What ever happened to...
by Andy Holtmann
What ever happened to...
It never hurts to dream, but some of these casino-related projects and ideas are better off having died on the drawing board
Editor's Letter by Andy Holtmann
"Las Vegas Lucky Charms"-it just kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? That's the proposed name of a breakfast cereal that a gentleman who identified himself as Andre Smith told me was all but a sure lock to be put to market. Smith called me a few weeks ago seeking to drum up support for his idea, though he insists he already has a certain cereal manufacturer and distributor on board.
Smith's claim is that the cereal maker would agree to build a manufacturing plant in Las Vegas, adding jobs to the economy. All Smith has to do is market the cereal and get casinos on board with the plan-having their likenesses represented as marshmallows.
I get calls, leads and ideas like this pitched to me as many as a dozen times a year, and almost all turn out going nowhere. By his own admission, Smith said several casinos have already said no, and that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority panned the idea because it too closely ties kids and gambling together.
But Smith is persistent, and said that if the cereal manufacturer he says he's partnered with now backs out, he'll find another. And if the casinos don't want to be part of it, he'll find a way to include them into his cereal idea with or without their involvement. I have little doubt about Smith's ambition or sincerity. Kate Silver, editor of Las Vegas Life was intrigued enough about his story-he reportedly quit his job as a janitor to pursue this-to do a story on his plans in the magazine's February issue.
Smith's call got me thinking about other casino-related projects and proposals throughout the United States that once stirred with ambition, but have since been long forgotten or abandoned.
Anyone remember former Vegas World and Thunderbird Hotel owner Bob Stupak's plans for a Las Vegas Strip casino themed after the ill-fated Titanic? Many at the time it was proposed said the project would sink and eventually it did.
There are other themed-casino ideas that should have been left on the drawing board. Among them, a Caribbean casino project, which was started, but never finished and for years left a hull of a ship moored in the sand just off the Strip, becoming an eyesore to passersby.
I remember sitting through a presentation for the proposed $5 billion Moon Resort & Casino, complete with space rides, lunar-style hotel rooms and other amenities.The Canadian entrepreneur pitching the idea, Michael Henderson, had no financing, little backing and nowhere to build. Gaming experts and analysts I spoke with later called his plans sheer lunacy.
Then there's some of those projects I've personally gotten pitched. One gentleman had this great idea for a Sci-Fi-themed resort casino. One half would be Star Wars, the other half Star Trek, and inside would be a tribute to every great horror movie ever made. The only problem? He had no financing, no partners-just pictures and diagrams of how this resort would look. Yet he was thoroughly convinced he could get it built in a year.
Another would-be casino exec just over a year ago tried to pitch me on a casino idea he had for the Biloxi-area. His idea was a hotel-casino with a tidal wave thrill ride. His chosen name? The Tsunami Hotel & Casino. I'm sure that since we last spoke, both he and his partner have at least changed the name.
Oh, I've had other pitches as well-a religious themed casino in the Midwest; an automobile-shaped casino in Detroit; even a casino project for Las Vegas themed after the Cold War. How do you pull that off?
I guess the point here is, you'll never know what to expect in the gaming industry. For every idea that just seems unfathomable, there's always something else that could top it. And why not try? If you can find the money and support-almost any project could work-just ask all the former owners of the Aladdin.
It never hurts to dream, but some of these casino-related projects and ideas are better off having died on the drawing board
Editor's Letter by Andy Holtmann
"Las Vegas Lucky Charms"-it just kind of rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? That's the proposed name of a breakfast cereal that a gentleman who identified himself as Andre Smith told me was all but a sure lock to be put to market. Smith called me a few weeks ago seeking to drum up support for his idea, though he insists he already has a certain cereal manufacturer and distributor on board.
Smith's claim is that the cereal maker would agree to build a manufacturing plant in Las Vegas, adding jobs to the economy. All Smith has to do is market the cereal and get casinos on board with the plan-having their likenesses represented as marshmallows.
I get calls, leads and ideas like this pitched to me as many as a dozen times a year, and almost all turn out going nowhere. By his own admission, Smith said several casinos have already said no, and that the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority panned the idea because it too closely ties kids and gambling together.
But Smith is persistent, and said that if the cereal manufacturer he says he's partnered with now backs out, he'll find another. And if the casinos don't want to be part of it, he'll find a way to include them into his cereal idea with or without their involvement. I have little doubt about Smith's ambition or sincerity. Kate Silver, editor of Las Vegas Life was intrigued enough about his story-he reportedly quit his job as a janitor to pursue this-to do a story on his plans in the magazine's February issue.
Smith's call got me thinking about other casino-related projects and proposals throughout the United States that once stirred with ambition, but have since been long forgotten or abandoned.
Anyone remember former Vegas World and Thunderbird Hotel owner Bob Stupak's plans for a Las Vegas Strip casino themed after the ill-fated Titanic? Many at the time it was proposed said the project would sink and eventually it did.
There are other themed-casino ideas that should have been left on the drawing board. Among them, a Caribbean casino project, which was started, but never finished and for years left a hull of a ship moored in the sand just off the Strip, becoming an eyesore to passersby.
I remember sitting through a presentation for the proposed $5 billion Moon Resort & Casino, complete with space rides, lunar-style hotel rooms and other amenities.The Canadian entrepreneur pitching the idea, Michael Henderson, had no financing, little backing and nowhere to build. Gaming experts and analysts I spoke with later called his plans sheer lunacy.
Then there's some of those projects I've personally gotten pitched. One gentleman had this great idea for a Sci-Fi-themed resort casino. One half would be Star Wars, the other half Star Trek, and inside would be a tribute to every great horror movie ever made. The only problem? He had no financing, no partners-just pictures and diagrams of how this resort would look. Yet he was thoroughly convinced he could get it built in a year.
Another would-be casino exec just over a year ago tried to pitch me on a casino idea he had for the Biloxi-area. His idea was a hotel-casino with a tidal wave thrill ride. His chosen name? The Tsunami Hotel & Casino. I'm sure that since we last spoke, both he and his partner have at least changed the name.
Oh, I've had other pitches as well-a religious themed casino in the Midwest; an automobile-shaped casino in Detroit; even a casino project for Las Vegas themed after the Cold War. How do you pull that off?
I guess the point here is, you'll never know what to expect in the gaming industry. For every idea that just seems unfathomable, there's always something else that could top it. And why not try? If you can find the money and support-almost any project could work-just ask all the former owners of the Aladdin.
