Visitreno

[joeschmeaux]

This started out as part of a reply to another post about casino closings, but I realized it would be better not to hijack the thread, so...

Let's face it, California casinos will continue to syphon off the business Reno's casinos once had.

In a way it's kind of Reno's fault. Casinos like uninformed customers so much, that casinos have learned how to teach them how to play dumb. So to the dumb tourist (well, not dumb, but not knowledgeable about casino facts), it doesn't matter that the California CSM dealt 5 deck blackjack is $25 min, there is a wait for a seat! It doesn't occur to a tourist that the exact same type of machine could be set to pay back differently, and likely pays better in Reno, where gaming is regulated -- even though somehow they do worry that the casino might turn a magic dial which simultaneously tightens up all the machines in the house, including the VP machines!

Since Nevada has conditioned so many players to be "dumb," they don't realize the value of continuing on to Reno vs. dropping all their bankroll on some of the worst games in the country. Of course, if Reno started to attract people by advertising that they have better games and overall value, the California money laundering palaces, er, casinos would merely have to offer good enough games to compete with Reno's offerings, and Reno would be toast. So...

Reno will always have gambling, but it may not be the cash cow it has been in the past. While it's no San Francisco, Reno is a very nice city. If local government realizes that gambling is drying up and tries in earnest to get other business and industry in there before the gambling bottom drops out, then like plenty of cities which have survived after the biggest employer(s) have left town, Reno can survive. I hope the local casinos don't have such a stranglehold on local government that they prevent Reno from moving on.

I've been visiting Reno since 1995. Not as long as many here on the board (where I mostly lurk), but long enough to see the Nevada Club (now harrah's plaza), the Holiday (now, after being completely gutted and rebuilt, the Sienna), the Pioneer (now an empty lot), the Riverboat (the hotel is the Cal-Neva, and didn't the casino become a drug store or something?), the Virginian (closed), the Comstock (has it yet been turned into apartments and/or condos or something like that?), the Flamingo/Golden Phoenix (slated for condos -- I'll believe it when I see it open), the Speakeasy (is the Ramada still open?), and the Sundowner (slated for condos but work has stopped?) fail. The only expansion going on has been at the Peppermill. I sure hope they didn't make a fatal mistake by building their new tower just before the depression.

The writing is on the wall. I hope Reno, and Nevada, for that matter, have a plan for the future. It'd be such a shame if Reno became a seriously dangerous impoverished city.

BTW, I haven't been to Reno since the spring. I'm going for a week in mid-November. I think there will still be a few casinos open then.


_________________
Everyone knows it's unlucky to be superstitious!

[stan_allen]

It's hard to argue with those points, certainly.

I can't count the number of times we've had that discussion about why they don't try different tactics in their advertising campaigns and such, 'cuz it's clear that the value is there, but they're having a lot of trouble communicating that.

Where I live, commercials for Thunder Valley in CA run constantly on the Chinese channel; you'd think Reno would have tried at least some of that kind of targeted marketing.

Here's hoping someone over there is still paying attention!

[mommy2boys]

You are so right about CA casinos stealing customers from Reno. I live in the middle of 4 Indian casinos (Feather Falls, Colusa Casino, Gold Country, and Thunder Valley) and you can't go more than 1 hour w/o seeing or hearing a commercial for them. There are billboards, radio spots, tv commercials, etc. everwhere.

You are also very right about the better deal in Reno. We have gambled at the area casinos and the payout is SO much lower here then in Reno. Even if the payouts were the exact same, you are getting a much better deal in Reno. You earn comps for everything much faster in Reno then you can imagine here in CA. I haven't paid for my trips to Reno (room & food) in years, where as the local casinos have yet to send me anything for the play we have done in the past.

If Reno would learn from the CA casinos and FLOOD the market with advertising explaining the much better deal, they would do much better. I might hear 1 commercial a week for a Reno casino vs. the 100+ for the local casinos.

Just my 2 cents
Erin

7 days until Reno

[RenoLady]

In the CA recession of the early 90's, Reno did work at getting customers. Most rooms were $19 a night, including the Hilton, and they gave away food.

If they can't/won't educate the masses on why Reno is the better gambling deal, maybe they can appeal to their "free" vacation mentality.

[remano]

All good points, and I think at least some of Reno's movers and shakers are starting to get it, with the whitewater park, baseball stadium, plans to remake the post office into a retail/restaurant center etc.

Regarding the condominimization of the Flamingo/Golden Phoenix, prepare to believe. They had a lavish reception a few weeks ago for the buyers, construction workers and special invited guests. This morning I noticed about 25 people with hard hats followed by a couple TV cameras getting a tour of the development. The ground floor retail spaces look like they still have a lot to be done but the upper living units are said to be close to finished. There's a complete photo tour at this site:

http://www.downtownmakeover.com/downtown_reno/The_Montage.asp

[bobhiker]

If I took Erin's comments and substituted OR for CA it would be accurate. I don't understand why people continue to patronize these local casinos. Spirit Mountain is about an hour's drive from Portland and is always crowded despite the recent increase in buffet prices of $2-$3, $70/night lodging and payouts worse than Reno. They even had to remove a portion of the parking lot to add more hotel rooms. We drive to Reno a few times each year and think it is well worth the extra miles. I just hope things don't deteriorate too much in Reno.
Bob

[mommy2boys]