Boston is quite a different animal from Las Vegas and Macao—or so Wynn Resorts has learned. Despite healthy table games revenues it is lowering the minimum-bet limits from $50 to $15 at Encore Boston Harbor. In a remarkable mea culpa before the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, Encore President Brian Gullbrants admitted, “We thought we could charge for parking here in Boston, and we were 
wrong,” adding that self-parking is now free. “We thought we could charge for some of the transportation, like boats and premium buses. We were wrong.” Why Wynn would erect disincentives to attendance, particularly in a largely blue-collar market, passes understanding. As Gullbrants put it with 20/20 hindsight, “The last thing we want to do is be a Vegas casino in Boston. We want to be a Boston casino in Boston.” Don’t blame Gullbrants. The bad decisions can probably be laid at the feet of predecessor Robert DeSalvio.
The graveyard shift at Encore is a rolling crime scene. Since opening in June, 160 Encore patrons have been arrested or given summonses. In addition to cheating, which you’d expect, common charges are larceny, disorderly conduct, and assault and battery. When the bars close, evidently the riffraff head on over to Encore to keep tying one on, since Encore serves alcohol until 4 a.m., which is when things get hairy. But 
what’s particularly alarming is that “activity at Massachusetts casinos is comparable to other non-gambling facilities of similar size and number of visitors,” according to the MGC. Boston College‘s Rev. Richard McGowan told Casino.org that as Wynn “tries to increase the number of people who play the slot machines, you will increase the number of people who are coming, and obviously you increase the risk of violence.”
The MGC was holding a hearing involving all of Massachusetts’ casinos to find out why they were missing their revenue targets aka the dreaded Penn National Effect, named after a company that consistently overstates revenue projections for new casinos. In the case of Encore, slots are conspicuously underperforming, bringing in less than table games last month. As for Penn, undoubtedly it will whinge for table games, even though it went into Plainville knowing full well that it was only going to get slots. One can’t say they aren’t behaving true to form. At least Penn paid to build a new police station, so kudos to them for that.
* From Bloomberg (the news service, not the political candidate) comes an inside look at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas‘ high-roller villas, “a gaming experience so exclusive that not even James Bond could charm his way through the door.” It’s not all glamour: Visualize cleaning up 
rotten fruit or encountering hotel guests in their birthday suit. “It’s a judgment-free zone. People can come and behave in an extreme manner, and we’re not telling them not to,” says Cosmo exec Leslie Sadovia. Some of the guests’ requests are pretty bizarre, the strangest being the lady high roller who wants the butler to don his P.J.s, climb under the covers and read her bedtime stories.
Although gifts of high-priced liquor are not uncommon, most whales are smart enough not to play while intoxicated. As for the most bizarre perk, it has to be Cordyceps worms. Never heard of them? I hadn’t. Seems
they’re thought to be an aphrodisiac. (Better that than rhinoceros horns or shark fins.) Can’t buy champagne at the Cosmo? Blame the high roller who’s gone through the entire stock. And those with a phobia about snakes (like me) will want to avoid the penthouse suites like the veritable plague. No-go zones are animal cruelty, prostitution and drug acquisition. Thanks to the Nevada Gaming Control Board, you can’t even get a referral to the nearest loco weed dispensary. Turns out there are some things even a $40,000 gratuity can’t buy.
* Happy retirement to Andrew Klebanow. The 40-year industry veteran is stepping down from Global Market Advisors to spend more time with his wife. We applaud his sense of priorities, even if his insights will be missed.
* From the Gone Too Soon file, Pink Taco founder Harry Morton is dead at 38. Details of his passing are not yet available although Morton may have courted bad karma by purchasing Elvis Presley‘s Beverly Hills mansion (speaking of premature demises). Lindsay Lohan was quick to try and parlay the event in an additional 15 minutes of fame.
Jottings: The soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders may yet eke out a playoff berth but getting vaporized 34-3 by the lowly New York Jets is not the 
way to do it … The Washington Post reports that Sheldon Adelson is chairing embattled Maine Sen. Susan Collins‘ (R) campaign-finance committee. With challenger Sara Gideon (D) out-fundraising her, Collins could use some Adelsonian largesse … Avoid Fremont Street in January. A group called Justice for the Poor is aiming to shut it down in protest of a new anti-homelessness ordinance … Bristol, Virginia is still several layers of approval away from having a casino. But if it does it will be a Hard Rock-branded property, as developers allied themselves with the fastest-growing brand in gaming. Bristol would be Hard Rock International‘s 13th casino (soon to be 15) … Don’t play your Crave tablet in your room at Aria or you’ll be hit up with a $10 charge—but that’s nothing compared to the $21 it will cost you to drink that bottle of Fiji water … The Palms‘ butler to sheiks and princes, Joe Yalda, is the soul of discretion. That, however, doesn’t stop him from dishing on some of the more-outrageous requests he has gladly fulfilled. Only in Vegas … Pr0-democracy candidates in Hong Kong won 85% of open seats, meaning that feckless Chief Executive Carrie Lam‘s days are numbered. This development can only be viewed as a positive for Macao casino stocks.
