Richard N. Velotta

Story Archive

Nevadans appointed to high-speed train commission
Monday, Jan. 11, 2010
Three Nevada residents have been appointed to the California-Nevada Super Speed Train Commission, the organization that is working to build a magnetic levitation train between Las Vegas and Anaheim, Calif.
Harrah's settles complaint over sports book violation
Monday, Jan. 11, 2010
Representatives of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. have signed an agreement with the state Gaming Control Board settling a complaint involving the rescission of three sports wagers in violation of state gaming regulations.
Harrah’s looks to settle sports book complaint for $100,000
Friday, Jan. 8, 2010
Representatives of Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. have signed an agreement with the state Gaming Control Board settling a complaint involving the rescission of three sports wagers in violation of state gaming regulations.
Top tourism stories of 2010 to include big changes
Friday, Jan. 8, 2010
At last, we’ve pushed dreadful 2009 out the door, and we can look forward to new and, hopefully, better times ahead.
Puff of air controls new computer mouse
Thursday, Jan. 7, 2010
Remember the first time you used a computer mouse?
It probably was a somewhat clunky experience that you got the hang of in a minute or so. And it opened the door to navigating around your computer with ease.
US Airways pilots seek support for reversing Las Vegas cuts
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010
Tim Ellis considers himself one of the lucky ones. An Airbus A320 pilot with US Airways since 1996, Ellis found himself with three options – all of them bad – when his company announced major cuts of flights to and from McCarran International Airport in February. “I was either going to get laid off, I could take a transfer to another base, probably Phoenix, or I could commute,” said Ellis, a Las Vegas resident for nearly 19 years.
Regulators recommend Carl Icahn’s plans for Nevada properties
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010
The state Gaming Control Board today recommended approval of the licensing of Carl Icahn’s Tropicana Entertainment LLC to control three Nevada properties and position the company to oversee nine casinos in four states. The board unanimously recommended the licensing of Tropicana Entertainment to control the MontBleu casino in Stateline and the Tropicana Express and River Palms casinos in Laughlin.
Las Vegas braces for 110,000 at Consumer Electronics Show
Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2010
The 2010 Consumer Electronics Show isn’t exactly like old times, but the Las Vegas tourism industry has geared up for it with high hopes.
The kickoff event of the city’s 2010 convention calendar is expected to be attended by some 110,000 people.
Inaugural U.S.-China business summit draws 1,200 in Las Vegas
Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010
Government agencies and corporations are hoping Chinese-American small businesses will participate in minority business certification programs to increase the likelihood that they can win contracts and become suppliers.
Las Vegas hopes to blitz Super Bowl with ads
Friday, Jan. 1, 2010
Executives with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and its contracted advertising agency, R&R Partners, will meet early this month to determine if the city’s popular “What happens here, stays here” television ads can be aired during the Super Bowl.
Q&A: Kevin Kelley, executive vice president and COO, Station Casinos
Friday, Jan. 1, 2010
Kevin Kelley’s 30-year gaming industry career has spanned nearly every aspect of casino operations from valet attendant to chief operating officer, with three companies on two continents.
McCarran traffic up slightly in November; year is down
Friday, Jan. 1, 2010
Traffic at McCarran International Airport was up slightly in November compared with a year ago, and the airport’s busiest carrier, Southwest Airlines, had its most improved month of the year with a 9.3 percent increase in passengers.
NFL rule changes allow Las Vegas ads during Super Bowl
Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009
Executives with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and their contracted advertising agency, R&R Partners, will meet early next month to determine if the city’s popular “What happens here, stays here” television ads could be aired in the Super Bowl broadcast.
McCarran traffic flat for November, Southwest sees improvement
Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2009
Traffic at McCarran International Airport was flat in November compared with a year ago, but the airport’s busiest carrier, Southwest Airlines, had its most improved month of the year with a 9.3 percent increase in passengers.
Hard Rock Hotel investor granted state gaming license
Michigan-based Taubman Centers also had interest in other Las Vegas properities
Friday, Dec. 18, 2009
A major player in retail shopping centers has received a Nevada gaming license after investing in the company that owns Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel.
