American Gaming Association President Geoff Freeman was in Oklahoma City yesterday to talk up the economic benefits of Native American gaming. While one might be 
tempted to say they speak for themselves, the AGA rolled out some pretty powerful numbers. For instance, tribal casinos generate over $33 billion in wagers and $96.5 billion in economic impact. The leading states in terms of tribally derived revenue (taxes and other subsidies) were California ($3 billion), Oklahoma ($2 billion), dark-horse contender Washington State ($1.2 billion), Florida ($1 billion) and Connecticut ($828 million) — so you can see why the latter is so hellbent on protecting Foxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun from MGM Springfield. Last place went to Alaska, with a puny tax haul of $442,310. We’d suggest to the government up there that it ought to get down with this tribal-gaming thing.
Concluded the report, “Since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, tribal gaming has grown 300-fold from a $121 million segment of the U.S. gaming industry, consisting of small bingo halls and gaming facilities, to a $30 billion plus segment in 28 states.” Well done, ladies and gentlemen.
* When your city has become synonymous with domestic terrorism, it’s no longer time for “What Happens Here, Stays Here,” which takes on a macabre ring in the wake of Stephen Paddock‘s shooting spree. Expect to see a lot of #VegasStrong instead. Already a heavy merchandising campaign has sprung up around the new slogan. (If the proceeds aren’t going to charity something is very wrong.)
As the New York Post observes, #VegasStrong has effectively kicked MGM Resorts International‘s “We are not in the hotel business. We are in . . . the holy s - - t business” to the curb. I’ll bet there were a lot of people around Mandalay Bay saying “Holy shit!” but not in the way MGM intended. The Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority is using every imaginable platform of social media to amplify the message, which is playing to what the Post calls “mostly positive notice” among consumers. “What happens here …” had become such a cliché that is was overdue for retirement anyway — although we wouldn’t put it past the LVCVA to dust it off at some future point.
* While we’re on the subject of MGM, it took a big step forward in amplifying the tourist appeal of Sin City by abducting, er, purchasing the WNBA‘s San Antonio Stars and relocating them to Mandalay Bay Event Center. While not as much of a coup as snatching the Oakland Raiders it gives the Las Vegas Strip a third major-league sport. “There is tremendous synergy between who we are and what the Las Vegas market 
offers, particularly in the hands of the MGM team. This is a match made in heaven between the MGM and the WNBA,” said league President Lisa Borders.
Congratulations to MGM not only for making the deal but for keeping under wraps for what were described as “several months.” Why aren’t the Stars going to be playing in prestigious T-Mobile Arena? “We feel it’s the absolute right size arena for the fans to have that intimate experience to come watch basketball,” said Chief Experience & Marketing Officer Lilian Tomovich. Translation: We don’t think women’s basketball is going to be as big a draw as hockey and don’t want to be embarrassed by acres of empty seats. Also, this not only keeps T-Mobile’s options open for NHL playoff games (well, somewhere down the line) or maybe even NBA ones, should a NBA team be lured to Vegas … and don’t think somebody isn’t trying.
* Speaking of new ideas in marketing Las Vegas, somebody on the Strip really needs to recruit Grumpy Cat for a curmudgeonly endorsement as this hotel did. Given his high standards, Grumpy Cat would make a good spokescat for The Cromwell or, better yet, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, which has a good sense of humor about itself.
