Unless something derails the deal (and how often has that happened with the Trumpster’s Atlantic City casinos?) the Trump Marina will soon become the Margaritaville casino resort. From the AC Press:

Trump Marina Hotel Casino is being sold in a $316 million deal that will transform the poorest-performing property in Donald Trump’s gaming empire into a “Margaritaville” casino of singer Jimmy Buffett fame.

The buyer is Coastal Marina LLC, an affiliate of Coastal Development LLC, a New York company headed by former-Trump-business-associate-turned-enemy Richard T. Fields. As part of the Marina sale, Trump has agreed to end a four-year legal battle that accused Fields of cheating him out of developing the Hard Rock casinos with the Seminole Tribe in Florida.

“They’re getting a terrific building in a great location and a wonderful potential redevelopment site,” Trump said in an interview Thursday after the sale was announced.

Fields plans to rebrand the Marina into a Margaritaville concept in partnership with Buffett, the singer-songwriter whose career has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years thanks to his legions of “Parrothead” fans. Buffet’s 1977 hit song “Margaritaville” reflects the ultimate laid-back lifestyle of soaking up the sun and margaritas in Key West, or “wastin’ away again in Margaritaville.”

“Together with Jimmy Buffett’s team at Margaritaville, our plans are to create an exciting new property that we believe will tap its full potential and make it one of the most successful destination gaming resorts in Atlantic City,” Fields said.

Harrah’s Entertainment Inc., owner of four Atlantic City casinos, is developing the Margaritaville Casino & Resort in Biloxi, Miss., also featuring a Buffett-inspired theme.

Trump Marina to become “Margaritaville” casino in $316M. sale

If you click over to read the whole story, you’ll see a few interesting details: Coastal paid more than $20 million an acre for the Marina, which would seem to be well above market. But since Atlantic City casinos tend to be on a smaller footprint than their Strip counterparts, I don’t know if I would value a casino transaction based on its acreage. Casino income is probably a better yardstick.

Now, what about “Margaritaville?” I think it’s a great idea. The casino itself isn’t much, but the marina is a real amenity that I think has been under-played in the past. Harrah’s let their marina silt up (or something; I’m not sure of the details) and has it sitting idle, which I think is really short-sighted. First of all, they are cutting themselves off from a lot of potential players–boats aren’t exactly cheap, and I think that you’re going to find some high-value players among the people who care enough about their recreation that they buy themselves a boat. Like casino gambling, it’s not the sort of purchase that generates a return on your investment. Second, having abandoned boat slips and decaying wood surrounding your property’s best feature–its waterfront–is downright idiotic.

I’m still trying to figure out exactly why Trump initially called the casino “Trump’s Castle.” It’s not like he’s Merlin or something–you wouldn’t be expecting him to live in a castle. So it’s 1985, you’ve got a building designed to look like a Hilton with a marina on the bay in Atlantic City, and you call it Trump’s Castle? Why? Why not “Trump Bayside Tower” or the name they eventually migrated to, Trump Marina?

I can see how the Margartiaville name and vibe will work really well for that property. It won’t be competing head to head with Borgata, for one. A few years ago I heard Bob Boughner speak about designing the Borgata and he said that when they were developing and branding it, they decided that if it was a watch, it would be a Movado–a recognizable luxury item that’s still within reach for many people. I can see Margaritaville being a Timex with sand stuck under the band that’s running a few minutes late–but it doesn’t matter. The luxe wave–Borgata, Harrah’s revamp, and the coming Revel–will appeal to many people, but so will Margaritaville, especially in Atlantic City.

Needless to say, this name would not have worked for the big casino resort at City Center.

And if the headline is unclear, Trump Marina is on Huron Avenue.

What makes Las Vegas…Las Vegas? John Pryzbys (it’s pronounced like “frisbee” but with a “b,” if you’re curious) has an article that asks that question in today’s RJ. And I’m one of the ones who offered some answers. From, naturally, the LVRJ:

What is Las Vegas?

A place. An idea. A stereotype. And, for those of us who happen to live here, a city that defines us in ways we probably don’t even realize.

