Disclaimer: The links to products listed below do not benefit me in any way, financially or otherwise.
For many years I bought coupon books here in Minnesota that were known as "Happenings." There are versions of these books around the country, and they still exist, although I think they're all known as "Entertainment" books now.
They're huge coupon books, and have deals for hundreds of businesses in the region they're sold. They typically sold for around $25, and were often sold by groups or organizations that used them as fundraising mechanisms. The organization would receive a commission for every book sold.
I remember my uncle telling me why he wouldn't buy the book: He didn't get a lot of use out of it.
I had a different perspective: If I used a few coupons without making special effort, and saved $25 or more, then I was winning. And so was the organization that sold me the book. Some people think they have to save $1,000 when they purchase a $25 coupon book in order for it to be worth their time, but I've never subscribed to that theory.
I haven't seen one of those "Entertainment" books in years, so I haven't purchased one in a long time, but I'm still a fan of coupons. I'm not going to be rich any time soon, so I'm happy to save money when I can, and I try not to go out of my way to spend money at restaurants just because I have a coupon in my wallet.
In Vegas there is no shortage of ads and gimmicks offering discounts for shows, meals and experiences. Quite often the coupon deal is little more than a marketing expense. Sure, you can pay full price for a ticket to see Mac King's magic show, but there are plenty of "free" tickets out there. That free ticket, by the way, comes with the one-drink minimum caveat. That one drink ends up costing about $15 for a weak single-shot drink. So it's hardly a free show by the time four people redeem their coupons for "free" tickets, but at $15 it's a good price for an entertaining magic show.
I'm not sure when I finally learned that there were coupon books available for Vegas, but thanks to online forums I discovered there was money to be saved at a variety of casinos, and money to be made, too.
"Entertainment" has a Vegas edition, but I've never seen it. From what I know, it's mostly geared toward restaurants and venues outside of the tourist districts. There are a few discounts for touristy destinations, but not enough to make the book appealing to the Vegas vacationer, from all indications.
One of the coupon books geared toward the Vegas tourist is the American Casino Guide. It has information about casinos around the country, lots of information about gambling and travel, some of which is specifically about Vegas, and dozens of coupons, many for Vegas. A small portion of the coupons are good at casinos around the country, but it's clearly a book aimed at the Vegas tourist.
The book can be had via Amazon for less than $15, typically. A small price to pay for all those coupons, right? Well sure, but in my experience the ACG isn't going to net a lot more in savings than your initial buy-in.
Many of the coupons are tied to off-strip and downtown properties. There are coupons that are for casinos on the strip, but that's a small percentage of the offerings, and some of those coupons aren't all that special. (ACG has a Mac King coupon, for example.)
The coupons are for restaurant discounts, attraction discounts and casino gambling benefits, such as $10 in free slot play or a $10 match play on an even-money table game bet. But there aren't a ton of those to be found in the book. Nonetheless I've been buying the book for several years now because for $15 I'd usually find at least two coupons that were worth more than the price of the book.
For example, for years the ACG has had a $10 match play at the Orleans, a casino where I frequently stay. The match play is like a free $10 chip. I have to bet $10 on a hand of blackjack or a spin of the roulette wheel in order to use the match play for $10, but if I win I receive $20 for my win instead of the $10 I put up, and the coupon is surrendered. If I lose, I lose my $10 and the coupon is surrendered. So I'm not guaranteed to receive $10 from the coupon, but it's the equivalent of making a $10 bet without risking my own money. Essentially I'm making a $20 bet on a hand of blackjack while only putting up $10 of my own money.
Coupons change from year to year, and I don't find as much value in the book as I did years ago, but there's enough value that I continue buying it, and this fall I'll easily get more than $15 value out of it through coupons to a few places that I regularly go to during my trips.
I was quick to invest in the ACG, but I was hesitant to buy the Las Vegas Advisor Member Rewards Book. The book costs about $40 delivered, and that seemed like a bit much. During my first few years of using the ACG I didn't buy a copy of the LVA coupon book.
What changed my mind? A few years ago I bought a used copy online. That's against the LVA rules, but the book is not registered to whomever purchases it, so the casinos are none the wiser. I bought the book for half its full price, and it was only missing a few coupons. I realized after using the book during my next trip that I was missing out on far more deals that were of value to me, so now I purchase the book annually.
The book has better coupons, and far more of them, than the ACG. Like ACG, these coupons are mostly geared toward off-strip and downtown destinations, but there are far better offers from front to back, and several of them are for restaurants on the strip. The LVA book has more two-for-one meal deals, from buffets to traditional restaurants, and more match plays and free slot play offers, as well. And there's a discount coupon for the Palms that can save you the entire $40 cost of the book if you play your coupon correctly. (Irony: I have never used the Palms discount.)
For my upcoming trip I will use LVA coupons for two different meals at Ellis Island, coupons for two-for-one buffets at one or two downtown casinos and gambling coupons for free play (or match play) at a few downtown joints, as well as Ellis Island. The food coupons will save me, and a friend, at least $20 each, as I'll split the bill rather than make my friend may full price for a meal. And even if I don't win a dime with the gambling coupons, I'll have had a chance to win cash. And I'll have to be unlucky if I fail to turn one $10 free play coupon into $10 in winnings via video poker.
A few simple stories of good fortune: I played three $25 match plays on roulette wheels and three $10 match plays on roulette wheels during a trip last year. (Most of these match plays came from the coupon books, but not all of them.) I won all six times. Even had I lost one or two, I'd have made money. And had I lost all three $25 bets, but won all three $10 bets, I'd have been out only $15 for my trouble. If I was really unlucky I would have lost $105 for all my effort. Since I was really lucky I won $210 for those six bets.
At Ellis Island a few years ago I had to earn my free play by playing $10 on my player's card before redeeming the coupon. I played keno at the bar and managed to win $12 before I turned in my coupon. The coupon offered from $10 to $100 in free play, and by luck of the draw I received $20 that day. I used that free play to play four $5 hands of video blackjack. I won all four hands, and cashed out for $40. I walked away from the casino with $52 in winnings, and my goal was simply not to lose any money. I wasn't a big winner, I know, but I nearly paid for both books with those winnings, and I was with my girlfriend that night. We used a two-for-one coupon at the BBQ restaurant, and that saved us more than $10 at dinner.
