Gaming

Big-picture thinkers weigh in on gaming’s fiscal outlook

With the increased cost of a tank of gasoline equivalent to the cost of a few cocktails, fewer tourists are driving to Las Vegas. With airlines cutting back flights to town, it will be harder to fill hotel rooms. And the Strip has grown posh, making it less attractive to the masses.

5 June 2008
By Liz Benston

Orlando spikes Vegas rivalry with humor

A jet departs from McCarran International Airport on Wednesday. An Orlando tourist bureau billboard on Paradise Road has a little fun with Las Vegas' famous slogan.

The Orlando Convention and Visitors Bureau has come up with an advertising slogan that is drawing chuckles at Las Vegas’ expense.

5 June 2008
By Liz Benston

Hey, neighbor, try our hotel

Hey, neighbor, try our hotel

Locals who don’t necessarily gamble but enjoy a nice getaway are the new tourists in town. Travel experts have a name for it: staycations.

31 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Pssssssst! Cut-rate rooms in classy Vegas

Ad campaigns by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority such as "Vegas Right Now" promote excitement and luxury.

Las Vegas is on sale, with room rates below $100 a night at prominent Strip hotels.

28 May 2008
By Liz Benston

For hotel deals, shop around

Attention, Vegas tourists: During this economic slump, some hotels are pulling out all the stops on special offers and other promotions.

28 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Teachers show how to break through

When it comes the state’s dire financial affairs, the language is coded in the negative. No new taxes. No more state government. No raises.

25 May 2008
By David McGrath Schwartz

Pacman pays debts; case to be dropped

Under the threat of arrest, suspended NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones paid his gambling debts to Caesars Palace on Friday. His Las Vegas attorney delivered a $21,625 check to the district attorney’s office, bringing a quick halt to the criminal case.

24 May 2008
By Jeff German

Lenders give Herbst Gaming more time to repay debts

Herbst Gaming, which owns Buffalo Bill's casino in Primm, has suffered from the slumping economy.

Herbst Gaming reached an agreement with lenders this month that buys the company more time to work out a deal with them and potentially avoid bankruptcy court despite the company’s worsening finances.

23 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Wynn says he was obligated to try to recoup debt

Steve Wynn has some advice for Charles Barkley. “He has to pay attention to his business like the rest of us in this world,” Wynn told the Sun on Tuesday. “Because we’re a celebrity, we just don’t get to ignore people.”

21 May 2008
By Jeff German

Strip’s vaunted condo-hotels losing their luster

Condo-hotels are having a tough time on the Strip. The market has chilled, buyers are largely evaporating, banks are reluctant to finance the purchases or lend money for new projects because of slackening demand, and developers are questioning the wisdom of the condo hotel concept.

20 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Teachers give up gaming tax bid in deal

Teachers made a Las Vegas deal Monday night, trading the chance at a big score for a quicker, more modest gain with backing from at least some of Nevada’s biggest gaming houses. The Nevada State Education Association announced it is dropping its effort to raise the gaming tax.

20 May 2008
By David McGrath Schwartz

Barkley says he’s repaid debt; DA hasn’t seen check

On his pregame NBA show Monday evening, Charles Barkley told the show’s host he has paid back the $400,000 he owed Wynn Las Vegas. Immediately after Barkley’s assertions, District Attorney David Roger said: “We have no evidence to suggest that he has made any payments."

20 May 2008
By Jeff German

Post-9/11 cuts may have gone too far

In the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Strip casinos laid off more than 10,000 workers, delayed expansions and scaled back construction jobs.

19 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Already, CityCenter’s scale, complexity unparalleled

For all the stories I’ve written about CityCenter, the largest construction project in the country, nothing could have prepared me for the experience of standing in the middle of it this week.

16 May 2008
By Liz Benston

Fremont Street: A block with experience

The canopy of lights that hangs over Fremont Street has a bit of a hypnotic, and fully intentional, effect on the people below. Walking through a crowd of hundreds who stand perfectly still, eyes cast upward on the synchronized 12.5 million LED lights and ears tuned to the 550,000-watt sound system is one of the city's most whimsical experiences.

15 May 2008
By Rob Ponte
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