Internet Gambling Ban to be Lifted?

From MarketWatch:

Gaming Americans would be able to place bets over the Internet under a bill introduced by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank on Thursday.

Frank's bill would roll back a ban on online gambling and enable companies to be licensed to accept bets and wagers online from individuals in the U.S.

The bill would exempt the operators from current restrictions on online gambling and would require licensed companies to have protections in place against underage and compulsive gambling, money laundering and fraud.

Not sure that this bill has much of a chance of passing, but we are in favor of it, as we are in favor of anything that would lessen government regulation, (some would say censorship) especially when it comes to the Internet. In our opinion, Congress is woefully unprepared and unqualified to deal with progressive issues such as this.

The real issue isn't whether or not gambling is bad, it's that the government can't tax it and get it's cut. This bill would allow for increased regulation and, obviously, increased taxation. However, since the vast majority of these companies are offshore, not sure how domestic taxation will apply. Also, not sure how you can develop a foolproof way of verifying age, location, etc.

Internet gambling has always been technically illegal in the US, that's why the companies operated in other countries, mostly the Caribbean. The way companies and gamblers circumvented this was by moving money through a middleman, so credit card companies and banks weren't directly funding gambling. However, due to legislation passed in 2006, it made it illegal for banks to deal with this middlemen, effectively cutting off the flow of cash.

The SAFE Port Act, at least as far as it applies to Internet gambling, is an affront to personal freedoms, along with being hypocritical. Gambling is legal in some form in almost every state, with 2 Casinos within 10 minutes of where I now sit, and off-track betting at countless bars in between. While this wouldn't cause us to gamble online much, if at all, we should have the freedom to do so if we choose.

The House Committee is scheduled to discuss this in June.

Rep. Frank's bill would roll back Net-gambling ban

Maybe the Bartender Insulted Her Choice of Rum...

From the 'no one cares' department:

Carmen Electra has backed out of an engagement to be a special guest star in magician Hans Klok's new show, "The Beauty of Magic," at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

The former Aladdin resort on the Las Vegas Strip set a press conference Thursday to announce the new guest star and explain Electra's sudden departure from the show, a spokeswoman said.

We haven't mentioned this new show because, well, we didn't care. For those Carmen fans out there, we are sorry, but this leaves her more time to have her picture taken bent over the hood of a car...or whatever it is she is famous for.

(UPDATE: Pamela Anderson is set to replace Electra in the show, and will be paid about $4 million for a 12-week engagement...the world isn't fair sometimes)


Electra backs out of magician Hans Klok show at Planet Hollywood

Open Letter to the Mustachioed Bartender at the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood

Photo Quiz #4: Answer

The 4th quiz photo is actually located in two places:


This sweet banner may or may not still be there today but back in March it graced the two mall entrances to the Aladdin/Planet Hollywood. Hopefully now that the PH transition has completed, they are no longer there. I don't typically make too many assumptions when it comes to this place though, because it leads to much disappointment.

Anyways, good luck next week.

A Free Piece of Paper Does Not Make You a VIP

V, I and P are the most overused letters in Las Vegas, especially when used in conjunction with nightclubs. To quickly straighten this out:

-Tiger Woods is a VIP

-The dude that dropped 100 grand at baccarat is an IP

-Pretty girls are P’s

-As guys…we are lowercase p’s

That said, I’m sure you have all seen those supposed VIP to nightclub passes that are all over the place. They are usually obtained through cab drivers, guys on the street, online, or picked up at various stores or booths in town. But what do they really get you?

Well, we have limited experience with them, as they seem like a scam. (And usually they are) When there is a line a mile long at Pure on Saturday night, a pass you picked up from a guy on the street won’t get you a damn thing. It is still the bouncer’s discretion whether to let you in or not.

These passes can mean different things, some will:

-Waive your cover charge

-Waive your cover provided you are there by a certain time, like before 11 PM

-Allow you to skip the line

-Get you ‘Invited Guest’ status…which is a fancy way of saying you get to wait in a different, albeit shorter, line.

-Do nothing at all, especially on a busy night

From our experience, and what we’ve read, definitely don’t spend a dime on these. They are available free most places…hell, we got ours to Revolution from girls handing them out in front of the club. Most of the cab drivers and other low-lifes count on the fact that people buy them during the day, as it sounds like a good idea, then have no recourse when they end up not working later on.