A story of bad luck: I played seven $10 match plays during a trip a few years ago, all at blackjack tables, and I won one of seven hands. Sometimes you're just not lucky. Had I won two of the seven I would have lost $10 on the deal. Had I won three of the seven I would have made $20. Instead I lost $40 by using match plays. I was quite unlucky that trip, but that was a small price to pay for the good luck and the $210 I won a few years later using my match plays at roulette wheels.
My advice: Buy coupon books if you tend to spend a lot of your time downtown. Buy the LVA for sure, but don't overlook the ACG if you know you'll easily redeem two or three of the coupons in the book. A list of the coupons in both books is available online through their websites.
Other things to remember:
• Most coupons require redemption at the player's club desk prior to redemption at a restaurant or on the casino floor. You'll need a player's club card at each casino, and that means waiting in line for a few minutes. Most coupons are limited to one redemption per cardholder per year, but if you travel with a spouse or partner, you can each get a book and redeem the coupons once on each person's club card.
• If you travel solo, the dining coupons are sometimes good for half off of a meal if you're dining alone. That's a nice benefit at the buffets, and the gambling coupons don't care if you're traveling solo or with five other people. If you're traveling with somebody, having two books is usually worth the trouble if you are both apt to gamble, or go to Vegas twice in the same year.
• LVA coupons technically must remain in the book until the time of redemption. That prevents people from trading the coupons or giving an unwanted coupon to a friend. The book is thin and easy to carry in a pocket or purse, however, so it's not a burden to carry around, unless you don't have pockets or a purse. The ACG is a much thicker book that's not as convenient to carry around to the casinos, but you can cut those coupons out of the book to take with you. You also need to have the membership card within the book when you make the redemption, although from my experience showing the card is rarely requested.
• Don't expect discounts to high-end restaurants at fancy casinos on the strip. They cater to people who don't care how much the meal costs, so they're not looking for penny pinchers like you.
• Don't buy the books expecting to save $1,000, and don't buy the books if you have to go out of your way to redeem the coupons. It's not worth that much trouble, but I like the idea of buying the book a few weeks to a few months in advance. That's like pre-funding your vacation. The money is spent long before you arrive in Sin City, and you did spend it, but it makes the money you budget for your vacation time go further, and that's a good feeling.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
The Brain Invaders guide to Las Vegas
Earlier this evening I contributed to a podcast called Brain Invaders. The topic for the podcast, which will probably be broken up into two episodes (78 and 79) was Vegas. Specifically things to see and do if you're a fan of the BI podcast. That means comic books, comic conventions, sci-fi, museums and gaming (outside of gambling).
I will update this page with links to the episodes when they are available. Until then here's a resource list, taken from my show notes, for most of the destinations I discussed:
I will update this page with links to the episodes when they are available. Until then here's a resource list, taken from my show notes, for most of the destinations I discussed:
Pinball/video games:
Pinball Hall of Fame – pinballmuseum.org
Flipperspiel Undergournd Arcade Club– vegaspinball.com
Hi Scores (2 suburban locations) – hiscoreslv.com
Toys:
Toy Shack (Neonopolis) – vegastoyshack.com
Kappa Toys (Downtown Container Park) – kappatoys.com
Rogue Toys (3 locations) – roguetoys.com
Comics:
Alternate Reality Comics –
alternaterealitycomics.net
Rocky Horror/B movies/sci-fi:
The Sci Fi Center – thescificenter.com
Comic cons:
Great American Comic Convention (Dec. 3-4) –
greatamericancomicconvention.com
Museums:
National Atomic Testing Museum – nationalatomictestingmuseum.org
Mob Museum – themobmuseum.org
Neon Museum Boneyard – neonmuseum.org
Nevada State Museum – museums.nevadaculture.org/nsmlv-home
Natural History Museum – lvnhm.org
Burlesque Hall of Fame – burlesquehall.com
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Adam the who?
Summer goes by faster every year, I swear.
I seem to be extra busy in the summer, and while I appreciate having a lot to do, I wish I had more time to waste. I guess that's what winter in Minnesota is for.
If I had more time to waste, I'd watch a lot more videos from Adam the Woo. He's a character who has turned a hobby into a 24/7 lifestyle, as best I can tell.
I don't know his history very well, but I've watched an assortment of his videos, and learned a thing or two. He's a dude who is about 40 years old, worked in the prestigious world of retail for many years and began creating YouTube videos of his visits to abandoned places, I think. He likes to visit abandoned amusement parks, movie sets and anything else that strikes his fancy. He's not the only one doing this and filming it for the Internet, but he's the first one I stumbled upon some time ago.
As the popularity of his videos grew, he started a second YouTube channel, which he calls The Daily Woo. On that channel he produces daily videos of his exploits, more or less. I don't follow it religiously, but it's what the kids call a "vlog."
What was once a hobby that he devoted his free time to has now become a lifestyle. Not long ago he unloaded his personal belongings and hit the road to dedicate his time, day and night, to traveling the countryside in an old, unglamorous van.
My assumption was that the dude comes from a wealthy family and he never had to work for a living, he simply could afford to travel whenever he wanted and slap together videos of his exploits. But as I learned recently, that's not the case. As I noted, he was a retail lackey for most of his adult life, although he was a drummer in a band of minor notoriety at one point, allegedly. (UPDATE: The latest evidence I have seen suggests he was a bass player.)
As his popularity has grown he has been able to earn a few pennies off of the thousands and thousands of views his videos generate. He also has T-shirts available for purchase via the Internet, and does accept donations to help sustain his work. Although it might seem he's getting rich off of Internet notoriety, that doesn't appear to be the case. He has fuel and lodging expenses during his travels, and there's little indication his accommodations are Kardashian-like. From the sounds of it, the support he receives from his viewers has afforded him the luxury of dedicating his life to traveling the countryside and chronicling his adventures in that tired van.
He doesn't beg for support, and he doesn't beg people to promote his content. He seems to like the idea that his popularity is organic. As best I can tell, he's not doing it for 15 minutes of Internet fame. But he does communicate and connect with his viewers via various social media platforms.
