Vegas Trends

What trends do you foresee for Vegas in the next few decades?

Trends I've seen in the past 10 years or so include:
- a move towards, then away from, a family/kid friendly atmosphere
- unthemed casinos
- many casinos owned by the same corporation
- condos/non-gaming hotels on the strip
- creative ways to advertise everywhere (driving billboards, casino chips, etc.)
- dreaded 6:5 blackjack tables
- expansion of premium shopping on the strip/in casino-resorts
- more/larger poker rooms

Quote: dk

What trends do you foresee for Vegas in the next few decades?

I expect to see more and more international tourists.

I also think we'll see more unexpected costs, like the resort fee many properties are now charging.

I think we will see a deluge of huge abandoned mega casinos and condo complexes either on the strip or nearby, with broken and shattered windows in high up floors.

Very sad future for Las Vegas ...

--Dorothy

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Quote: kristim55

I expect to see more and more international tourists.

Then you'd best improve the international terminal. It's mostly ok to fly into, although to get to the shuttles or cabs one has to walk a bit outside to the rest of terminal 2. But flying out of there is pretty bad. Simply put, prior to the security check there's nothing but airline counters and airport offices. Not one store, restaurant or even a gumball machine.

There's another prolem for early arrivals: there are no active shuttles at the terminal. You either wait an hour and a half or so, or get to Terminal 1 and catch a shuttle there.

Quote: kristim55

I also think we'll see more unexpected costs, like the resort fee many properties are now charging.

I agree, except such fees aren't entirely unexpected. I've booked through Expedia and Harrah's own site (for Imperial Palace), and both stated the rates did not include additional fees. I think Epxedia's site even informed me what the daily "resort fee" was.

I was surprise to be charged for a local call, though.

Quote: Nareed

Quote: kristim55

I expect to see more and more international tourists.

Then you'd best improve the international terminal. It's mostly ok to fly into, although to get to the shuttles or cabs one has to walk a bit outside to the rest of terminal 2. But flying out of there is pretty bad. Simply put, prior to the security check there's nothing but airline counters and airport offices. Not one store, restaurant or even a gumball machine.

There's another prolem for early arrivals: there are no active shuttles at the terminal. You either wait an hour and a half or so, or get to Terminal 1 and catch a shuttle there.

Quote: kristim55

I also think we'll see more unexpected costs, like the resort fee many properties are now charging.

I agree, except such fees aren't entirely unexpected. I've booked through Expedia and Harrah's own site (for Imperial Palace), and both stated the rates did not include additional fees. I think Epxedia's site even informed me what the daily "resort fee" was.

I was surprise to be charged for a local call, though.

Nofee doesn't like booking fees.

Quote: Nareed

Then you'd best improve the international terminal.

As a matter of fact, a new terminal, Terminal 3, is under construction right now, and my understanding is it will be for both domestic and international flights. I don't know if that means they won't be using Terminal 2 anymore. Last I heard, the new terminal is opening in 2012.

Quote: dk

What trends do you foresee for Vegas in the next few decades?

Trends I've seen in the past 10 years or so include:
- a move towards, then away from, a family/kid friendly atmosphere
- unthemed casinos
- many casinos owned by the same corporation
- condos/non-gaming hotels on the strip
- creative ways to advertise everywhere (driving billboards, casino chips, etc.)
- dreaded 6:5 blackjack tables
- expansion of premium shopping on the strip/in casino-resorts
- more/larger poker rooms

Being less kid friendly is fine for me, a gambling facility isn't really a good atmosphere for them to begin with, and I've got nothing against sexifying the strip further. It is a little sad though, to see the unique themes being abandoned in favor a corporate building feel (wynn, city center, Echelon -- under development from Boyd), but this being said, I'm sure going to be there to check out Aria soon after it opens (hypocrite)!

I agree that Vegas is not a place to take kids. The place is just too seedy and I couldn't see walking my kid down the strip with all of the cards and sexual advertising.

I wonder if Vegas would do well however with the kids themed resort off the strip that offered a casino and theme park together in one property.

I agree with the trend that Vegas has become much more homogenized lately with MGM and Harrahs operating the majority of strip properties south of the Venetian.

