In a story that has only one obvious typo–nice work, editors!–we learn that, if you give people something besides warmed-over singers and comics in your showrooms, you can actually attract new people to Atlantic City casinos. Outstanding! From the AC Press:

Casino shows used to feature aging crooners and old comics like Henny Youngman, who peddled ancient jokes like, “Take my wife. Please.”

More recently, national celebrities – such as Dr. Oz, Giada DeLaurentis and Guy Fieri – are coming to town.

“What we’re trying to do in Atlantic City is really differentiate ourselves,” said Jennifer Weissman, regional vice president of marketing for Harrah’s Entertainment, especially since Pennsylvania slot parlors started pulling Philadelphia customers.

So casinos now feature lifestyle celebrities – people who will coach you about everything from the food you eat to the clothes you wear and the relationship you’re in.

“It gives greater, more diverse reasons to visit Atlantic City. We want to change the mind-set of someone who has never come to Atlantic City,” Weissman said.

And it seems to be working.

Customers filled showrooms for a “Food and Wine Spectacular” at the four Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. casinos this weekend.

Atlantic City casinos feature more “lifestyle celebrities”

It’s nice that someone’s on the ball over there. If you’re wondering about the typo, it’s not that big a deal–they just got the one of the most recognizable brand names in the world wrong in a particularly embarrassing way. No, they didn’t call it “Caesar’s Atlantic City,” which is an interesting idea, but actually is grammatically correct, though it violates the standard apostrophe-less usage. They called it “Caesers.” Ugg,

Also, I’m a little surprised that the Press’s editors assume that all of their readers know who “Dr. Oz” is and why he’s a celebrity. Personally, I had no idea who he was, but a quick google revealed that he’s a cardiologist who’s been on Oprah and spreads the revolutionary message that people should be “take charge of their health” or something like that. If he can get people to push away from the buffet without hitting max bet on the prime rib, maybe he really is America’s Greatest Doctor.

There’s a little bit of irony in a casino hosting an event where the speaker tells you how to get healthy because when you look at it critically, casinos can be very unhealthful places: rich food, free-flowing alcohol, second-hand smoke (oops! not in Atlantic City anymore), and lots of sedentary recreation. I guess you could argue that the adrenaline rush of gambling speeds your pulse and is somehow exercise, but you could say the same thing about getting mugged.

I know the above paragraph is laden with casino stereotypes–I may get an angry email or two reminding me about all of the “healthy alternatives” in casino restaurants and the impressive exercise facilities available. But I think that in this case, these stereotypes are rooted in reality. As always, though, I’m happy to hear evidence to the contrary.

Most everyone knows that gaming revenues have dipped a bit, but it’s not every day that the Economist covers Las Vegas, so here it is:

THE media had a field day recently when Charles Barkley, a retired basketball player, was forced to pay a gambling debt of $400,000 owed to Wynn Resorts, a Las Vegas casino operator. It may seem churlish to chase a star as big as the “Round Mound of Rebound” for anything less than a seven-figure sum. But after a long boom, the industry faces a rare slowdown and belts are tightening across Sin City.

Gambling has long been considered all but recession-proof. Only twice have overall revenues on the Las Vegas Strip fallen since it took over from the downtown as America’s gambling hotspot in the late 1980s—most recently after the attacks of September 11th 2001—and both dips were short and shallow. Gamblers, they say, will keep betting as the economy slows, still hoping for that big win.

But Vegas is less about gambling than it used to be. Today only 41% of its revenues come from betting, down from 58% in 1990. These days people are as likely to come for shopping, shows and fine dining as for blackjack or baccarat; the Forum Shops, at Caesar’s Palace, has the highest sales per square foot of any American mall. Today’s visitors are more likely to be worried by broader economic woes than the punters who used to flock to the city were, says Bill Lerner of Deutsche Bank.

A cut in the wages of sin

It’s always good to get an outsider’s perspective on what’s going on here. I learned a new factoid: that Las Vegas now has 7% of all the hotel rooms in America. That’s staggering.

