Two Way Hard Three | Las Vegas Casino & Design Blog

I posted the second episode of the "Worst Las Vegas Podcast". Yes, it's two podcasts in a week. That's the way this thing is gonna be... Anyway, in this episode I talk about the Playboy Club at the Palms, a special talk with my friend Kevin on the Barbary Coast, and finally, a re-cap on my Bellagio tour from June.

I hope you enjoy, it's getting cheesier each time.

To listen, put the podcast feed into iTunes (copy and paste this into the podcast option in the Advanced menu):
http://www.ratevegas.com/feed/podcast

Podcast Page:
http://www.ratevegas.com/public_area/podcast_detail/4

BTW, Kevin's Web site is: http://www.gotkevin.com

Technorati Tags: bellagio, gaming industry, las vegas, palms, playboy, podcast, vegas, web sites

When the Playboy Club opens atop the new Palms Fantasy Tower, there will be something that no one in Las Vegas, or even Nevada, has done before - charge admission to an area that features gaming.

Actually, to allow this they had to get special permission from regulators. It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

Technorati Tags: playboy, palms, vegas

I recorded and posted a podcast yesterday. It's available via RSS here:

http://www.ratevegas.com/feed/podcast

Just point iTunes at that URL and you should get it, plus I submitted it to iTunes so when they review it, it will show in their directory as well.

I don't plan on podcasting on a regular basis but I do have to admit, it was fun. I doubt I'll take the time to do all the professional show stuff like a great intro, bumper music, etc... I just sat down in my little recording studio I have for my guitar and I scratched it out.

The episode talks about Harrah's plans for Las Vegas, Wynn in Atlantic City as well as the recent RateVegas.com chat. Future podcasts will focus on stories that we report on the Web site as well as some conversations with other people about some of those topics.

I'll likely build a special page on the site that shows the podcast episodes but for now the only way to get it is via the RSS link above.

Enjoy!

This was on VT yesterday and I should have posted it then but hey, I was busy.

Anyway, this story out of New Jersey indicates that Wynn Resorts might make a play to build a hotel there. I see this as very possible - along with Mississippi and Nevada, New Jersey is the only gaming jurisdiction in America with any sensible tax and regulatory setup.

http://www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-9/1159249454224510.xml&coll=1

Technorati Tags: atlantic city, wynn

We had our first scheduled RateVegas chat and I think it went well. It was a small group but a fun discussion.

We'll do this again.

The transcript is here:

http://www.ratevegas.com/chats/ratevegas_chat_09262006.html

An official announcement may be getting closer as the news reports start to be coming on a more regular basis. From what we read, the project's scope has expanded and thus we probably won't hear the details this month as expected.

The gist is the same - Harrah's is going to use the property they have on the Strip, combined with some acquisitions, to create a loosely integrated resort complex that retains the individual brands but still sits under a cohesive umbrella. How lose will the integration be? We don't know yet but that will be an interesting component.

What do you guys think? CityCenter is obviously a massive development but this could be bigger? The project would certainly be disruptive and likely undertaken in stages to mitigate the risk to Harrah's cash flow.

More details:
Las Vegas Sun - Jeff Simpson
LVRJ - Inside Gaming

Technorati Tags: caesars, casino design, gaming industry, harrahs, las vegas

Looks like there was a three alarm fire at The Venetian:

http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=5447704

I believe that everything is under control now and no one was hurt.

Technorati Tags: las vegas, venetian

I got this from Dave over at his 'Die Is Cast' blog (which we are now hosting for him by the way). It appears that Nevada regulators are getting close to ditching 6A, one of the anti-money laundering rules on the books.

Some might remember The Mirage being hit with the largest fine in Nevada history for forgetting to file thousands of 6As.

http://www.dieiscast.com/2006/09/21/farewell-to-6a/

Technorati Tags: gaming industry, las vegas, mgm mirage, mirage

I don't usually do personal announcements here but I wanted to give birthday shout-outs to regular contributor Mike E.