Las Vegas is a place steeped in contradiction and shaped, either subtly or overtly, by both natural and man-made forces that, in turn, shape us.

That’s why we batted around this question: What are the basic forces — things, ideas, conditions — that define Las Vegas and make it different from any other place in the world?

Here are our conclusions. We don’t pretend that our conclusions are the final word. Feel free to do some batting around of your own.

VARIETY OF INFLUENCES: What Makes Las Vegas Las Vegas

Here’s what I had to say about “transience:”

Some newcomers, Schwartz says, have a “boomtown mentality.” They want to get everything they can out of Las Vegas and move on. “We’re like a modern-day Virginia City or Goldfield or Searchlight with nicer buildings.

“People move here and think, ‘I’m going to get a great job and make $50,000 parking cars, and I’ll do that a couple years, save up, buy a house, get a lot of equity, trade out and move back home.’ And it doesn’t always work.”

It’s an interesting question–a sort of “why is this night different from all other nights?” query that leads to more questions than an actual answer.

One could write a whole book on the subject. Or two.

I’m fooling around with using ScribeFire to create posts, so this might not work. Hopefully it does, because I really think people should check out this neat feature at Vegas Tripping, a detailed rumination on the evolution of Las Vegas casino logos:

But what is it that makes for a successful logo in Las Vegas? How does
a casino’s logo typographically distill a properties essence into a
single, identifiable mark? What does a continually changing logo tell
us about the validity of given properties theme or identity?

Vegas Casino Logos – Turning A Name Into A Vibe – VegasTripping.com

Chuckmonster’s done a great job of running down how several MGM Mirage logos have changed over the past few years.

A while back I was doing some research on casinos in the 1970s, and I was amazed at how haphazard many of the logos were. Different publications used really different logos and typefaces for the same casino, and there didn’t seem to be any real rhyme or reason for it. I’m almost positive there was no professional design firm at work; instead, it was just whatever the ad designers had lying around that filled the space.

One thing’s clear: casino names are getting less directly evocative these days. There’s not the same immediate semantic difference between, say, Echelon and Cosmopolitan than there was between the Stardust and the Tropicana.

Now that I think about, I might be cherry-picking there. For a while, Strip casino names tended to reference the desert (Sahara, Sands, Dunes, Aladdin, Desert Inn). And names like Riviera and Last Frontier were hardly unique, particularly when Las Vegas itself was promoting itself as “the last frontier.” Even Stardust and Tropicana are kind of vague, though you get the point that one of them will have sparkly things on the ceiling and the other will have lots of water and vegetation. Don’t ask me how the Tiffany glass windows got into the mix over at the Trop, or the ski chalet lowrises. Clearly, someone was going off message.

Maybe we should give Jay Sarno credit for bringing specific names and property identities to the Strip. As Chuck pointed out, the Circus Circus logo hasn’t changed since he opened the place, and the Caesars Palace typeface has remained the same. There was a big logo change, though. Originally, the logo was a fat Caesar lying on a couch being fed grapes by two girls, but in the 1980s they dumped that for the angry-looking centurion. What better way to say, “the corporate era is here?”

In any event, that’s a great feature that everyone should read.

And there’s also a great review of Hooters up, with an embedded video that answers the question, “what do the air conditioners at Hooters sound like?”

Here’s a brand new review for a book that’s only been out a little more than a month! Am I on the ball, or what? And it’s not a random book that I’ve plucked from the shelves at Lied Library–it’s a poker book.

And it’s a good one. Read on, and you’ll see what I think about the book, as well as my ruminations about history, ghosts, and poker.
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It’s hard to believe, but one of the oldest gambling con games is alive and well in the shadow of the Las Vegas Strip. I snapped some pictures of a shell game in action on Monday between the Tropicana and Hooters. Technically that’s not the Strip, but it’s in the Strip tourist corridor, so the headline is accurate. Click through to see indisputable photographic evidence and some homespun analysis.
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Casinos have been Atlantic City for thirty years, and there are still some people who remember Day One. From the AC Press:
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Maybe someday I’ll write a children’s story with that title. It doesn’t have the fanciful longing of My Father’s Dragon, but maybe it’s appropriate for today’s lowered horizons.