His style is not for everyone. At times he's a cornball. His style reminds me a bit of MTV-era Pauly Shore, with a dose of Adam Sandler thrown in. Although his videos are creative and well produced, his on-camera persona hasn't advanced with his production skills. I think his Wayne and Garth view of the world is endearing to some, nauseating to others.
Regardless, his adventures are a lot of fun to follow, when I can make the time to do so. He was based in California, and now that he sold off most of the things that kept him tethered to SoCal, he's on the road. Naturally it didn't take him long to find his way to Las Vegas as he headed east. It's not the first time he's been to The Meadows, but when I saw he spent time in Sin City recently, I had to check out his videos of his visit, particularly since he stopped at Seven Magic Mountains. I'm looking forward to seeing it this fall.
He also visited the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings. I've read about it, but have yet to visit it.
The video of his visit to Seven Magic Mountains wasn't as informative as I'd have preferred, but it was fun nonetheless. He did provide some good information and footage from his stop in Goodsprings, so props to Adam for that. And he shoots cool drone footage of places he visits. I know, he ain't the first, but it's a nice addition to his videos that he doesn't overuse.
But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.
Join him... shall you?
Here is his second day's video chronicling his recent layover in Lost Wages:
I seem to be extra busy in the summer, and while I appreciate having a lot to do, I wish I had more time to waste. I guess that's what winter in Minnesota is for.
If I had more time to waste, I'd watch a lot more videos from Adam the Woo. He's a character who has turned a hobby into a 24/7 lifestyle, as best I can tell.
I don't know his history very well, but I've watched an assortment of his videos, and learned a thing or two. He's a dude who is about 40 years old, worked in the prestigious world of retail for many years and began creating YouTube videos of his visits to abandoned places, I think. He likes to visit abandoned amusement parks, movie sets and anything else that strikes his fancy. He's not the only one doing this and filming it for the Internet, but he's the first one I stumbled upon some time ago.
As the popularity of his videos grew, he started a second YouTube channel, which he calls The Daily Woo. On that channel he produces daily videos of his exploits, more or less. I don't follow it religiously, but it's what the kids call a "vlog."
What was once a hobby that he devoted his free time to has now become a lifestyle. Not long ago he unloaded his personal belongings and hit the road to dedicate his time, day and night, to traveling the countryside in an old, unglamorous van.
My assumption was that the dude comes from a wealthy family and he never had to work for a living, he simply could afford to travel whenever he wanted and slap together videos of his exploits. But as I learned recently, that's not the case. As I noted, he was a retail lackey for most of his adult life, although he was a drummer in a band of minor notoriety at one point, allegedly. (UPDATE: The latest evidence I have seen suggests he was a bass player.)
As his popularity has grown he has been able to earn a few pennies off of the thousands and thousands of views his videos generate. He also has T-shirts available for purchase via the Internet, and does accept donations to help sustain his work. Although it might seem he's getting rich off of Internet notoriety, that doesn't appear to be the case. He has fuel and lodging expenses during his travels, and there's little indication his accommodations are Kardashian-like. From the sounds of it, the support he receives from his viewers has afforded him the luxury of dedicating his life to traveling the countryside and chronicling his adventures in that tired van.
He doesn't beg for support, and he doesn't beg people to promote his content. He seems to like the idea that his popularity is organic. As best I can tell, he's not doing it for 15 minutes of Internet fame. But he does communicate and connect with his viewers via various social media platforms.
His style is not for everyone. At times he's a cornball. His style reminds me a bit of MTV-era Pauly Shore, with a dose of Adam Sandler thrown in. Although his videos are creative and well produced, his on-camera persona hasn't advanced with his production skills. I think his Wayne and Garth view of the world is endearing to some, nauseating to others.
Regardless, his adventures are a lot of fun to follow, when I can make the time to do so. He was based in California, and now that he sold off most of the things that kept him tethered to SoCal, he's on the road. Naturally it didn't take him long to find his way to Las Vegas as he headed east. It's not the first time he's been to The Meadows, but when I saw he spent time in Sin City recently, I had to check out his videos of his visit, particularly since he stopped at Seven Magic Mountains. I'm looking forward to seeing it this fall.
He also visited the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings. I've read about it, but have yet to visit it.
The video of his visit to Seven Magic Mountains wasn't as informative as I'd have preferred, but it was fun nonetheless. He did provide some good information and footage from his stop in Goodsprings, so props to Adam for that. And he shoots cool drone footage of places he visits. I know, he ain't the first, but it's a nice addition to his videos that he doesn't overuse.
But don't take my word for it, check it out for yourself.
Join him... shall you?
Here is his second day's video chronicling his recent layover in Lost Wages:
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
What happened to the Vegas we loved?
It's summer, and I biked 27 miles earlier this evening. How I love the 9 p.m. sunsets in Minneapolis. We get them for a few weeks of they year, and I take advantage of them. I have things I want to write, and will, even if it kills me. For now, here's my attempt at polishing an idea I started a few months ago, but shelved. It lacks keen insight, but here it is nonetheless.
Why do we pine for the days of yesteryear? The simple answer is that it is in our DNA to do so.
Last week, Tim & Michelle spent some time talking about how change is a constant in Vegas and how many of us believe it was a better experience when we first took it in, whether that was 10, 20 or 40 years ago. The comparison Tim used was how most of us think the best music happened to arrive in our teens and early 20's. That's a very valid point. However, when it comes to recent changes, there's nothing nostalgic about assessing better vs. worse.
Those are just off the top of my head. Yes, those who say Vegas was better "when the mob ran the town" may be indulging in nostalgic revisionism, and it makes for an interesting discussion. However, the steady march toward squeezing nickels and dimes out of every visitor is a different matter entirely. Many (most?) of the items listed above have taken hold in just the past decade. It has rapidly and permanently changed the Vegas experience for the worse. We can try to avoid these fees and gaming odds adjustments and we should. But in time, all the Strip & Downtown casinos will almost certainly fall in line, as they have with resort fees. Yes, we'll still visit Vegas on a regular basis, but with an increasingly jaded eye. Better or worse? Mostly, it's really just sad.
Why do we pine for the days of yesteryear? The simple answer is that it is in our DNA to do so.
