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Las Vegas Sands Interested in Indian 'Cotai' Strip

In comments made during the opening of the Cotai Four Seasons, Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon Adelson spoke about the possibility of building a strip of casinos in India, similar to the Cotai Strip development in Macau.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080828/venetian_macao_anniversary.html?.v=2

He's talking about spending $12 billion or more on legal casinos in India. Unclear if this is more than a trial balloon or more than that - India has just one legal casinos at the moment.


Filed under Venetian/LV Sands



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Four Seasons Macao Opens on Cotai Strip

The next step for Las Vegas Sands' 'Cotai Strip' is the Four Seaons, opening next to the Venetian Macao (or Macau for any non LVS folks). Well, the opening has arrived:

http://cotaicasinonews.com/2008/08/28/four-seasons-hotel-macao-2/

This also includes the Cirque show, 'Zaia', opening at The Venetian Macau. Cotai Strip development may slow as credit markets tighten but things are now rolling with the inventory of rooms starting to build.





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40/40 Club at Palazzo to Close / Lavo Opens

Word comes this morning that the 40/40 Club at The Palazzo is closing. This has been long rumored and many have doubted the place was doing very well.

In other Palazzo news, Lavo, the club from the creators of Tao, has opened. Lavo is notable because it is the center of ongoing litigation between the operators and Las Vegas Sands.





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Motoman's July 2008 Trip Report

Regular reader motoman has been kind enough to share with us a report of a recent trip. Here's Moto:

"What follows is a fairly lengthy report about a fairly mundane trip (certainly not up to Mike E standards, but then, who could top that? ;-) It's roughly chronological but each paragraph has its own subject, so feel free to follow along, skip ahead, or skip completely as you prefer, after the jump."





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Open Topic Discussion - July 14, 2008

This week's Zoning meetings:

LVS is asking for a time extension on its approval to build a new Convention Center. The Agenda item says LVS is in the process of obtaining permits, but could the economy be a reason?
Las Vegas Sands Convention Center

Wynn has requested a deviation for Encore's signage:
Encore's Signage





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VegasGang #11 Posted

Vegas Gang #11 is online here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com

This time we feature:

* Encore at Wynn Las Vegas Opening
* Cosmopolitan Sued Over Its Name
* MGM Mirage Using Social Networking
* Harrah's Pays Debt With Debt
* Adelson Profiled in New Yorker

Feel free to add comments below...





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The New Yorker Profiles Sheldon Adelson

Thanks to fellow Vegas Gang member Jeff Simpson for this link... Looks like the New Yorker has done a profile on everyone's favorite casino overlord, Sheldon Adelson of Las Vegas Sands. Check it out below. Also, props to Jeff for the mention!

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/06/30/080630fa_fact_bruck





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Macau June 2008 Trip Report : George "Dram Man" Geddes

Thanks again to George "Dram Man" Geddes for providing a trip report based around his recent trip to Macau.

The photos, previously published, are here:
http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/macaujune2008

Thanks George! Continue after the jump...





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Massive Macau Photo Update

Thanks to occasional contributor George "Dram Man" Geddes, we have a load of new Macau photos to share.

As usual, all the recent photos can be seen here: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/most_recent

Thanks to George for sharing - enjoy!





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Vegas Gang #10 - Economic Woes to Bankrupt LVS?

Vegas Gang #10 is up - http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com

This episode focuses on the CityCenter walkout and the economy vs. Las Vegas. We cover a few stories on the specifics, including an entry suggesting that LVS is heading for Chapter 11. That may be an extreme outcome but its an interesting discussion point.

Also, a little bit on the iPhone and its impact on Las Vegas.

Enjoy the show and feel free to post your comments here.

UPDATE: Stiffs and George's has a story about Palazzo's underwhelming performance: http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blogs/dmckee/index.cfm/2008/6/13/Oops-he-did-it-again





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Tao Nightclub Attempts Ballot Box Stuffing

All you readers probably realize that the 'parent' of this blog is our ratings site, RateVegas.com. We allow readers to rate and review hundreds of Las Vegas hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and more. It's been running since 1999 and has a huge database of worthwhile data.

Over the years, I've added several features designed to protect against malicious uses of an open system - I was getting a ton of submissions that were nothing but spam links to gambling sites. I track the IP address of each submission for the purposes of comparison (no personal info is tracked or stored unless you submit your email address).