I just thought I’d fool around with WordPress’s photo uploading and provide some commentary on life in Vegas. You’ve really got to see this–a sociologist could spin a whole article about anomie or something out of this.
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Las Vegas entertainment is usually pretty predictable. You might see a comic, a singer, a revue show, a big production extravaganza, or a headline entertainer, which could mix any of these. But as the Las Vegas Sun reports, a new, seemingly anomalous presence is taking over Strip showrooms: psychics bent on exploiting grief. It seems a strange combination. Keep reading for an excerpt of the story, and my extended thoughts on the phenomenon.
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This is another paperback I discovered in the catacombs of the UNLV Special Collections stacks. The tagline is what sold me: “The most beautiful girls in Las Vegas couldn’t stop Eddie from winning.” Also, Library Journal called it “a groovy novel.” So, I figured, it’s about a card-counting Greg Brady. This might make for an entertaining 250 pages. It was really, really weird.
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I’ve got a more in-depth look at the Canadian responsible gaming monitors in the LVBP. Here’s a snippet:

Recently, the British Columbia government announced plans to hire nine “responsible gambling information officers.” These new deputies of safe gaming will spend their working hours hanging out in casinos throughout the Canadian province, looking for “distressed gamblers” with whom they will discuss gambling.

Like many Las Vegans, you may not be quite sure what to make of this news. Is this a case of our Canadian brethren (or at least their elected officials) having a more finely developed social conscience than us hardscrabble, self-reliant Nevadans, or just the nanny state run amok?

Canada sends problem-gambling monitors to casinos

Strangely, what I thought was the most uncontroversial part of the piece: that “The industry has an obligation to ensure that all of the games are actually as they are advertised,” and that players have the right to learn about game odds, was reprinted below the column under the header “Sounding Off.” I don’t know if this means that I was sounding off when I said this, or that readers are welcome to write in defending the right of Nevada casinos to surreptitiously alter the odds of the game. I’d like to see someone write in to say that if a casino wants to take all of the tens out of their blackjack shoes without saying so, it’s totally cool with them as a player. It might be fun, just to see someone’s head explode with fury over at the Las Vegas Advisor.

I’m back with a brand-new review of a nine year-old book. This is another example of a book jumping off the shelves of UNLV Libraries and into my hands based on little more than a hunch and a quick judge of the book’s cover. Figuring that any book that’s about magicians and features the erstwhile Barbary Coast bullnose on the cover can’t be too bad, I jumped in. I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out one last contributing factor: I saw The Prestige a few weeks ago, so I’m particularly open to reading a book about the underside of magicians. So, in a nutshell, I’m basing my opinions on 9 year-old books that I’ve just seen on two year-old movies that I’ve just watched.

I’m not convinced that books improve with age, but the good ones certainly do. And, as you’ll read, this is a very, very good book.
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I’ve done one last thing before putting site work away for the weekend: I’ve changed the background graphic. If you don’t believe me, hit F5, and you’ll see.

Originally, the background just featured elements from the Bellagio carpet, but it now features bits and pieces of at least a half-dozen. Can you guess any of them? Hint: They aren’t all from Las Vegas.

C’mon, give it a shot…that’s what comments are for.

I’ve also spruced up the title graphic, as you’ll see. I tried the monochromatic look for a few days, thinking that I’d focus more attention on the text. But after I had time to think about it, it just looked boring. After experimenting with color, I’ve decided to add motion.

I’ve always been fascinated by carnivals, carnies, and con-artists. Two of my favorite books, the novel Nightmare Alley and Julian Prosauker’s Suckers All!, the story of honest John Kelly, are set in this milieu. So how does a more recent memoir of life on the carnival pitch fair? Let’s see.
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Back in 2004, my editor at Gotham gave me an advance copy of this to read on one of my trips to New York. I started reading it in the Port Authority bus terminal while waiting for the trusty NJ Transit 312 to take me back to Atlantic City, and didn’t put it down until I finished it, somewhere south of Tom’s River. I think that says it all. This was a fantastic story, one that all Americans should read, particularly as we consider our commitments to a military presence in both Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s still relevant in 2008, as we are in the midst of another election cycle where the war is a rightfully major issue.