I've been going to Vegas since January 1997. I've seen a lot change in nearly two decades, but the evolution of mega-resorts on the Las Vegas strip was already underway. My first trip included three nights at the enormous MGM.
I can cite a lot of changes in Vegas over the 19 years I've been visiting Sin City. I no longer stay on the strip, and my bankroll hasn't grown as much as I'd like given two decades of professional employment.
I follow a few Vegas conversation resources, and one thing that caught my attention was a discussion on the Facebook page for the "Five Hundy by Midnight" podcast.
A gentleman by the name of Bob Smith wrote the following:
Last week, Tim & Michelle spent some time talking about how change is a constant in Vegas and how many of us believe it was a better experience when we first took it in, whether that was 10, 20 or 40 years ago. The comparison Tim used was how most of us think the best music happened to arrive in our teens and early 20's. That's a very valid point. However, when it comes to recent changes, there's nothing nostalgic about assessing better vs. worse.
Resort Fees: inarguably worse
6:5 blackjack: ditto
MGM parking fees: yep
Double odds at Wynn craps: worse
Reduced video poker pay tables: not better
Early check-in & related random fees: bad
Those are just off the top of my head. Yes, those who say Vegas was better "when the mob ran the town" may be indulging in nostalgic revisionism, and it makes for an interesting discussion. However, the steady march toward squeezing nickels and dimes out of every visitor is a different matter entirely. Many (most?) of the items listed above have taken hold in just the past decade. It has rapidly and permanently changed the Vegas experience for the worse. We can try to avoid these fees and gaming odds adjustments and we should. But in time, all the Strip & Downtown casinos will almost certainly fall in line, as they have with resort fees. Yes, we'll still visit Vegas on a regular basis, but with an increasingly jaded eye. Better or worse? Mostly, it's really just sad.
I took a few economics classes in college, and I use to be really good at math. A long time ago. So here's a layman's analysis of why the good old days that Smith spoke of have gone by the wayside.
In the 1980s Vegas had a huge advantage over the rest of the country, it was the place to go for gambling. Yes, there was Reno, and Atlantic City's casino industry was trying to put a dent into the Vegas experience, but for the most part, Vegas was a magical destination like no other. We like to think of it as a Disney World for adults.
The thrill of hitting it big at a slot machine couldn't be matched locally, at least here in Minnesota, where I live. Gambling just wasn't a part of our day-to-day life here in the Midwest. I remember churches would occasionally run some forms of gambling under the guise of a church festival, designed to make money for the parish... and why not? Isn't that how God wants a church to be funded?
But gambling here in Minnesota, and certainly other parts of the country, began to change in the 1980s. The 1980s brought parimutuel betting to Minnesota. The poor man's Churchill Downs gave degenerate gamblers a place to prove reading the Daily Racing Form was a sweet science. During the 1990s our neighbors to the east, Wisconsin, had a handful of dog tracks for the same purpose, including one less than 30 minutes from St. Paul, one of our celebrated Twin Cities.
Lotteries weren't unheard of in the '80s, but we didn't have them in Minnesota until the late 1980s, or perhaps early 1990s. I'm quite sure Wisconsin beat us to the lottery game by a year or three, but nonetheless, both states climbed aboard that train, turning just about every gas station into a neighborhood casino. Do lottery games replace the thrill of the craps table? Not by a long shot, but suddenly there was a way to turn $1 into $100, even if the odds were lousy.
I didn't go to bars in the '80s, but at some point bars became places to gamble, under the guise of "charitable gambling," at least here in Minnesota. It's amazing how many bars host a pull-tab operation, which pays rent for its space within the bar, and an hourly wage to employees, all in an effort to make money for a nonprofit entity.
Pull tabs are basically slot machine games played with small cardboard game pieces. (I have no idea how prevalent pull tabs are nationwide, but I assume plenty of states have them in their bars.) In the past few years pull tab proprietors in Minnesota have been able to offer the games electronically, using a tablet that players are given at the time of their purchase.
Pull tab gaming seems to be profitable at many bars across Minnesota, even though the games seem to offer less than spectacular odds for the player.
All of those things have made gambling a part of life in the Midwest, but as we know, the expansion of the casino industry across the United States has provided many of us from coast to coast with a taste of Vegas, sans the airfare.
In Minnesota we have plenty of tribal-owned casinos scattered across the state. Most of us live within one hour of a casino. They emerged in the early 1990s, much like other tribal casinos across the country. Minnesota doesn't allow our casinos to offer live craps or roulette, but you can get those in our neighboring states, for they have casinos, too. (I'm too lazy to research if the casinos in our neighboring states are all tribal entities. I get a sense the answer is "no" in Iowa.)
Once upon a time playing casino blackjack was a privilege, one frequently enjoyed in Vegas. I've been to casinos in California, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, and in some cases my appearance was simply because it was convenient to drop in and survey the scene, not because I had an itch to gamble. I ate at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio, and never gambled a dime.
Three of the six points Bob wrote about above were diminished gaming conditions in Vegas. You'd think that Vegas would want to be offer better gaming odds to attract people who can opt instead to spend a weekend at a fancy tribal casino closer to home and save the cost of airfare. But better odds aren't enough to trump the tribal casinos, evidently, so instead of offering better odds to Vegas visitors, the tourist casinos are looking at how to squeeze more out of every dollar wagered, any little way they can. The casinos are no different than most other American businesses. When your profits start to decrease, find ways to make it up, be it at the expense of your customers or your employees.
The expansion of the casino industry, and other forms of gambling, denied future generations the thrill of Vegas, at least when it comes to winning or losing your paycheck.
Plenty of people come to Vegas for conventions, sightseeing and hedonistic ambitions, and plenty of those people will gamble. But reports over the years have illustrated how the gaming portion of the casinos is now part of a multi-faceted effort to turn a profit. Gaming is no longer king, and rather than make gambling more enticing with better odds, the casinos have finally accepted that they're attracting customers who grew up with casinos in their backyards, and don't get the same thrill their parents or grandparents got from a trip to Vegas.
Enough people don't care, or know better, so they accept 6:5 blackjack or reduced video poker pay tables. And those reduced payouts are due, in part, to the fact that the casino industry is now raising generations of gamblers across the country.