It’s also nice to be identified as an optimist in the penultimate paragraph. I really think that it’s usually not as good as people think, or as bad as people think. And as I’ve always said, with a finite number of people in the world who are able or willing to vacation in Las Vegas, there is definitely an upper limit to the number of hotel rooms that the city can support. Ultimately, the market will determine what that limit is.

Did you like all of those helpful statistics in there? I’m about 99% sure that they came from the Center for Gaming Research’s Gaming Abstract, and this is exactly why we’ve put so much energy into assembling it. It’s refreshing to see it get some good use.

There’s a great contest happening over at VegasTripping. Win, and you could get a very rare and obscenely valuable signed copy of Roll the Bones, plus and unsigned copy of the mostly-overlooked Rush CD, Roll the Bones. It’s a good deal, even if Alice in Chains’ Dirt is the real theme album for the book–at least that’s what I was thinking when I wrote it.

Guess what, it’s the 21st century, and one of the guys running for president collects good luck charms. From The Swamp:

The Obama campaign plays Las Vegas today, staging another “Change That Works for You” rally.

En route, the presidential candidate was asked what lucky charms work for him.

Curious about items that Obama had fished out of his pocket during a question and answer session with bakery workers in New Mexico on Monday, a reporter asked the senator how many lucky charms he carries with him.

Obama said he cannot carry the complete collection on the road.

“I try to select a number on any given day,” Obama said.

Obama’s lucky poker chip

Lucky charms, huh? I wonder if he has an astrologer working on his schedule.

I know this is probably tongue-in-cheek, but it strikes me as a little goofy. I don’t know that a presidential candidate fishing through his pockets really does it for me. I just picture him pulling out a button, then a bus pass, and finally a rabbit’s foot.

Plus, it’s just so typical of today’s political candidates that he doesn’t have just one lucky charm, he’s got a whole drawer full of them that he can mix and match to suit his constituency of the day. It seems that we’re producing public figures who are passionately committed to not making decisions about anything. Sure, it’s a trivial thing, but doesn’t the minutiae of your daily life say a lot about your character? It’s like Hillary Clinton not being able to give an answer, even a sardonic one, to the legendary question of diamonds or pearls (you’ll have to scroll way, way down to see the original).

I’m not saying that we want political candidates to have rigid, dogmatic personalities, but they should be able to take a public stand on something.

I still think that some sort of poker game should be part of a bigger series of challenges that all candidates have to face, like a drug test, intelligence and reasoning assessment, and detailed, thoughtful responses to a series of policy questions. If we’re going to turn politics into entertainment, can’t it at least be…entertaining?

Reading this article by Virginia Postrel, I started thinking about how “inconspicuous consumption” might translate on the Las Vegas Strip. Then I got back to work. But then I figured I should share some thoughts with the rest of you. Here’s just the most relevant part of the article, which you should read in its entirety at The Atlantic:

Virtuous or vulgar, what all these items have in common is that they’re invisible to strangers. Only your friends and family see them. Any status they confer applies only within the small group you invite to your home. And the snob appeal Brooks pokes fun at corresponds to the size of the audience. Many friends may see your Jacuzzi or media room, but unless you’re on HGTV, only intimates will tour your master bathroom. A slate shower stall may make you feel rich, but it won’t tell the world that you are. As peer groups get richer, the balance between private pleasure and publicly visible consumption shifts.

Russ Alan Prince and Lewis Schiff describe a similar pattern in their book, The Middle-Class Millionaire, which analyzes the spending habits of the 8.4million American households whose wealth is self-made and whose net worth, including their home equity, is between $1 million and $10 million. Aside from a penchant for fancy cars, these millionaires devote their luxury dollars mostly to goods and services outsiders can’t see: concierge health care, home renovations, all sorts of personal coaches, and expensive family vacations. They focus less on impressing strangers and more on family- and self-improvement. Even when they invest in traditional luxuries like second homes, jets, or yachts, they prefer fractional ownership. “They’re looking for ownership to be converted into a relationship rather than an asset they have to take care of,” says Schiff. Their primary luxuries are time and attention.

