360 Mail Bag is our opportunity to address your feedback in a causal conversation between friends.By 360 Vegas LLC

Random Vegas In 1968, Las Vegas could lay claim to the 3 tallest electric signs in the world. The Dunes at 180, the Frontier at 184 and the Stardust at 188 feet tall TwitPic of the week How can you not be proud of that collection of properties? Specifically, it feels like MGM treats @LuxorLV and Excalibur like unwanted commodities. Which is funny b…

Okay. Let’s start by addressing the Elephant in the room. Las Vegas was racist. Really, really racist. Not Alabama bad but Las Vegas was known as the “Mississippi of the west” and I’m certain it wasn’t a compliment.By 360 Vegas LLC

Random Vegas Nick Mazzolo. You may not know the name but you certainly know his work. Nick was cast as a table games dealer in 3 blockbuster titles. Rain Man in 1988, Casino in 1995 and Vegas Vacation in 1997. TwitPic of the week In a picture that looks like it was taking on the pool deck of the Plaza years before it existed, this picture, shared b…

I’ve said this before: if I had a time machine, I know exactly what I’d do with it. No, I wouldn’t steal a sports almanac or try to get my parents to kiss at the big dance. I’ve already graduated high school, so I wouldn’t use it to pass my history final, either. No, I would head back in time at 88.8 miles per hour to the Copa Room at the Sands in …

Random Vegas Tropicana’s nickname was the “Tiffany of the Strip” because it was said to be the shape of a necklace when viewed from an arial perspective. TwitPic of the week This is another property I have an irrational affinity for. Like the Fontainebleau today, the Landmark was a project that stalled for almost a decade before it was completed. U…

The Tropicana was a unique property in the evolution of Las Vegas. While ownership was consolidated all over the city, it managed to remain independent, relatively speaking. When older properties on the strip were imploded so new projects could replace them, Tropicana remained and instead was reimagined. Step inside and it was clear this was not an…

Random Vegas Sammy Davis Jr was supposed to be in 3 major movies about Vegas. We all know he was in the original Ocean’s 11 but did you know he was supposed to be cast as Elvis’ sidekick in the movie Viva Las Vegas? But producers thought that much star power would distract from the story so he didn’t get the part. The third was Diamonds are Forever…

Random Vegas Vegas has been attempting to go smoke free since the early 90s. The first casino to ban cigarette smoking was at Silver City Casino in 1991. Vegas Pic of the week It was the original mega sign. Not quite a super pylon but big enough that it was a statement piece. The champaign tower at Flamingo, shared by @_GrandPaD, stood as a beacon …

Nothing special is probably a very good way to describe the Royal Nevada. Not that it wasn’t nice or well located, it just wasn’t memorable. Think Monte Carlo Vegas and its luxury on a budget theme. Mix that with the opening of 4 new Vegas properties in 1955 and the answer to the question is yes, Vegas was over built.…

Random Vegas The office of Sam “Ace” Rothstein and the Tangiers sports book in Martin Scorsese’s Casino was filmed on the site of an unopened casino at the Jockey Club (Vintagelasvegas.com) Vegas Pic of the week This is a photo I didn’t even know existed and it blew my mind when I found it, like I’m sure it’s going to blow yours. It’s a picture of …

Premium Content Preview Benny Binion is a Vegas legend. Many of the policies and procedures he put in place to run his casinos are standard operating procedure today. Making everyone feel like they were someone was the key to establishing loyalty and more importantly, return business. At Binion’s, you knew you were getting a good gamble with a fair…

Random Vegas Many of YESCO’s contracts for the signs it manufactured were lease agreements that included service contracts for the life of the lease. When the lessee eventually removed the sign, the contract stipulated that it be returned to YESCO which either recycled the signs parts or retired the sign to a designated boneyard lot at the outskirt…

Random Vegas In the late 1940s, the state of Nevada’s slogan was “If you can’t do it at home, come to Nevada”. (Spectacular – A History of Las Vegas Neon) Twitpic of the week Icons, paired together in a beautiful union. The Sands cylindrical hotel tower, the classic, original, Sands egg crate marquee with the name Frank Sinatra on it as the headlin…

Random Vegas In 2003, Las Vegas tried to buy a commercial slot during the Super Bowl to promote tourism to the city. The NFL stepped in, citing a contract that allowed it to reject any ad related to sports betting, even though the spot didn’t include any overt references to gambling (Forbes) Twitpic of the week It’s amazing to think that today, thi…

This is one of those projects that I would have loved to see make it to the strip; and who knows, we may still get it one day. Yes a space theme has failed before in Las Vegas but come on, it was Bob Stupak behind it. Just like Luxor before it, I wonder how long those themed attractions will last. Another problem with a space themed resort is how q…

We recently released the 360 Vegas show review for X-Country, and Mrs Jaydubs complained that we spent half the review talking about Fantasy. I can’t help it, though. Fantasy is the litmus test by which all other Vegas topless revues will be judged for a long time. Note: I have in the past referred to Fantasy as the Gold Standard of Vegas topless r…

Random Vegas Built in 1982, the 2-story building that was the Oasis Casino @Dunes was supposed to be comprised of two components, a casino on the 1st floor and a restaurant on the 2nd floor. The restaurant never opened and the space remained unused until its destruction in 1993 (vintagelasvegas.com) Twitpic of the week Here is another @summacorp pi…

Random Vegas After a 4 month remodeling and a rebranding, in 1963, Lucky Casino, formerly known as Lucky strike, reopened with the largest sign in the city of Las Vegas at 160 feet tall. It held that titled until it was surpassed in 1964 by the Dunes turret marquee towering 180 feet tall. Lucky Casino is now the middle part of Golden Nugget Fremont…

