The Bear Growls: Worthless mail offer from Fandango Casino
By LVBear | May 7, 2008
I received a nice-looking, slick, multi-colored mailer from Fandango in Carson City. On the front it reads, Be our guest at the new Courtyard Hotel. I assumed this meant free rooms — but it was an offer of a ten percent discount from the best available rate. LOL — I can probably get that with my auto club card or my AARP card.
Everything offered in the mailer was worthless except for a whopping ten dollar discount at any restaurant. Other items listed include:
Lush tropical jungle environment
Biggest and most jackpots
Newest hottest games
Best player’s club
Tropical storm slots
Volcano slots
Spacious new high limit area (I assume it means slots, not table games — maybe $1 is “high limit” there?)
Race and sports book (But it won’t take reasonable-sized bets)
More live poker payouts
Generous monthly mail offers ($10 food discount is “generous”?)
Exciting monthly promotions (Haven’t seen one yet that I’d bother with)
600 parking spaces (Guess I’ll go count them)
Free valet (Where is valet NOT free?)
I wonder why this Navegante Group-managed casino spends a lot of money doing a mailing, but makes the mailer worthless. How many “good customers” could this nonsense attract? Maybe the ad agency and/or mailing house owner is related to someone in the casino?
Has anyone ever received a decent offer from Fandango? The most I have ever received is $10 free play, for which I would have had to stand in line at the player’s club. I guess I’ve been downgraded to no longer receiving even that tiny scrap. Why clutter my mailbox with this?
Topics: Navegante Group, Fandango | No Comments »
Bear Praise: Avril Lavigne — Great concert at The Pearl at Palms
By LVBear | April 30, 2008
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Avril’s sold-out concert. What a magnificent performer. She plays piano, guitar, and drums as well as singing and of course looking great.
The Pearl is much, much better that the Joint at Hard Rock. The Pearl has seats, rather than the stupidity of making patrons stand in a tightly-packed mob for three hours. It was sparkling clean and appeared well-run, with the doors opening in plenty of time for patrons to find their reserved seats. No unnecessary time wasted standing outside.
We had front-row seats on the upper level, which made for perfect viewing without the potential hassle of having to stand if fools in front of us did. The front row has no seats immediately behind it either, so it couldn’t have been better. No other patrons in front or directly behind us.
My two minor gripes: The opening act, Boys Like Girls, was awful — guys who looked like bums bellowing and cursing — it could hardly be called “music.” One patron (it wasn’t me) yelled at them to stop cursing so much. The other gripe is that the Palms security guards apparently couldn’t be bothered to assist with traffic flow exiting the parking garages, resulting in departure taking longer than it should have.
I recommend the Pearl. The Joint is not even in the same league.
Avril Lavigne bringing upbeat sound to The Pearl
Topics: Bear Praise, Las Vegas, Hard Rock Hotel, Palms | No Comments »
Congressmen trying to stop UIGEA from taking effect!! Please help….
By LVBear | April 21, 2008
My friend The Engineer is still trying to help get repealed the despicable anti-online gambling legislation that some unscrupulous Congress-swine sneaked through the system. This horrible legislation has harmed many skilled players and sports bettors, putting some out of business entirely. Copied below with permission is The Engineer’s post from BJ21.com Green Chip.
Please help us.
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Several congressional leaders are working to place a moratorium on UIGEA! You can support this effort by writing to Congress. PPA has an auto-letter at www.pokerplayersalliance.org/letter that takes less than 60 seconds to send! Please take a moment and support these efforts. Thanks!
The PPA letter is tailored to poker, but you can edit it or replace it with a new one (and just use the site as a convenient mailer):
Here’s The Engineer’s edited House letter:
I am a constituent and voter asking for your support.
