Wendover, NV ?????

Will be taking a trip there and would like to know the conditions .

Any reports ? Comments ?

See teddys's blog from his trip out West a few weeks ago.

Vic and Ric's cousin lives there.

Thanks ten2win and teddy !!!

DonP -- PM me if you have any specific questions about Wendover.

In our discussions about Laughlin, I thought I would mention Wendover. Wendover is a very small market, even compared to downtown or Laughlin, but recently it has been the most profitable section of Nevada's casino business. Before tax profits run about 14% while nearly every other region is suffereng huge losses.

Although residents of Salt Lake City are not big gamblers, it would seem that there are enough separated from the flock, who like to sneak away for a chance to play the machines.

Sneak away? There are so many they need traffic control on I-80. I've a very vivid memory of driving east on 80 early on a Friday evening, just east of Wendover. Maybe two taillights a mile ahead of me, and a steady, continuous two abreast stream of headlights headed west from Salt Lake towards the awful temptations of Wendover. I was chuckling all the way back to Colorado.

Ahh, the good old Jack Mormons..

Don't forget Jackpot, NV, a small town with three casinos just across the border from Idaho. Also appeals to the Mormon population in Southern Idaho. Twin Falls is only an hour away.

Not having much in-depth knowledge of Mormon culture, beyond my own personal views (morally upstanding, admirable work ethic, but completely insane theology)...is this indicative of some kind of seedy underbelly to the Mormon church? Like, there's a group of Mormons who, behind their public facade, gather in basements and backrooms to drink (gasp!) coffee and plan secret junkets across the state line to play some slots?

It just seems so strange to me...I know everyone has their vices, but this just seems to fly so blatantly in the face of Mormon culture.

Quote: teddys

Don't forget Jackpot, NV, a small town with three casinos just across the border from Idaho. Also appeals to the Mormon population in Southern Idaho. Twin Falls is only an hour away.

Well the Mormons aren't giving the area a big profit, but at least it some profit compared to most of the rest of the state. The statewide loss was almost $4 billion last fiscal year.

Profit/Loss $ MILLIONS	REGION
-$2,208.0	Las Vegas Strip
-$60.0	Dowtown LV
-$403.0	Boulder Strip & Henderson
-$0.7	Laughlin
-$1,320.0	Rest of Clark County
-$24.7	South Shore Lake Tahoe
-$54.1	Reno / Sparks
$9.6	Rest of Washoe County outside Reno/Sparks
$0.5	Carson Valley
$31.9	Wendover Area
$13.0	Rest of Elko county (Jackpot etc.)
$20.1	Balance of Nevada Counties

Quote: OneAngryDwarf

Not having much in-depth knowledge of Mormon culture, beyond my own personal views (morally upstanding, admirable work ethic, but completely insane theology)...is this indicative of some kind of seedy underbelly to the Mormon church? Like, there's a group of Mormons who, behind their public facade, gather in basements and backrooms to drink (gasp!) coffee and plan secret junkets across the state line to play some slots?

It just seems so strange to me...I know everyone has their vices, but this just seems to fly so blatantly in the face of Mormon culture.

I don't think it's a LARGE percentage of the population... in fact, I'd venture to guess outside of Islam, it's probably the second-least gambling religion. Most people who identify as Mormon are strong enough in their convictions to avoid what they deem to be as sin. The penalties for disobedience are severe (for them, a version of excommunication), so they avoid it.

Exhaustive research (HBO's Big Love) suggests gambling may not be seen as immoral to Mormons. Not sure how grounded in reality it is, but a major arc on the show deals with characters starting a Mormon-focused casino just over the border from Utah.

Quote: Tiltpoul

I don't think it's a LARGE percentage of the population... in fact, I'd venture to guess outside of Islam, it's probably the second-least gambling religion. Most people who identify as Mormon are strong enough in their convictions to avoid what they deem to be as sin. The penalties for disobedience are severe (for them, a version of excommunication), so they avoid it.