Quote: boymimbo

I agree that Vegas is not a place to take kids. The place is just too seedy and I couldn't see walking my kid down the strip with all of the cards and sexual advertising.

I wonder if Vegas would do well however with the kids themed resort off the strip that offered a casino and theme park together in one property.

I agree with the trend that Vegas has become much more homogenized lately with MGM and Harrahs operating the majority of strip properties south of the Venetian.

The whole "kiddie friendly" thing I never got. It reminds me of an old episode of "Who's the Boss" where Angela (Judith Light) was tryintg to get some account of a place that made trendy clothes for teenage to early 20s girls. So Angela trys one on and wears it to a presentation telling the guy "Look how hot I look! If you sell to the mothers you double the market!"

To which the guy replies (off camera): "No, teenage girls don't want to dress like their mothers. I don't double my market doing that, I kill it!"

I think after about 2000 or so is when casino execs realized "What were we thinking?!"

Quote: AZDuffman

I think after about 2000 or so is when casino execs realized "What were we thinking?!"

It's one of those ideas people just don't think through. In this case I mean it's an idea no one thought about for more than one split second. Why would you take kids to a palce known best for gambling and topless shows? How's "Sin City" a place for a family vacation? Especially when there already are lots of other places for family vacations like Disneyland and Orlando. Why compete with that, when you have a nearly unique destination with a long-established mystique of its own?

I first went to Vegas when I was 9 or so. I barely recall anything from that trip, other than the carnival games at Circus Circus. We took that trip on a 10-day packaged week tour of California plus Las Vegas. I vividly recall Disney, the San Diego Zoo and San Francisco; I even recall the airlines we flew in (Western and PSA, both long extinct). But vegas was wasted on me and my brothers at the time.

BTW I prefer places without children or teens. Such places tend to be a lot quieter.

Decades??
I hesitate to even predict over a span of six months.

Major question: Will either online or Indian gambling really inhibit those who flock to Vegas? Reno claims to be suffering from all those Californians who now go to Indian casinos instead of treking over the mountains to Reno. If the visitor decline continues, will layoffs impair a rebound?

Has the much ballyhooed end of the line actually been reached. Vegas builds more and more hotel rooms and more and more mega-resorts (whether themed or not) and all the while claims the market will never absorb this excess construction. Will those statements of excess capacity ever come true? Have they come true now?

Will Vegas actually survive on Non-Gaming revenue? Has there been an end to the old school... that the Casino's Drop was the ONLY profit center there was. Rooms, restaurants and shows exist to serve the Casino rather than stand alone as profit centers. Has this changed?

My two cents is that long-term Vegas will be fine. It will always have a place as the Mecca of gambling. There is also plenty to do besides gambling, unlike many Indian casinos. It is also a cost effective place for conventions, or just thaw out. Now I could be wrong, but I think that the casino stocks are a good long-term buy.

I think Vegas overall has taken a hit from the proliferation of casinos in North America. Certainly Atlantic City has taken hits when Foxwoods and Mohecan Sun opened, and it will take more hits as more Pennsylvania casinos open. I think that with the proliferation of casinos around Detroit and Chicago also causes a decline, as well as the proliferation of casinos in Southern California.

All of this is being offset with the popularization and acceptance of casinos as a form of entertainment as a whole, especially poker and to a certain extent blackjack.

So, the attractiveness of Vegas I think is no longer the gambling. It's the experience of having so many things to do in a short three mile span that is the Strip. It is the hotels, the food, the sexiness, the man-made themes, and the excitement overall of the city that continues to make it the #1 travel destination in the world.

That's why I think Vegas dabbled with children's entertainment in the 90s because they recognized that. However, I think that the city as a whole didn't have the will to move in that direction. The city was far more successful with the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas theme".

Quote: kristim55

As a matter of fact, a new terminal, Terminal 3, is under construction right now, and my understanding is it will be for both domestic and international flights. I don't know if that means they won't be using Terminal 2 anymore. Last I heard, the new terminal is opening in 2012.

