Green Felt Journal
Green Felt Journal
Gaming insider moves to the outside
January 20th, 2011
Many Nevadans have transitioned into new jobs and even careers. Patrick Wynn is one of them. The former Nevada Gaming Control Board deputy chief of investigations, who recently retired after more than 31 years of service, sees his new role as more of a shift in position than in mission. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Serious about cyber security
January 13th, 2011
Amid the excitement of the Cosmopolitan opening and the end-of-year eagerness to get out of the office, an industry letter circulated by the Nevada Gaming Control Board attracted far less attention than it should have. Reading it is a reminder of just how reliant on player databases the industry has become. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Competing with America’s Party
January 6th, 2011
Billed as “America’s Party,” the 2010 New Year’s Eve celebrations centering on the Las Vegas Strip brought about 320,000 revelers to town. With an eight-minute, $500,000 fireworks extravaganza spanning seven sites and involving 49,375 effects lining the Boulevard and VIP parties going on inside, it’s easy to see why the Strip draws a national television audience and plenty of partying. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Not your father’s casino marketing strategy
December 16th, 2010
A line of kids are waiting to tell Santa what they want for Christmas, but they won’t be sitting on his lap. That’s because Santa is floating inside the 117,000-gallon aquarium at the Silverton Casino and Lodge, his white beard billowing as the parrot fish and stingrays glide by. He’s taking orders for Xbox Lives and bikes via an assistant standing outside with a microphone. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Catering to the ‘curious class’
December 9th, 2010
About 36 million people come to Las Vegas a year. They come to town to do a variety of things—shop, eat, gamble, hedonize. From all corners of the globe and from all walks of life, the city welcomes them all. And yet the soon-to-open Cosmopolitan has a mission: to find a class of people who haven’t been served in Las Vegas, and deliver an experience that will get them talking, and coming back. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Five stars and one big party
December 2nd, 2010
On Nov. 19, Bellagio threw a big 26-hour party. That’s not news for a resort that hosts a variety of fêtes every day. This one, though, was all about the employees, who toasted the resort winning its 10th consecutive AAA Five Diamond award. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Tales from the Global Gaming Expo
November 25th, 2010
The Global Gaming Expo, gambling’s biggest trade show, has come and gone, with plenty of discussions and deals in the conference rooms and exposition halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. This year it proved, despite the beating that Las Vegas has taken in the past few years, it is still a city where people come to talk casinos—and to get a peek at the future of the industry. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Reshuffling at M Resort not hurting business
November 18th, 2010
In the casino world, tomorrow is never certain. That’s become clear at the M Resort, where, despite some uncertainty about the future, the present is looking extremely bright. Last month, Penn National Gaming of Wyomissing, Pa., announced that it had acquired all of the M’s outstanding bank debt, as well as a loan formerly held by MGM Resorts International, for $230.5 million. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Gambling on debt
November 11th, 2010
It’s no secret that casino companies are more debt-encumbered now than they’ve ever been. In 1990, the average big Las Vegas Strip casino (those earning more than $72 million a year in gaming revenue), had $7.8 million in long-term debt attached to it. By 1999, that number had soared to $171.5 million. And as of 2009, the total stood at $860 million. That’s a lot of borrowing. Read more »
Green Felt Journal
Vegas convention biz heads for cutting edge
November 4th, 2010
The business travel market has always been important for Las Vegas. But with the 2008-09 downturn in convention bookings, it’s clear just how crucial meetings are for the local economy. Recently, MGM Resorts International began a few programs that help convention guests stay connected while they’re here. Read more »
