Green Felt Journal
Green Felt Journal
Casino old-timer getting back in game with Gambet
May 27th, 2010
There’s never any shortage of new table games in Nevada. Right now, there are 557 table games approved for the state’s casinos, though you rarely see more than a dozen or so at any casino. But Jose Brito’s quest to find a niche shows that an Old Vegas attitude doesn’t have to mean more of the same old games. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Transforming the Tropicana
May 20th, 2010
The pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus believed that change is the only constant. “You cannot step into the same river twice,” he is reputed to have said. A known gambler, he probably would have found Las Vegas to his liking. That’s because the only thing that doesn’t change around this town is change. There are few other places where anyone would even consider spending $150 million to “relaunch” a resort that cost $1.4 billion to build a mere seven years after its opening. But when that happened at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood in 2007, few were surprised. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Texting promotion driving traffic to Primm casinos
May 13th, 2010
Texting promotions aren’t new. A wide range of companies, casinos among them, have been using cell phones to spread their message and (they hope) lure new customers since at least 2004. Yet in an interesting way, texting might be a lifeline for one of Southern Nevada’s hardest-hit casino companies. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Treasure Island finds niche with diversity under Ruffin
May 6th, 2010
Treasure Island sits next to The Mirage, the casino that changed the Strip when it opened in 1989, and across the street from the Venetian/Palazzo and Wynn/Encore megaplexes, representing billions of dollars in casino capital. It’s not part of a national powerhouse such as Harrah’s Entertainment, and it doesn’t have an outpost in Macau. Owner Phil Ruffin is the only beneficiary of last year’s great deconsolidation trend that was supposed to see fire sales dismember the Strip’s big owners. Instead, MGM Mirage sold Ruffin Treasure Island, which today is an island unto itself on the Strip. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
The changing face of eGaming
April 29th, 2010
Gambling has been evolving since our ancestors started filing down animal bones, eventually ending up with cubical ivory dice. The invention of block printing helped to popularize playing cards. In the 19th century, the telegraph led to the first remote gambling: off-track wagering on horse races. Slot machines have incorporated a variety of technological advances to increase their appeal. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Bellagio offers fine example of embracing green, cuisine
April 22nd, 2010
The casino resorts of the Las Vegas Strip do not spring to mind as environmentally sound institutions. From their blazing marquees to their overflowing buffets, they seem to be studies in excess. With the current mindset conflating any sort of personal indulgence with environmental degradation, casinos seem a lost cause. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Old-school El Cortez wins by staying relevant
April 15th, 2010
Times have been tough in downtown Las Vegas. In 2009, gaming revenues fell below their 1988 levels. There are five fewer casinos in the city’s core than there were then, and the area—which has traditionally relied on budget-oriented, drive-in customers and locals—has not yet rebounded from the proliferation of California Indian and Las Vegas neighborhood casinos. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
March Madness offers peek at leaner Vegas vacation
April 1st, 2010
“Recession? What recession?” That’s the feeling that the first weekend of “March Madness” brought back to the Strip. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which isn’t played anywhere near Las Vegas, nevertheless has developed into a much-needed economic driver for the tourism/gaming complex, and possibly a model for a leaner Vegas vacation. Read more »