It would make sense to have all international travel in one terminal. I think that's the case with Terminal 2, but I'm not certain.

The Mexico City airport expanded to two terminals recently (much overdue), but they are divided between airlines only. Therefore all the immigration, customs facilities and duty free shops are replicated in both terminals, which has to be more expensive.

On other things, I've only gone casino gambling in vgeas. I don't think I'd travel anywhere else just to gamble, because Vegas is a lot more than just the casinos, as has been mentioned in this thread. Also Vegas has an image of permisiveness that's simply lacking elsewhere.

I really don't think the quality of the terminal would have anything to do with the quantity of visitors that come to Vegas. Honestly, you could force the patrons to walk across a swamp of alligators to gamble (and charge admission) and they would still come to Vegas.

Certainly a nice airport makes the entire experience more enjoyable but it wouldn't detract anyone from coming to Vegas.

What do you think the typical strip casino will look like in 10-20 years? Will it be mostly slots and automated table games like those that already exist for BJ, roulette, and poker? Will it be about the same mix as now? Do you think Pachinko or any other (possibly yet to be invented) game will become prevalent the way that slots and (more recently) poker have?

Quote: boymimbo

I really don't think the quality of the terminal would have anything to do with the quantity of visitors that come to Vegas. Honestly, you could force the patrons to walk across a swamp of alligators to gamble (and charge admission) and they would still come to Vegas.

Certainly a nice airport makes the entire experience more enjoyable but it wouldn't detract anyone from coming to Vegas.

I like comparing Vegas to the Twilight Zone: you've either seen it or have heard a lot about it. Word of mouth counts a lot in travel. Sure, few people will avoid a destination because the airport is sub par, but it may weigh in the decisions of some other people. Fact is no other gambling destination is as close to a major airport with tons of daily flights like Vegas. Even Atlantic City is a fair distance from the Newark airport. That helps Vegas a lot, too.

For me, as an international traveler, the good things about McCarran are:

short wait times for immigration and zero wait for customs.
cheap and easy access to and from the airport
very short lines for security (surprise!)

On the down side:

There's nothing at Terminal 2 prior to passing security. Not even a soda vending machine
there are no smoking areas inside the terminal
the duty free shop is one of the worst I've seen. It's tiny, the prices are on the high side, selection is meager and limited to the duty free classics and little more.
There is no good Vegas souvenir shop. Granted there are several such stores in Vegas, but one at the airport would be good, too. It's the only airport I've ever seen without a good local selection fo souvenirs.
There are few slot machines and no VP machines (and that's an odd criticism for an airport terminal). Oh, I don't gamble at the airport, but I might if there were a VP machine or two.

What's really worse is I always feel like my vacation ends the minute I get to the airport. There's nothing to enjoy there. Even the view from the terminal is rather limited.

Quote: dk

What do you think the typical strip casino will look like in 10-20 years? Will it be mostly slots and automated table games like those that already exist for BJ, roulette, and poker? Will it be about the same mix as now? Do you think Pachinko or any other (possibly yet to be invented) game will become prevalent the way that slots and (more recently) poker have?

1. The "themeing" (sp?) thing is already done but what little themes are left will continue to be worked down. Exceptions might be Caesar's Palace and Circus Circus, but for the most part it will be just an emphasis on class like Wynn/Encore.

2. Fewer reel slots, more and more penny slots but you play 40 lines or so. Human nature to like getting 40 plays than one, even if payout odds are the same. Heck, years before the penny slots came about I wondered if they would not be a good idea based on the lines for nickel reel slots. Also more and more slots with fancier screens. People seem to like all the flash more than some reels just stopping on "BAR."

3. More and more automated table games, sadly. Like slots they don't call in sick, take breaks, or form unions. Though a market will still exist for "live" table games, we will soon see younger players actually prefering the automated BJ machines. They are used to the internet and a machine does not care if you don't tip.

4. Fewer and fewer new resorts. The former Stardust and Frontier may fill in, but it is now time to milk the places built in the 1990s/2000s. There was a 20-year or so boom 1946-1966. After that Demand kind of "grew into" the supply of hotels. Then in 1986 you got the Mirage and another boom 1986-2007. With financing harder and harder to get it will be smarter to just run an existing property.

