Europe
I'm seriously thinking of going to Europe, probably emphasizing Germany and Spain. Here are some pros and cons to that idea.
Pros: There is a gaming conference coming up in Barcelona, and I have cousins that live in Germany who I haven't seen in 12 years.
Cons: I've been to casinos in Monaco, Germany, and France before and didn't find them that interesting, and the games were pretty much the same ones in Vegas. I don't think I would get much mileage writing about the trip.
Back East
Pros: I haven't been to Atlantic City in 12 or 13 years and am overdue to return. Plus I'd like to visit NYC and maybe Baltimore.
Cons: I don't think I would get much writing mileage out of Atlantic City either. Same old games as in Vegas. When last I was there I found every casino more or less the same there.
Rural Nevada
I enjoyed doing my article on Laughlin and wouldn't mind doing something similar for the rural casinos in northern Nevada. Specifically Elko, Winnemuca, Jackpot, and Wendover.
Deadwood, SD
Never been there. I get the impression every casino is more or less the same. Kind of like Blackhawk, CO.
Costa Rica
I've heard they have a lively gambling scene down there and I could probably get good writing mileage out of it.
Vegas reviews
There are some high-end casinos that need to be reviewed for this site. Like the Palms, Cosmopolitan, and Encore. I don't pay my writers enough to stay at these fancy places.
Video Poker Survey
I'm thinking about surveying random video poker machines around town to come up with a ranking of the most liberal video poker in Vegas. It would probably get good writing mileage. but would be very boring and tedious to do.
So, any suggestions regarding any of the above, or any other ideas. I'm all ears.
of the new casinos in PA, and end up in AC. Great
time of year to be in PA and you could even get
into E NY state and visit Face, who's casino is
very close to Erie PA. You can go to boring old EU
anytime, its not always Fall in PA.
Deadwood is boring, and you can go to the Vegas
casinos anytime.
Whoever said you can't go home again lied !
I think you should come out to the East. Not only do you have AC, but there are now full casinos in WV, OH and PA and that has only happened recently. Hollywood Columbus is also having its Grand Opening on October 8th, 2012, so you could at least be there for the opening of a brand new casino. PA also has excellent Blackjack Rules, so you can go in there and destroy those tables really quick.
My area also has some of the best Italian food in the world, whether or not the restaurants have any aesthetic appeal whatsoever is another matter...
Did you know also that all Ohio Bars/Restaurants/Casinos are 100% non-smoking by law? All WV restaurants are non-smoking as well, except for if they have a gaming parlor in there with VLT's, then you can smoke in that parlor. Most of the actual restaurants have no such thing, though.
I'll even buy you dinner if you stop by my area, and if you want to get the tip, you will not have to worry about me ordering a $1,000 bottle of wine, or any wine at all, for that matter!
Anyway, it sounds like it would be a great chance to meet many WoV Members (not just me) that you haven't yet met.
its followed by winter..
of pale yellow leaves. WOW
Quote: buzzpaffWhen I first moved to Denver I was told i MUST see the Aspens turn in the fall. Drove up in the mountains and saw lots and lots of pale yellow leaves. WOW
Lots of nice fall foliage in Maine, and some casinos, too.
3 rail fence then males half a mile long. A horse farm i am sure,
surprised u didnt know that?
try morraco and THE casino there?
bonus points if u come dressed as the King of Versailles. :)
u dont pay your writers enuf to stay at the Palms?!
never knew u thhought the palsm was on the same lvl as Wynn. and why would you think that??
How about an Index of Reasonable Expenditures in Las Vegas: A historical analysis of Discounts as behavior modifiers. The Index would reflect what real visitors expect to spend overall and how they therefore view a "discount" based on only a fragment of their expected expenses. Sort of an expose of the net effect of room discounts being balanced by knowledge of room sales, or knowledge of raised resort fees. This might help determine what really brings visitors to Vegas: Room pricing, airfare pricing or special events?