Another thing we’ve seen is that hotel guests ‘usually’ get preference at a given club, although I’m sure this depends on time of night and how full the club is. For instance, we were staying at Mandalay Bay and were able to use the ‘Invited Guests’ line to rumjungle, and didn’t pay cover. In that case, all we needed was our room keycard.

The best advice given our experience is to do your research ahead of time and plan where you will be going for the night. Given the long lines to most popular clubs, club hopping is almost impossible, so pick one. Either plan to get their early to avoid the line, or arrange through the club’s host or hotel concierge for bottle service. This is a pretty pricey option, but will allow you to skip the line, not have to worry about a place to sit, and avoid the obscene price of drinks once inside.

If all else fails, grease some palms. Either that, or be a pretty girl…not an option for most of us.

Vegas Link: NormClarke.com

Norm Clarke’s daily column in the Las Vegas Review Journal is THE place to go for Las Vegas and celebrity news and rumors.

Clarke’s column deals with current gossip and goings-on. With unparalleled access and a large network of spies, Norm breaks more stories regarding upcoming shows, celebrity events, and anything having to do with Las Vegas. His ongoing feud with Pete Rose (the two have a history) is also entertaining unto itself.

Since Las Vegas is home to the most daily celebrity sightings in the world, the column also covers who was seen where the night before. For example, what club is Paris whoring herself around in last weekend? Check Norm’s latest write-up…

Norm’s column occasionally strays into US Weekly territory, but for the most part is pretty even-keeled, and he doesn’t take himself too seriously. Warning, it can be habit-forming.

Norm Clarke Home Page

Las Vegas Review Journal Home Page

Taking Out The Trash

The Las Vegas Metro alongside the FBI successfully executed 'Operation Dollhouse' over the weekend. In total, eight brothels were busted leaving six people in jail on prostitution charges. Authorities found 25 prostitutes, 3,500 tablets of ecstasy and $20,000 in cash. Neighbors complained of lots of people coming and going from the homes as well as an abnormal amount of trash.


It's good to see the neighborhoods are getting cleaned up in Las Vegas. Now, how about getting back to a little thing called Las Vegas Blvd? One of my biggest disturbances with the city is the ridiculous amount of 'porn slappers' that litter the area. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term 'porn slappers'; it refers to those individuals who hand out the stripper/prostitute cards on the sidewalks up and down LV Blvd. Being the seasoned pro that I am, I've learned to walk with my hands in my pockets in order to send the blatant message that I'm not interested, but this annoyance is simply unacceptable. As far as I'm concerned, this is advertising for prostitution under the guise of something more along the legal line so there must be some way to prosecute these individuals.

As a result, I'm campaigning for an 'Operation Garbage Disposal' to clean up the sidewalks in Las Vegas. Who is with me?

Read about the bust here.

And the plot thickens...
Apparently a San Mateo County Sheriff and his Undersheriff were detained at one of the brothels. Palo Alto Online has the story.

Stratosphere Sold

From Bloomberg:

Carl Icahn agreed to sell the Stratosphere, three other Nevada casinos and 17 acres on the Las Vegas Strip to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.'s real estate funds for $1.3 billion.

Goldman's Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds will buy the Arizona Charlie's Decatur and Boulder casinos off the Strip and the Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nevada. Icahn's American Real Estate Partners LP will see a gain of $1 billion from the sale of the properties he began buying just eight years ago, the Mount Kisco, New York-based company said today in a statement.

Not sure about selling now, as the North Strip is on the verge of a renaissance of sorts. But a cool billion dollars in just eight years is a pretty good ROI.


Icahn Sells Four Casinos to Goldman for $1.3 Billion

Las Vegas Sands and Macau

We haven’t written much about Macau, because well, Macau isn’t Las Vegas. But its ties to Las Vegas and the companies that operate casinos in both locales are very strong. There are 3 US companies that operate casinos in Macau, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, and MGM-Mirage. Recently though, one of those operators, Las Vegas Sands, has become the target of multiple lawsuits regarding the securing of its gaming license.

Quick geography lesson, Macau is classified as a Special Administrative Region of China, similar to Hong Kong. Governed by China, it is located about 45 miles west of Hong Kong, as is comprised of only 21 square kilometers of land. The big deal here, though, is that gambling is legal, and it’s proximity to the many Asian gamblers makes it a gold mine, as many companies have already discovered. In fact, recently Macau became bigger than Las Vegas in gaming revenue, for the first time.