5. Someone will find smaller is better. Casinos have gotten too big for their own good. Many are "walk thrus" for tourists. I read somewhere fewer than 5% of the people who walk into the Wynn will place a chip on a table or bill in a slot. Some guy wrote a book on it--gamblers prefer a smaller place like Binions in many respects and are just not "comfortable" in the bigger places. So like Wal-Mart making the "Neighborhood Market" concept someone will do that with a casino.

5a. The smarter properties will realize that the time spent at tables has fallen by half from the "real" days of the 60s/70s. They will realizt they are a Casino-Hotel, not a Hotel-Casino. The gambling revenue is what drives the strip.

Quote: Nareed

Even Atlantic City is a fair distance from the Newark airport.

Newark is a good 2 hours from AC. Philly is closer.

AC does have it's own airport, listed as an 'Interntaional' airport, but it's really just a regional airport. The only non-stop destinations are Boston, Toronto, Myrtle Beach, Atlanta and several in Florida. And even if it were a bigger airport, it's about a 25 minute drive to the nearest casino!

For convenience (i.e. close to your hotel) you can't beat McCarren. I've often been tempted to WALK to my hotel! (Maybe if I stay at the Hard Rock...)

My prediction is all merged Sands/Wynn/MGM/Harrahs properties will have huge banners proudly proclaiming "All of our Blackjack games NOW PAY an OUTRAGEOUS 4 to 5 on BLACKJACKS", and customers will be lined up three deep to play.


5. Someone will find smaller is better. Casinos have gotten too big for their own good. Many are "walk thrus" for tourists. I read somewhere fewer than 5% of the people who walk into the Wynn will place a chip on a table or bill in a slot. Some guy wrote a book on it--gamblers prefer a smaller place like Binions in many respects and are just not "comfortable" in the bigger places. So like Wal-Mart making the "Neighborhood Market" concept someone will do that with a casino.


I truly hope your size prediction comes to pass. I stayed at the Hard Rock recently where I used to love the intimacy of the property. With the additional new tower and the other one coming on line soon, its starting to feel just like the rest. Since the ownership change, they've also changed their BJ rules, and not in a good way for the player. I agree that something small, higher end, with decent (not decadent) amenities will draw great.

Quote: lucky13

... I agree that something small, higher end, with decent (not decadent) amenities will draw great.

"Draw great" ?

You mean will appeal to so many people that they'd need to expand?

Can you say "Catch-22" ?

I think the high end will keep on growing. You will see Steve Wynn finish his 3rd and 4th building before he dies. I think that Harrah's Arena will be revived, especially once they purchase Planet Hollywood. They will need something to galvanize those properties.
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The rejuvenation of the North Strip (and by extension the City of Las Vegas) may take a back seat to renewed interest around Harmon Avenue.
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I think that the new City Hall will leave the City with a huge bill, and no new development to pay for it.
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I am bullish on the LV to Victorville train (a very unpopular opinion). I think the trick would be to have an Indian Casino at the Victorville end. That casino will create the need for buses from nearby transit stops (like Palmdale and San Bernardino). It will permit a helicopter landing pad that will permit rapid transit from downtown LA and Beverly Hills and have a room to take care of them until the train comes. I think people are judging this project like a normal mass transit train. It is designed to appeal to single men who are interested in gambling. Single drivers would spend a significant portion of the train ticket on gas anyway. It is not designed for families, or for people who live in Vegas and want to go the other direction. If helicopters can bring 100 whales a day from LA, it will be much cheaper to bring them in this way then to put them on private jets based in Van Nuys. Nearly every High Speed Rail in the world is designed to be the dominant transportation mode for that route. The DesertXpress only needs about 5 million people a year plus 100 mid sized whales a day. It doesn't need to become the dominant transportation mode for the route.
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I would like to see some loftier goals for the city. There could be think tanks here as well as casinos. There are plenty of rooms.