Specifically, I ask that you support H.R. 5767, recently introduced legislation that places a moratorium on the enactment of the badly flawed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). With UIGEA regulations now pending, the debate on these issues has reached a tipping point, and new voices are emerging against UIGEA every day. As regulations to implement UIGEA come close to their effective date, our nation’s financial institutions are warning the Congress that these regulations are unworkable. At the April 2, 2008 Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology hearing on the impact of UIGEA on our nation’s financial services industry, even the authors of the UIGEA regulations testified that they have struggled with the ambiguity of the UIGEA statute.
Louise Roseman of the Federal Reserve testified that it will be very difficult to enforce the law “without a more bright line on what is included as unlawful Internet gambling”. Even if this “bright line” were defined, however, she stated that payment systems are not designed to perform this type of function. Representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association, the Financial Services Roundtable and Wells Fargo fully concurred with this assessment. Dozens of other banks have submitted similar comments to the Federal Reserve and to the Treasury Department. The principal comment of the American Bankers Association is a concise summary: “We maintain that the UIGEA is a fundamentally flawed response to those challenges.”
I encourage you to cosponsor H.R. 5767. Banks should be responsible for managing their deposits and their loan portfolios, not for policing the behaviors of Americans in their own homes.
I also encourage you to support HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. HR 2046 regulates online gaming via stringent licensing regulations. It has rigorous safeguards against underage and compulsive gambling.
These safeguards will work – the June 8, 2007 House Financial Services Committee hearing on Internet gaming proved conclusively that Internet gaming can be effectively regulated. Note that HR 2046 does not force any state to permit online gaming, as states can opt out if they wish.
One thing the 2008 Subcommittee hearing made completely clear is that Congress needs to define “unlawful Internet gambling” before it can expect financial institutions to have any chance at effectively enforcing any ban on such activity. The idea that the federal government cannot define this concept, yet expects banks to perform this law enforcement function, is ludicrous.
What’s most important to me is your support for my rights. Please respond to this letter and let me know if you will support my freedoms. I will be watching your actions on this issue closely.
Thank you for your consideration.
Here’s The Engineer’s Senate version:
I am a constituent and voter asking for your support.
Specifically, I ask that you sponsor and support legislation in the Senate to repeal the badly flawed Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA). With UIGEA regulations now pending, the debate on these issues has reached a tipping point, and new voices are emerging against UIGEA every day. As regulations to implement UIGEA come close to their effective date, our nation’s financial institutions are warning the Congress that these regulations are unworkable. At the April 2, 2008 Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology hearing on the impact of UIGEA on our nation’s financial services industry, even the authors of the UIGEA regulations testified that they have struggled with the ambiguity of the UIGEA statute.
Louise Roseman of the Federal Reserve testified that it will be very difficult to enforce the law “without a more bright line on what is included as unlawful Internet gambling”. Even if this “bright line” were defined, however, she stated that payment systems are not designed to perform this type of function. Representatives from the American Bankers Association, the Credit Union National Association, the Financial Services Roundtable and Wells Fargo fully concurred with this assessment. Dozens of other banks have submitted similar comments to the Federal Reserve and to the Treasury Department. The principal comment of the American Bankers Association is a concise summary: “We maintain that the UIGEA is a fundamentally flawed response to those challenges.”
I encourage you to introduce companion legislation to the recently introduced House bill, H.R. 5767, which places a moratorium on the badly flawed UIGEA regulations. Banks should be responsible for managing their deposits and their loan portfolios, not for policing the behaviors of Americans in their own homes.
I also encourage you to sponsor and support Senate companion legislation to HR 2046, the Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act. HR 2046 regulates online gaming via stringent licensing regulations. It has rigorous safeguards against underage and compulsive gambling.
These safeguards will work – the June 8, 2007 House Financial Services Committee hearing on Internet gaming proved conclusively that Internet gaming can be effectively regulated. Note that HR 2046 does not force any state to permit online gaming, as states can opt out if they wish.
One thing the 2008 Subcommittee hearing made completely clear is that Congress needs to define “unlawful Internet gambling” before it can expect financial institutions to have any chance at effectively enforcing any ban on such activity. The idea that the federal government cannot define this concept, yet expects banks to perform this law enforcement function, is ludicrous.
