Even Vegas Is Down on Its Luck

(NEWSER) - Casinos are making big bank off the tiniest—and oft-most derided—denomination, USA Today reports. Gambling outfits have added penny slots at an amazing rate—in the last 2 years, Nevada has removed 12,000 more costly machines to make room for 7,000 penny slots—and the move has paid off. In Missouri, for example, penny bets make up 42% of the total and a whopping 63% of casino profits. More»

Casino company abandoning costly project

(NEWSER) - Hotel implosions aren’t exactly unheard of in Las Vegas, but it’s not every day the condemned is a brand-new, never-opened luxury tower. MGM on Monday submitted a request to the county office to implode Harmon Tower, a luxury hotel that was supposed to be the crown jewel in the Strip’s $9 billion CityCenter project, the Wall Street Journal reports. It’s been derailed because of multiple construction problems; engineers say it couldn’t withstand an earthquake. More»

Vegas prepares for 'cutter' scam

(NEWSER) - Las Vegas casinos are readying their defenses against a group of baccarat cheaters, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The group, known as "cutters" and described by police as "extremely well-organized," are thought to have stolen tens of millions from casinos worldwide. They take advantage of the baccarat custom in which the dealer allows a player to cut the deck after shuffling. Using a tiny camera embedded in a sleeve or cufflink, the "cutter" spreads the cards slightly, videotaping their suit, value, and order. More»

Vegas defenders: This time sorry isn't good enough

(NEWSER) - When President Obama said yesterday that families saving for college shouldn't blow money in Vegas, it was the second time he'd singled out Sin City as an example of excessive spending—and his words came as salt in the wounds of a tourism-dependent city hit hard by the recession. "I'll do everything I can to give him the boot," the Las Vegas mayor told the AP . "This president is a real slow learner." More»

Tunnel dwellers trade danger of drowning for a little comfort

(NEWSER) - Flood tunnels beneath the casinos of Las Vegas seem an unlikely place to call home. But that’s exactly what they are to an estimated 700, including some who’ve built surprisingly elaborate makeshift dwellings in the 350-plus miles under the city. The Sun describes the “home” of couple Steven and Kathryn, who have a double bed, bookshelves and even a shower—made from a drinking-water dispenser. More»