The shift away from conspicuous consumption—from goods to services and experiences—can also make luxury more exclusive. Anyone with $6,000 can buy a limited-edition Bottega Veneta bag, an elaborately beaded Roberto Cavalli minidress, or a Cartier watch. Or, for the same sum, you can register for the TED conference. That $6,000 ticket entitles you to spend four days in California hearing short talks by brainy innovators, famous (Frank Gehry, Amy Tan, Brian Greene) and not-so-known. You get to mingle with smart, curious people, all of whom have $6,000 to spare. But to go to TED, you need more than cash. The conference directors have to deem you interesting enough to merit one of the 1,450 spots. It’s the intellectual equivalent of a velvet rope.

As for goods, forget showing off. “If you want to live like a billionaire, buy a $12,000 bed,” says a financial-planner friend of mine. You can’t park a mattress in your driveway, but it will last for decades and you can enjoy it every night.

Inconspicuous Consumption

Heading back to the Strip, if you are insecure about your wealth, you waste $15K by spraying expensive champagne around a nightclub. If you’re not, you spend $15K for a luxury suite with butler service.

If I have the time to do the serious research, I’d like to really write something about conspicuous vs. inconspicuous consumption on the Strip, because in recent years there has been a real shift towards the latter. In the 1990s, the best parts of the hotels were open to public view: the Mirage’s volcano, Bellagio’s lake, and, even older, the Frontier’s neon sign. Wynn LV was the first to save the best part for the paying guests: only they can really appreciate the Lake of Dreams.

And the real attraction for Wynn or Bellagio–or anything that’s planned–isn’t so much what’s happening in public, where people can see you, but the rooms, which are private.

Is this a sign of the maturing Strip market? A signal of a larger American cultural shift? I don’t know yet, but with luck I’ll have the time to look into it…must investigate further.

Under no circumstances am I encouraging anyone to see what seems, from the reviews, to be an abysmal attempt at a movie. But I’m perplexed by the throwaway reference to a Las Vegas Strip icon. From the LA Times:

BEHOLD Mike Myers.

As Guru Pitka, a self-styled Deepak Chopra wannabe whose every utterance has been pre-packaged and trademarked, he glowers from behind a flowing Rasputin beard, waxed curlicue mustache and eyebrows that arch and swoop like a roller coaster. He’s a one-man production number: You take him in the way you would, say, the Taj Mahal, or a Steve Wynn hotel lobby.

Review: ‘The Love Guru’

So what’s the meaning of that comparison? Is it sarcastic, like if I told a student, “You need to transfer to a more rigorous institution, like Princeton or a clown college?” Or is it serious, as in, “You can now get better rates on rooms at expensive Vegas hotels like the Bellagio, or the Palazzo?”

I’m not sure even the author knows. If it is sarcastic, how humbling for one of the most recognized innovators in the casino biz to be reduced to a punchline in a review of a bad movie. There is a lack of respect for casinos outside of Las Vegas–it’s hard to be taken seriously if you are serious about the business (except if you can make money off the stocks). This is why they don’t hire historians who specialize in gambling at prestigious schools like Columbia or Middle Tennessee State University.

Beyond the question of at whose expense that joke was made lies the deeper issue: A Steve Wynn-designed hotel lobby is considered enough of a cultural landmark (at least to readers of the LA Times movie reviews) that a writer can drop a reference and assume that the readers will immediately understand it.

The only Wynn lobby that’s really distinctive is the Bellagio. Most people have forgotten that the Golden Nugget was ever a Wynn property, and I can’t even bring to mind what the Treasure Island lobby looks like, even though I’ve been there plenty of times. The Mirage’s aquarium is awesome, but it’s not really a stunning architectural statement–it’s the sort of thing you might find in a dentist’s office (or Sack’o Subs on Ventnor Ave), but done up a lot bigger and nicer. WLV’s lobby is another that apparently didn’t make a huge impression on me, distinct from the rest of the place, because I’m having a very hard time visualizing it.

The Bellagio lobby, though, is something you remember, because of the Chihuly ceiling and the adjacent arboretum. I don’t remember ever seeing tourists taking pictures of any other “Steve Wynn hotel lobby,” but I guarantee that at this exact instant, there is at least one photo being snapped at the Bellagio’s.