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It looks like Star Trek: The Experience might be leaving the Las Vegas Hilton. From the LVRJ:

The lease on the biggest nerd magnet since the International Consumer Electronics Show expires at the end of the year, and a spokesperson for owners Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. told the Web site TrekMovie.com “there are currently no plans to renew” it.

If Cedar Fair were to beam Experience out of the Hilton, it could mark the demise of a 10-year run that has made Las Vegas the center of the universe for fans of the seminal science fiction franchise.
…
The lease on the biggest nerd magnet since the International Consumer Electronics Show expires at the end of the year, and a spokesperson for owners Cedar Fair Entertainment Co. told the Web site TrekMovie.com “there are currently no plans to renew” it.

If Cedar Fair were to beam Experience out of the Hilton, it could mark the demise of a 10-year run that has made Las Vegas the center of the universe for fans of the seminal science fiction franchise.
Experience Ending: Hilton Star Trek attraction may seek out new life elsewhere

The Experience isn’t cheap: it costs $37.99 for two rides and access to the museum, which I think is the most interesting part of the whole place.

It would be a shame to see the Experience close, since it obviously caters to a demographic that many other Vegas outlets don’t:

TrekMovie.com editor-in-chief Anthony Pascale stopped short of saying Experience would bolt, but he said it didn’t look good for Trekkies who make a pilgrimage to the Hilton as part of their Las Vegas vacations.

“It is the premiere, and right now only, live Star Trek attraction in the world,” Pascale said. “A lot of nerd weddings go on at that place.”

My biggest problem with ST:TE is not with the attraction itself, but with the Hilton’s SpaceQuest casino. That’s the section of the casino that surrounds ST:TE. I don’t think they did a very good job of giving the SpaceQuest casino a Star Trek look. It’s just generic space-looking, with no design elements from any of the Star Trek shows or movies at all. And out of all of the artifacts from the show they could have used in the display cases, the most prominent one they used was the salt monster from an early episode of the original series–not exactly a recognizable icon. When you imagine the potential, it’s a real let-down.

That being said, I’d like to see the Hilton and Cedar Fair not only keep ST:TE, but upgrade it. I think it’s just good business. You’d have to work pretty hard to find an attraction that would have the same immediate draw as a Star Trek one–you figure each Trekkie who comes to Vegas has to visit it at least once. In an industry that is warming up to the value of branding, an association with one of the entertainment world’s most recognizable brands seems to be a slam dunk.

I don’t think so, you might say. The Trek franchise is moribund–the last show went off the air three years ago. Yes, but I think that it’s due for a revival. There’s a new movie in production, due to open next May. And it’s a complete re-start of the franchise: J. J. Abrams, the creative force behind Lost, is directing it, so I’d expect something really, really good. Closing the attraction a few months before a major movie’s released just seems so obviously short-sighted to me. Why not just extend the agreement for another year, at the very least, or commit some money to tweak the museum and, just maybe, develop a new ride that ties in with the movie?

I’ve got a can’t miss idea: they should add a theater and stage a new show: a musical extravaganza version of the vaunted Trek classic A Night in Sickbay.

I originally reviewed this for the Pennsylvania Review of History. As you’ll see, it’s a provocative book that might make you rethink just how lucky you are.

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When I worked casino security, I used to enjoy seeing all sorts of strange items turn up in the lost and found. But I never got anyone arrested, like these folks did. From foxnews:

A man has been charged in Kitsap County for possession of a controlled substance after he made the mistake of attempting to retrieve a bag containing methamphetamine from the Suquamish Casino’s lost-and-found.

The casino’s security officer alerted the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office when the bag was found to contain three knives, a bag of white crystals identified as meth, some jewelry, a small digital scale and some blood pressure medication.

