FleaStiff
FleaStiff
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Joined: Oct 19, 2009
March 18th, 2012 at 10:27:46 AM permalink
Pundits have long said that casinos were the new "dinner theaters" that were resurrecting has-beens or even featuring never-beens.
Ofcourse recently casinos seem to have featured Roach Coach Conventions though of course under a more appetizing name such as food truck. It seems that mere existence of slot machines with fancy graphics is no longer sufficient to draw in the crowds. Other casinos seem to be copying the Vegas trend of giving up being exclusively gambling centers and providing lures for a broad cross section of the population. Just as Vegas is now clubbing, pools, haute cuisine, etc., other casinos are becoming more than just gambling dens.


Casinos ranging from Hollywood's Hard Rock to Miami's Magic City casino now routinely bring in rock acts to help fill the slot machine seats. By Michael Vasquez mrvasquez@MiamiHerald.com

At Miami’s Magic City Casino, the crowds don’t turn out for greyhound races anymore — slot machines and poker are the new draw, and the racing grandstand attracts only sparse crowds. Except, of course, when the rip-roaring electric guitars come to town. On rock ’n’ roll concert nights, the dog track becomes a 2,000-seat concert venue, drawing the likes of Smash Mouth, David Cassidy, and on one recent Friday night, Styx. A sellout, pulsating (and mostly middle-aged) crowd roared when Styx took the outdoor stage, situated in the center of the racing oval.

Across South Florida’s growing casino landscape, similar scenes have been playing out with increasing regularity. Taking a page from the Las Vegas playbook, local casinos are becoming the region’s newest concert venues, mindful that today’s gambler doesn’t just want to hit the jackpot, but also wants to be entertained.

The price of that entertainment (provided you can keep yourself away from the slots) is often cheaper than traditional concert locations. Styx tickets started at $20, while Eddie Money performed for free.

Still, the 6,000-seat Hard Rock Live venue does have a fondness for blast-from-the-past rock acts such as REO Speedwagon, which has performed both at the Seminole venue and at Magic City. There’s a natural synergy there with the Hard Rock’s classic rock brand, but perhaps more importantly, middle-aged music fans are often more likely to have the means and interest to gamble before or after the show.

Bitner acknowledged that the “disposable dollars” of older music fans make them a primary customer base for casinos. Hard Rock Live opened in 2005, and when the tribe earlier this year completed a $150 million expansion of its northern Broward casino in Coconut Creek, a 1,200-seat concert space was added there as well.

And who was the first act to christen Coconut Creek’s concert “Pavillion” last month? British-American rock band Foreigner, which enjoyed its heyday in the 1970s and ’80s.

Nationally, Indian casinos have been a key growth segment for the gambling industry overall, and that growth has spawned a whole new sea of tribal concert venues.

But for Jeff John, owner of downtown Fort Lauderdale’s Revolution concert space, local casinos’ new interest in live music is cause for concern. alt-rock band Sister Hazel has played at the 1,100-capacity Revolution several times before.

miamiherald.com/2012/03/18/v-fullstory/2697492/casinos-hit-the-jackpot-with-b.html#storylink=cpy
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