Hey, they’ve finally posted my latest piece in the Las Vegas Business Press. Here’s a taste:

The economy, as the blurb that crawls across your television screen says, is bad. Really bad. And don’t you forget it.

For those dealing in luxury goods and services, the perception of an economic decline is just as ruinous as its reality. Whether or not we’re in a recession (not, since we haven’t had two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth) doesn’t really matter. If people believe that they need to tighten their belts, they might be disinclined to splurge.

Here in Las Vegas, the past 20 years have seen a shift toward the luxury-end of the travel market. Does this mean the Wynns, Lannis, and Adelsons who’ve ramped up the luxe factor — and their room rates — made the wrong decision? Not at all, because in an era of casino proliferation, cheapness and convenience are no longer compelling reasons to visit Nevada instead of, say, Barona resort in California or the Horseshoe in Tunica, Miss.

Regardless of whether recession is real, perceptions affect behavior

Seriously, it’s like the national media is rooting for economic decline–that’s all you hear about.

I was inspired to write this after reading the piece in Vegas Tripping 3 weeks ago about the Sahara’s “spin the wheel, make the deal” promotion.

If ripping off of Halloween Havoc 1992 can’t buck up the visitation stats, we’re really in deep trouble here.

This is certainly one of the more unusual conversations I’ve had in a while. The setting? The world-famous Peppermill coffee shop on the Strip, about 8 this morning, as I had breakfast with Sheldon Smith of the Casino Chip and Gaming Token Collectors Club in preparation for my epic address to the CCGTCC convention tomorrow.

Delivering my tasty Peppermill Omelet, our waitress Kathy looked at me and said, “Before you talked, I thought you’d have an accent.”
“What kind of accent?” was my reply.
“Oh, I don’t know, some other country.”
“Like where?”
“I don’t know, Sweden or somewhere like that.”

Huh?

And the phones? What kind of office is this? Ah, it’s OK. Shelly Levine just closed a big deal.

None of that will make anything approaching sense if you’ve never seen Glengary Glen Ross, but trust me, it does.

All of this is my lead-in to what is surely the casino caper of the decade: three former employees are accusing of stealing a player list from the Trop AC. From the LVRJ:

Three casino workers were indicted Monday on charges they stole a list of more than 20,000 top players from the Tropicana Casino and Resort in Atlantic City.

New Jersey prosecutors said the list was worth more than $108 million because it included the names, addresses, phone numbers and gambling data on important casino patrons.

“We charge that these marketers stole one of the most valuable assets of the casino, namely detailed contact information and ratings for its top-level players,” Attorney General Anne Milgram said in a statement. “This type of corporate espionage and theft involving proprietary information is a very serious crime.”

The three had all worked for the Tropicana three years ago and later left for other casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas.

…

Prosecutors charged that while at Tropicana, Conklin had Litterelle download a list of top-level player names from the Tropicana computer database for “future leverage” so they could take patrons with them when they went to other casinos. The list was placed on three discs Litterelle labeled “Bette Midler,” officials said.

In March 2007, Conklin was at the Borgata when he called Litterelle, who was a national marketing manager at the Bellagio, and asked Litterelle to send DiMarco the player list because DiMarco had lost his job at the Tropicana, officials said.

Litterelle e-mailed the list to Conklin and arranged with DiMarco to send him a paper copy. Litterelle tried to send the paper copy from the Bellagio mailroom, but an employee notified Bellagio security department, officials said.

Bellagio notified the Tropicana and the Borgata, and all three casinos cooperated with New Jersey’s investigation, authorities said.

Casino workers accused of stealing player list

Let’s put aside for a second the notion–as humorous as it is–that the Tropicana’s leads are worth $108 million. I never knew that it had a reputation for high-end play.

Definite points for style for labeling the disks with the purloined leads “Bette Midler.” Was that because they figured no one would want to listen to three generic Bette Midler CDs? Or was it some kind of back-handed tribute to the stage legend? We can only hope this comes out in the trial.