What’s most important to me is your support for my rights. Please respond to this letter and let me know if you will support my freedoms. I will be watching your actions on this issue closely.
Thank you for your consideration.
————————————————————————————–
OR go to www.house.gov and www.senate.gov to send letters directly to Congress.
Topics: US Congress, Online Gaming, US Government | No Comments »
The Bear Growls: Petty spitefulness by Harrah’s?
By LVBear | April 13, 2008
The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s persistent reporting was the main reason that the Harrah’s remodeling scandal wasn’t successfully covered up by dishonest Harrah’s and dishonest Clark County employees. A Harrah’s executive soon faces arraignment on 17 criminal charges as a result of Harrah’s wrongdoing. The investigation continues. I hope there will be some criminal charges against some county employees, too. Now this, from today’s Review-Journal:
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If you’re reading this column, you’re probably not a guest at one of Harrah’s eight Strip casinos. The company has removed and no longer makes the Review-Journal available to its hotel guests.
The move follows several months of investigative articles by the Review-Journal that uncovered potentially illegal construction procedures by the casino company.
The newspaper was selling roughly 600 copies per day at gift shops inside the Harrah’s properties.
Harrah’s spokesman Gary Thompson, however, said the company undertook the move as a cost-cutting exercise.
“I know Harrah’s executives have been concerned with the coverage, but they’ve rarely complained,” Review-Journal Publisher Sherman Frederick said. ” I take them at their word that this is only a business decision, and because of that I am sure we will win their business back. Las Vegas visitors are interested in Las Vegas, and no one covers Las Vegas better and more completely than the Review-Journal.”
——————————————————————————————————
Clearly, Mr. Frederick is being polite and cautious. Does anyone believe Mr. Thompson’s contention that this is “a cost-cutting exercise”? How could NOT selling newspapers in the gift shops cut costs? If Harrah’s was selling 600 papers daily, why refuse to sell it now? I believe newspaper publishers issue credit to vendors for unsold papers, so “cost cutting” doesn’t pass the smell test.
Could it be petty spitefulness by Harrah’s?
Topics: Harrah's, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Law Enforcement, Government Corruption | No Comments »
The Bear Growls: Westin Casuarina charges patrons’ credit cards after seminar promoter stiffs the hotel
By LVBear | April 5, 2008
Attendees get conference bills
Where does Columbia Sussex find the clowns who run this place? Some will recall the wonderfully ill-conceived giveaway promo they had a couple of years ago when the cage ran out of hundred dollar bills, and had to pay us in twenties by the end of the night. Others will recall going into this dump (the former Maxim), looking at the garbage games offered, and immediately leaving in disgust. I have previously stated that in my opinion, Columbia Sussex is the worst-managed casino company of them all.
http://www.thebeargrowls.com/?p=105
Now this latest idiocy:
The ownership of the Westin Casuarina is standing behind a decision to charge attendees of an October dental conference for the organizer’s unpaid bill. Convention industry veterans and conference attendees, however, are questioning the ethics and legality of that decision.
To me, this is analogous to the landlord of a movie theater trying to collect the rent from moviegoers if the theater fails to pay its rent.
This ridiculous action solidifies the stranglehold Columbia Sussex has on first place in the unenviable category of worst-managed casino company. Though it may or may not be on solid legal ground in doing this, the bad publicity, loss of well-to-do customers, loss of future convention/seminar business, and hours spent hassling with credit card company chargebacks, etc. will far exceed the $57,000 that might be recovered.
Mindless stupidity.
UPDATE 4/10/08 — Someone with common sense overruled the idiot who made the decision to charge the patrons!
Hotel plans to issue refunds – Company cites good ‘customer relations’
The owner of The Westin has reversed its decision to charge attendees of a dental conference for the conference organizer’s unpaid bills. Legal counsel for Crestview Hills, Ky.-based Columbia Sussex Corp. sent registered letters dated Tuesday to attendees of a conference held at The Westin in October announcing the hotel would refund any charges made to the attendees’ credit cards to recoup the unpaid bills.