Or a statistician looks at real estate ... we hear so much about foreclosures, rebounds, vulture funds, downtown renewal. It might be nice to see an impartial analysis instead of biased headlines touting specialized viewpoints.
Or how about another "Micro Markets" of Nevada: An inquiry into Best Rules versus Number of Players.
Or a comparative review of Vegas "ex-urbs": Hendertucky, The Lakes, Laughlin, Mesquite, Pahrump.
Or Oriental owned and operated casinos versus Corporate Owned casinos: is there a different price of capital?
A comprehensive tour of casinos, state-by-state, would be wonderful to have. You could also create submission pages where people who play there could send updated information. Once you have confirmation from "sources," you can get the most up-to-date information. I would be happy to be a source for Iowa/Illinois casinos.
Just a thought...
Yeah, and we have 3 casinos right nearby.... 2 are 100% non-smoking!
If you are interested in an adventure, google 'Salar de Uyuni'.....
Casinos in the mid-west and east from a
Consulting perspective as well.
IF airfares remain as high as they have been
recently, and Casinos over here continue to
go "upscale" ( Belterra, Rivers in Pittsburgh,
even 4 Winds to some degree ) LV may
eventually need to adopt some new strategies
to keep their #'s up.
We are doing the Great Race to Rewards
with Caesar's, so that will help defray some
of our expenses next trip.
Quote: Mission146Hollywood Columbus is also having its Grand Opening on October 8th, 2012, so you could at least be there for the opening of a brand new casino.
If you head to that grand opening, I'd suggest getting on
the "invitee" list.
We avoided Horeshoe Cleveland for the first weekend
because the initial crowds were waiting for hours to get in.
And once we did go there, we were underwhelmed by the
atmosphere of it. Granted, I think it is a temporary
facility while they sort out whatever needs to be done
for a permanent one.
If you mean something to do in a few months, cover the New Jersey sports gambling venture. That might be December, they are fighting a lawsuit at the moment.
It would be interesting for the Wizard to do similar calculations for popular casinos that are popping up around the country with the change of state laws. I mean this would require a (maybe) significant monetary investment, but it could lead to a really interesting analysis.
Edit: I know I didn't follow your list exactly, just consider it under the "Back East" tab.
Adventurist outdoor type guy + gambling + khaki cargo shorts = Costa Rica
Alot of illegal gambling down there, that alone provides lots to write about
I like the casinos in eastern PA, haven't played the others.
The foliage is great in the 2nd week of October for the central part of PA
and the last 2 weeks for the southern part where more casinos are located.
They haven the best blackjack rules in the country, and they all have pai gow tiles.
Sands Bethlehem. Mohegan Pocono Downs, Mount Airy are in the east central part of the state.
Valley Forge, Parx, Harrah's Philadelphia are in the Philly suburbs.
Sugar House is in Old City Philadelphia.
You could always make a day trip to AC.
Or even to NYC if you wanted to see Gentings Resorts World NYC,
With all of their electronic games and the number one "slots"(VLT) casino in the US...
Anyway, I thought I would suggest something completely different, though it isn't appropriate for the next few weeks and probably not for quite a while:
Las Vegas experimented with the family-friendly concept, and it bombed. But there are still folks who want to do things as a family (including kids) that involves some time for the adults to hit a casino or two. Now I understand that your family is a whole separate deal from your business and that you have said you don't think they know or care much about your work, but perhaps you could considered something like this: Take a family trip; make sure there is plenty to entertain everyone; make sure there is also plenty of opportunity to experience gaming establishments. Now where can you do that well? Where is the best area for a "family" vacation that includes some gaming time? How/where can you make that kind of visit without risking accusations of child neglect, abuse, or endangerment? Has anyone done a review of that since Las Vegas realized that's not a way to make Sin City work?
Regarding the fall colors, don't forget that I lived in Baltimore through the 90s, so know what that is about. Out of curiosity, is this projected to be a good year?