Luring rodeo to Las Vegas jump-started city’s special events strategy 25 years ago
Friday, Dec. 18, 2009
Former Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board member Berlyn Miller enjoys telling the story about how Las Vegas roped the National Finals Rodeo away from Oklahoma City in 1984.
Alliance pushes high-speed train corridor
Friday, Dec. 18, 2009
A newly created alliance of local transit agencies will try to persuade federal authorities that stimulus money should be used on high-speed rail corridor studies, a move that could put Las Vegas back on the map as a railroad town.
MGM Mirage execs gather to mark opening of CityCenter
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009
The countdown is nearly over. For months, MGM Mirage, the managing partner of the $8.5 billion CityCenter, has tantalized the public with a reminder of how many days it would be before Aria would be “revealed to the world.”
Water — swirling, spewing, frozen — to entertain visitors at CityCenter
Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2009
Most Las Vegas residents already know the work of Mark Fuller, chief excellence officer of Southern California-based WET. Millions of Strip visitors have been awed and entertained by the fountains of Bellagio, one of the signature attractions of the hotel that debuted in 1998, and by the renovated Mirage volcano, redesigned with a grander eruption just last year.
Taxicab Authority scrutinizes residential pickups
Monday, Dec. 14, 2009
You’ve got a plane to catch. You’ve called one of the local taxicab companies to get a ride to the airport from your Las Vegas home. You wait. And wait. And wait …
New technology was key behind development of CityCenter's Aria, president says
Monday, Dec. 14, 2009
The doors open Wednesday at Aria, the centerpiece of MGM Mirage’s new CityCenter development. The company turned the keys over to Bill McBeath, a UNLV Alumnus of the Year who joined the company in 1987.
Cox Communications rolls out faster Internet service
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
Cox Communications is laying claim to having the fastest broadband Internet speeds in the state with this week’s rollout of its new Ultimate Internet service.
Chicago baseball a marketing target for LVCVA
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
Big League Weekend, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority-sponsored special event that brings Major League Baseball teams to the city during spring training, will have a distinct Chicago flavor next
year.
Residential taxi pickups studied
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
The Nevada Taxicab Authority has begun researching problems relating to issues surrounding residential service standards for the taxi industry.
Q&A: Bill McBeath
President and COO, Aria
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
If you build a resort with the lofty expectations associated with CityCenter, you can’t hand over the keys to just anybody.
CityCenter to turn more of us into valet users, pedestrians
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
I’ve never been much of a valet guy, but when CityCenter is up and running, I may have to become one.
New chamber chairwoman emphasizes Las Vegas resiliency
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce doesn’t expect any philosophical changes in its government advocacy role under its new leadership.
High-speed rail alliance wants federal stimulus money
Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009
The newly created Western High-Speed Rail Alliance wants the Federal Railroad Administration to make stimulus money available to regional transportation commissions to fund high-speed rail corridor studies.
‘Bullet train’ operator pitches technology for rail projects
Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2009
Japanese rail experts say developers of high-speed rail in the American Southwest should consider safety features to protect passengers from derailments resulting from earthquakes.
Airline partnerships can leave you cramped
Major carriers’ trips often flown by smaller outfits
Monday, Dec. 7, 2009
Among the effects of the economy on the airline industry is major airlines’ increased reliance on small, regional carriers to offset cutbacks in their own flight schedules.
High-speed rail proving ground proposed in North Las Vegas
Researchers want facility to study, test next-generation rail systems
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009
Organizations that have worked to educate Southern Nevadans about various high-speed rail systems want to build a research and development center and proving grounds in North Las Vegas that could show transit systems in action side by side.
CityCenter’s Mandarin Oriental makes Vegas debut
Luxury hotel is the third and final CityCenter property opening this week
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009
One of the world’s most prestigious hotel brands made its Las Vegas debut today when the 47-story Mandarin Oriental opened at the $8.5 billion CityCenter. It was the third building of this week’s phased opening at MGM Mirage’s Strip resort campus and sets the stage for the Dec. 16 launch of Aria.