Having traveled to China, and studied in detail the way business is conducted there, it’s no surprise that allegations of impropriety would arise. Connections and who you know reign supreme as far as getting deals done in China, with family connections and friends of friends taking precedent over traditional channels, or being able to throw money at a problem. Payoffs and kickbacks are commonplace, and it seems like the LV Sands lawsuits are an example of the difficulties in a foreign company entering a mostly closed market.

From an article in the Las Vegas Business Press:

Three multi-million-dollar lawsuits against Las Vegas Sands and owner Sheldon Adelson have shone a light on events leading up to the company's casino expansion into Macau. Potentially, they expose a grittier side to the company's foreign business practices.

The lawsuits -- two filed in District Court and one in Federal Court -- allege a series of broken promises and possibly questionable business practices by Adelson and top Las Vegas Sands executives in their rush to secure Macau's final casino concession in 2002.

When the gambling monopoly in Macau was lifted, predictably the competition for the few gambling permits was fierce. Allegedly LV Sands entered into a partner ship with a Hong Kong businessman, as well as a Taiwan Corporation, and then reneged on its deal when they obtained the license through alternate channels. Both parties are suing to get their promised cut.

For those of you that don’t know, Sheldon Adelson is currently the 2^nd richest man in America behind Bill Gates, as LV Sands stock has been one of the hottest of the last year. He also has a very public feud with Steve Wynn; call it a clash of very large egos, for these 2 neighbors in Las Vegas. (Adelson’s Venetian is next door to Wynn Las Vegas) Anyway, we have zero inside knowledge on this topic, or of the legal precedents, but this looks like a set of cases that will never make it to court, either by being thrown out, or at the very most, resulting in a settlement.

Gaming isn’t always a clean business, especially coupled with the shady environment in Macau…but it makes for good theater, and we will definitely keep you updated.

A gritty side of Las Vegas Sands

VegasRy Podcast: Gin and Tonic Hour #5

Welcome to the Bathroom! Last Day in Vegas.

-Why can't we sleep?
-Stroll through the Wynn
-Differing views on the Venetian...
-...but Booze Tubes rock
-Dinner at Fix
-Bottle Service at Tryst
-Southwest loses my luggage, but who cares?

Note: We tried to keep this one short, and it ended up being over an hour anyway...whatever, it's free.



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VegasRy Preview: CityCenter

One of the great things about Las Vegas is that it’s always changing. Even if you go every 6 months, there is always something new or changed to see or do. As Las Vegas is in the midst of the umpteenth building boom, there are several projects we are looking forward to, and one of them is MGM-Mirage’s Project CityCenter.

CityCenter is a multi-use project that is going up between the Bellagio and Monte Carlo properties. It will contain several hotel towers, and the requisite casino and retail areas. MGM says that the property will open in November, 2009. Here is a description from the MGM-Mirage press release.

CityCenter is MGM MIRAGE's dazzling vertical city in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip between Bellagio and Monte Carlo resorts. The development combines into a single urban core approximately 2,700 private residences, two 400-room non-gaming boutique hotels (one of which will be managed by luxury hotelier Mandarin Oriental), a dramatic 60-story, 4,000-room resort casino, and a 470,000-square-foot retail and entertainment district. CityCenter is a design collaboration between MGM MIRAGE and eight of the world's foremost architects including Foster and Partners, Gensler, Helmut Jahn, KPF Architects, Pelli Clarke Pelli, Rockwell Group, RV Architecture LLC led by Rafael Vinoly and Studio Daniel Libeskind.

Current rendering of CityCenter, note the kooky Veer Towers, the crooked high rises front and center:

Current cost estimates for CC put the price tag at 7.4 billion(!) dollars, making it the most expensive private construction project undertaken in the US. 7 billion is quite a chunk, but MGM claims they will sell about 2.5 billion dollars worth of condos in the meantime, which lowers the net cost considerably. Condos were the flavor of the month for a while, with many projects planned on or near the Strip. Many have failed, but CC seems like the real deal. Another interesting aspect of the project is since these condos will be owned my thousands of individuals, when it comes time to implode the buildings for something new, they need all of those owners’ approval.

Here is a live snapshot of the construction. That is the main hotel tower going up in the foreground.

CityCenter is quite an undertaking, and it will be interesting to see how they pull it off. I can see where they are coming from; they have the area, might as well develop it all at once, and sell off condos and operating rights to hotels to deflate the costs. No one has more experience and resources than MGM-Mirage when it comes to building Las Vegas properties, so we have high hopes. This much is for sure, CityCenter will definitely transform the Las Vegas Skyline.

City Center Home Page

MGM MIRAGE Provides Update on CityCenter Progress