{"id":27320,"date":"2020-06-16T08:20:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T16:20:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=27320"},"modified":"2020-06-16T10:08:22","modified_gmt":"2020-06-16T18:08:22","slug":"wynn-reinvents-the-buffet-cash-out-digital-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wynn-reinvents-the-buffet-cash-out-digital-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Wynn reinvents the buffet; Cash out, digital in?"},"content":{"rendered":"

We seem to have been overfearful\u00a0in predicting the demise of the Las Vegas<\/strong> buffet. Wynncore<\/strong>‘s reopens on Thursday<\/a>, making it the first to do so. But it won’t be the same old same-old. Yes, there will be 90 selections \"\"and, yes, you can eat ’til you burst (or until your two hours are up). But you’ll be ordering off a menu<\/a> and be served at your table. Wynncore management is making up for any perceived inconvenience with a score of new selections, including “steak and lobster topped with a Bearnaise sauce; lobster ravioli featuring roasted red peppers and fennel and finished with saffron sauce; as well as Old Bay-braised shrimp and scallops served with a spicy tomato compote.” Menus will either be disposable or downloadable and tables will be spaced further apart. Oh, and you don’t have to pay until you’re finished but you do<\/em> have to make reservations. It’s still pricey (as much as $66<\/a>), especially if you order alcohol for which there is a hefty surcharge.<\/p>\n

* Could new Coronavirus<\/strong> protocols bring the advent of digital payment to casino floors? CNBC<\/strong> is asking that question, noting that the CDC<\/strong> is advocating \u201ctap-and-pay to limit handling of cash.\u201d (Nevada<\/strong> regulators will mull the potential change June 25.) Fully behind this movement is the American Gaming Association<\/strong>, which notes that 59% of U.S. customers say Covid-19<\/strong> has made them fight shy of cash transactions. \"\"\u201cAny customers uneasy about using cash on the gaming floor due to health or safety concerns should have an alternate payment option available to them,\u201d said AGA President Bill Miller<\/strong>. \u201cCasinos are really looking for some modernization in the industry that for too long has been almost entirely reliant on cash.\u201d Miller is heeding constituents<\/a> like Penn National Gaming<\/strong> CEO Jay Snowden<\/strong>, who told investors that \u201cWe\u2019re still an industry, probably the last out there, that transacts only in cash.\u201d<\/p>\n

This call to action has already been anticipated by digit-payment providers like Sightline<\/strong>, whose founder Kirk Sanford<\/strong> is seeking a comeback\u00a0in the industry with his Pay+<\/strong> technology, interlinked with Discover<\/strong> cards. \u201cIt removes one more obstacle to the hygienic running of \"\"a gaming floor and reduces costs for constant cleaning,\u201d he told CNBC. To a similar end, Miller has released a set of “Payments Modernization Principles.” The AGA has been working on these since the winter of 2018. They’re fairly broad (“Ensure state laws enable a flexible regulatory approach, capable of keeping pace with evolving forms of digital payments.”) and some smack of federalism (“Create a uniform regulatory environment for casino operators, suppliers, and regulators.”) but it’s a first set of steps in the right direction. It could provide new anti-money-laundering tools and, as the AGA says, “The more customers are empowered to self-monitor and govern their own spending and gaming behavior, the better.”<\/p>\n

