Monday, April 12, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
NORM: Gambler bets it all on red, sees green
Ashley Revell of London talks at a news conference Sunday after his winning double-or-nothing roulette bet at the Plaza.
Photo by Ralph Fountain.
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For a while it looked like Ashley Revell's double-or-nothing bet had spun out of control.
His mother burst into tears after the 32-year-old gambler from London successfully bet everything he owned, a total of $135,300, on red at the Plaza on Sunday.
Seven-eleven turned into his lucky numbers: The roulette wheel came up on red 7 on April 11.
Late Saturday, the wager and accompanying live broadcast back to the United Kingdom were all but dead.
After being given 15 minutes to leave the Hard Rock Hotel when talks broke down, the downtrodden Sky TV crew rewrote the entire script and titled it "The Bet Las Vegas Wouldn't Take."
Calls went out to the new owners of the Plaza and others.
Phillip Flaherty, chief operating officer for Barrick Gaming Corp., the Plaza's new owner, said it took "all of minus-five seconds" to green light the deal.
"If I can't make marketing dollars out of this, I'm nuts," said Flaherty, who finalized the deal at 3:35 a.m. Sunday.
Flaherty said the game was on after the control board of the Nevada Gaming Commission was assured it would not be a live broadcast. Another concern, he said, was the Federal Wire Act, which bars the transmission of wagering information.
Revell said he decided to go with red at the last minute, saying he was influenced by fan polls in the United Kingdom that preferred the color.
Wearing a loaned jacket, Revell told a media gathering in a Plaza ballroom that he sold everything but an old pair of pants and a backup pair of underwear.
He said he'll spend part of the $270,600 on something for his mum and plunk down $10,000 to enter the World Series of Poker here next month.
The Scene and Heard
Don't be surprised if there is a name change, a new launch date and a studio deal with the Stardust when the dust finally settles on "Vegas Live! With Clint Holmes and Sheena Easton." I hear the variety show will be renamed "It's Vegas!" when it resumes airing May 12, not May 17, as previously planned. The ultimate goal is to take it nationally on Fox late this year. ...
Several members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers are joining headliner Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple tonight in the Lounge at the Palms. ...
Half the crowd will be dummies when the Imperial Palace hosts the Vegas Ventriloquist Festival on April 23-25. The grand gala performance of Ventastic 2004 will feature Randle McGee, Ken Carter and Taylor Mason at 7 p.m. April 25. Information: 258-1556 or visit the festival Web site at www.ventriloquists.net. ...
Wonder how many times these two words came to mind during the Bellagio power outage on Sunday: "Ocean's Eleven."
Sightings
TV heartthrob Mario Lopez, holding his bachelor party at the Palms' "Real World" suites and hanging out at Rain nightclub over the weekend. He's marrying Miss USA 1996 Ali Landry, the "Doritos Girl," later this month. ... Revell, partying with his mother, Carole, and TV crews from the UK at the Icehouse on Sunday after the downtown establishment invited him over for the celebration. ... Actor Randy Quaid, dining at N9NE Steak House (Palms) on Saturday. ... Michael Jordan, back at Light nightclub (Bellagio) until the wee hours on Sunday. ... Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes at Rain nightclub (Palms).
The Punch Line
"Don't pass out or you'll wake up with `The Last Supper' on your back." -- Overheard Saturday at the tattoo-heavy Rockabilly Weekend at the Gold Coast.
Norm Clarke can be reached at 383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com.
