Will the recession hit Las Vegas more than Atlantic City?

08 May 2011

Las Vegas and Atlantic City have been hit by the recession but whether one gambling destination has been hit more than the other is a tricky question to answer. Smaller resorts like the casinos that are located near or on Indian reservations, city centre casinos and riverboat casinos have been less affected by the recession as they do not rely so much on people coming for overnight trips as do the larger casino resorts such as Las Vegas or Atlantic City. The recession has made people think twice about travelling further afield to a resort thus it has hit both Las Vegas and Atlantic City in a much more dramatic manner.

In an attempt to attract people to Las Vegas and Atlantic City both of these multi-million dollar areas of the gambling world have increased their comps (free stuff) making a trip there more inviting to the visitor. Some casinos however, will have only increased their comps on slot machines which means that if a visitor wins $100 in one day the casino will increase this fives times to $500. Other casinos tighten their belts when a recession hits and reduce their comps on all levels of gaming.

Unlike the casinos in the Caribbean who rely on the seasons for their revenue in the gambling industry, Las Vegas and Atlantic City need the short term visitor to keep their wheels turning and both of these resorts are not betting on great returns since the recession hit them.

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UIGEA, the latest update in the situation in 2011

07 May 2011

UIGEA, the Unlawful Internet Gambling and Enforcement Act came into effect back in 2006 to prevent financial institutions from transferring funds to online gambling operators and the initial aim was to stop financial transactions to offshore online casinos. It does not prevent the individual from placing bets on offshore online casinos just US financial institutions but it did lead to a dramatic decline in many online casinos accepting US players.

Operators like Party Gaming stopped its US operations immediately even before the legislation came into effect causing its stock price to drop by 60%. Another major player, Microgaming which powers approximately 100 online casinos also stopped business with US players causing a drastic reduction in their prices too.

In an attempt to change the dramatic effects that the UIGEA had on the online gambling industry a bill called the Barney Frank’s HR 2267 was introduced to the House Financial Services Committee but unfortunately it was not voted on in time by the House of Representatives so the initial full UIGEA came into effect on June 1st 2010. This meant that the HR 2267 bill had to be re-introduced making it a sure fact that any amendments would not take place to the legislation until a much later date.

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City Review: Paradise, Clark County

01 September 2010

When you sit around and think about where you want to live, a hot, barren desert is probably going to be near the bottom of the list with the moon and at the bottom of the ocean. However, if Las Vegas were to enter into the equation, the idea of a desert suddenly doesn’t seem so dry. This is undoubtedly what when through many people’s minds as they re-located to Paradise.

Paradise, Nevada is an unincorporated town in Clark County, Nevada, directly outside of Las Vegas. Technically, Paradise is part of Las Vegas, located directly south of Sin City and acting as an urbanized area. The Clark County Commission governs Paradise and the population is near 200,000, making it one of the more populated areas in the county.

Since Paradise is really just south of Las Vegas, there are not a lot of original destinations in the town that are separate from Vegas. Even still, a lot of tourists don’t know much about the entire Vegas area if it doesn’t involve a new-age casino resort or an all-you-can-eat buffet. Unfortunately, some of the country’s best scenery is overshadowed by the gambling.

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City Review of Sunrise Manor

26 August 2010

One of the biggest downsides to being located so close to Las Vegas, Nevada is that regardless of what is offered as a standalone territory it’s all overshadowed by the world’s biggest gambling Mecca. This has a positive effect on tourism in most cases, as most people travel to the area and find places like Sunrise Manor on their own, but it also results in a serious lack of identity.

Sunrise Manor is a census-designated place on the outskirts of Las Vegas, located within Clark County, Nevada. This means that it’s not technically its own city; it’s just a designed part of Las Vegas. However, if Sunrise Manor were to ever be incorporated, it would become one of the largest cities in the entire state.

Sunrise Manor is currently best known for two things: its immediate proximity to the city of Las Vegas, and its place at the seat of Frenchman Mountain. With a population of almost 200,000, Sunrise Manor is definitely a popular location to live, with plenty of hotels, restaurants, parks and upscale neighborhoods.

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Top Vegas Shows - V: The Ultimate Variety Show at Planet Hollywood

04 February 2010

In Sin City, its not a far leap to assume that the V in Vegas could easily stand for Variety. After all, this is the city that declared gambling wasnt enough of a guilty pleasure to keep people coming back. So they equipped the city with $5 pig-out buffets, legal brothels, the all-night liquor stores and, of course, the lively shows to keep you entertained.

Dont let anyone tell you different, Vegas is all about variety. Speaking of variety, Planet Hollywood currently has the aptly titled V playing in their V theater. Vegas loves that V, apparently.

The Miracle Mile Malls theater inside of Planet Hollywood is called V, and V: The Ultimate Variety Show is its namesake production. Many Las Vegas shows at other hotels and casinos stick with a certain theme. For instance, Cirque du Soleil has their acrobatics. Sin City Bad Girls have their rock tunes and bare breasts.

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Christmas Themed Online Slot Machines

18 November 2009

Slot machines are one of the most popular form of casino entertainment at online casinos, as well as land-based casinos. There are several categories of online slot machines such as classic 3-reel slots, 5-reel and 7-reel video slots,interactive i-Slots, and progressive jackpots. However, as Christmas is getting closer we’re going to review a few online slot machines that involve a Christmas and winter theme, including Ho Ho Ho, Jingle Bells, and Santa Paws.

The Ho Ho Ho slot machine game is a 5-reel, 15 pay-line slot with a Christmas theme. The maximum bet you can make on this slot machine is $75 and there are up to 32 ways to win. In terms of what you can win, there is a top jackpot of 15000 coins or even 20 free spins, but to win that you need to get 3 or more Gift symbols when you spin the reels. To keep with the Christmas theme, the symbols on the reels of the slot machine include Santa, Christmas trees, Rudolph, and turkey.

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Another Top Ten Things you Must do in Las Vegas

24 September 2009

Las Vegas, Nevada is the single-most popular gambling city in the world. Also known as Sin City, it’s also a place where adult entertainment options are in no short supply. Whether visitors are looking to party, gamble or simply see the sights, Vegas is the type of city that offers up choice in abundance. They may catch a bad rap, but there are some family-friendly options if you’d prefer.

The vast majority of Vegas travelers are there for one reason and one reason alone: gambling. That still doesn’t mean vacationers can’t check out other must-see things in Vegas. Here’s a list of ten popular locations to give you some ideas.

One: Emeril’s

Vegas is packed full of all-you-can-eat buffets and 99-cent shrimp cocktails, but every once in a while, vacationers want some world-class cuisine. This is where Emeril’s comes in. Emeril Lagasse is one of the best chef’s in the world, and his restaurant at the MGM Grand is a true delight.

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