I don't think the Vegas of just a few years ago will ever come back. The downsizing of Vegas will start soon, it has to. The handwritings on the wall. I remember a guy in the 70's who had a Cadillac during the oil crisis. He retooled the 8 cylinder engine so it ran on 4 cylinders and used half as much gas. Vegas is going to have to reinvent itself once again, and the result won't be good.

Quote: EvenBob

I don't think the Vegas of just a few years ago will ever come back. The downsizing of Vegas will start soon, it has to. The handwritings on the wall. I remember a guy in the 70's who had a Cadillac during the oil crisis. He retooled the 8 cylinder engine so it ran on 4 cylinders and used half as much gas. Vegas is going to have to reinvent itself once again, and the result won't be good.

It might be painful, but there is no reason to assume it won't be good. The Mirage opened only 3 years after the end of the mobster era in Vegas. This brought a near 20-year boom. Who knows what is in store? Maybe the end of the supercasino era will bring back better customer service?

Quote: AZDuffman

Someone will find smaller is better. Casinos have gotten too big for their own good. Many are "walk thrus" for tourists. The smarter properties will realize that the time spent at tables has fallen by half from the "real" days of the 60s/70s. They will realize they are a Casino-Hotel, not a Hotel-Casino. The gambling revenue is what drives the strip.

Mega properties with gawking tourists that don't spend sufficient time in the casino will survive but I'm reminded of these tiny little slot parlors that provide ultra-comfortable chairs, great drink service, a relatively quiet atmosphere with no distractions at all, some snacks and that's about it. They focus on what brings in the money: slot machines. They are "bricks not clicks" and they are "slot parlors rather than casinos". They don't really offer anything you can't find online, its just that their customers are not the ipad/twitter/facebook types.

Now not everyone will downsize all the way to just slots, but there will be downsizing that re-emphasizes the casino rather than non-gaming distractions. Look for live dealers, good rules, loyal customers.

Sure the mega properties will have their European Style Pool Parties and frenetic nightclubbing yuppies, but the real money makers will be the re-emerging Binions-Style places: a good gamble, a good drink and a good steak. If the M survives, it will be in the lead. If the M doesn't survive the present economy, then the casinos who adopt what the M tried to be, will turn out to be the moneymakers.

Clark County grew from 740K population in 1990 to just over or just under 2 million today (depending on what statistics you look at.

There were 105.1K people working in casinos-hotels (over $1 million gaming revenue apiece) in 1990. In 19 years they added a mere 1359 jobs to the workforce in the casino department and 40.2K jobs in rooms, food, beverage, general & administrative, and "other" (retail, entertainment, etc.). With more automation they will probably have a negative change in the casino departments by next fiscal year.

As you can see, the net increase in casino jobs is a tiny percentage of the net increase in overall population.

Phoenix has five Fortune 500 companies worth over $41 billion in five different industries, while Las Vegas has three Fortune 500 companies worth less than $20 billion (all in gaming). Phoenix has more than twice the urban population of Las Vegas.

2010 Fortune 500
Phoenix & Maricopa County, AZ
1 Avnet #142 $16,229.9 (world's largest franchised distributor of electronic components and subsystems)
2 Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold #154 $15,040.0 (world's lowest-cost copper producer)
3 US Airways Group 222 $10,458.0 (airline)
4 Republic Services #278 $8,199.1 (waste management)
5 PetSmart #393 $5,336.4 (pet care)

Las Vegas , NV
1 Harrah's Entertainment #264 $8,907.4 (gaming)
2 MGM Mirage #360 $5,978.6 (gaming)
3 Las Vegas Sands #456 $4,563.1 (gaming)

It is pretty obvious that without any diversification into other industries the city can never hope to pace itself with a city like Phoenix. Gaming cannot support this growth, it is not growing nearly as fast as the population as a whole.

Fortune 1000	Corporation	Revenue	Profit
#264	Harrah's Entertainment	$8,907.4	$827.6
#360	MGM Resorts	$5,978.6	-$1,291.7
#456	Las Vegas Sands	$4,563.1	-$354.5
#634	Wynn Resorts	$3,045.6	$20.7
#962	Boyd Gaming	$1,641.0	$4.2

One wonders how long MGM Resorts can keep up that kind of losses without selling The Mirage to Harrah's.