Vegas has lost its luster as a gambling mecca, and the deteriorating conditions we see today are a result of that.
As for resort fees, that's obviously the result of the Internet. As has been discussed many times in the online world, resort fees are a shell game the casinos play in order to minimize the commissions paid to third-party booking services.
Regarding the other points Smith made, about parking and other fees, those go hand-in-hand with diminished gambling conditions. They're ways to squeeze more cash out of the tourist.
I'm not sure how many casinos around the United States charge for parking, but I'm guessing many don't. Casinos located in downtown districts, such as New Orleans and St. Louis, might not have free parking because the real estate is expensive and in high demand. But you won't find a casino or race track in Minnesota that charges for general parking. They may charge for valet parking, but free parking is still the norm.
Will people stop going to Vegas because of the cost of parking? Heck no. Some will change their plans because of the cost of parking, but no particular fee is likely to drive people away. Give people enough reasons and they'll throw in the towel, but new generations are awaiting their turn at the adult playground, and they won't scoff at throwing away a portion of that disposable income for a parking space, especially those who have $1,000 or more budgets for their weekend at the ultra lounges.
How would Vegas be different today if our country had never gone casino crazy and had never given tribes the keys to the casino industry? (It's not quite that simple, but we'll leave it at that for now.) If the gambling landscape of 2016 was similar to the landscape of 1976, would Vegas casinos be turning the screws on its gamblers and hotel guests?
Perhaps, but not to the degree we see today. Our nation's love affair with gambling has taken something from Vegas that Vegas will never get back: cachet.
In Minnesota we have plenty of tribal-owned casinos scattered across the state. Most of us live within one hour of a casino. They emerged in the early 1990s, much like other tribal casinos across the country. Minnesota doesn't allow our casinos to offer live craps or roulette, but you can get those in our neighboring states, for they have casinos, too. (I'm too lazy to research if the casinos in our neighboring states are all tribal entities. I get a sense the answer is "no" in Iowa.)
Once upon a time playing casino blackjack was a privilege, one frequently enjoyed in Vegas. I've been to casinos in California, Mississippi, Louisiana, Ohio, Iowa, Missouri and Wisconsin, and in some cases my appearance was simply because it was convenient to drop in and survey the scene, not because I had an itch to gamble. I ate at the Hollywood Casino in Toledo, Ohio, and never gambled a dime.
Three of the six points Bob wrote about above were diminished gaming conditions in Vegas. You'd think that Vegas would want to be offer better gaming odds to attract people who can opt instead to spend a weekend at a fancy tribal casino closer to home and save the cost of airfare. But better odds aren't enough to trump the tribal casinos, evidently, so instead of offering better odds to Vegas visitors, the tourist casinos are looking at how to squeeze more out of every dollar wagered, any little way they can. The casinos are no different than most other American businesses. When your profits start to decrease, find ways to make it up, be it at the expense of your customers or your employees.
The expansion of the casino industry, and other forms of gambling, denied future generations the thrill of Vegas, at least when it comes to winning or losing your paycheck.
Plenty of people come to Vegas for conventions, sightseeing and hedonistic ambitions, and plenty of those people will gamble. But reports over the years have illustrated how the gaming portion of the casinos is now part of a multi-faceted effort to turn a profit. Gaming is no longer king, and rather than make gambling more enticing with better odds, the casinos have finally accepted that they're attracting customers who grew up with casinos in their backyards, and don't get the same thrill their parents or grandparents got from a trip to Vegas.
Enough people don't care, or know better, so they accept 6:5 blackjack or reduced video poker pay tables. And those reduced payouts are due, in part, to the fact that the casino industry is now raising generations of gamblers across the country.
Vegas has lost its luster as a gambling mecca, and the deteriorating conditions we see today are a result of that.
As for resort fees, that's obviously the result of the Internet. As has been discussed many times in the online world, resort fees are a shell game the casinos play in order to minimize the commissions paid to third-party booking services.
Regarding the other points Smith made, about parking and other fees, those go hand-in-hand with diminished gambling conditions. They're ways to squeeze more cash out of the tourist.
I'm not sure how many casinos around the United States charge for parking, but I'm guessing many don't. Casinos located in downtown districts, such as New Orleans and St. Louis, might not have free parking because the real estate is expensive and in high demand. But you won't find a casino or race track in Minnesota that charges for general parking. They may charge for valet parking, but free parking is still the norm.
Will people stop going to Vegas because of the cost of parking? Heck no. Some will change their plans because of the cost of parking, but no particular fee is likely to drive people away. Give people enough reasons and they'll throw in the towel, but new generations are awaiting their turn at the adult playground, and they won't scoff at throwing away a portion of that disposable income for a parking space, especially those who have $1,000 or more budgets for their weekend at the ultra lounges.
How would Vegas be different today if our country had never gone casino crazy and had never given tribes the keys to the casino industry? (It's not quite that simple, but we'll leave it at that for now.) If the gambling landscape of 2016 was similar to the landscape of 1976, would Vegas casinos be turning the screws on its gamblers and hotel guests?
Perhaps, but not to the degree we see today. Our nation's love affair with gambling has taken something from Vegas that Vegas will never get back: cachet.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Book review: From the outside, looking in
As you might expect, "The Outsiders' Guide to Las Vegas" is not your mother's guidebook.
My first trip to Vegas was in January 1997. If it wasn't in preparation for that trip then it wasn't long after that first trip that I obtained a copy of a traditional visitors guide. I might still have it, although I'm betting I donated it to some sort of used book sale, because who doesn't want to read buffet reviews from 10 years ago, capturing the magic of the dearly departed Riviera buffet?
I lost count of how many times I've been to Vegas over the years, but I'm quite confident the total is more than 30 after nearly 20 years. The last thing I need to read is a visitors guide for Sin City.
But a year ago, when I started this blog, I checked out online Vegas resources that I hadn't given much time to, including "Five Hundy by Midnight," a longtime podcast that I had seen references to over the years, but had never attempted to dial up. (Do you dial up the internet?)
As I sampled the podcast I learned of its forthcoming guide book. It took me many months to finally pick one up, but given I regularly sample the podcast offerings I wanted to read what Tim Dressen, the show's co-host, would include in a guidebook about Vegas. Over a recent span of 10 days I did just that.
