It's hot here, but I guess it is almost anywhere in the country. But not like this. We're into our 105-110 weather, so don't be bringing any sweaters for evening, as it's still in the low 80s overnight. Okay, now that I've got the weather update out of the way, let's get on to some things that might interest you.
A new game seems to be as hot as the TV hit show it's named after. Deal Or No Deal has people waiting in line to play, at least in the few casinos I've been in. Was at Sunset Station the other day and saw a crowd gathered around a bank of one-cent slot machines. Went to take a look and that's what they were playing, with the onlookers providing the requisite "Oohs" and "Aahs" when something good came up on any of the players' machines.
And something did. While I stood there for a few minutes, the guy on the end machine hit God knows what and froze the machine with a payoff of more than $1,300. Not bad for a penny machine. I can't win $13, never mind $1,300 and I play a lot more than pennies. Of course, the poor guy had to fill out the tax forms so Uncle Sam can get his share. I've often wondered why casinos don't tell the manufacturers of the slot machines not to set them up so that they freeze when you hit a jackpot over $1,200.
Players would love it, and who's to know if someone wins big? I doubt the IRS is going to send spies into casinos to see if any of us is going to hit a jackpot and not share it with them. What's strange is that you can be playing a machine and rack up more than $1,200 (the amount you must pay tax on) with a number of wins, cash out your ticket and nothing is deducted, nor are your reported.
Maybe I shouldn't mention this seeing as an IRS agent may read my column, though I doubt he or she is that hard up. Anyway, try the game out next time you're in a casino that has the game. There seems to be a lot of entertaining games on the market today, especially of the penny variety, although how some of them pay out I have no idea. I'm not a slot player, but every so often I'll sit at a machine that looks like fun, and play a few bucks. When I hit something, big or small, usually small, I have no idea how I won. But who cares. Just to win anything in our casinos today is nothing short of a miracle.
NHL VISIT
I mentioned the heat earlier on, so let's balance that with a very cool item. This will only interest hockey fans, but as I am one of them, and it's my column, you'll have to put up with it. The Los Angeles Kings will return to Las Vegas for an NHL pre-season game against the Colorado Avalanche Saturday, Sept. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Last year, the Avalanche defeated the Kings 2-1 in an overtime thriller in front of a sold-out crowd of 12,074. The Kings won the first-ever NHL game played at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in 1997 as they beat Colorado 4-3, on an overtime goal in front of 8,224 fans. Looks like the game is attracting more fans. Now for the "OUCH" part. Tickets, if you want front row, will cost you 200 bucks. From there it drops to $65 (still a lot to me) then to a very reasonable $35 and $25. The cheap seats may all be gone by now but give a try by going to any MGM Grand box office outlet, calling Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000. visiting www.mgmgrand.com, www.ticketmaster.com or calling the Los Angeles Kings ticket office at 888-KINGS-LA (888-546-4752).
REAL HIGH ROLLERS
Ever wondered how much our casino execs make? Let's just say that no matter how high the price of gas goes, these guys will be able to afford it. According to a recent newspaper report, the five highest paid executives of publicly traded companies in Las Vegas are: Frank Fertitta, Station Casinos, $42.8 million; Bobby Baldwin, MGM Mirage, $38.5 million; Bill Boyd, Boyd Gaming, $37.9 million; Terry Lanni, MGM Mirage, $31.5 million; and John Redmond, MGM Mirage, $29.6 million. The dollar figures include short- (salary) and long-term (stock and options) compensation.
DRIVERS BEWARE
If you live in our town, or are thinking about moving here, these stats might interest you. According to a study conducted by Allstate, Las Vegas ranks 170th out of 200 cities for the nation's safest drivers. Allstate analyzed claims data to determine how often drivers in the 200 largest cities in the U.S. crashed, compared to the national average of one every 10 years. Henderson placed 88th and North Las Vegas 154th. In a different study, Las Vegas was also the nation's second worst for car theft in 2005, moving up from third in 2004. The total of 22,465 cars stolen in 2005 was 2,671 higher (13%) than in 2004.
Good luck and I'll see you on the Strip. And don't forget to check out www.valleyblogs.com
If you have a question or a Las Vegas experience you would like to share with my readers, please e-mail me at lennylv@cox.net. Please include your full name and the city or town where you live.
