Can't somebody do this??

That is why snidely333 would find poor old DonDiego at the LizzyJoe casino. DonDiego is exactly the kind of guy DonDiego would rather not hang out with, but he has no choice.
Except for springing for an occasional fancy dinner and a show, DonDiego avoids all the high-priced extravagances.

It's interesting that Chilcoot mentions the Riviera, New Frontier, and Sahara. Those are pr'bly the three joints where DonDiego stayed most during the '80s and '90s, . . . and sometimes the Stardust, . . . usually to participate in blackjack tournaments.
Now he doesn't go as often and stays downtown when he does. West Virginia, Delaware, and Pennsylvania offer decent blackjack. And the big-prize Vegas blackjack tournaments are for the rated regular high-rollers.

DonDiego agrees with the posters looking for the good old days of better odds on the games and fewer charges for things he doesn't use. But the days of gambling emporia offering food, rooms, and entertainment free-or-nearly-so and making all their money off gambling are gone forever.
The investments are so much bigger. And corporations in charge are different; everything is a profit-center; nobody rides for free.

F'rinstance, the fancy-schmantzy shopping is there, because it pays. When the shopping was originally proposed the old-timers said people don't come to Las Vegas to shop, . . . and they were right. But things change. DonDiego hasn't checked recently, but he remembers reading a few years ago, that for the really high-end jewelers and clothing speciality shops the Las Vegas shop ranked in the top-3 worldwide for each company.
It probably has something to do with high-rollers and cash and wives/girlfriends/boyfriends.
The only places DonDiego has shopped in Las Vegas are the outlet malls on the South Strip; he has gotten some fabulous deals on the remainder table, especially walking shoes.

Fascinating!

Ric, I would have to disagree with you. There are plenty of Strip casinos that should have been paid off years ago. Granted, the upkeep and renovations might be high, but can you really tell me that Caesars, MGM, Harrahs and others are still paying off their investment costs? I know Caesars has added towers and concert venues, but I believe they also closed down expansion with the downturn.

I may not have enough knowledge to comment, since my casinos of choice were the New Frontier and Stardust which have been gone for quite a while.

My thinking is that the youngsters now coming to Vegas don't know what good gambling payouts are and are just trying to impress their mates/pickups by throwing around their money. And I believe the casinos have recognized that fact.

So if the casino is paid off like I believe the TI is, they still give lousy room rates and pay tables because the young gamblers will pay them since they don't know what old Vegas was all about and people will pay/play them.

I've found better pay tables in Shreveport and it takes about the same time to drive there as it does to fly to Vegas. I won't gamble at the Oklahoma casinos because the ante they charge for BJ make it unplayable IMHO.

Bottom line, the casinos are charging what the market will bear.

Isn't Circus Circus a huge cash cow for MGM? I thought I remember reading that somewhere, I dunno, could be mistaken.

..and yea,when you entice people in the door with this crap



the masses are proven pretty stupid.

J

A word to the wise isn't necessary, it's the stupid ones that need advice.

Young people(the rich ones) go to Vegas for the party more than the gambling but I doubt they are trying to impress their friends. They live in that lifestyle. It's the norm.
Sorry if you relate young people with money to Vegas changing for the worst.
Look at any thriving city. They all change to accommodate the younger and wealthier.

You guys do know that picture was photoshopped, right?

Of course. That's what DonDiego would do if he owned a casino.

Total cash might be a useful number for some types of analyses, but in general, it doesn't say much. Cash should be minimized, since it has associated costs and risks and doesn't yield much interest.

Showing how total debt relates to some kind of operating turn is probably much more telling. Cash could be used as a surrogate for that turn, but it may not be accurate.

I also want to share something, According to my thinking the youngsters now coming to Vegas don't know what good gambling payouts are and are just trying to impress their mates/pickups by throwing around their money. And I believe the casinos have recognized that fact. So if the casino is paid off like I believe the TI is, they still give lousy room rates and pay tables because the young gamblers will pay them since they don't know what old Vegas was all about and people will pay/play them. I've found better pay tables in Shreveport and it takes about the same time to drive there as it does to fly to Vegas. At the end of my post i want to say Thanks to all who participate in this discussion.