What in your view does Las Vegas look like this year -- for closings and openings and any other trends that might be brewing?

Happy New Year!

Regarding today's (12/18/09) about Binion's casino, it has been said that Becky Behnen was largely to blame for the downfall of Binion's Horseshoe. It is my understanding that control of the hotel-casino was transferred to her after Ted's death. I have read Jim McManus' Positively 5th Street and loved the book, but lost track of the history after that. What is Becky blamed for? Specifically, what did she do to the 'Shoe that could have been avoided to keep it running smoothly? It would be a shame if the Vegas icon had to shut its doors and got lost in the history of the city.

Now that MGM Mirage’s CityCenter is open, how many people actually live there? Which towers are hotels and which are condominiums? And how many condominiums have been sold? From what I understand, people who bought them years ago during the boom have the choice of paying boom prices or losing their deposits.

I haven't seen or heard a lot of press from Garth Brook's opening show. How was it received?

You say all California casinos are tribal, but that’s if you don't count the card rooms where you can play poker, blackjack, baccarat, 3-Card Poker, pai gow poker, pai gow, and even some versions of craps. There are probably around 50 of those in California.

I read a little mention in our local newspaper about a big gun park that just opened in Las Vegas. Is this some sort of tourist attraction? Or is there really a 3,000-acre shooting range in the city?

Merry Christmas!

My wife and I are moving to Vegas and would like to learn a second language. With visitors traveling from places all around the world, what do you feel would be the best second language to learn? One that we would use most often if we worked for a casino.

With the announcement of Binion’s shutting down the hotel part of its downtown operations due to lack of business, are there any other places kicking around the idea of doing the same thing?