What elevates this from a simple case of theft is the monumental stupidity involved. So you steal three disks worth of player info from your employer, but instead of keeping it, you let your assistant take it with her to Las Vegas. Of course, you wouldn’t want to waste five minutes by burning a back-up copy. Then, you try to send a paper copy of the list to your buddy. You don’t print it out yourself, at home or at Kinkos. No, you print it out at work–which just happens to be a major Las Vegas casino–then try to send it out through the mailroom.

Of course, no one will find this suspicious at all–and naturally, casino management would be happy about someone mailing out a long list of player information, because they are committed to open source casino marketing.

But strangely enough, someone notices, tells management, and the police get involved. And you find yourself facing a variety of charges for stealing leads from the Tropicana Atlantic City, of all places.

Where’s Jerry Graff when you need him?

I and pretty much anyone else who’s ever seriously studied gambling have often said that people will bet on anything. Some proof to support that contention? I offer into evidence the $1.2 billion Indians reportedly bet on monsoons each year. From Online Casino Advisory:

Itinerant traders spread the tradition of monsoon betting in the 1800s; British authorities banned the practice in 1890. The ban worked as well as most prohibition, which is to say, not at all.

…

Bookies allow monsoon gambling among established clientele to prevent detection by law enforcement. Yet, even with this restriction on play, it is estimated that over $1.2 billion is wagered each year on the monsoon.

Asked the attraction on gambling on the weather, one player pointed out that there is no danger of a fix. Sports gamblers familiar with recent NBA news understand this observation well.

This year the monsoon came earlier than anytime in over a hundred years, raking in profits for bookies. Still, there was a silver lining to all concerned: the early rain signals a bountiful harvest, after a period of poor crop growth. Food supplies both locally and internationally will be positively effected.

Gambling on Rain in India Big Business

I’ll disagree with the contention that “there’s no danger of a fix.” If it’s gambling, there’s a way to rig it. You could, for example, fudge the results from the weather station. You could also take bets and not pay out the winners.

My headline is a riff on Monsoon Wedding, which seemed to be better than trying to invent a pun with monsoon and gambling.

Also, my apologies on inflicting this obviously-not-AP-style prose on you. The kernel of the story is interesting, but the way it’s written is, like something you’ve left in the fridge a week too long, a little off. Is it the over-use of the passive tense? The absence of any quote or any attribution for the information? The fact that only the top third of the jpg loads? It’s all of these, and more.

Since I’m teaching non-fiction writing this summer, I’m attuned to these kinds of deficiencies. Seriously, if any of my students read this, this article is a perfect illustration of what not to do.

I’ve got a philosophical quibble, too. The closing line of the article says that we must remember that gambling is an ancient tradition. I’m assuming, from the context, that the author is a gambling advocate and is using this fact–tradition–to bolster his argument that gambling is good.

I don’t think that tradition by itself is a justification for anything. Lots of things have a long tradition: slavery, misogyny, tribal warfare, wine in a box. That doesn’t necessarily make them something to strive for.

Gambling’s long history isn’t a reason to embrace it. Rather, it’s an illustration of the enduring appeal that it has. Because gambling is popular, it has been around for a long time–not vice versa.

At least that’s what they tell me. I was interviewed for an episode of THS Investigates called “Vegas Winners and Losers.” I’m not sure which one I’m supposed to represent. We did the interview in front of a blue screen, so they could put me in front of any kind of backdrop. I’m guessing that if I’m a winner, I’ll have a limo or something behind me, and if I’m a loser, I’ll be in some alley in front of a trashbin.

The show debuts on E! at 8pm EDT tonight, then is on again Saturday at 5pm and Sunday at 3pm. So set your DVRs.

I’ve got absolutely no idea to what extent I’m even on screen. I did talk for a while, but you never know. Particularly since I haven’t won or lost much in Vegas. And I don’t think I called anyone a loser or said anything particularly controversial.

But if you haven’t gotten your daily fix of my wit from today’s two posts, go ahead and check out E! tonight.