Mike has become a good friend over the last year and I can't thank him enough for letting me see his Fairway Villa at Wynn Las Vegas last year.

Have a great one, Mike!

Our friend Steve Friess from The Strip podcast also has a podcast related to pets, The Petcast.

When he was in China he spoke with Steve Wynn a bit about his dogs, who had come along.

Kinda funny on a slow news day. It's near the start of the podcast:

http://m.podshow.com/media/771/episodes/26911/thepetcast-26911-09-19-2006.mp3

Technorati Tags: podcast, wynn

ChuckMonster at VegasTripping.com is running a story about Harrah's plans for its Strip properties.

According to this story, Bally's, the IP and Harrah's all get imploded while the Flamingo gets a major overhaul.

Anyway, it's an interesting read, even if based on at least some speculation. You never know - it could happen!

http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=1400

Technorati Tags: caesars, casino design, gaming industry, harrahs, las vegas

We have the shiny chat room and readers have been doing ad-hoc chats since it opened. We've actually had some great discussions in there already... Still, I want to setup a real chat event so we can get even more of the regulars in there. I'm thinking a weekday evening. I am in the Pacific time zone but I know we have people spread all over the world. What works best for you guys? Leave info in the comments and we'll try to figure something out.

Beyond that, I've been toying with the idea of organizing a meet and taking it to the next step. By that I mean an actual event (probably a catered dinner in a ballroom or hospitality suite depending on number of people) that has a real 'speaker' of sorts. I'm thinking maybe an informal Q&A with a Vegas person - somebody that works for one of these places and somebody good. Not sure who we can get but I am confident we could get *someone* and that it would be a great time. I'd also love to invite some of the Vegas regulars that we cite often (i.e. Steve Friess and Miles from 'The Strip' podcast as well as some others) to join us as well.

Anyway, I want to gauge interest in this concept. Ideally, we (I guess me) would be able to pick up the cost for the event itself so your expenses would just be whatever your standard trip costs are. I don't want people not to be able to come because the actual event cost turns them off plus I've been trying to think of a way to say 'thanks' to you guys for some time.

Anyway, please comment - I'm very curious if there is interest in either idea.

Technorati Tags: las vegas

I attended a casino function at Bellagio last week. A few notes I made appear after the break.

Steve Friess of popular Las Vegas podcast, The Strip, had published his interview with Las Vegas Sands chairman Sheldon Adelson. Adelson discusses Macau in detail and comments on the Venetian Macau and even Wynn Macau.

The rivalry between Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson continues to blossom and has almost reached the level of high comedy. At a certain point you have to wonder if they don't, in a way, see the rivalry as good for business, as a way to get people interested in their properties.

Anyway, it's a very interesting podcast that also includes a Wynn snippet on the tip changes at Wynn Las Vegas.

Technorati Tags: macau, venetian, wynn macau

I have had a mobile version of RateVegas for years, though it was never a major focus of development.

With this new version of the Web site, we again have special pages that are dedicated to cell phone and smartphone users - they are optimized for smaller screens.

I plan to add some new features to PocketVegas in the near future, including an email lookup service for folks that are 'on the ground' and need some info about where to eat dinner!

I'm interested in hearing any suggestions that anyone may have about other mobile features that would be useful. There are a lot of limitations on what is possible with these things but I'd love to hear your input!

To see the current site: http://www.pocketvegas.net

Today we are happy to announce the re-launching of RateVegas.com, our parent site that features user generated reviews and ratings of Las Vegas casinos.

The site is, as always, at: http://www.ratevegas.com though until things are all settled, the browser will be doing a bit of forwarding and you might see other URLs in the menu bar.

It is possible that some folks might not see it right away. Due to the geographically diverse nature of the Internet, some updates to the Internet naming system, DNS, can take longer for some than others.

Thanks to the users that provided feedback during our beta phase - we made a lot of improvements based on your useful comments.