The book is very much in the style of the podcast, a bit irreverent and written for an audience you're more likely to find congregating at a local watering hole than in the library at an institution of higher learning. And really, isn't the former where you'd expect, and want, to find people discussing Vegas?
Dressen's book offers many recommendations and observations similar to those you will find from year to year within the traditional guidebooks, but it pulls no punches when it comes to critiquing what succeeds and fails in Vegas. The book leans heavily on the personal experiences of the author, but there's some indication that information compiled within its covers is also drawn from the feedback and experience of the thousands who listen to the podcast.
If you want to know the skinny on the hotels along the strip and downtown, you'll find it in Dressen's book. If you want to know about a variety of restaurants, that information is included, too.
But many of the opinions and recommendations of the author are colored with his personality, which you find little of in other guidebooks.
Few stones are left unturned by the end of the book. Dressen provides recommendations on how to go about planning a trip and things to avoid when doing so. He has his personal preferences when traveling to Vegas and a rationale for them. It doesn't matter to Dressen how delicious breakfast is at a quirky, unique restaurant 13 minutes by cab from downtown Vegas, Dressen isn't going there, and he explains why. I have different ideas about how I want to spend my time in Vegas, but Dressen gives good reasons for why he prefers to do things the way he does, and those give the reader something to think about.
Did I learn a few things I didn't know about Vegas by reading the book? Absolutely. Vegas is constantly changing, and no matter how much you read about Sin City or how often you visit, chances are there are a few things, trivial or significant, that you don't know or know about. My jaw never hit the floor while reading the book, but I learned plenty of tidbits that might be useful down the road. And I learned that the Forum Shops at Caesars has a spiral escalator.
As I noted, this is not your mother's guidebook. Therefore I'm not giving a copy to my mother for Christmas. Besides the fact she has no interest in going to Vegas, I don't think she'd appreciate the graphic descriptions under "strategic restroom planning." But it was reassuring to know I'm not the only person who thinks about such things.
Dressen has a few "editorials," for lack of a better term, about things he likes or doesn't like about Vegas, or the world in general. Did you know that audience participation is ruining the world? You will if you read his book.
No book can include everything, and this book is no exception. When it comes to reviewing off-strip casinos, several are critiqued, but not all of them. I'd be curious to know what Dressen likes and dislikes about the Orleans, one of my regular haunts. What he likes or doesn't like won't change my personal preferences, but it would be interesting to read. It's a major property, not far from the strip, but it didn't make the cut. I'd guess that other than favorable gaming conditions he isn't particularly dazzled by the property.
His review of south strip hotels didn't include the former San Remo, now known as Hooters. I haven't been in that building since its days as the San Remo, and most comments about it are less than glowing. I couldn't help but wonder how Dressen might skewer the property, but that didn't make the book, either.
The book has plenty of pictures, but they're small and are of little value. The book isn't intended to provide a visual guide to Sin City's casinos, but the small, black-and-white pictures don't have a lot to offer in many cases, and the book would be just as valuable without them. But they do help break up the copy visually, and that's often a psychological selling point to many readers.
I'm an unapologetic supporter of pinball, and every trip I make to Vegas includes at least one visit to the Pinball Hall of Fame, one of many unique off-strip attractions. I was pleased to see it made Dressen's guidebook. I'll gladly take a plug for pinball over a critique of the Orleans or Hooters.
Change is the only constant in Vegas, and Dressen's website for his book attempts to update information that has become outdated since last summer – such as the closure of Las Vegas Club – although no updates have been reported since January, and certainly some tidbit of information within the book has changed since then. Nonetheless it's a smart way to keep the book relevant, but it begs the question, will we start seeing updated versions of the book annually? There's no "2015" on Dressen's book, but now that the framework is in place, might we see periodic updates with new information and observations?
The outsiders' guide is a lot like reading reviews from Trip Advisor or other online sources. It represents what people think, not what a major publisher is willing to parrot on an annual basis. Unlike a user-driven website, Dressen's book is highly organized and easy to navigate.
It's a great book if you're a Vegas veteran like me and want to read Vegas opinions while staring at something other than a tablet or computer screen, (although you can certainly get a paperless version of the book should you so desire.) And it provides a lot of great advice for Vegas newbies who want to know if there's a great restaurant at their home base during their next trip, the Flamingo. (There's not.)
The book is $19 and available wherever Amazon is accessible via your tablet or smartphone. It won't change your life, but it won't ruin it, either. And it will entertain you for hours, unless you're my mother.
My first trip to Vegas was in January 1997. If it wasn't in preparation for that trip then it wasn't long after that first trip that I obtained a copy of a traditional visitors guide. I might still have it, although I'm betting I donated it to some sort of used book sale, because who doesn't want to read buffet reviews from 10 years ago, capturing the magic of the dearly departed Riviera buffet?
I lost count of how many times I've been to Vegas over the years, but I'm quite confident the total is more than 30 after nearly 20 years. The last thing I need to read is a visitors guide for Sin City.
But a year ago, when I started this blog, I checked out online Vegas resources that I hadn't given much time to, including "Five Hundy by Midnight," a longtime podcast that I had seen references to over the years, but had never attempted to dial up. (Do you dial up the internet?)
As I sampled the podcast I learned of its forthcoming guide book. It took me many months to finally pick one up, but given I regularly sample the podcast offerings I wanted to read what Tim Dressen, the show's co-host, would include in a guidebook about Vegas. Over a recent span of 10 days I did just that.
The book is very much in the style of the podcast, a bit irreverent and written for an audience you're more likely to find congregating at a local watering hole than in the library at an institution of higher learning. And really, isn't the former where you'd expect, and want, to find people discussing Vegas?
Dressen's book offers many recommendations and observations similar to those you will find from year to year within the traditional guidebooks, but it pulls no punches when it comes to critiquing what succeeds and fails in Vegas. The book leans heavily on the personal experiences of the author, but there's some indication that information compiled within its covers is also drawn from the feedback and experience of the thousands who listen to the podcast.
If you want to know the skinny on the hotels along the strip and downtown, you'll find it in Dressen's book. If you want to know about a variety of restaurants, that information is included, too.