Well, over the past few months I've noticed quite a few glowing reviews for Tao Nightclub at The Venetian. At first they looked legit but the wording from week to week was QUITE similar. I checked and of course they are all coming from the same IP - one that is registered to Cox Communications in Las Vegas, NV, the region's cable modem provider.

So, it appears that Tao, or someone working for them, is attempting to defraud the public with fake reviews posted through my service. I assume they're doing this elsewhere as well.

I mention this just because it is interesting. I'll do nothing more but delete the incoming fake reviews and continue on my day.

Any other site operators notice anything like this? Fake comments? Planted submissions? Are Vegas casinos, clubs and PR operations *finally* getting smarter about using the 'Net?

Also, a note to Vegas businesses that want to get their word out - I'm happy to listen to your pitch and I love sharing interesting stories and info with my readers. Just don't try to come in the back door.





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Vegas Gang #9 - "Wynn + Harrah's = Good Times?"

The latest episode is live - check out our discussions here:

http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com

Comments welcome below...





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LVRJ - Las Vegas Sands Must Pay $43M In Macau Dispute

Looks like Richard Suen, the Chinese businessman that supposedly helped Las Vegas Sands setup their contacts in Macau will get a pay day after all.

A Las Vegas jury awarded him $43 million in damages. The company will appeal.

http://www.lvrj.com/news/19245874.html





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Vegas Gang #7 Published - Tropicana, WYNN, LVS and More...

Yes, we're back (and better than ever?).

Anyway, the episode is posted here: http://www.vegasgangpodcast.com

Comment away!





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Earnings: LVS and WYNN Report

Yes, this is a few days old but we need a story to cover it and I was out.

LVS - Las Vegas Sands had an unexpected 1st quarter loss which has caused the stock to tumble. Slow ramp up for Palazzo in Vegas and a new weakness in Macau seems to be the culprit. Some numbers here.

WYNN - Wynn Resorts did better than expected on revenue but it looks like it missed on EPS. I am hoping to have some more time later to get deeper into these figures and listen to the call playback. http://www.thestreet.com/s/wynn-posts-mixed-quarter/newsanalysis/leisure/10414810.html?puc=googlen&cm_ven=GOOGLEN&cm_cat=FREE&cm_ite=NA





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Sands on Trial Over Macau Deal

I really should have posted this earlier as it is a fascinating story.

It seems a gentleman that allegedly helped Adelson's company get into the Macau market believes he was promised more compensation than he has received (nothing so far).

Well, now he's suing the company in a Nevada court. Should prove a very interesting exercise.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/17/trial-outs-sands-dealings-macau/





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'The Guy's Got To Be Off His Meds' - Wynn on Adelson's Claim of Offering Him a Job

Steve Friess chats up Steve Wynn for this weeks The Strip Podcast and there is no shortage of great quotes, particularly near the end when he gets into Adelson's claim that at one point he had offered Wynn a job.

I assume the show will be posted sometime Thursday. It's certainly worth a listen, along with a few bits on Encore and the Binkley book, "Winner Takes All".





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Las Vegas Sands: What's Going On?

Two important stories on LVS:

Why would Sheldon Adelson make such public comments about MGM, Pansy Ho and Atlantic City?
Sands Chief Questions MGM Mirage's Motives

What is the real story on CFO Rozek's departure from LVS?
Robert P. Rozek resigned from his position as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp





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Dave Schwartz: Free - The Future of Business and Casinos?

Dave Schwartz has an interesting article where the talks about a piece from Wired that is discussing the proliferation of free services in business, especially on the Internet. Dave spins that into a gaming business narrative and breaks it down for us.

http://www.dieiscast.com/2008/02/26/could-casinos-become-free





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Las Vegas Sands To Replace Sands Expo Center

Las Vegas Sands hosted an Investors Day on February 11 in Las Vegas. Management presented detailed information on the company's operations in Las Vegas and Macau as well as on other projects being built or planned both in this country and overseas.

One important announcement was the plan to build a New Sands Expo at the corner of Koval and Sands. Once the facility opens at the end of 2010, the land that the existing Sands Expo Center sits on could be used for another resort or other purposes. The site is 20 acres and is part of the Venetian/Palazzo complex.

The Investors Presentation is available as a webcast and as a slide presentation. The slides of the New Sands Expo and of the 20 acres for future development are very interesting.