The 33-year-old Seattle man’s identification was also in the bag, which was turned in by a customer.

As a deputy was speaking with the security officer this week, the man came up and told him he was looking for his missing black bag. The man confirmed the bag was his and a deputy placed him under arrest.

The man was also charged with possession of prescription drugs without a prescription and possession of a dangerous weapon.

Man Busted for Retrieving Meth From Casino’s Lost-and-Found

It’s an interesting mix: drugs, knives, jewelry, and an ID. I bet they had a ball writing up that report.

This is probably going to make it into one of those “America’s Dumbest Criminals” shows.

With much, but not all of the site work done, I’m taking a bold leap back into the gaming news blogosphere today.

I haven’t heard much about this possible bidder for the Columbia Sussex casino empire, but that might just be because I’ve spent more time poring over css style sheets than reading the news. And before you ask, I’m not related to Gerald Schwartz. From ReportonBusiness.com:

Onex Corp. is ready to place a bet on the U.S. gambling industry, with struggling casino icon Tropicana Entertainment LLC a potential target for Gerald Schwartz’s buyout firm.

Onex has top-end help in its hunt for a gambling deal, teaming up with Alex Yemenidjian, the former president of Kirk Kerkorian’s MGM Grand casino empire. The firm is employing the same strategy in another beat-up business, building products, where Onex has joined with Masonite International Corp. founder Philip Orsino to seek deals.

In gambling, the focus isn’t just on the neon and flash of the Las Vegas strip, where the Tropicana is a well-known name in lights, but in more out-of-the-way places. Onex made a bid for Gateway Casinos Income Fund, which runs gambling operations in Western Canada, but fell short in that 2007 takeover battle.

Onex eyes move into gambling

I wouldn’t exactly call Columbia Sussex a “casino icon,” but what do I know?

Onex is a private equity company:

We also pursue opportunities to create value by putting a portion of Onex’ substantial cash resources to work in additional asset classes that we believe will generate superior returns. Through Onex Real Estate Partners, our acquisition partnership with a team of highly experienced industry professionals, we are investing in high-quality commercial and multi-unit residential real estate. We may invest in other asset classes where we believe we can achieve appropriate returns and where the activities can lead to acquisition opportunities.

I wonder if the US/Canadian exchange rate would make this a good bet for Onex? At the very least, TropEnt owns some pretty valuable real estate on the Strip.

Re-reading after seven years, I’m struck by two things: I’m not entirely comfortable reviewing books that I don’t like, and the general quality of writing about Las Vegas has not much improved.

Let me explain: as a writer, I absolutely hate saying negative things about other writers. I know how hard it is to find the discipline and vision to write a book, then go through rounds of revisions and editorial haggling. To do all this and then see your work ripped to shreds is just heart-breaking.

But sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, I’ve heard, and sometimes the writer isn’t the victim, the reader is. Maybe the writer took a nice advance then realized that he didn’t have anything meaningful to say on the topic. In that case, I’ve got no pity: I’ve been offered projects that I didn’t feel I could do justice to, and I’ve turned them down, even though it meant passing up a payday. Before I start writing, I feel an obligation to the reader to approach the topic in good faith.

And the more crap that’s out there, particularly the more well-marketed crap, the less room there is for real writing in the book ecosystem: it’s literary kudzu, or snakeheads, or whatever invasive species you can think of. Theodore Sturgeon was probably right when he said “ninety-five percent of everything is crap,” and in regard to Las Vegas/gambling that’s probably a generous estimate. But since for whatever reason I’m in a position to have some influence, I try to encourage good writing. I’m not saying I practice it or anything, I’m just saying I can recognize it and, like a soused undergrad seeing that guy from his o-chem class across the haze of a frat party, say, with an equivalent nod of the head, “Dude!”

As you’ll see, I’m not saying “dude” for this book.

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I originally reviewed this for the Nevada Historical Society Quarterly. Written three years before Positively Fifth Street, this book pioneered the literary take on the World Series of Poker genre.
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