* If you want to drink and promenade simultaneously, come to Atlantic City<\/strong>. Open-carry (not in the firearm sense) is now legal in the tourism district, i.e., where the casinos are. You don’t have to brown-bag it\u2014and look like an alkie\u2014anymore. At least temporarily<\/a>, thanks to a decree by Mayor Marty Small<\/strong> (D). Vegas has been doing this for decades, so why \"\"should the Boardwalk be a booze-free zone? Said developer Pat Fasano<\/strong>,\u00a0\u201cIt gives Atlantic City the atmosphere of New Orleans<\/strong>\u2014bar-hopping, listening to live music, catching a drive-in movie.\u201d He added,\u00a0\u201cWe want people to be fluid.\u201d Oh, they will be. Casinos are down with the new regime, with Casino Association of New Jersey<\/strong> prexy Steve Callender<\/strong> saying,\u00a0\u201cWe endorsed the open-container legislation several years ago, and still support it.\u00a0We want to encourage residents and tourists to come to Atlantic City, and believe this order will attract visitors back to our great city.” Trenton<\/strong>, meanwhile, has its own open-container legislation in the hopper, gaining special urgency since Small’s order evaporates when Gov. Phil Murphy<\/strong> (D) reopens casinos. Restaurateur\u00a0Dino Dounoulis<\/strong> cuts to the chase, saying, “It’s survival mode right now.”<\/p>\n

* Even before Delaware<\/strong> racinos closed for Covid-19 they were making plans for how they would reopen, which they did June 1. Capacity is restricted to 30% and slot machines are eight feet apart. Venues like Delaware Park<\/strong> are going above and beyond the call of duty<\/a>, to the extent of even testing vendors and other non-employees for Coronavirus (at $100 a swab). Reports Delaware Park President William Fasy<\/strong>, “We had two positives, out of over 600 people.\u201d Unlike some casinos, Delaware Park was clement with its workforce.\u00a0\u201cWe paid all the employees an extra two weeks of pay, including tips,\u201d Fasy told Global Gaming Business<\/em>. \u201cEmployees who depended on tips got what they normally would get for the first two weeks, over and above their regular benefits.”<\/p>\n

As Fasy sees it, smaller gaming operations aren’t out of the woods.\u00a0\u201cIn our industry, it\u2019s tough if you have a lot of debt right now …\u00a0I\u2019m sure there are going to be some casino companies that get acquired because they can\u2019t handle the situation.\u201d Still, Fasy reports “very strong” business, even with \"\"only 700 slot machines on line. Delaware’s cleanliness regimen is perhaps the toughest in the country, with slots cleaned every 15 minutes (no matter if someone is playing them or not), no table games until Phase Two and acrylic face shields for dealers. Harness racing comes back June 17 but without spectators. Even so, says Fasy, “People want to get out of their houses.” He predicts, “\u201cYou\u2019re definitely going to see the Plexiglas at the cashier locations and other locations for some time. We\u2019re going to purchase some acrylic dividers for slot machines, so people can have their own slot machine area.” Doesn’t sound so bad.<\/p>\n

* One of our roving reporters writes, “I actually made money in Deadwood<\/strong> … I’ve seen the new order in action, looks a lot like the old way, with a little more distance.” Yeah, we’ve been hearing that all over.<\/p>\n

Jottings<\/strong><\/em>: Three U.K. casinos owned by Genting Group<\/strong> may be closed, as the market reels from the effect of Coronavirus … The Interior Department<\/strong> has signed off on Oklahoma<\/strong> Gov. Kevin Stitt<\/strong>‘s first two tribal-gaming compacts. State Attorney General Mike Hunter<\/strong> fumed that this was “irresponsible” but Stitt comes out the winner … No hurry on those Oscar<\/strong> bets: The awards ceremony has been postpone<\/a>d from February 28 to April 25 … Boyd Gaming<\/strong> has filed notice with Louisiana<\/strong> that it is preparing to lay off as many as 1,500 employees. Boyd owns five casinos\/racinos in the state … Shreveport<\/strong> casinos go smoke-free in 60 days, as the smokeless movement continues to overtake the Bayou State.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We seem to have been overfearful\u00a0in predicting the demise of the Las Vegas buffet. Wynncore‘s reopens on Thursday, making it the first to do so. But it won’t be the same old same-old. Yes, there will be 90 selections and, … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[249,23,60,164,18,4,120,283,67,22,84,271,10,207,115,69,111,25,182,8,20,233],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27320"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27326,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27320\/revisions\/27326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}