Investors Day Slides=Part I
Investors Day-Part II
Webcast Replay Links





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ReviewJournal.com - LV Sands Planning Sky Gaming

Baccarat to be offered on private flights to and from Asia:

http://www.lvrj.com/business/15474536.html





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Podcast: Vegas Roundtable w/ Simpson, McKee, Schwartz, Monster and Me!

The first episode of what could become a new, semi-regular podcast has been posted.

It doesn't yet have a name but the working title is 'Vegas Roundtable'. It's a gaming industry related podcast in a discussion format. Today's participants include:

Jeff Simpson - http://www.lasvegassun.com and http://www.inbusinesslasvegas.com

David McKee - http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/blogs/dmckee/

Dave Schwartz - http://www.dieiscast.com

Chuck Monster - http://www.vegastripping.com

Thanks to all participants. The podcast is in my normal feed for 'The Worst Las Vegas Podcast' but it will probably move to a dedicated feed. Also, if anyone can think of a good name, drop them in the comments.

If you don't subscribe to the feed and want the direct URL, here it is:
http://media.ratevegas.com/35-roundtable_1-02_07_08.mp3





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Adelson: No New Licensees in Macau

Thanks to David McKee's blog for pointing out this article from Macau with some quotes from LVS boss Sheldon Adelson.

The Macau Daily News says in their piece that according to Adelson, the number of concessions will NOT be expanded in 2009 and in fact may *shrink* as some of Ho's more ghetto places get hit.

Interesting. Sorry Harrah's.





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UPDATED: Las Vegas Sands Reports Q4 2007 Results

Las Vegas Sands reported their Q4 2007 results and the press release is here:

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080204/lam127.html?.v=23

I'll update this story in a bit with some details and numbers once I have a chance to dig in.

Updated: Ok, I took a look at the numbers, which were down a bit. They cited increased development costs, which looks like it makes sense. Net income was WAY down but they had a ton of costs from opening Palazzo and post-opening stuff at Venetian Macau on Cotai. Interest expense was way up which indicates they had to fund some of those through bank loans. The Cotai property didn't perform at the level they wanted in terms of winnings but volume seems pretty strong - the property is already contributing about half of the company's gross. With Palazzo and Venetian Macau open, Sands is setup for a pretty nice story in fiscal 2008.





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Palazzo Las Vegas - Opening Weekend Thoughts

Palazzo is the finest hotel ever built in Las Vegas - Las Vegas Sands In-Room Magazine

"Give me a break. This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I've ever seen." - Red Faced Guy

I was in Las Vegas at the end of December on a trip that was supposed to coincide with the soft opening of The Palazzo, the first major property to open on the Strip since Wynn Las Vegas in 2005. Of course, we know how that turned out - Las Vegas Sands postponed the soft-open for a few days and by the time guests were walking through, I was back at home.

When another excuse for a trip popped up, this time coinciding with the 'real' opening of The Palazzo, the credit card was primed and ready. I reserved a standard 'suite' for two nights at a rate of about $300/night. I've been a critic of The Venetian in the past but I really wanted to go into this past weekend without pre-judging the property... at least that was my goal.

Keep reading after the jump for my thoughts on The Palazzo, some comparisons to other properties, and some specific notes on the photos.

Photo gallery: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/palazzo





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Palazzo First Thoughts

We checked into a standard 'suite' at The Palazzo last night. I will be writing more when I get home, as well as publishing some photos, but here are some overall thoughts quickly, before I head out:

I really like the lobby and atrium areas - they look fantastic... but they may be the best parts of the property.

The room is nice, though I don't consider a single room a suite, even if it has a separated living space. The room is nicely appointed, though some of the fixtures look cheap.

Service has been great. A bellman walked us to our room, though I assume that's because it was slow. I am told on 80% of the rooms are open.

The casino is a disappointment. It's just a huge open room. Better than The Venetian but nowhere near as nice as WLV or Bellagio in this regard.

The pool area looks closed at the moment and only a few restaurants are open. I haven't spent much time in the shops yet.

This place is just what any close watcher of LVS would expect - it's The Venetian, slightly upgraded.

So, as I work on getting more data, what sort of things are you guys interested in?