Jimmy Hoffa, through the lending power of his Central States Pension Fund, had a huge impact on Las Vegas and casino history. I don’t think the definitive statement of that impact has been written yet.

That’s not at all a knock on this book: the author’s scope is Hoffa’s whole life, and the Teamster investments there (no matter how influential in that city) were only a small part of a much bigger picture. This is a great book and one that I’d recommend, both to the casual reader and to an academic audience.
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That could mean that you’re driving up to Vegas from LA and ran out of gas before you got too far. But in this case, it’s about a group of thousands of admitted problem gamblers who’ve filed a class action lawsuit against the government corporation that owns Ontario (Canada) casinos. From the CBC:

A $3.5-billion proposed class-action lawsuit has been launched on behalf of thousands of addicted gamblers who allege they asked to be barred from Ontario’s casinos, but were still allowed in.

The suit was filed against the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation on Tuesday in Toronto, claiming that the corporation did not do enough for those who signed up for “self-exclusion,” a program that allows people to have themselves banned from casinos so that they can curb their ruinous gambling habits.

None of the allegations has been proven in court and a statement of defence has not yet been filed.

Those who sign up for the program are photographed and registered, and their information is stored in binders at every provincial casino. If they are caught trying to enter a casino, they can be arrested for trespassing.

But gamblers who spoke with CBC News on condition of anonymity said the program doesn’t work. One woman said she registered for the program, but her gambling addiction led her back to a casino soon after.

“I walked through, no one looked at me,” she said. “I kept gambling for the next couple of years.”

Lawyers say the OLG should be using high-tech systems to catch self-banned gamblers. In the Netherlands, gamblers present photo identification at casinos, and their identification is checked against a computer database, lawyers say.

Problem gamblers hit Ontario casinos with $3.5B lawsuit

There seems to be some precedent here, since the OLGC has settled 9 individual suits pertaining to self-exclusion out of court. But this might be going too far.

From the casino’s perspective, self-exclusion has some problems (pardon the pun). As card-counters wearing disguises, etc, prove, if someone is dead set on gambling in a casino, even if they are on a watch list, it’s very hard to exclude them. Of course, if they do something that raises their profile, like win a jackpot over the tax threshold, they’ll be discovered when they have to show ID.

One way to make sure that no one who’s gambling has excluded themselves is to make sure everyone who enters a casino has a player’s card, as is done in Missouri. But these are gambling barges with relatively low capacities and, by their nature, one or two entrances.

This system couldn’t work in Nevada casinos without extensive retrofits, since thousands of people who don’t gamble pass through the casino en route to restaurants, shows, convention space, or their rooms. The millions of gamblers who don’t have a problem would also view it as excessively intrusive. Getting carded every time you walk through a casino stops being fun a few months after you turn 21 and can legally enter.

If there are thousands of people on self-exclusion lists, it ludicrous to ask casino employees to bear the responsibility of actively seeking them out and barring them. Until we invent the Matrix-type system where you can download knowledge without all that tedious studying, I don’t think you could find a way to have employees do this.

I don’t have too much to say this week because I’ve got too much to do. Call it the conjunction of summer session B starting, me returning to work, and too many projects needing my attention.

I’ve got big plans, though: one big book review, a huge update to the carpet gallery, and tons more.

I tend to open unsolicited packages with a bit of trepidation, and unsolicited books to review with a triple dose. “If this book was really good,” I think, at almost a subconscious level, “they wouldn’t be asking me to review it.” And I would have heard of it before.

Half the time, it’s just a warmed-over “guide to gambling” that’s neither offensive nor enlightening. Other times, it’s not even that mediocre. But sometimes, I get a real gem–something that makes opening up all those mysterious packages worthwhile. Richard Armstrong’s God Doesn’t Shoot Craps is such a book. It’s a rarity: a great gambling novel.
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There’s a site called blogged.com whose purpose is to help people find blogs they like. Through a process that’s entirely a mystery to me, they have reviewed this humble electronic notebook and concluded that it is “great:”


Right now, I’m ranked #48 in the “Recreation and Games” category, right below Paintball Guns and just above Garthmeister J.’s Disco Finery.
According to the editors, they “evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.”

