Sunday, April 25, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

INSIDE GAMING: Wynn showroom a splashy spectacle

Always the showman. Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn has wrapped up designs for a 2,000-seat showroom at Wynn Las Vegas, the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be a three-dimensional globular showroom with water surrounding the audience. It will sit in three sections, with water running over, under, around and through the audience sections, and with performers coming from all directions. The farthest seat will be 40 feet from the stage, compared with 111 feet at MGM Mirage and 120 feet at Caesars Palace. Wynn says the showroom and the production together will cost about $100 million, with about $30 million going to Franco Dragone, who will produce the megaresort's first show.

¥ ¥ ¥

Harrah's Entertainment boss Gary Loveman breathed new life into old rumors last week. During a conference call with Wall Street analysts, he said prospects for his company developing or buying a new, Horseshoe-branded megaresort on the Strip are good. "It's true rumors abound. We're taking a look at the prospects for growth in Las Vegas. We have a relatively modest position relative to our friends at other large-cap companies. The prospects for a new Horseshoe branded property are good," he said.

¥ ¥ ¥

Panic in Sin City. The 3 1/2-day blackout at the Bellagio sent competitors scurrying to cover their bets. We've been told honchos have been calling in pollsters and marketing gurus to measure the long-term effects of blackouts on their own properties -- or anybody else's -- or everybody all at once. Most of the major resorts have power systems similar to the Bellagio's -- and are just as vulnerable. So far, the findings suggest a blackout could seriously tarnish any megaresort where quality of experience is the biggest draw. And restoring the luster could be a long-term proposition.

¥ ¥ ¥

Scuttlebutt is that The New York Times is putting Las Vegas under a microscope. A team of at least seven reporters has been in town, some in March and some in April, looking at every element of Las Vegas' remarkable growth. It shouldn't be a hit piece, we're told, but a wrap-up with a focus on gaming and marketing sin as an attraction.

¥ ¥ ¥

Caesars Entertainment couldn't buy this kind of publicity. Sony Music plans to release a compact disc of Celine Dion's songs recorded live from her show at Caesars' $90 million Colosseum June 15. The Canadian diva who now lives at Lake Las Vegas is best known for her Oscar-winning hit "My Heart Will Go On" from "Titanic" and is in the middle of a long-term contract with Caesars Entertainment, which owns the Palace.

The Inside Gaming column is compiled by Gaming Wire Editor Rod Smith. You can contact him by phone at (702) 477-3893, fax (702) 387-5243 or e-mail at rsmith@reviewjournal.com.