Vegas is like an old time mining town. It booms until the gold runs out and then it deflates like a baloon. With every state (almost} embracing gaming more and more, Vegas is running out of 'gold'. When Calif has full service casinos, the baloon will pop in Vegas. They get what, half their business from Southern California? Something like that. Its only a matter of time.

Quote: EvenBob

Vegas is like an old time mining town. It booms until the gold runs out and then it deflates like a baloon. With every state (almost} embracing gaming more and more, Vegas is running out of 'gold'. When Calif has full service casinos, the baloon will pop in Vegas. They get what, half their business from Southern California? Something like that. Its only a matter of time.

It'll sure make one hell of a Ghost Town!

It is so crazy to imagine all those hotels empty, the bellagio lake dried out, the whole strip empty.

Quote: NicksGamingStuff

It is so crazy to imagine all those hotels empty, the bellagio lake dried out, the whole strip empty.

Sure. But it's easy to imagine the Circus Circus, Slots-a-fun, the Riviera and the Sahara closed and abandoned; and the Echelon and Fountainbleau forever unfinished. The Strip would end at the Wynn, and it's an open question whether the Stratosphere would keep going or not (it would need to integrate itself to Downtown, perhaps offering free shuttles to Fremont Street and back).

Quote: Nareed

Sure. But it's easy to imagine the Circus Circus, Slots-a-fun, the Riviera and the Sahara closed and abandoned; and the Echelon and Fountainbleau forever unfinished. The Strip would end at the Wynn, and it's an open question whether the Stratosphere would keep going or not (it would need to integrate itself to Downtown, perhaps offering free shuttles to Fremont Street and back).

It would be the bigger properties that would disappear. What costs less to feed, an elephant or a horse. There might still be a lot of casinos, but much smaller, with 1/10 the overhead of all the giants. Somethings got to happen, I can't see where Vegas can ever be where it was 3 years ago.

Quote: EvenBob

It would be the bigger properties that would disappear. What costs less to feed, an elephant or a horse. There might still be a lot of casinos, but much smaller, with 1/10 the overhead of all the giants. Somethings got to happen, I can't see where Vegas can ever be where it was 3 years ago.

Actually the bigger properties run much more efficiently than the smaller ones. It is just the acquisition costs and the building costs were very high. But those are already sunk costs.

So I disagree with you. However, the new properties may be only similar to Eastside Cannery. Small out of the way places with relatively low construction costs that are simply looking to steal business from the older casinos (i.e. Sam's Town next door to Eastside Cannery).

What I forsee are the resurgence of Las Vegas as a city with the introduction of NFL and NBA franchises, as well as the expansion of high technology research and development. The shuttering of Downtown will create opportunities for smaller, "boutique" low roller joints on the Strip. This mix of mega resort and low-roller joints will do well until the economy shapes up, and the next round of mege resort building begins with the implosion of the Mirage (first in, first out after all).

The nightmare for Nevada gaming executives is the real threat of full table gaming in California casinos (both tribal and non-tribal; when it happens it will be available to both groups). The state really needs revenue, and gaming is perceived as a quick way to get it. Several Foxwoods sized resort in the L.A. to L.V. corridor, will intercept a large chunk of California business that would otherwise head to the Vegas. These projects, if ever proposed, need to be stopped cold. Nevada companies that hope to dull the blow to their bottom lines by providing management services to the new California properties are only sharpening the needles that will drain the blood from Las Vegas' heart.


According to the Casino City Times report on Indian Gaming, in 2008:

The top 2 states, California and Oklahoma, generated 38% of total gaming revenue at Indian gaming facilities.
There was great disparity in the performance of Indian gaming across states - nearly one-half of the states with Indian gaming experienced declines in gaming revenue, while the other half experienced growth.
The states that experienced the most growth in Indian gaming revenue in 2008 were Alaska, Alabama, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
The states that made the greatest contribution to nationwide Indian gaming growth were Oklahoma and Florida, which are large revenue-generating states that continue to grow at a rapid pace.
Indian gaming continued to make significant contributions to the U.S. economy in terms of output, jobs, and wages.

