In a previous incarnation, this writer was senior producer on Casino Diaries, plus a host of other Las Vegas-based documentaries, so I’ll put my TV head back on to answer this one.
In terms of general procedure, the norm is for the producers of the show to approach the public relations department of their preferred casino(s) with a detailed proposal of what, when, and where they’d like to film. The PR department assesses the potential merits or pitfalls of the project, in terms of how much publicity it might generate and how positive the exposure would be. It also consults with any specific departments within the property that might be featured, to see if they have any objections. Obviously, issues of security and the degree of potential disruption are also taken into account in the decisionmaking process.
In terms of how likely a reasonable proposal is to get a green light, things have changed a lot in recent years. Back in the late ‘90s when I first started working on shows based in Las Vegas, it was tough getting access to film in any casino. This city (and the whole gambling universe) was a lot less competitive then than it is today and there seemed to be a general attitude that Las Vegas casinos didn’t need the publicity and couldn't tolerate the disruption of hosting a film crew. There was also an understandable fear of impinging on guests’ privacy and of losing, or even being sued by, customers who didn’t wish to appear on camera. In addition, the casinos held a distinct distrust with regard to how Las Vegas and gambling would be portrayed and a reluctance from PR departments to stick their necks out, in case they got burned. (A notorious example occurred in 1998 when Larry Flynt caused a furor at the Las Vegas Hilton by beating the casino out of $1 million on camera during a segment for CBS’ 48 Hours and by revealing the hush-hush policy of rebating percentages of losses to high rollers. It was felt that the piece reflected badly on the property and the publicity director was fired the same night it aired, sending shockwaves through PR departments all over town, which took a couple of years to dissipate.)
In short, the city was an extremely difficult place to break into and I spent my first week on location sitting in a hotel room at the same Las Vegas Hilton, with no one returning my calls. I finally got a toe in the door at the Rio, which proved to be slightly more camera-friendly back then. (Flynt had lost a million on camera there in the same 48 Hours show which, strangely enough, was considered good publicity.)
Things have changed a lot since then. Increased competition has given casinos a greater stake in raising the profile of individual properties. The success of documentaries like Casino Diaries and the plethora of programs that followed on everything from Travel Channel and E!, from Court TV to HGTV, demonstrated that ratings for anything Vegas-related were huge and paved the way for big-budget dramas like CSI and EPSN's short-lived Tilt. This in turn ensured that the networks wouldn’t shoot the goose that laid their golden eggs by portraying the city in a negative light, which might get them shut out again. Hence, a powerful symbiotic relationship was born.
So that’s the general background. As far as specifics go, in my experience some properties have always been more open to filming than others. Privately owned casinos were often a good bet to approach, because the decision rested with an owner who didn’t have shareholders to answer to, rather than with a committee of nervous executives. The Hard Rock, for example, has traditionally been very accommodating and has even allowed crews into sensitive areas like the count and surveillance rooms. Ditto the Venetian, which has generally welcomed crews and was one of the first casinos to allow filming behind the scenes throughout the property. At the other end of the spectrum, none of the properties in the Mirage group permitted filming while Steve Wynn was at the helm and to the best of my knowledge it’s still tough getting access today.
From the producer’s point of view, if your story isn’t based in a specific property, you try to get access to those that are most appropriate to your subject matter. If your show is about high rollers, obviously you’d rather film at Bellagio or Caesars than downtown, for example. On the other hand, if your target demographic is the 18-30 crowd, then the Hard Rock, Palms, or Green Valley Ranch would be preferable. If you’re lucky enough to be given a choice, then practical considerations will be taken into account, such as ease of access, proximity to other locations or services you’re using, lighting, how accommodating the staff are, and so on.
