Casino [ptz]

SITE NEWS: WSOP UPGRADE CONTINUES

I have posted preliminary summaries through 1976, and added the list of champions to the annual index page. Student assistant Alycia is working hard on getting the other summaries together.

The little feedback I've had on the new-look weblog has been positive, so it stays.

SATRE, JONES INDUCTED IN AC

This weekend in Atlantic City (at the new Borgata), Phil Satre and Tom Jones were inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame. Satre, of course, has molded Harrah's into one of the world's leading casino companies. Tom Jones has performed in many casinos. It just doesn't seem to have the same value. Would Kirk Kerkorian win a Grammy because he let Tom Jones play at the MGM Grand? It's like playing a game of "what doesn't belong?," I think. Even Jones seemed a bit mystified:
(from the AC Press)
"I will continue to sing in casinos as long as I possibly can," said Jones, 63. "Casinos are not only good for counties and states, because they produce lots of revenues, but they are also great for entertainers such as myself."

From all accounts, everyone had a blast, and no one complained about the new, higher parking fees that the state is mandating.

On that subject....

CASINO PARKING

On the Las Vegas Strip, parking your car is free--something as near a fundamental human right as exists in this city. If you are parking at the casino, you're going to be a patron there on some level, so it stands to reason that you should be allowed to park for free.

Originally, parking in AC casinos was free, but several years ago the state mandated a $2 charge "for the beautification of Atlantic City." This gave comics some nice punchline fodder, but I haven't seen too much beautification.

Now, with the latest tax increases, casinos have been directed to charge $3 for parking. Some charge $4, $5, or whatever the market will bear. Here's a quote from the AC Press:

Stand in the valet parking area while people wait for their cars, and it soon becomes clear the increase in the state-imposed casino parking fee doesn't sit well with gamblers.

They're all too happy to say how they don't like knowing the price to park until after they've bought the service, how they resent paying the tax increase for the casino and wonder where it will end.

But casino employees feel the pinch too. Ask any parking garage cashier and they'll tell you they get an earful.

Then there are the valets. They are paying for the fee increase, too - in the form of lower tips as customers figure they have to save money somewhere.

The tip "might have been $2 or $3" before the increase, said Darsella Anthony of Pleasantville, a valet parker at Resorts Atlantic City. "Now it's strictly a dollar," and more people are stiffing the parking attendants.

As part of Gov. James McGreevey's attempt to balance the state budget, the casino parking fee was increased from $2 to $3. But many properties charge $4 for the privilege of parking there, even for established players.

Many players kept aside $5 to take care of parking on the way out, said Anthony's co-worker, Jaime Fuentes of Atlantic City. When the parking fee was $2, three-dollar tips were common.

Read the full story here.

As with all increases of taxes on gaming (or anything, for that matter), the revenues don't just drop out of the sky: they come from people's pockets, leaving them with less money for things like a tip. Which might not mean much to politicians in Trenton, but it does mean something to the men and women who depend on those tips.

Having to pay for parking at a casino is like adding insult to injury. Most people are there to gamble, and those who aren't have money to spend on dining, retail, and entertainment. Charging people for the privilege of spending their money doesn't create an atmosphere conducive to fun.

People in a casino like to feel like they are getting something for nothing. This might be watered-down drinks in plastic cups or cramming food in an all-you-can-eat buffet. To have to pay to park ruins the illusion of something for nothing. It would be like having to pay see the exploding volcano outside the Mirage.

And that's all I have to say about that.

DO YOU COME FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER?

I just can't help myself from making Men at Work references when an Austrailian story comes along. Apparently, the Aussie gaming industry is not doing so well. Here's a story from The Age:

The outlook for the gaming industry has deteriorated significantly in the past 12 months following the introduction of smoking bans, reduced operating hours, and increased taxes, according to a survey.

Stockbroking house Deutsche Bank surveyed 118 gaming managers in 212 pubs and clubs in NSW, Victoria and Queensland, which have 86 per cent of Australia's gaming machines, to gauge the impact of regulatory changes.

The results painted a grim picture. Almost 80 per cent of managers expect revenue from gaming machines to fall more than 5 per cent as a result of smoking bans, compared with 51 per cent last year.

Only 33 per cent of managers expected to increase spending on gaming machines, compared with 42 per cent last year. This is expected to have a drastic impact on poker-machine makers such as Aristocrat.

Read the full story here.

SUBURBAN XANADU UPDATE

No big movement over the weekend. Here's the raw numbers:

amazon.com sales rank: 83, 989; 2 reviews, and they still have the wrong picture for the cover, and don't have any real content (i.e., contents or notes).
barnesandnoble.com sales rank: 117,573; 2 reviews
Rank the Love and Casino War list of best-selling Vegas books: 58, although I apparently went as high as 51 over the weekend.

I can't wait to crack the top 50, and I can become not just a "best-selling author on Las Vegas," but a "top 50 best-selling author on Las Vegas."

That's all for today.
posted by Dave at 12:09 PM