In short, the new site features an all new-design with a focus on simplicity. We've made it easier to send in ratings and reviews as well as reader questions for our 'Ask the Experts' area. Submitting reviews, comments and questions no longer requires an account! We still approve all comments before the go live to make sure they are legitimate but we hope that removing the registration requirement will make it easier to add your thoughts.

Don't worry, all of the great ratings, reviews and reader questions have been moved over to the new site.

Keep reading after the jump for more info on the new site as well as some technical info for those interested.

Two things this morning:

Today in the RJ, Norm! speculates that Harrah's may be changing its corporate name to Caesars and the long rumors Bally's/Horseshoe switch may be in the works:

http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-11-Mon-2006/news/9560733.html

Also, thanks to a reader for the following video of the opening of Wynn Macau:

http://www.ratevegas.com/extras/wynn_macau_video.wmv

Technorati Tags: gaming industry, harrahs, las vegas, macau, wynn macau

Thanks for Sean for this trip report, featuring an extensive breakdown of his activities while at The Mirage recently.

This report made me feel like I was right there - I think you'll like it too.

Enjoy!

Technorati Tags: cirque du soleil, entertainment, las vegas, mirage, the beatles, trip report

I am posting on behalf of detroit1051 - this is his find.

The LA Times has an interesting article on the wine business in Las Vegas. I knew Southern was big in Vegas as well as here in South Florida, but I didn't realize just how big. The article says wholesale prices can be 30% higher than in LA or New York.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-wine6sep06,1,110441.story?coll=la-headlines-food

Technorati Tags: gaming industry, las vegas, wine, vegas

Thanks go out to Chris in Hong Kong for sending his photos of the Wynn Macau opening and shedding a little light on the layout of the place, as no property map is currently available.

First off, some additional interior photos:
http://photos.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/wynnmacau

More today from the Las Vegas media:

LV Sun - http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2006/sep/06/566653781.html
Review Journal - http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Sep-06-Wed-2006/business/9471086.html

Keep reading after the jump.

Technorati Tags: casino design, gaming industry, macau, wynn macau, vegas photos, wynn

A few quick items:

Harrah's is set to remodel the rooms at the Flamingo, casting any demolition rumors into severe question:
http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=1387

After losing the Tropicana assets, Pinnacle will buy the Sands in Atlantic City:
http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=1390

Boyd has announced the Stardust will close November 1st:
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:503697936&start=6

Technorati Tags: casino design, gaming industry, harrahs, las vegas, atlantic city, tropicana

With Wynn Macau opening today/tomorrow (time zones and all that), there's a flurry of activity discussing the event.

Thanks to Brian for submitting some of these.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2006/09/05/ap2992401.html?partner=alerts

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2006/09/04/ap2991723.html?partner=alerts

http://www.gamingtoday.com/index.cfm?articleid=16589&AIN=696738

And of course, Sheldon Adelson can't resist calling Wynn's Macau resort a 'joke and a half':
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7b596EC9E2-D651-4616-AA33-23D0D14D54F0%7d&siteid=mktw&dist=nbs

UPDATE: Brian wrote in with some GREAT photos: http://www.whatbrianthinksaboutlasvegas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2177

Technorati Tags: macau, wynn

Thanks to reader John Hall for contributing another piece, this time the focus on Bellagio and Wynn Las Vegas. I can't say how much I appreciate contributions from you guys, the loyal readers. If you want to send something in, send it to: editor@ratevegas.com

Ok, what do we have here? Well, as regular readers know, we have spent an awful lot of time looking at Steve Wynn properties, and Wynn Las Vegas over all of them. Well, before there was WLV there was Bellagio and it is still a literal cash factory on the Strip. After touring the back of house facilities, I have a renewed appreciation for the property - it's really a work of art in its own way.

Technorati Tags: bellagio, casino design, gaming industry, las vegas, mgm mirage, vegas, wynn, wynnlasvegas