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Open Topic Discussion: January 17, 2008

Sheldon Adelson: He is driven. Interesting article in the NY Times.
"...the Venetian is now the Strip’s second most profitable casino hotel, behind only the Bellagio, said Robert A. LaFleur, an industry analyst with the Susquehanna Financial Group, and that is with only a third of its revenue coming from its gambling floor."

When 3rd Place on the Rich List Just Isn’t Enough





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Trip Report January 2008: Bellagio Suites and Palazzo

Thanks to reader Aaron_B for sharing this trip report from CES 2008. I know several readers will be interested to hear about and see photos of the renovated suites at Bellagio.

The photos are here:

http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/most_recent

Enjoy!





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Nevada Gaming Win Declines - US Economy Woes Spilling Over?

Well, the gaming win in the great state of Nevada declined a good bit last time 'round:

http://www.vegastripping.com/news/news.php?news_id=1857&src=rss

Not good for our favorite multi-national casino conglomerates. It's hard not to link this to the degrading confidence in the US economy overall. Gaming is often somewhat insulated - people love to wager no matter how screwed they are - but of course there would be some kind of a hit if things go down big time in the US of A.





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UPDATED: Palazzo Opens Just to Spite Me

Well, Palazzo's casino and some other public spaces are open.

http://thestrippodcast.blogspot.com/2007/12/first-look-palazzo.html

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=402119&page=13

We got back from Las Vegas on Saturday - I was really hoping to see the insides myself. So much of the exterior needs work but I guess they were just determined to start the cash meter.

Update: Thanks to Mark for sharing some exclusive photos with us. You can see them here: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/palazzo

Updated Again: I just booked two nights over the opening weekend so we'll be reporting on the full Palazzo experience.





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BREAKING: Palazzo Will Not Have Guests in December

It turns out that due to 'construction delays' there will be no hotel guests at Palazzo in 2007. I have confirmed with hotel staff that guests are being moved to The Venetian if they so desire.

Still working on final word if even the casino will be open this coming week - it's looking doubtful.

Thanks to Brian for the heads up on this.





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MGM Grand Macau Opens

Well, today is the big day for MGM Mirage with their first entry into Macau with the MGM Grand Macau. The property is a 50/50 joint venture with Pansy Ho, daughter of longtime operator Stanley Ho.

Personally, I think this property looks very interesting and it is certainly on my list of places to stay when I visit Macau sometime next year. I see the Wynn Macau/MGM Macau combo (they are right next door to each other) as the true epicenter of Macau luxury, despite Las Vegas Sands' grand Cotai experiment, at least for now.

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/LATU077A18122007-1.htm





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Strip Walk: December 2007 - City Center, Luxor, Treasure Island, Palazzo, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and More...

Mike_ch is back with another Stripwalk. This time he visits Encore, City Center, TI, Palazzo, Luxor and more. Check it out after the jump plus don't forget to check out the new photos:

Photos: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk





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Welcome to MEGACENTER, May I Take Your Coat?

Well, it appears at the geniuses at Las Vegas Sands have decided that they needed a name for the combined complex of The Venetian, Palazzo and the Sands Expo Center. That name? MEGACENTER (yes, all caps). Dumb name. I wonder if they considered other gems such as THEMegacenter or maybe even CITYMEGACENTER.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119621320341806038.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Also, as has been reported elsewhere, Palazzo's opening moved from 12/20 to 12/28, no doubt cause they realized it was impossible to make 12/20 work. There's a good chance I'll be in town for this opening so I'll keep y'all posted. I don't think I'm brave enough to reserve a room.





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Strip Walk: November 2007 - City Center, Palazzo, Mirage, Wynn Las Vegas, Encore and More...

Here we are with a special Thanksgiving-eve 'Strip Walk' segment. This time around, mike_ch checks out the Frontier, Encore, City Center, Luxor, The Mirage and more. Text after the jump...

Photos: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk





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November 2007 LV Strip Construction Photos Posted

I've posted my Las Vegas Strip construction photos: Most Recent Las Vegas Photos

All sorts of great stuff including Encore's high and low rise buildings, WLV's villa atrium, Palazzo, the white tiger pit at The Mirage, City Center, P-Ho, Bellagio, and more.

The link above should show them all but you can also visit the November 2007 tag. Also, based on some feedback I plan to add new searching and sorting capabilities to the photo database soon.