If you want to further the Die is Cast cause, go ahead and add a review to the Blogged page.

Now, if I wanted to REALLY boost my rating, I could hire a slick marketing company to astroturf the site with poorly-written, borderline-moronic “reviews.” But since I’m not trying to get people to $21 for kung pao chicken, I probably don’t have to.

What can I say? Another day, another review.
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If you haven’t heard it, here’s the press release, more or less verbatim: MGM Mirage is naming the big casino resort at its in-development City Center project on the Strip the “Aria Resort and Casino.”

I don’t have an inside line on the creative process that led to the choice, but from what I’ve read it seems that it was a name that no one hated and that didn’t have any copyright issues. There’s been a lot of discussion about the name on the web, and the consensus is that it’s less than inspiring.

As I said somewhere, I think that would be a great name for a condo or loft project overlooking a symphony hall or opera house, but doesn’t seem the best possible name for the casino in question. It’s not that it’s a bad name, or an absolute wrong choice. I just think that they could have taken it in a different direction.

So bear with me while I play keyboard warrior and presume to advise a group of people who have made more money designing and operating casinos than I could probably count. After all, there’s still time to change the name, if it’s not written in stone (or steel and glass) yet. Steve Wynn changed Le Reve to Wynn late in the game, and Bellagio developed from Beau Rivage, so anything’s possible.

First, I’ll list some names that we should be thankful weren’t chosen. This will prove to even the perennial second-guessers that Aria isn’t such a bad choice.

Luckily it isn’t…
>>> Shangri La: if this isn’t the single most over-used generic casino name in the world, I don’t know what is. Great for a small lounge with a tiki vibe and cheap Corona. Awful for a multi-billion dollar casino resort.

>>> Kirk’s Hideaway: I’ve always wished that other casino owners would take the Trump/Wynn tack and start naming their joints after themselves. Using this logic, Columbia Sussex would have rebranded the Tropicanas “Bill’s Bargain Joint” or something like that. They could name the new tower at Caesars Palace Gary’s Tower. Hey, Trump’s doing it at the Taj, so why not? “Kirk’s Hideaway” would be a bad name for the City Center casino, though, because it sounds like the kind of place where you can buy bait and tackle at the front desk, not a major resort.

>>> Coda: I’ve heard some people complain that Aria is derivative of Encore, but Coda is a complete ripoff.

>>> Boardwalk: Anymore remember the Boardwalk? The creepy clown? I didn’t think so. And I really doubt that this place is going to bring back that 24-hour buffet. But it would be funny if they went the Aladdin route and, after all the time and money spent building a new casino, named it after the old one.

>>> Glasshouse: Too many people in Las Vegas like to throw stones.

>>> Nomonca: It’s original, but I don’t think that you want to remind customers that the hotel is slightly north of the Monte Carlo. And it’s not a particularly euphonious name, either, though it does have three syllables.

>>> Chiaroscuro: In theory, this would be a great name. Because natural light is such a big part of the resort, an arty word that refers back to patterns of light and darkness makes sense. But no one would be able to pronounce it, and a small minority would think it was a Brazilian steakhouse. But it would put some teeth into that “intellectual engagement” aspect of the project. Personally, until someone explains to me how Elvis factors into intellectually engaging people, I’m a skeptic.

>>> MGM Grander: We all know it’s going to be nicer than the place across the street, but there’s no reason to rub it in, is there?

So we should be glad that it wasn’t any of those. But could it have been better? Let’s see.

Imagine if it was…
>>> Harmony: It plays on “Harmon,” which is the road that runs through the project, sounds nice, and has positive connotations. You could fool around with the logo, maybe writing it “HarmonY” to make it more distinctive. On the downside, it’s a little close to the “Harmon Hotel and Residences,” but that name could be tweaked, too. Maybe “3720 South Hotel and Residences,” or whatever its street address is. Or “Skylofts,” (or a Skylofts derivative) which is a nice brand for the rooms at MGM Grand that the company could do a lot more with. But I really like the Harmon name, since it’s an organic Vegas name, so it’d be a shame to lose it.