What a joke. I suspect that an attorney advised them that keeping the money from the patrons could result in some nasty lawsuits. If the clowns at Columbia Sussex were concerned about good customer relations, they would offer something more than simply correcting their stupid actions. A generous package of comps should be offered to the victims of their reprehensible money grab. And the idiots who made and ratified the decision to try to get the money from these folks should be fired.
Topics: Columbia Sussex | No Comments »
The Bear Growls: “21″ the movie — A waste of time and money
By LVBear | April 2, 2008
The movie was awful. I wanted to leave about thirty minutes into it, but my wife talked me into staying. I thought the movie would never end — it got worse and worse as it went on. There were so many errors it was ridiculous. I don’t think even a Kate Bosworth nude scene would have saved this turkey of a movie. I realize it was supposed to be “entertainment,” but one would think that moviemakers would at least try to get simple facts correct. It seemed like they went out of their way to get things wrong. I felt like asking for a refund. I don’t think the movie will have any effect on anything related to blackjack or any other form of advantage play.
Rather than rehash the dozens of stupid things that have been mentioned by others, here are links to good comments about this terrible movie:
“21″ the movie — A review by Bootlegger, author of 200 Proof Blackjack
Another:
Comments by The Wizard of Odds
And another:
Top 10 Card Counting Mistakes in ‘21′ The Movie
Topics: Uncategorized, Las Vegas | 1 Comment »
The Bear Growls: Harrah’s whistleblower names names
By LVBear | March 19, 2008
Fred Frazzetta, the non-union electrician who blew the whistle on illegal remodeling at the Rio hotel, encouraged Clark County commissioners to push Tuesday for “a thorough and complete investigation” of management at Harrah’s Entertainment for wrongdoing and poor oversight during the illegal room renovations.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/16810221.html
I was honored to recently receive a communication from Mr. Frazzetta. I wish him well in his pursuit of the lowlife scum at Harrah’s who were responsible for the crimes. Mr. Frazzetta is a hero for spending so much effort trying to identify the bad guys. Let’s hope the county shows more teeth than it has so far, and brings serous felony charges against the appropriate casino executives, resulting in some prison time for those responsible.
“Harrah’s personnel that was responsible for the illegal remodel projects that I am aware of were Kirk England, Tom Jenkin, Tom Adams, Mike Nasby, Mike Whitehead, Leon Vermillion, George Kirkwood,” Frazzetta said, also mentioning three licensed contractors.
Assuming Mr. Frazzetta is correct, it is good to see the scoundrels publicly named.
Topics: Harrah's, Casino Executives, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Law Enforcement, Government Corruption | No Comments »
The Bear Growls: County employees allegedly admit taking bribes from casinos — Will Gaming Control Board do anything about it?
By LVBear | March 14, 2008
Previously reported quote from Gaming Control Board member Randall Sayre: “I don’t think it is right, at this point, to push a great deal of expense through the entire industry to go look for a maybe.”
From page 40 of the recently released Kessler Report:
… some Building Division and CCFD inspectors did not want to create a hostile environment at the hotels where they were assigned to inspect complaints since it was alleged that certain inspectors receive comps from the hotels including meals, show tickets, stays at other properties and branded clothing.
From the Nevada Revised Statutes:
NRS 281A.400 General requirements; exceptions. A code of ethical standards is hereby established to govern the conduct of public officers and employees:
1. A public officer or employee shall not seek or accept any gift, service, favor, employment, engagement, emolument or economic opportunity which would tend improperly to influence a reasonable person in his position to depart from the faithful and impartial discharge of his public duties.
If the allegations in the Kessler Report are true, presumably the District Attorney or the Attorney General will handle the criminal prosecutions of the crooked inspectors who accepted the bribes.