Airline downsizing shifts passengers to smaller regional jets
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009
One aspect of airline capacity downsizing really hasn’t affected travel to and from McCarran International Airport — and hopefully that trend will continue.
New LV company puts customers behind wheel of Lamborghinis, Ferraris
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009
One of Europe’s most successful auto racing schools has set up shop at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, giving customers the opportunity to drive a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche or Aston Martin on the track.
Public gets first look at CityCenter with opening of three properties
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009
Since May 2006, when MGM Mirage imploded the Boardwalk Hotel on the Strip, Las Vegas residents have patiently waited to see what the state’s largest employer had in store for the 76 acres of prime real estate between Bellagio and Monte Carlo.
Experts predict Las Vegas Sands casino will dominate Singapore market
Gaming giant’s resort is expected to generate billions
Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2009
The world’s newest gaming venue will be halfway around the world — with a Las Vegas company in the center of the competition. Experts say the Marina Bay Sands will likely be the more visible and enduring property of two opening in Singapore in early 2010.
Casino venue in Singapore will have Las Vegas flavor
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
The world's newest gaming venue will be halfway around the world, but a Las Vegas company will be in the center of the competition.
Allegiant defies aviation convention with 20 percent growth in sight
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
In an industry buffeted by economic turbulence, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air has found a tail wind, expecting 20 percent growth over the next four to five years.
G2E trots out server-based games (yawn), and little new content
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
How appropriate it was for this year’s Global Gaming Expo at the Las Vegas Convention Center to be parked next door to the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions.
Experts say online gaming in U.S. still a long shot
Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
A survey of 260 gaming industry professionals indicated most expect the legalization and regulation of Internet gambling in the United States would be the world’s top industry story in 2010.
In workplaces, even here, help can be hard to come by
Sunday, Nov. 22, 2009
If a co-worker has a few too many drinks during an after-work get-together, it’s common for a colleague to take his car keys away. Maybe the colleague or a supervisor will keep an eye on him for other telltale signs of alcohol abuse. But that isn’t the way it usually works with a gambling addict, panelists said at the National Center for Responsible Gaming’s conference on gambling and addiction last week at Mandalay Bay.
LV Chamber hires CEO recruiter to find successor
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has begun its search to replace longtime President and CEO Kara Kelley.
Gaming regulators, manufacturers disagree on computer-code writers
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
State gaming regulators and slot machines manufacturers are at odds over how Nevada should monitor independent contractors hired to write computer codes for new or updated machines.
Visitation figures finally up, but Las Vegas can’t start partying yet
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
It has been awhile since Southern Nevada tourism leaders had anything to cheer about after months of visitor volume declines.
Veterans get Las Vegas salute at Venetian’s ‘wounded warrior’ event
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
The Great Hall at the Venetian was lined with shouting, sign-carrying employees, but this was no organized labor demonstration.
LV companies in denial about problem gambling
Friday, Nov. 20, 2009
If a co-worker has a few too many drinks during an after-work get-together, it’s common for a colleague to take his car keys away. Maybe the colleague or a supervisor would keep an eye on him for other telltale signs of alcohol abuse.
Threat seen to Nevada’s sports betting monopoly
State regulator says need for new revenue will force other jurisdictions to turn to wagering on athletics
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009
Nevada will face competition for race and sports books, a state gaming regulator predicts.
Gaming Control Board recommends licensing of CityCenter
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
MGM Mirage’s CityCenter cleared a major hurdle today as the state Gaming Control Board unanimously recommended licensing of the $8.5 billion development.
Auto shows get creative to drive attendance
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
With the sluggish Las Vegas convention industry and the sputtering automotive industry, local tourism leaders were asking an important question last week: Just how good would this year’s Specialty Equipment Market Association show be for business?
Get ready for sports book competition, regulator says
Friday, Nov. 13, 2009
Nevada will face competition for race and sports books, a state gaming regulator predicts.