. And many of our family-friendly Southern Nevada communities believe that such equipment brings irreparable damage to the family next door—you know, the absentee retirees maintaining a vacant investment property. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
The Year of Hope and Holding Steady
December 6th, 2012
The people who run Las Vegas casinos were expecting a lot in 2012: a return to prosperity on the Strip, a revival downtown and a federal framework for online poker. They didn’t get everything they wanted, but at the end of the year, they’re still in the game, which might be a victory in and of itself. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
The New Road Starts Here
November 22nd, 2012
The best symbol of the slow-but-significant change taking place in Las Vegas isn’t on the 23rd floor of the Ogden on Sixth Street, or even in the SuperNAPs at Switch’s Data Center on South Decatur Boulevard. It’s in an unassuming warehouse in the shadow of Panorama Towers on West Harmon Avenue. That’s where Ultimate Gaming, a subsidiary of Fertitta Interactive, is setting up its new headquarters. Read more »
The Latest Thought
The Las Vegan’s Guide to Unexpected Giving
This holiday season, make sure your altruism’s built to last
November 15th, 2012
The reputedly jolly season, with its Dickensian inspiration, is a great time to get your good-neighbor juices flowing. The key is to keep it going after that—because practicing philanthropy on an average Wednesday in January, when there are kids to drop off and bills to pay and Modern Family to watch? That’s hard. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Inside the Trading Room
November 8th, 2012
It’s 8:30 on a Sunday morning in October, but for the crew of bookmakers at William Hill headquarters on Grier Drive, just south of McCarran, the workday is well under way. Their business is overseeing the bets flowing in from sportsbooks from Whiskey Pete’s in Primm to Stockmen’s Casino in Elko, betting kiosks at PT’s Pubs and Buffalo Wild Wings, and phones and mobile devices. And judging from the mood, business is good. Read more »
Sandy's True Impact Yet to be Felt in Atlantic City
November 5th, 2012
I’ve gotten many questions from journalists about how Sandy is going to ultimately impact Atlantic City casinos. I think that the real impact is going to medium-term, and that it’s going to be very difficult to quantify. Read more »
Comrade Grumpy’s Peeve of the Week
Unapproved Messages
November 1st, 2012
Yet here are Romney and Obama and Berkley and Heller and Tarkanian and Horsford and every candidate from sea to shining sea, pouring millions—billions?—into their campaigns. The anger intensifies when you realize that, by the very nature of the democratic process—in which each race can have but one winner—more than 50 percent of the campaign cash essentially ends up flushed down the commode. All the while the national debt grows, education remains underfunded and the economy remains a mess. Read more »
MGM Sings Same Song on Earnings Call
October 31st, 2012
MGM Resorts International released its third quarterly results today, and the relatively soft numbers from Las Vegas show that, despite brave talk otherwise, the Strip is still far from growth mode. Read more »