5.011 Grounds for disciplinary action. The board and the commission deem any activity on the part of any licensee, his agents or employees, that is inimical to the public health, safety, morals, good order and general welfare of the people of the State of Nevada, or that would reflect or tend to reflect discredit upon the State of Nevada or the gaming industry, to be an unsuitable method of operation and shall be grounds for disciplinary action by the board and the commission in accordance with the Nevada Gaming Control Act and the regulations of the board and the commission. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the following acts or omissions may be determined to be unsuitable methods of operation:1. Failure to exercise discretion and sound judgment to prevent incidents which might reflect on the repute of the State of Nevada and act as a detriment to the development of the industry. …It is obvious to me that issuing comps including stays at other properties to County inspectors who then falsify public records, ignore obvious code violations, and allow shoddy construction work, putting patrons’ lives at risk, are unsuitable methods of operation.
Will the Gaming Control Board belatedly make an effort to do its duty, or will it continue, by its inaction, to help enable these crimes to go on being committed? I suspect the usual “see no evil, hear no evil” do-nothing attitude of the Board will prevail once again. I hope I am wrong.
Topics: Harrah's, Nevada Gaming Control Board, Casino Executives, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Law Enforcement, Government Corruption | No Comments »
The Bear Growls: Herbst Gaming in financial trouble — well-deserved
By LVBear | February 29, 2008
According to this article, Las Vegas-based Herbst Gaming, which significantly grew its statewide casino business through two high-profile acquisitions in 2007, said the alternatives could include a recapitalization, refinancing, restructuring or reorganization of the company’s debt, or a sale of some or all of its businesses.
Well, well, well. The greedy parasites who operate terrible casinos that truly live down to their names are struggling. I rarely wish bad things on people, but the Herbst family has prospered by ripping off the public with casinos that offer awful games, incompetent management, surly employees, and other indignities such as repeatedly lying about and welching on promotions at their little Las Vegas casino, the aptly-named Terrible’s. A prime example of the insatiable greed of these people is how they presently operate the three Primm casinos they recently acquired. At the time, it was thought by many that those casinos couldn’t get any worse than they were under previous ownership. But, surprise — the greedy Herbst brothers made them even worse. Knowing they have a captive clientèle of gambling addicts passing through Primm, the Herbsts converted even the few double deck blackjack games to the garbage 6 to 5 payoff. This is taking advantage of the suckers to a ridiculous degree.
Shame on the Herbsts. I am glad they are in financial trouble. May they go broke.
Topics: Las Vegas, Terrible's, Primm | 1 Comment »
County inspector who apparently falsified records for Rio no longer employed by county
By LVBear | February 12, 2008
Rick Maddox, earlier referred to as the buffoon in charge of the inspection of the Rio, is gone from his cushy job with Clark County. It appears obvious that he falsified his report into the original complaint about the wrongdoing in the Rio remodeling. In case you somehow missed the original reports of the shameful corporate behavior by Harrah’s, here’s a link
And more:
Investigation by county inspectors has revealed multiple problems with the Rio work, including repeated failure to seal holes to prevent the spread of smoke during a fire; drilling damage to bars and tensioned cables that are imbedded in concrete to strengthen high-rise floors and ceilings; and substandard wiring in certain locations.
Recently, the district attorney took a step closer to prosecuting parties responsible for flaws in the hotel remodeling. On April 1, David Matthews, the current facilities director of the Flamingo Road hotel, will be arraigned on misdemeanor charges of failure to obtain permits or inspections at that resort.
Official departs county position
The county confirmed his departure but will not say whether he resigned or was fired.
Either way, the public is obviously better off without this character feeding at the public trough and being in a position to help despicable corporations endanger the public with unsafe buildings. It’ll be interesting to see if the District Attorney will prosecute Mr. Maddox for his false report (he apparently claims to have inspected 37 rooms in 18 minutes), and interesting to see if Mr. Maddox ends up on Harrah’s payroll, if he isn’t already there.
Topics: Harrah's, Casino Executives, Las Vegas, Las Vegas Law Enforcement, Government Corruption | No Comments »