O’Sheas ready for last St. Patrick’s Day bash
Brian Thomas turned what would be a one-day job in most cities into a career on the Strip.
Portraying Lucky the Leprechaun, the spokesperson, mascot and marketing icon for O’Sheas casino, Thomas has celebrated every day as St. Patrick’s Day for seven years.
So, it’s only natural the 22,000-square-foot casino, which is closing April 30 to make way for the
$550 million Project Linq, celebrates its final St. Patrick’s Day with one last blowout for St. Patty.
The 14-hour marathon celebration kicks off at noon at O’Sheas, which is tucked between the Imperial Palace and Flamingo, with an entertainment lineup that includes five bands and two DJs performing until 2 a.m. O’Sheas is offering several Irish-themed drink and food specials.
At the center of the action will be the 4-foot-1-inch tall Thomas, 46, dressed in his Lucky the Leprechaun costume and engaging customers along the Strip, just as he has does year-round.
Thomas’ goal is to entice Strip pedestrians to step inside O’Sheas, which has 453 slot machines, 45 gaming tables, a poker room, a restaurant and bar and a tattoo parlor.
As a standalone casino without a hotel, O’Sheas has had to create its own customer base since opening in 1989.
Thomas said Friday that was never a problem. He likened the experience at O’Sheas to the bar in the television series, “Cheers.”
“I always tell people you don’t need to be inside a billion-dollar casino to have a great time,” Thomas said. “Sure, our carpets are dirty. But the employees are friendly, personable and interact with the guests. It’s really a heart-felt place.”
Thomas’s role as Lucky has evolved over the years. He started out offering shots to customers on top of O’Sheas’ bar.
He is now part-casino host, party-marketing guru, spokesman and carnival barker.
“I’m the voice of the Strip,” Thomas said.
He has posed for more pictures with customers than he can count.
“If I had $5 for every photo, I’d be on a beach sipping a piña colada,” Thomas said.
And, of course, there’s beer pong.
O’Sheas has a reputation as the Strip’s headquarters for the game more commonly found in college fraternity houses. The casino, which has several beer pong tables hidden behind the main gaming floor, offers daily beer pong games and a once-a-week tournament with a $50,000 grand prize.
On St. Patrick’s Day, Thomas will kick off the celebration with a beer pong contest against Rick Mazer, the regional president for Caesars who oversees Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace, Flamingo, Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and O’Sheas.
Thomas said the odds are on Mazer.
“I can promote a mean game of beer pong, but I just can’t play it,” Thomas said. He joked that “Peepshow” star Holly Madison “once whipped my butt” in beer pong.
Mazer said Friday that beer pong fans need not worry — the game will live on after O’Sheas is just rubble and fuzzy memories. Plans are in the works to move the beer pong competition down the Strip to Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall and Saloon.
“Bill’s is the closest thing we have that can relate to O’Sheas,” Mazer said. “It has a small, friendly staff that resembles O’Sheas.
Mazer said he also hopes Thomas will remain with Caesars after O’Sheas closes.
“Brian has options,” Mazer said. “He’s developed a popular status in the city.”
O’Sheas will be back, as well.
The current building will be demolished, but a smaller version of O’Sheas will be incorporated into Project Linq, a retail, restaurant and entertainment development that is being built along the private street that separates Flamingo and Imperial Palace.
The complex will be anchored by a 550-foot-tall observation wheel.
Mazer said O’Sheas will be located near the entrance to the Imperial Palace, which is being renamed and renovated as part the development.
“It will have the same character and with an Irish pub feel,” Mazer said.
The closing of O’Sheas is the unofficial kickoff for Project Linq, although some construction has already begun. The day after the closure, much of the Flamingo parking garage that feeds into O’Sheas will be imploded.
O’Sheas employees are being placed in jobs at other Caesars hotel-casinos and Mazer hopes customers also migrate to other company properties.
Thomas, who has developed a large fan base and following as O’Sheas most recognized spokesman, is looking forward to today’s last big bash.
“We’re going full-throttle,” he said.
Contact reporter Howard Stutz at hstutz@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3871. Follow @howardstutz on Twitter.