Bugsy Siegel
Washington, DC
Male, 36
I worked for over two years in Las Vegas as a Director of Marketing for one of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, and in that time acquired a bit of knowledge about how casinos have finely honed the art of parting you from your dollars, especially if you're a gambling degenerate. I know a little bit about how the entertainment and F&B side work as well, and how casinos assess gamblers.
Good question. I think the answer partly depends on what you mean by "make money" and who you mean by "Vegas." If you mean profitability for a property like the Venetian, gambling likely remains the greatest source of profits for a LV Strip property. With non-gaming sources revenues are a bit more comparable, as much of the growth of Vegas and revenue comes from its multifaceted appeal beyond gamblers. When I started in Vegas, my boss was fond of citing that Vegas seemed to defy basic supply & demand concepts - that over time, Vegas had grown and grown, and as new casinos opened, that seemed to actually increase demand [of course the... Read More +
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While Vegas has a reputation for being a place of ill repute, I do believe that as far as casinos and what they do, generally they're above board. Having a gaming license from the Nevada Gaming Control Board is a license to print money - and it's not worth defrauding anyone just to make a few dollars. After all, if there was a scheme to say, cheat people out of money on the gaming floor, eventually they'd get busted and lose their license; if they didn't lose their license, real gamblers would be spooked from playing there for fear of a rigged game. So in general, I'd say that casinos are very above board; big casinos are run by large... Read More +
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I believe in general that casinos, especially the larger, more well known ones with significant corporate influence, likely take the "problem gambler" resources relatively seriously, but it's not a priority. Basically, if you want/need help, and you articulate that need, casinos provide resources that you can access. They may not want your business if you're a problem gambler, but casinos don't put much effort into figuring out if you are a problem gambler. A casino is not likely to develop a nuanced understanding of a gambler or ascertain if they need help and offer that help without the gambler instigating a request for help. Casino... Read More +
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To my knowledge, they do not, though the casino I worked in was one of the older properties on the Strip. In my 2.5 years in Vegas, I've never actually heard of or seen actual evidence to support this claim. Nicer casinos will have good ventilation to help dissipate all the cigarette smoke, but in general, they are more likely to try to ply you with free booze, meal comps (if you're valuable enough), or make you unaware of the time by not having clocks on the gaming floor or windows to the outside world that indicate the passage of time.
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I guess you could try to live like the locals do... GAMBLING Those who work in the Strip casinos generally eschew them on the weekends (only going in for work or if family/friends are in town). Many locals go to casinos, but go to places like Green Valley Ranch and other off-strip properties for gambling; not quite as glitzy or glamorous, but I suspect that the slots offer better odds and less costly table play. For example, many casual gambler tourists on the Strip play on strategically placed blackjack tables that offer 6:5 payment on blackjack rather than 3:2; for anyone who is semi-serious at playing blackjack, that's the kind of thing... Read More +
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I'll be honest - I don't know that there is such an understanding, at least explicitly. The kind of thing that would make the front page isn't going to be your "run-of-the-mill" suicide or theft - the kind of thing that would make the front page would have to be pretty sensationalistic. It is Vegas, after all! What I can tell you is that properties will typically have PR professionals on staff to respond to media inquiries about incidents like these, and incidents are reported often in outlets like the Las Vegas Sun or Las Vegas Review-Journal - though they wouldn't typically make front page news unless particularly sensationalistic in... Read More +
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I'm assuming you are asking if organized crime still has influence in the casinos. If so, I'd say that organized crime is still big only if you consider the modern corporation "organized crime" (which you may, depending on your personal politics). While Vegas did have significant organized crime elements in its past - for example, the Flamingo was developed by celebrated mobster Bugsy Siegel - casinos in Vegas are largely owned and operated by three organizations: Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Greenspun Group. The Nevada Gaming Commission is very serious about keeping the gaming in Vegas free of corruption, requiring... Read More +
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