Thursday, June 03, 2004
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

REALITY SERIES: Lights, Cameras ... Gamble

Two new TV shows follow the action at Golden Nugget, Green Valley Ranch

Tim Poster, left, and Tom Breitling take over the Golden Nugget and attempt to bring it back to its glory days in "The Casino," a new Fox reality series premiering June 14. COURTESY PHOTO Cameras record life at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson for "American Casino," which debuts Friday on the Discovery Channel. COURTESY PHOTO The Fertitta brothers, Lorenzo, left, and Frank, attend the opening of their property, Green Valley Ranch, in December 2001. They are the subjects of a new reality series, "American Casino," on the Discovery Channel. FILE PHOTO

Heated competition in the Las Vegas casino industry is nothing new. For decades resorts have tried to top each other with unique attractions, new gimmicks, new themes.

But the Golden Nugget downtown and Green Valley Ranch in Henderson are competing in a new arena when the reality series "The Casino" and "American Casino" premiere this month.

The first of 13 episodes of "American Casino" debuts at 8 p.m. Friday on the Discovery Channel.

"Survivor" producer Mark Burnett's "The Casino" airs at 8 p.m. Mondays on Fox (KVVU-TV, Channel 5), beginning June 14.

Both shows take a behind-the-scenes look at the casino business, focusing on the owners and workers, gamblers and tourists at the resorts.

The focal point of both is the owners, Tom Breitling and Tim Poster of the Golden Nugget and Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta of Station Casinos, which includes Green Valley Ranch.

"The Casino," which began shooting with 18 camera crews and 22 cameras earlier this year, is the Fox network's first series shot specifically for high definition.

Cameras began taping in January on "American Casino," following management, cocktail waitresses, pit bosses, security personnel and entertainers.

At the Golden Nugget, a separate area of the casino was roped off and used for crews to tape high-stakes gambling at four blackjack tables, one dice table and a roulette wheel.

The casino owners took different paths to the top.

The Fertitta brothers grew up around the family business -- their father, Frank J. Fertitta Jr., founded the company in 1976, while Breitling and Poster are dot-com millionaires who realized the dream of buying a casino with the sale of their company.

Lorenzo Fertitta and Breitling were roommates in college. He also introduced Breitling to Poster. They went on to own Travelscape.com and sold it in 2000 to Expedia for $105 million.

Poster also is a former member of Station Casinos' board.

The two millionaires raised $215 million and took over the Golden Nugget from MGM Mirage on Jan. 23, with cameras on hand to capture the moment.

"You're absolutely going to have the adrenaline rush of Tim and I entering the casino for the first time and being the new owners," Breitling told the media. "You'll see who comes in and you'll see real-life casino action with millions of dollars changing hands. If you look at some of the other (reality) shows, sometimes it's hard to relate to the people. But everyone can relate to a wager or casino action ... and we're right there to witness it. This is a 24-hour town that never stops. You have to have a strong stomach to be in this industry."

The show focuses "on that drama that occurs inside the building every day and will give viewers an inside look at a casino, which has never really been done before in a realistic sense," Poster said.

"American Casino" is the creation of Craig Piligian, executive producer and creator of "American Chopper" and "American Hot Rod."

"I am most surprised at how quickly you forget that the cameras are around," Lorenzo Fertitta said. "They just become a part of your daily environment and you go about your daily routine."

The video crews became "a part of our team at the Green Valley Ranch and we quickly grew used to having them around," Frank Fertitta agreed. "We do what we do -- we run our casino -- and the crews are there to see the exciting ride it is for all of us."