Massacre anniversary brings accord; Stevens wants you

The settlement covers 4,400 victims and their relatives. 58 people died and hundreds more were wounded (the list covers “more than 170 pages of a 225-page civil complaint”) as Paddock rained bullets on MGM’s festival grounds, now a parking lot. By the terms of the settlement, MGM admits no culpability and gets off relatively light ($49 million paid) with its insurance companies picking up the remaining $751 million. We’d hate to be paying MGM’s insurance premiums, though. We presume that MGM has also backed off suing some of the shooting victims, one of then-CEO Jim Murren‘s worst decisions, a PR nightmare. The company stated that “We are grateful that the decision brings families, victims and the community closer to closure.” And we will be grateful if this three-year nightmare has been a wake-up call for casino security and police alike. If you live in or near Las Vegas, you can attend one of several memorial services being held at 10 p.m. tonight.

Attorney Robert Eglet, who’s been fighting for the victims since Day One said, “There’ve been no objections and we expect no appeals.” Two retired judges will decide how the settlement funds are to be disbursed. (The money won’t go into escrow at the end of the month.) Putting the best face on the settlement, Eglet concluded that he “recognized there are no winners in long, drawn-out litigation with multiple trials where people and the community are reliving the event every time we try a case.” Indeed.

Let the deep cleaning begin at The Cromwell. We are reliably informed that Love Island has wrapped for the season, setting the stage for what one reader calls “much-needed disinfection.” As Vital Vegas scribe Scott Roeben says, it’s the TV show so skanky even Las Vegans make fun of it. But no amount of cleaner (brain bleach or otherwise) can efface the damage to the formerly high-end, boutique brand that was The Cromwell. A hotel-casino that was known for stylish rooms and a Giada di Laurentiis restaurant is now synonymous with himbos and partner-swapping. Caesars Entertainment may have thought it was hyping the value of the former Barbary Coast with an eye to a future sale … but did it? In the words of President Gerald Ford, “Our long national nightmare is over” … until next season, that is.

Derek Stevens could use a few good men—and women. As in 1,500 of them. Now, with the Nevada economy (and the casino industry) being in a pickle, you’d think good help wouldn’t be that hard to find. Not so, sayeth Stevens. “From our perspective, that was a big concern. How many people left Las Vegas? That’s where my concern came in. I’m aware of a lot of people who have left,” he told the Las Vegas Sun, adding that he’s at least 400 bodies short with an Oct. 28 opening date looming. One of the lucky ones was new Stadium Swim Senior Operations Manager Jay Huckeba, late of KAOS. “I got zero call-backs. It’s hard looking for jobs right now,” he said, adding that his luck turned when Circa started hiring. Although Downtown remains in a funk, Stevens’ characteristic optimism is undamaged. “We’ve seen that more and more people are coming to Las Vegas,” he told a reporter. “The fact that we can bring some good news and some excitement, that has me the most excited right now. We’re getting to the point where the excitement level as well as the stress level are both starting to kick into high gear. We’ve been prepared, but there are always last-minute things that are a little bit in flux.”

Yes, ‘flux’ has been the operative word for almost every casino opening we’ve covered. The nailed-down debuts of Paris-Las Vegas and Encore are the very rare exception, not the rule. Casino workers who didn’t make the cut at Circa (and Stevens makes it seem there are quite few) will have to hang on until next spring, when Resorts World Las Vegas hopefully starts hiring. Huckeba is undaunted, telling the Sun, “During the recession back in 2008, lots of people thought that was going to be the end of Las Vegas, but it came back stronger—building hotels and stadiums and arenas.” Throw in Sheldon Adelson‘s big-ass MSG Sphere and Huckeba may well be right. Meanwhile, news outlets are making heavy weather of Stevens’ adults-only policy at Circa. Makes sense to us (especially with hotel rooms at a premium). Trying to separate 19 year olds from 21-plus customers on the slot floor is akin to picking ant shit out of pepper. Card everybody at the door and you’ll save yourself from having to answer to the Nevada Gaming Control Board for underage play. We think Stevens is onto something.