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Open Topic Discussion - Oct. 28, 2007

Here's a new open topic thread for y'all. A couple of notes on this sunny Sunday:

Regarding the piece on VT&T regarding the Encore casino and a 'poker island', based on the plans I have seen and the people I have talked to, this is off the mark. Now, the plans I originally saw for the low rise stuff have substantially changed since then, as we have already discussed... My understanding is that there is no poker room planned for Encore, plus the walkway changes he talks about obliterate the retail that's planned along the WLV-Encore corridor and generally just sound like they waste space. I am very skeptical.

Second, thanks to reader MikeP for sending in a photo inside Palazzo's retail area, plus the new aquarium at The Mirage: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/most_recent





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Palazzo - Opening on Time?

An article over on the VegasRex blog talks about the Palazzo and if it will open on time. It's a question that a lot of people are asking - and wondering if 'opening' will be qualified with 'limited'.

Now, some of what Rex talks about are probably less of an issue than he makes them out to be - when these high-rises are built, the lower floors are finished, fixtures are installed and furnished while the upper floors are still being framed and curtained.

We know that the retail shops will be open in January and the 'Jersey Boys' show will be later in the Spring. Also, I'm pretty sure that some of the convention space expansion will probably not be open on 12/20 either.

Anyway, any inside info in this thread would be fascinating - what do you guys think?





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The RJ Goes to Macau

Looks like the RJ has a front page piece on Macau gaming, specifically US based operators there. It's an interesting piece and it comes with a fairly cheesy map and some photos. Worth checking out - even some photos of the analysts that get quoted in every gaming article in the paper.


http://www.lvrj.com/news/10701326.html





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Palazzo Construction Detailed

An interesting article in the LVBP goes over the Palazzo project - I didn't realize it was the largest steel project in North America - and it explains doing the framing that way vs. the more typical cement pours you see all over town.

http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2007/10/19/news/iq_17358839.txt

Not so sure about that comment about LVS' 'typical attention to detail' though.





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Macau Quarterly Gaming Revenues Rise Again

Sorry I'm only getting to post this now... Looks like Macau quarterlies are once again blowing through estimates:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071018/macau_gaming_revenue.html?.v=1

A 46% increase? Nice. This quarter had a little bit of Venetian Macau action but we'll really get a feel for that next time around, plus of course in the LVS and WYNN quarterlies.





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Strip Walk: October 2007 - City Center, Palazzo, Bellagio, Luxor, Mirage, Wynn Las Vegas, and More...

Thanks to Mike for another installment of 'Strip Walk', or semi-regular feature that focuses on Las Vegas Strip construction progress.

Lots of great new info here and of course, we've got photos: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk





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Las Vegas Sands Macau Concession Payola?

Very interesting article in the RJ about a case involving Las Vegas Sands, sealed documents and their Macau sub-concession.

http://www.lvrj.com/business/10228141.html

Was anyone aware of these allegations? This could prove to be very bad for Sands.





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Open Topic Discussion: October 1, 2007

Liz Benston had an interesting column on Macau in the 9/30 LV Sun:
Catching up to Las Vegas





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Quickies: Station in North Las Vegas, Macau vs. Macao and More...

Some quick notes on what's in the paper's today...

The RJ has an article on Aliante Station which is being built in North Las Vegas by the soon-to-be-private Station Casinos, Inc. North Las Vegas is a bit of a future growth market for them but this is set to be another nicely put together project, even if it is very 'Station-esque'.

Inside Gaming has an interesting note on 'Macau' vs 'Macao', which the eagle eyed will have noticed are both used by US operators in Macau (Wynn Resorts likes 'Macau', Las Vegas Sands uses 'Macao' - sounds like the LVS folks are clinging to the past).

I'm still looking for some sort of concrete occupancy numbers for The Venetian Macau - anyone seen anything published other than 'things are going well'? If so, post links in the comments.

Lastly, MacauTripping.com has been following up on the trip blog with great posts daily. Its quickly becoming my fave stop for Macau info and getting me excited for a trip myself. I did go out and grab RateMacau.com and there's no way I could get all the info I need without heading over there myself. We'll see I guess.





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Strip Walk: September 2007

Well, you know the drill at this point. Another episode featuring MGM Grand, Wynn Las Vegas, City Center and more.

Photos are here: RateVegas Photos

This time we get a bonus video: Diablo's Cantina






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Worst Las Vegas Podcast #18 - In-Depth Macau w/ Chuck from VegasTripping.com - September 23rd, 2007

Well, that was a great conversation... We had an in-depth talk with Chuck from VegasTripping.com who just recently has gotten back from Macau.