Compare to this:
According to the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV, annual gaming revenue in Nevada has been falling since 9/11/2001. There has not been one year in the past 8 where total gaming revenue in Nevada has not slipped.

Quote: Ayecarumba

What I forsee are the resurgence of Las Vegas as a city with the introduction of NFL and NBA franchises, as well as the expansion of high technology research and development. The shuttering of Downtown will create opportunities for smaller, "boutique" low roller joints on the Strip. This mix of mega resort and low-roller joints will do well until the economy shapes up, and the next round of mege resort building begins with the implosion of the Mirage (first in, first out after all).

NFL Team in Las Vegas? No way, never, not in this lifetime. The NFL has a bee up its @$$ about the fact that people actually bet on games. While they encourage fantasy football, somehow betting a game will destroy the sport to them. Unless other states allow sports gambling, there will not be a team, Superbowl, or even exhibition game in Las Vegas.

Now, R&D or some other type of start-ups will happen in Vegas. From mining to casinos Vegas has always attracted risk takers. Risk takers enjoy being around risk takers.

I think Mirage has 30 more years to go. Plenty of empty space yet. Though I would prefer seeing some smaller places rather than the mega-resorts.

(The shuttering of Downtown will create opportunities{

Shuttering of Downtown? Never gonna happen. Downtown will always survive, its the Strip thats in trouble. People have been saying Downtown is doomed since the 70's, its not going anywhere.

A great many drivers going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas passed by those rinky dink little casinos that were at the border and continued on to get to the real casinos. Yet obviously enough people stopped to let those rinky dink casinos prosper.

Revenue desperate California may indeed change its laws but even if does not, the Indian casinos will still bleed off ever increasing numbers of gamblers.

Between the online casinos, the Indian casinos and other alternatives that may develop, what exactly are the attractions that Las Vegas will provide? I understand that Reno at least claims that Indian casinos in California have bled the city dry thus leading to casino foreclosures. Is it possible that by the time the high speed train is completed, no one will be riding it?

Quote: FleaStiff

A great many drivers going from Los Angeles to Las Vegas passed by those rinky dink little casinos that were at the border and continued on to get to the real casinos. Yet obviously enough people stopped to let those rinky dink casinos prosper.

Revenue desperate California may indeed change its laws but even if does not, the Indian casinos will still bleed off ever increasing numbers of gamblers.

Between the online casinos, the Indian casinos and other alternatives that may develop, what exactly are the attractions that Las Vegas will provide? I understand that Reno at least claims that Indian casinos in California have bled the city dry thus leading to casino foreclosures. Is it possible that by the time the high speed train is completed, no one will be riding it?

Why do people go to Disneyworld or Six Flags or Universal City or any amusement park type place? Maybe Vegas needs a huge attraction along those lines that has nothing to do with gaming. I don't mean that stuff they tried in the 90's, I mean a huge self contained amusement type park that will have a big draw, like Disneyworld does. Sure its hot in the summer, but have you ever been to Orlando in July when the temp is 90 and the humidity is 85%? I'll take Vegas heat any day over that.

I don't think that anything that happens in California in the next ten years will equal a Bellagio.

Las Vegas offers a combination of variety and activities that no other places offers. That's it. You have about 30 casinos along the strip offering you a different experience based on your tastes and budget. You have a number of other casinos in the city catering to the locals and tourists who trek downtown or are looking for an edgier experience. You've got an airport bringing in passengers from around the world with the action being less than 10 minutes away. You've got convention space galore to handle the any sized event from any company. You've got dining of every type from the down and dirty $2 steak and eggs special at Bill's to the $200 plate at Bellagio's Picasso across the street. You've got shows of all types, from free fountains and volcanos, concerts, broadway shows, magic, nude revues, and comedy, all once again from bottom of the barrel to the Cirque. All of this experience is along a very safe 30 minute walk from the Wynn down to Mandalay Bay. There's nothing else like it on earth. Las Vegas isn't going anywhere. It will reinvent itself and shrink and expand to meet supply and demand.

Gambling is just the background noise for all of it.

Apropos: Good interview with UNR professor William Eadington.