Two Way Hard Three

Vegas Gang #78 - May 17th, 2012

Thu, 17 May 2012 16:45:04 -0800

Episode #78 is up!

Listen here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com/2012/05/vegas-gang-78-may-17th-2012/

This time on the show:

- SLS
- Echelon
- Wynn Cotai
- Stuart Mason

** Sure Bets **

Chuck - DIY Network - Bronson Pinshow Project
Dr. Dave - Internet Gaming Regulation Symposium
Hunter - Vegas Mate users
Roger - Boulder City, NV

Feel free to leave your comments at the link below. If it's a question that you want asked on the show, please make that clear in your post. You can also send those to editor@ratevegas.com.

SLS Las Vegas, Part III

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:40:07 -0800

It feels like I've started my own cottage industry talking about SLS Las Vegas. It's a topic that people seem to be interested in and that they feel strongly about, and I feel I've got something to say because I talked to COO Rob Oseland last week. I shared my thoughts on last month's press release right here last month. After the jump, I'll talk about what I've written and share a little something new.

Take My Vegas Mate User Survey

Mon, 07 May 2012 16:38:55 -0800

So, I have this survey that I put out there, designed for Vegas Mate users. I just want to know a few things about how you use the app, what you like and what you're missing.

I know, I know - I hate surveys too. This one is really short and doesn't ask for any personal information of any kind. It'd be swell if you took 2 minutes to fill it out.

Thanks.

http://ratevegas.wufoo.com/forms/vegas-mate-user-survey/

Wynn Cotai is a Go.

Tue, 01 May 2012 19:54:35 -0800

Go go Cotai.

Here's what it's going to look like.

That is all.

Skate To Where the Puck Will Be

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:12:42 -0800

This article on the future development of MGM's Cotai project is a great view into what's wrong with a lot of modern casino design. Grant Bowie runs the operations for the company there:

We are searching globally for what are the world's best practices and, more importantly, what are the world's biggest consumer trends in global tourism and leisure destinations.

and:

... we don't want to make the decision of what it is going to look like yet, and specifically how we interact with the consumer, because in the 18 to 24 months that it takes us to get to that point in the design cycle, in high likelihood trends may have already changed.

Sure sounds like this will be a place built by focus groups.

Needless to say, I prefer the 'auteur-in-chief' approach that Wynn Design & Development uses for their projects. They may not always suit everyone's taste but at least they express someone's vision, not some conglomeration of 'trends in global tourism and leisure destinations'.

Vegas Gang #77 - April 19th, 2012

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 20:59:10 -0800

Episode #77 is up!

Listen here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com/2012/04/vegas-gang-77/

This time on the show:

- D Las Vegas
- SLS Las Vegas
- Linq Las Vegas
- Sands Cotai Central
... and more...

** Sure Bets **

Chuck - Landry's - Biloxi
Dr. Dave - 2012 RD&E Experience Conference
Hunter - Instagram

Feel free to leave your comments at the link below. If it's a question that you want asked on the show, please make that clear in your post. You can also send those to editor@ratevegas.com.

UPDATED: Linqing the Perfect Name

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 11:58:14 -0800

There's a bit of a mystery unfolding on the Strip thanks to Caesars Entertainment. Since the initial flurry that surrounded the initial announcement of Linq last August, we've heard precious little about the project, which will mostly be beneath, between and behind the Flamingo and Imperial Palace. After the jump, I take a look at what I consider the biggest unanswered question, and take a few guesses at possible answers.

Crystal Balls and Financing Details

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 12:38:07 -0800

We learned yesterday that all of the financing details for the soon-to-open SLS Las Vegas are in place. Well, actually, they aren't, and that's what makes this interesting.

Caesars Total Resorts World?

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:46:47 -0800

Could the new Total Rewards signal more than an aesthetic shift for Caesars Entertainment? It's possible. Armed with a few images and my imagination, I'll take you on a little journey into the possible future...

Vegas Gang #76 - March 22nd, 2012

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 19:36:37 -0800

Episode #76 is up!

Listen here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com/2012/03/vegas-gang-76-march-22nd-2012/

This time on the show:

- Atlantic City
- Dennis Gomes
- The D / Fitz
- WynnLasVegas.com
- Roger Thomas in the New Yorker
- Palms Loses Playboy Club
- Cantor Taking Credit Cards

** Sure Bets **

Chuck - Hunter interview ; latest live album from Rush.
Dr. Dave - Tap City [Dr. Dave] [Amazon]
Hunter - iPad 3

Feel free to leave your comments at the link below. If it's a question that you want asked on the show, please make that clear in your post. You can also send those to editor@ratevegas.com.

VIMFP 2.0 - October 13th, 2012: Save The Date

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 12:34:10 -0800

We've got a date!

Can't wait to have you join us for the second annual Vegas Internet Mafia Family Picnic. See you there!

Wynn Las Vegas Re-Designs... Again

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 21:07:34 -0800

So - remember that terrible Web site that the folks at Wynn launched, that everyone hated? Yeah, well, it's gone now.

Check out the new WynnLasVegas.com.

More traditional navigation. Booking engine on the home screen. Nice photos... Progress.

Maybe the last version was just a prank.

[thanks to a special tipster for letting us know the new site was going up.]

Vegas Gang #75 - March 10th, 2012

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 16:25:51 -0800

Episode #75 is up!

Listen here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com/2012/03/vegas-gang-75/

This time on the show:

Another installment of 'Meet the Gangsters', this time featuring... me - Hunter. You can find me on Twitter here: @hunter.

Huge thanks to Tim Dressen of Five Hundy By Midnight for taking the time to put this together.

I wrote this in 2006...

Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:56:07 -0800

and, though the article was never published, I sure would like that middle sentence back. See the guilty party after the jump.

Okada Makes a Promise

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:18:57 -0800

Before the recent flurry of legal activity involving Kazuo Okada and Steve Wynn, the Japanese billionaire had a reputation as a bit of a mystery man. But back in 1988, he was at the forefront of Universal Company's U.S. ad blitz. After the jump, see an ad from the February 1988 issue of Casino Gaming magazine that puts Mr. Okada front and center.