Another state I shouldn't overlook is Oklahoma. They have recently legalized full blown casino gambling and have a lot of large casinos there. A negative to that idea is Oklahoma has got to be one of the more boring states in the country. My apologies in advance to my Okie readers.
Regarding a family/casino trip, we are seriously thinking of going to Europe this summer. My cousin in Frankfurt is getting married in June and I'd like to make the wedding. I think I could sneak out at night and check out the casinos wherever I may be.
I'm glad somebody voted for Costa Rica. That I think would be the most fun, and isn't that far away.
Please keep those ideas coming.
There has always been two competing views: Circus Circus versus the builder of the Imperial Palace who promised to replace his entire security staff if he ever found even one twelve year old in his place.... unless he was shooting craps!
Oklahoma? Where the best bet is to invest in enough gasoline to drive through the state and get to some decent casino.
Costa Rica? Commerce without courts. One resident was quoted as saying its like the wild west... no way to force anyone to pay their bills.
I also think a targeted guide to that region would have an audience.
Quote: WizardThanks for all the comments and suggestions.
Regarding the fall colors, don't forget that I lived in Baltimore through the 90s, so know what that is about. Out of curiosity, is this projected to be a good year?
Another state I shouldn't overlook is Oklahoma. They have recently legalized full blown casino gambling and have a lot of large casinos there. A negative to that idea is Oklahoma has got to be one of the more boring states in the country. My apologies in advance to my Okie readers.
Regarding a family/casino trip, we are seriously thinking of going to Europe this summer. My cousin in Frankfurt is getting married in June and I'd like to make the wedding. I think I could sneak out at night and check out the casinos wherever I may be.
I'm glad somebody voted for Costa Rica. That I think would be the most fun, and isn't that far away.
Wiz,
If you're thinking of Europe, Italy is a must do. For one thing there is food, food and more food. You wouldn't think pasta could be that much better than in the states....you'd be wrong. I know from this site you enjoy a good bottle of wine, again Italy. Just the house wines in most restaurants are amazing. The history/art/culture...also off the charts good. Enjoyable for kids and adults alike. It's also a relatively short train ride to the south of France where you could frequent the "Grand Casino" in Monte Carlo. Well worth the visit. Happy Traveling.
from the Wiz on the National Parks within a day's drive ?
I know there are plenty of handbooks out there already,
but...
One trip we enjoyed was a drive up to the North Rim
of the Grand Canyon. We managed to get a cabin
for a couple of nights by calling the company that the
Park Service uses to handle reservations over and
over again until there was a cancellation.
I'm not going to the grand opening of anything, but I imagine they would practically PAY for The Wiz to be there.
Quote: Mission146JohnnyQ,
I'm not going to the grand opening of anything, but I imagine they would practically PAY for The Wiz to be there.
And as well they should !
Well IF they had decent rules for players that would lead to a good
article, then they should. Now, based on Hollywood Holy Toledo,
what are the odd on that ?
For the first time in years, Baltimore is no longer among the nation's five deadliest cities, according to statistics for 2011 compiled by the FBI.
We just got back from our semi-annual trip to Nassau, Bahamas. Atlantis is fantastic. Not sure if you're taking the kids, but if you are their waterpark stuff and salt water marine life exhibits are second to none. Only two real casinos on the island, and they're probably plain vanilla, but still it's the BAHAMAS! Sugar sand that you sink into up to your ankles and 16 different shades of blue in the water....just saying.
Nothing better than passive income.
Quote: MakingBookLaunch a pay-per-head site and start booking bets.
Nothing better than passive income.
Only do this, Wiz, if you want to trade your Hawaiian shirts in for an orange jump suit !
cannibalism ??Quote: MakingBookLaunch a pay-per-head site.
Quote: buzzpaffOnly do this, Wiz, if you want to trade your Hawaiian shirts in for an orange jump suit !
why?
the wiz is in vegas? why cant he start his own legal online bookie site?