But many of the opinions and recommendations of the author are colored with his personality, which you find little of in other guidebooks.
Few stones are left unturned by the end of the book. Dressen provides recommendations on how to go about planning a trip and things to avoid when doing so. He has his personal preferences when traveling to Vegas and a rationale for them. It doesn't matter to Dressen how delicious breakfast is at a quirky, unique restaurant 13 minutes by cab from downtown Vegas, Dressen isn't going there, and he explains why. I have different ideas about how I want to spend my time in Vegas, but Dressen gives good reasons for why he prefers to do things the way he does, and those give the reader something to think about.
Did I learn a few things I didn't know about Vegas by reading the book? Absolutely. Vegas is constantly changing, and no matter how much you read about Sin City or how often you visit, chances are there are a few things, trivial or significant, that you don't know or know about. My jaw never hit the floor while reading the book, but I learned plenty of tidbits that might be useful down the road. And I learned that the Forum Shops at Caesars has a spiral escalator.
As I noted, this is not your mother's guidebook. Therefore I'm not giving a copy to my mother for Christmas. Besides the fact she has no interest in going to Vegas, I don't think she'd appreciate the graphic descriptions under "strategic restroom planning." But it was reassuring to know I'm not the only person who thinks about such things.
Dressen has a few "editorials," for lack of a better term, about things he likes or doesn't like about Vegas, or the world in general. Did you know that audience participation is ruining the world? You will if you read his book.
No book can include everything, and this book is no exception. When it comes to reviewing off-strip casinos, several are critiqued, but not all of them. I'd be curious to know what Dressen likes and dislikes about the Orleans, one of my regular haunts. What he likes or doesn't like won't change my personal preferences, but it would be interesting to read. It's a major property, not far from the strip, but it didn't make the cut. I'd guess that other than favorable gaming conditions he isn't particularly dazzled by the property.
His review of south strip hotels didn't include the former San Remo, now known as Hooters. I haven't been in that building since its days as the San Remo, and most comments about it are less than glowing. I couldn't help but wonder how Dressen might skewer the property, but that didn't make the book, either.
The book has plenty of pictures, but they're small and are of little value. The book isn't intended to provide a visual guide to Sin City's casinos, but the small, black-and-white pictures don't have a lot to offer in many cases, and the book would be just as valuable without them. But they do help break up the copy visually, and that's often a psychological selling point to many readers.
I'm an unapologetic supporter of pinball, and every trip I make to Vegas includes at least one visit to the Pinball Hall of Fame, one of many unique off-strip attractions. I was pleased to see it made Dressen's guidebook. I'll gladly take a plug for pinball over a critique of the Orleans or Hooters.
Change is the only constant in Vegas, and Dressen's website for his book attempts to update information that has become outdated since last summer – such as the closure of Las Vegas Club – although no updates have been reported since January, and certainly some tidbit of information within the book has changed since then. Nonetheless it's a smart way to keep the book relevant, but it begs the question, will we start seeing updated versions of the book annually? There's no "2015" on Dressen's book, but now that the framework is in place, might we see periodic updates with new information and observations?
The outsiders' guide is a lot like reading reviews from Trip Advisor or other online sources. It represents what people think, not what a major publisher is willing to parrot on an annual basis. Unlike a user-driven website, Dressen's book is highly organized and easy to navigate.
It's a great book if you're a Vegas veteran like me and want to read Vegas opinions while staring at something other than a tablet or computer screen, (although you can certainly get a paperless version of the book should you so desire.) And it provides a lot of great advice for Vegas newbies who want to know if there's a great restaurant at their home base during their next trip, the Flamingo. (There's not.)
The book is $19 and available wherever Amazon is accessible via your tablet or smartphone. It won't change your life, but it won't ruin it, either. And it will entertain you for hours, unless you're my mother.
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Remembering the Riviera
One year ago today was a Monday, and at noon Vegas time the Riviera closed its doors, ending its 60-year run on the north end of the strip.
The following pictures were foolishly taken with my cell phone rather than with a legitimate digital camera. I tweeted a few pics while at the Riv during its closing, but I should have been taking pictures with a quality camera, too. Lesson learned.
Many of these have never been shared anywhere. Happy anniversary, I guess.
The following pictures were foolishly taken with my cell phone rather than with a legitimate digital camera. I tweeted a few pics while at the Riv during its closing, but I should have been taking pictures with a quality camera, too. Lesson learned.
Many of these have never been shared anywhere. Happy anniversary, I guess.
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| That's all, folks! |
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| A historic display inside the Riviera to commemorate its 60-year history. |
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| The last night the bronze "Crazy Girls" art installation graced the facade of the Riviera. |
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| The lights were shining bright during the casino's final night in operation, May 3. |
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| Simplistic, yet colorful and fun, that was the neon outside the Riviera. |
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| It's the 21st century, yet many people needed to check out the old-fashioned way on Monday morning, May 4. |
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| The tables were full on Sunday night, yet all of them were closed during the final morning of the casino's operation, much to my disappoint. |
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| A final morning visitor stands inside the "secret pool" at the Riviera. Unfamiliar with the pool? A Google search will lead you to stories about it. |
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| Sam, at right, was working for the former Vegas Chatter that day, and served as a de facto historian about the Riviera. |
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| Another look at the outdoor pool that was never used. As the story goes, the pool leaked into the casino. |
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| Sam's work can now be found on the Vegas Bright website. |
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| Removing the "Crazy Girls" installation couldn't wait until after the casino had closed. |
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| The statue, if that's what you call it, is reported to weigh hundreds of pounds. |
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| The "Crazy Girls" show and its statue found a new home at Planet Hollywood. |
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| Live reports outside the Las Vegas Boulevard entrance were common during the final hours of the Riviera. |
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| One of the Spanish language networks reported from the closing and interviewed spectators. |
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| Even before the property officially closed maintenance workers were fencing off the pool area. Did they fear protestors were going to jump in? |
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| Whatever be the reason, several $1 bills were on the bottom of the pool. You know it's an old pool when it's more than 5 feet deep. |
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| Inside the casino you could have your picture taken with an old sign. |
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| Closed long before the casino was shuttered, the second-floor buffet area looked like it either recently closed down or was ready to open for business. Little had been done to gut it since its closure. I didn't walk into the kitchen, but had I done so, I'm sure I would have found pots, pans and everything needed to serve breakfast to the masses. |
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| The bubble craps game was a popular draw during the final morning at the Riviera. The game was still going past the noon closing, and a manager had to declare a point in the roll where players were obligated to cash out. |
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| The table games were packed on Sunday night, but none of them were in operation on the final morning at the Riviera. Many people posed for pictures that morning while standing in the dealer's position. |
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| And away goes the statue. |
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| As security officers were ushering people toward the back of the property, (the Las Vegas Boulevard doors had been locked,) a maintenance worker begins shutting down slot machines. |
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| As people were heading toward the rear exit of the hotel, a few players stubbornly sat at slot machines several minutes past noon, trying to score one last win. |
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| This anniversary display appears to be damaged, but plenty of people stopped for a picture in front of it nonetheless. |
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| Nobody told local cab drivers that the Riviera was closing that morning, as there were many people, luggage in tow, waiting for a taxi on the back side of the property, facing the parking ramp, minutes after the noon closing. |
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| The casino's sign on the back side of the property, along Paradise Road, says thank you to its patrons. |
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Viva Las Vegas?
