Casino Report from Argentina and Uruguay

Quote: aluisio

Other point, I think that Mr. Wizard lost the opportunity to know the best casino in Argentina, that is the Iguazu Grand, IMO.

Yeah, I'm still kicking myself over that. Everything I read said there was just one casino in Iguazu, so I assumed the Panoramic was it. The Iguazu Grand should advertise more. I don't see how the average visitor would know it was there.

It is true that in my visits I haven't noticed many american pals over there. They do strongly advise in Brazilian magazines and newspapers and I not rarely get some invitations via e-mail. The comps in Argentina are very stingy but sometimes they have nice deals to offer. Is it appropriate to ask in which context did you come south?

Quote: aluisio

Is it appropriate to ask in which context did you come south?

I take it you mean, why did I come to South America. It gives me something to write about, and I love traveling.

Is it rude to ask what a trip like this set you back? I've
never been to S America.

Quote: Wizard

I take it you mean, why did I come to South America. It gives me something to write about, and I love traveling.

That's interesting. I hope your expectations were not frustrated and you have enjoyed our humble continent. Everytime I head back home from North America it feels so empty, haha!

Quote: aluisio

That's interesting. I hope your expectations were not frustrated and you have enjoyed our humble continent. Everytime I head back home from North America it feels so empty, haha!

I had a good time, and any problems were my own fault. It could have been planned better. I need to go back and do it right next time.

Error?? The word "link" appears where I think you meant to include a hypertext link near the end of the Puerto Madero section.

It might be interesting to note the parallels between South American Gambling versus the American Indian Gambling.

Casinos often small and in remote locations somewhat off the beaten path for tourists and often offering a bare-boned operation of less than stellar returns.
Then perhaps you can note the current boom in Indian gambling and the trend for Indian casinos to be adding full featured amenities such as hotels, spas, movies, nightclubs, etc.
Perhaps the South American gambling industry will follow the same trend towards "Las Vegas Casinos" or at least towards their public image.

Note as to Roulette: I understand in the UK, Europe and South Africa it is the same way. Roulette is king.

Quote: FleaStiff

Error?? The word "link" appears where I think you meant to include a hypertext link near the end of the Puerto Madero section.

Thanks. I did indeed forget to add the link.

Quote: FleaStiff

It might be interesting to note the parallels between South American Gambling versus the American Indian Gambling.

Gambling doesn't seem to have really caught on in Argentina yet. At the two B.A. casinos it looked like mostly degenerate gamblers who had been playing all day. As I tried to say in the part with the missing link, they need only go to Panama to see how to make their casinos more fun, without going to the enormous expense of building something on a Vegas scale.

Quote: FleaStiff

Note as to Roulette: I understand in the UK, Europe and South Africa it is the same way. Roulette is king.

Not counting Antarctica, Africa is the only continent I haven't been to, so I can't speak to it. However, the roulette share is much higher in Argentina than what I've seen of Europe (France, Germany, Monte Carlo). Here are my rough estimates of roulette as a percentage of total table games:

Argentina: 40%
Europe: 20%
U.S: 10%

>Thanks. I did indeed forget to add the link.
In about the same area, there is a lack of a carriage return that seems strange. You discuss a list of prizes for slot club members and then there is a bold faced "Drinks". What you meant is that the next subject heading is "Drinks" and the paragraph about slot clubs is over.

>Gambling doesn't seem to have really caught on in Argentina yet.
157 casinos listed. Perhaps these are mainly tiny slot parlors or something. The word can be misleading.
> At the two B.A. casinos it looked like mostly degenerate gamblers who had been playing all day.
Well, Buenes Aires probably never touts itself as a gambling mecca or even as a mecca for sin of any sort.

> Here are my rough estimates of roulette as a percentage of total table games:
Argentina: 40%
Europe: 20%
U.S: 10%
I guess you can measure by Dollar Amount Waged, Number of tables, Number of players, etc. but such things as hiring patterns are important also. In the USA most casinos want to see "Blackjack and something else" in dealer applicants, but I understand that in many other countries its "Roulette and Blackjack".

Thanks, indeed I forgot to format that carriage return.

157 casinos for a whole continent is not that many. I think these are legitimate casinos with table games, but most of them are small. I think the typical thing is that a city above a certain population, perhaps 50,000 or so, will have just one casino. They don't cluster in certain cities like we do here.