West Wendover has 5 casinos + a Pilot Travel Center casino . All together they made $226 million in fiscal year 2011 (gambling, rooms, food, beverage, retail, and entertainment). About $125 million is slot revenue and $32 million is pit revenue. Wendover is about a third of the size as Laughlin.

Boyd Gaming makes as much as Wendover with their three old Freemont street casinos The Boulder Strip and Henderson casino make $1.2 billion.

Greater Salt Lake City has a population of 1.12 million, while urban Las Vegas has a population of 1.31 million.

So, casino expenditures from Salt Lake City urban area (many of whom are not Mormons) is proportionately miniscule. It's a mistake to think that there is a mass exodus every weekend from transgressing Mormons.

But it's a small reliable pilgrimage that has no competition by any Indian casinos inside Utah. As a matter of fact Utah doesn't have any legal gambling whatsoever, not even church bingo. Only Hawaii and Utah can say they don't have any gambling (not even for charity). The Wendover gaming is mostly controlled by one company. Hence Wendover is the most profitable region in Nevada.

Quote: sunrise089

Exhaustive research (HBO's Big Love) suggests gambling may not be seen as immoral to Mormons.

I know almost nothing about Mormonism, but I am aware of some restrictions on diet, including no alcohol, coffee, or certain soft drinks (maybe it's the caffeine or something, I don't know). This thread's discussions reminded me of a comment I heard several decades ago.

For several years, I worked for the same company that my father and grandfather retired from. That company had numerous facilities, including a large one near Salt Lake City. Because of that, there were a fair number of Mormons who worked for the company at other locations due to relocations during their careers.

In the late 1960s, my parents were living in South Carolina. A young employee of the company had just been transferred there from Utah, and one weekend afternoon, they invited him over to their house to get better acquainted. They knew that he was a Mormon, and my mother was hesitant when offering him a beverage. He declined a Coke saying, "No, thank you. But I wouldn't turn down a little bourbon if you have some."

Perhaps there are other Mormons who are willing to put aside some of the restrictions of their religion, at least while they are away from Utah, similar to the Saudi Muslims who go to Cairo for their gambling entertainment.

Quote: teddys

Don't forget Jackpot, NV...

Absolutely agree - many years ago I went to the casinos in Northern Nevada (to collect the chips) and back then there were a few small ones in Wendover but also driving up to Jackpot the casinos seemed better and some had hotels. However reading an article about the Red Garter, Wendover perhaps the ones there now are different. Also, quirkily Jackpot is on Mountain time.

Quote: charliepatrick

Absolutely agree - many years ago I went to the casinos in Northern Nevada (to collect the chips) and back then there were a few small ones in Wendover but also driving up to Jackpot the casinos seemed better and some had hotels. However reading an article about the Red Garter, Wendover perhaps the ones there now are different. Also, quirkily Jackpot is on Mountain time.

There are six casinos in Wendover, five with hotels. The Peppermill properties do very well. The Nugget/Red Garter are less popular, and the Garter is kind of a dump, to be honest. Fun place to play, though. I wish I had gone to Jackpot when I drove through Nevada. Two hours was pretty far to go out of the way, though.

Quote: teddys

The Nugget/Red Garter are less popular, and the Garter is kind of a dump, to be honest. Fun place to play, though. I wish I had gone to Jackpot when I drove through Nevada. Two hours was pretty far to go out of the way, though.

The Red Garter was sold to the owners of the Wendover Nugget casino on February 23, 2010. The primary owner is David A. Ensign who is the half-brother of Senator John Ensign. He stated that he was going to renovate the dodgy hotel. I don't know how the work turned out, or if it was stalled because of deepening recession.

Jackpot was built by former owners of casinos in Idaho who were thrown out of that state when Idaho made gambling illegal in 1954. It is only 1 mile across the border and is much easier to get to from Idaho then from Wendover.