I spent Wednesday afternoon here in Minnesota attending a live broadcast of a local talk show. On this particular day the show was being broadcast from Mystic Lake, a huge Native American casino in the Twin Cities area.
The casino broadcast was part of a big promotion Mystic Lake is doing right now, which features the awarding of numerous trips to Las Vegas. Those of us attending today's broadcast of the talk show had a chance to win a trip to Vegas. Five nights at Palazzo and $5,000. Nice prize, eh?
I didn't win. Dream of a trip to Vegas this spring is dead once again.
The show featured a variety of Vegas-related segments, and the set had plenty of Vegas decor.
The show also featured a pretty good Elvis impersonator, Anthony Shore. It was pointed out to us that you can't have a Vegas-themed show without an Elvis impersonator.
And it made me wonder why that is.
While I'm not an Elvis in Vegas historian, I realize he had a good run at the end of his life as a fixture in Vegas, performing at the former Las Vegas Hilton when he wasn't touring the country. He came to Minnesota a couple of times, at least, in the 1970s, from what I could tell doing 60 seconds of research.
Given his unique look and style, and his years in Vegas, it's not a surprise that imitation of "The King" has been a part of the Vegas fabric over the years.
But the guy has been dead for nearly 40 years. Why do we still have impersonators performing in Vegas lounges these days? No, it's not very common these days, but it happens. So do weddings performed by an Elvis impersonator, I've been told repeatedly.
Elvis impersonators aren't a fixture of the Vegas entertainment scene these days, and his music will endure long after all of us take a dirt nap, but it does seem odd to me that in 2016 the Vegas/Elvis cliche remains.
I think one of the reasons why Elvis still gets some love in Vegas is that his music, look and style are so distinct.
Sinatra was huge, and plenty of people can likely rattle off a bunch of his tunes. But I'll bet a random survey of adults 18-49 would demonstrate a lot more familiarity with the music of Elvis over the music of "Ol' Blue Eyes."
While I can picture Sinatra, his look and style don't stand out like that of Elvis. That helps the legend live on, without a doubt.
You can't forget the past, but Vegas makes a habit of reinventing itself. Yeah, older properties such as Lady Luck downtown and Sahara on the strip were revitalized without demolition, but tearing down and building new is seemingly essential in Vegas.
Wayne Newton seems to have no problem resurfacing from decade to decade, but Vegas doesn't have much time for old-timers these days. That's what Branson, Missouri, is for.
In a city that seems to demand fresh, new and exciting on a weekly basis, it's a bit of a surprise that there's still an affection for Elvis nearly 40 years after his death.
Britney Spears and Celine Dion should be so lucky.
The casino broadcast was part of a big promotion Mystic Lake is doing right now, which features the awarding of numerous trips to Las Vegas. Those of us attending today's broadcast of the talk show had a chance to win a trip to Vegas. Five nights at Palazzo and $5,000. Nice prize, eh?
I didn't win. Dream of a trip to Vegas this spring is dead once again.
The show featured a variety of Vegas-related segments, and the set had plenty of Vegas decor.
The show also featured a pretty good Elvis impersonator, Anthony Shore. It was pointed out to us that you can't have a Vegas-themed show without an Elvis impersonator.
And it made me wonder why that is.
While I'm not an Elvis in Vegas historian, I realize he had a good run at the end of his life as a fixture in Vegas, performing at the former Las Vegas Hilton when he wasn't touring the country. He came to Minnesota a couple of times, at least, in the 1970s, from what I could tell doing 60 seconds of research.
Given his unique look and style, and his years in Vegas, it's not a surprise that imitation of "The King" has been a part of the Vegas fabric over the years.
But the guy has been dead for nearly 40 years. Why do we still have impersonators performing in Vegas lounges these days? No, it's not very common these days, but it happens. So do weddings performed by an Elvis impersonator, I've been told repeatedly.
Elvis impersonators aren't a fixture of the Vegas entertainment scene these days, and his music will endure long after all of us take a dirt nap, but it does seem odd to me that in 2016 the Vegas/Elvis cliche remains.
I think one of the reasons why Elvis still gets some love in Vegas is that his music, look and style are so distinct.
Sinatra was huge, and plenty of people can likely rattle off a bunch of his tunes. But I'll bet a random survey of adults 18-49 would demonstrate a lot more familiarity with the music of Elvis over the music of "Ol' Blue Eyes."
While I can picture Sinatra, his look and style don't stand out like that of Elvis. That helps the legend live on, without a doubt.
You can't forget the past, but Vegas makes a habit of reinventing itself. Yeah, older properties such as Lady Luck downtown and Sahara on the strip were revitalized without demolition, but tearing down and building new is seemingly essential in Vegas.
Wayne Newton seems to have no problem resurfacing from decade to decade, but Vegas doesn't have much time for old-timers these days. That's what Branson, Missouri, is for.
In a city that seems to demand fresh, new and exciting on a weekly basis, it's a bit of a surprise that there's still an affection for Elvis nearly 40 years after his death.
Britney Spears and Celine Dion should be so lucky.
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