Question of the Day - 18 May 2017

[Editor's Note: This and tomorrow's QoDs are written by frequent contributor David McKee.]

We’d like to know what Mr. Anderson would define as a “finished” Las Vegas. There was a time when we would have agreed with him, but after many years living in Sin City, we have come to understand the constant flux. As a casino executive told us once, a resort is never really finished, but must be constantly refreshed. That’s partly because the casinos want to keep customers coming back for new and improved and because they want the most return on their investment. Not keeping up with the times is a good way for a casino to fail -- as many examples of this proves.

Of course, the removal of some of the attractions you mention translates as fewer free attractions for customers and we don’t think that’s happened by accident. Remember that Steve Wynn once expressed regret that the volcano at The Mirage was out on the Strip where everybody could see it, not on-property where customers could be "captured" for gambling, dining, etc., and maybe even charged to see it. Obviously, you don’t miss the pirate shows at Treasure Island, deeming them “silly.” They were also for-free shows, which may have helped speed the demise of “The Sirens of TI.” (The initial pirate show was replaced in 2003 for a more T&A-driven version, complete with an onboard DJ, without which no self-respecting pirate ship ever sailed the seven seas.)

Fremont Street is a good example of an area where constant change has worked to the benefit of the area. The Fremont Street Experience canopy and light show have become downtown’s biggest draw. Accordingly, casinos like the Golden Nugget and the Golden Gate have opened their Fremont Street frontage to include on-street amenities. Open-air concerts have followed, as have zippiness. Soon, a fright-zone experience based on The Walking Dead will open in a Fremont Street building that also hosts a Walgreens.

New investors have been drawn to the market. Would anyone really want the dilapidated and depressing Fitzgeralds to still be in the out-of-date condition it was in during Don Barden’s ownership? Derek Stevens has rehabilitated both the property and its reputation, restoring it as The D. Now Stevens has big plans (which he’s keeping top secret) for the terminus of Fremont Street, where he will reinvent the old Vegas Club and as also rid us of the Glitter Gulch strip joint, along with Mermaids and La Bayou. If there’s been any public outcry about losing any of these, we haven’t heard it. The Vegas Club was in a particularly demoralizing state at our last visit, so anything Stevens does will by definition be an improvement.

Tomorrow: the downfall of casino theming and the effect of the Lake Mead drought