>>> Silhouette: With that name, you know it has something to do with light and shadow. The building has an interesting silhouette, so you’ve got your logo right there. On the negative side, people might have trouble spelling it, even though it’s easy to say.

>>> Cascade: Looking at the model and the building under construction, this name would definitely fit. It’s easy to say, and write, and it sounds clean and clear. Of course, they might get sued by the Cascada folks, but if you can’t copyright a curved semi-circle I don’t see how you can copyright a word, particularly if you don’t have a building with that exact name anywhere.

>>> Facet: This one fits the look of the building, and it ties in with The Crystals, the retail area that will be adjacent to it. Since this building will be the jewel in the crown of MGM Mirage, it’s got some added symbolic value, too.

>>> Apollonian: It sounds powerful, but not stodgy. And it makes sense with the whole “natural light” thing since Apollo was the god of light. It also sets up a nice Dionysian/Apollonian dichotomy. This based on Nietzsche’s philosophical distinction between, in short, reason and emotion. Apollo represents rationality, order, and progress, while Dionysus stands for ecstasy, chaos, and nature. This really fits in with City Center’s rational planning and futuristic design. Of course, most people looking for a room on the Strip aren’t going to immediately relate to philosophical constructs, so it might go over some people’s heads. And Las Vegas is really more of a Dionysian town than an Apollonian one, so they’d be fighting against the current.

>>> Silver Sky: I know this one sounds a little like Reno RV park, but hear me out. I was inspired by the description of the piece by Maya Lin that will decorate the lobby:

Famed artist Maya Lin is creating an approximately 133-foot silver cast of the Colorado River, which will be her first work of art displayed in Las Vegas. Lin is incorporating reclaimed silver in the spirit of CityCenter’s commitment to sustainability and in light of Nevada’s standing as the “Silver State.”

You’ve got a name that reflects the building’s look and its signature work of art in one fell swoop. But it would probably need some work so it didn’t remind people of the Silverbird or Silver Nugget. How about “Silverlight” or just “Silver?” I’m just throwing it out there.

>>> Sobella: I really, really like this name. This was the first working name for the project since it was South of the Bellagio. Sure, it doesn’t mean anything, but it’s a unique name (though, I’ve just learned, a handbag maker shares it–thanks Google). Well, if it’s not unique, it’s at least distinctive. Maybe a favorable deal on a store in the Crystals would quell any copyright action. Sobella sounds artistic, and is intriguing. It’s easy to say and spell, and pleasant-sounding.

…

My vote would be with Harmony, Facet, or Sobella, but since I didn’t put a dime into the $9 billion or so project, I don’t get a vote. And that’s as it should be. For all I know, all of these ideas were proposed and shot down by people who know a lot more about this than me. It’s just my two cents.

…

One last note: I see that Aria will have 4,004 rooms. I’m amazed that it wasn’t changed to 4,008 rooms to assuage the numerological superstitions of visitors from the East. It’s nice to see mathematics trump irrationality in a casino, at least once. Next time, let them build something with 4,013 rooms.

I thought this book was corny when I read it, but in a fun way. In retrospect, the title is hilarious. Dice can’t spell, so how they spell murder is beyond me. This is an almost Hinchcliffe/Holmesian Mad Libs: The X spelled (murder, death, fear, evil). I guess having “murder” in the title sold books, though.

This is another pulp crime/gambling book from the stacks of UNLV Special Collections. The tagline on the cover was irresistible: “The redhead was looking for some action…she got it.” The back cover was even more descriptive:

We work the convention hotels–dentists, plumbers, legionnaires–guys away from home with a buck in their pockets and looking for a little action.

The redhead is the shill. She has more curves than a snake, and when it comes to money she’s as cold as a stone. As for my dice, they’ve all had major operations. Between us, we take the big spenders for all they’re worth, and sometimes a little more.

…And that’s where the trouble usually begins.

How can you pass up a book like that? I started reading, and didn’t regret the decision to pick this one up. So how can you not click through and read the rest of the review?

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