We went over everything from specific hotel talk on topics like Wynn Macau, Venetian Macau, Galaxy Starworld, MGM Grand Macau, Casino Lisboa and more. We also talked about the business - folks like Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, SJM, Melco and others.

Cotai, gaming industry topics, casino design and more. It was a great discussion and I'm hoping we can do another segment soon.





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UPDATED: Special 'Macau Sunday' Podcast: Charles from VegasTripping

Fresh back from Macau, where he chronicled his trip, Charles from VegasTripping.com will be a guest for a special Q&A version of the podcast.

We'll be doing this on TalkShoe but here's how this will work - you guys submit some questions here on the site, I'll ask them in the first 30 minutes or so. The second half of the show will be open for general discussion. We'll see how that goes.

So... TONIGHT at 6pm PT

Update: Ok, the Talkshoe link is here: http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=44621.

If you're planning on joining us, I strongly recommend you go to the TalkShow.com Web site ahead of time to sign up for an account and download the software. Strictly speaking, the software isn't required (only a telephone is really required) but having it gives you extra features.

If you really can't download the software, you can call in using this number: 724-444-7444 with the TalkCast ID of 44621. Without the software you might not be able to ask any questions as we won't be able to identify you in the system.





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Is LVS Interested in BYD?

This would be huge if LVS acquired Boyd especially for the Echelon site on the Strip.

"Activity was brisk, for instance, in Boyd Gaming Corp. as rumors swirled that the casino company might be in the sights of Las Vegas Sands Corp."

Rumors Swirl That LVS Interested in Boyd





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Quickies: Wynn on The Strip, Leach on Nightclubs

A couple of quick hits today:

Steve Wynn is the guest on this week's, The Strip Podcast. He talks about Macau, nightclubs, and more. According to Wynn, Tryst is the top netting nightclub in town and Tao is fiddling with their numbers a bit. The interview is interesting and features a fun example of Wynn's office at work. Steve's thesis on why spending is up is sort of interesting.

Second up, thanks to Detroit, this link to an article from Robin Leach - will the nightclub boom continue.





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Worst Las Vegas Podcast #17 - September 15th, 2007

Our second time using Talkshoe.com and it was a lot of fun. Regular readers like Detroit1051, Mike E, Brian Fey, mike_ch and BarbaryKevin were all in on the action.

We covered a broad range of issues, from Cotai, Harrah's, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Palazzo, Encore, IGT and a lot more.

During the show we talked about Chuck's Macau diary. That link is here: http://www.macautripping.com





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Harrah's Making Moves on Cotai

Harrah's is making moves on the Cotai Strip in Macau by purchasing a golf course that makes them the second largest land holder in the area after Las Vegas Sands.

Based on one Web site's analysis, they paid about $22 million an acre - not too shabby.

Harrah's is still without a concession that gives them the necessary license required to operate a facility in Macau but of course, money talks and Harrah's wants in.





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StripWalk: September 2007

Here's the latest Strip Walk, this time hitting Wynn Las Vegas, Trump Las Vegas, New Frontier, Palazzo, Treasure Island, New York New York, Excalibur, Luxor and more...

As always, the photos are here: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk

Commentary after the jump... Take it away Mike!





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Strip Walk: August 2007

We're back with another Strip Walk! This was written almost a week ago and this time around you'll get Mike's comments but a few of my own sprinkled in - I was in Vegas for one night last week and took some of my own photos as well.

As always, the photos are here: http://www.ratevegas.com/photo/gallery/stripwalk

Commentary after the jump...





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UPDATED: Venetian Macau Opens - Reader Review

I'm just back from a little vacation and I'm beat but this is something I need to report - Las Vegas Sands have opened their second property in Macau, The Venetian Macau - the first hotel to open on the Cotai Strip.

Some links:


http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070827/lam130.html?.v=12


http://www.lasvegasnow.com/global/story.asp?s=6987645

Update: Read the comments for a review from reader Chris B.





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Strip Walk: August 2007

Welcome to a new semi-regular feature, 'Strip Walk'. These photo updates from the Las Vegas Strip (and other parts of the Valley) have previously been presented by our man in the field, mike_ch. Well, now he's an official part of the crew and we're aiming to get these two you about every ot