Wranglers find new home; Riding El Loco

Having been turfed out of The Orleans, the Las Vegas Wranglers hockey team has been bereft of a home. But they’ve paired up with Tamares Gaming in an unusual move. The Wranglers — rink, stands, zamboni and all — will play in a 3,500-seat, fabric arena atop the Plaza Hotel. This will mean cannibalizing some tennis and basketball courts, but the supporting structure has been deemed solid enough, having been designed for parking. (A nearby swimming pool will be spared.) Tamares will also contribute the fifth floor of its south tower, destined for locker rooms and “medical space.” The team and casino will split F&B revenue. In an ominous note for fans, the Wranglers are going to “reevaluate” ticket prices for next season.

Wranglers President Billy Johnson calls the whole thing “funky” and that it is. He’s also talking about midnight games and chandeliers above the ice, so this is no ordinary arena, for sure.

Speaking of pools, Victor Drai says the rooftop pool at The Cromwell will be ready in time for Memorial Day Weekend. Sniffing about how pricey DJs have become (those upstarts!), Drai said, “We are creating a 360-degree experience.” He did not elaborate on that inscrutable phrase.

Circus Circus‘ newest attraction is the 72-second El Loco rollercoaster, which debuted yesterday. My wife rode it and says it’s scarier than the Desperado, down in Primm, which is saying something. Thanks to the wonders of B-roll, you can “ride” it without leaving your computer.

Public support for expanded gambling in Saratoga Springs is lackluster but the city council is getting behind the idea early. “Council expresses it strong support for Saratoga Casino and Raceway as a location for one of the seven potential casinos to be authorized,” reads part of a resolution upon which Mayor Joanne Yepsen (left) is working. Casino opponents, however, outnumbered supporters at the most recent council meeting.

Congratulations are in order to Bally Gaming for winning six prizes at the Top 20 Most Innovative Gaming Technology Products awards. It notched four of the 10 top spots in the “Slot Floor Technology Awards” and two more received honorable mentions. The final accolades will be voted upon at the Gaming Technology Conference in Las Vegas next month. The most attention-getting of the various winning Bally products is undoubtedly the Take ‘n Play. Say you don’t want to relinquish your slot play in order to go to the can. Thanks to this tablet, you can keep playing while answering the call of nature. Other, less exotic products included the first combination of slot platform and concave LCD monitor. That’s Bally, always pushing forward.