Random Vegas The Caesars Palace marquee has caught on fire twice. In both cases, Tom Jones was the featured artist on the billboard at the time (vintagelasvegas.com) Twitpic of the week Ever wonder what it looked like when your Grandparents were on vacation in Vegas. Well, thanks to @_GrandPaD, we can relive that moment poolside at the Stardust in …

Random Vegas In Vegas history, 3 signs have been knocked down due to high winds. The first was the Silver Slipper in May of 1978. The second, in May of 1991, was Bob Stupak’s Vegas World sign. The third was the Hilton sign, the tallest free-standing sign in the world at 365 feet, had the top portion of the sign collapse in July of 94. The incident …

Patreon Exclusive Content Many regard Jay Sarno as the father of the themed casino as well as the mind behind family friendly Las Vegas. His contributions to the strip, Caesars Palace and Circus Circus, are complete opposites on the theme and customer base scale. While he was many things, a womanizer and a gambling addict, no one can dispute that h…

Random Vegas A typical arcade game makes about as much per day as a typical slot machine (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Here @summacorp shares a time before the Golden Nugget consumed all of its western casino competition to acquire the Fremont footprint they have today. It was also the initial incarnation of their greatest exterior façade with …

Random Vegas One day of running a 90-second ad intermittently on the Sphere is $750k (Vital Vegas) Twitpic of the week Magical…well, to someone like me this is magical. To the layman this is an old picture of Caesars Palace, shared by @Summacorp, before the retheming in the late 90s/early 2000s. This is so mesmerizing because you don’t often see pi…

Random Vegas About one in 3 U.S. Adults said they thought the tipping culture “has gotten out of control,” according to a survey conducted in May 2023 (Review Journal) Twitpic of the week The photo by @Las_when doesn’t date the picture but this is how the Stardust looked when I got the one and only chance to visit the property in 2006, just months …

Random Vegas Allegiant Stadium generated $2.29 billion in economic impact to the city of Las Vegas including $128 million in tax revenue (@mickakers) Twitpic of the week Following last week’s holiday theme, @_GrandpaD out did himself with a collection of various Vegas locations themed for the holidays. Everything from Stardust’s Aku Aku tiki statue…

Patreon Content Preview Patreon.com/360Vegas At times the Aladdin has been called “The Vegas Jinx”. History has documented a long line of potential suitors who, when they took their shot, missed. In a town where the house always wins, it’s not only an anomaly when one doesn’t, it’s also a cautionary tale. It isn’t as simple as build it and they wil…

Random Vegas Fontainebleau isn’t the first property to encounter financing problems causing the project to sit unfinished. That title goes to the Landmark who broke ground in 1961 but had to halt construction in 62 due to financing issues. So it sat, 80% done. During that time it was the tallest building in the state of Nevada. It sat dormant until…

On our first Vegas trip as a couple, I swung for the fences. Determined to have a great time and convince her that her previous terrible Vegas experience decades prior was not the only way to do Vegas, I made sure to fill our days with fun and our nights with great entertainment. On that trip, we saw Brilliant at the Neon Museum, Fantasy, the Beatl…

By 360 Vegas LLC

Random Vegas Similar to the myth of Bugsy Seigel and the Flamingo, a popular myth has been told many times over about Howard Hughes and the purchase of the Desert Inn. The legend says Hughes overstayed his welcome because ownership wanted the penthouse rooms for high rollers coming in for new years. Instead of leaving, Howard bought the place. The …

Random Vegas Surprising no one, the sportsbooks at multiple properties reported record breaking action on F1 betting Twitpic of the week I know it looks like this at every F1 track but damn it looked cool in Vegas. Whatever you think of F1 and/or its impact on the city you can’t argue they know how to illuminate a track. That was captured magnifice…

People will try to describe the experience you have at the Sphere but let’s start with saying it unlike anything you've experienced before. It doesn’t matter if you see the film or a live act, this will be different. Which is exactly what Madison Square Garden Company was going for with the Sphere. You’ll find a lot of comparisons to IMAX, Disney’s…

Random Vegas The Westward Ho was advertised as “The World’s Largest Motel”. It had 777 rooms and closed in 2005. When demolished they had to take down 27 total buildings. (@las_when) Twitpic of the week What else can you say but wow? Here’s hoping Vegas properties will take notice that you can do so much more with LED signage than just running comm…

Premium Content Preview - Patreon.com/360Vegas The Sahara used to be referred to as the start of the strip, when the strip began to develop. During that time, people talked about the strip like they do off strip properties today, too far from the action. Turns out what people really wanted was more options and the development of the strip over the …

Random Vegas The office of Sam “Ace” Rothstein and the Tangiers sports book in Martin Scorsese’s Casino was filmed on the site of an unopened casino at the Jockey Club (@summacorp) Twitpic of the week One of the reasons Vegas is like no other place on the planet is the wide array of architecture it has on display. It has a mixture of traditional, t…

Most of you probably don’t know who Kenny Epstein is, but you should. He’s the owner and CEO of El Cortez. Much more than that, he’s the guy that made the conscious decision to not remodel the property but to refresh it while retaining the vintage feel the property permeates. Kenny understands what El Cortez does so well and sees the value in conti…

Random Vegas The music video for U2’s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, filmed in downtown Las Vegas in 1987, was done in one take, shot in less than 3 hours with a skeleton crew and an unsuspecting cast of extras. All the stuff in the video really happened. The music video is credited with introducing, or in some cases re-introducing, …

Random Vegas Roughly 26 international destinations are reachable from Las Vegas (@lasvegasweekly) Twitpic of the week In Las Vegas, perspective is everything. While some may look at gambling losses as a negative, those that love the city understand its part of the dance that leads to a win. This week, @luckytraveling shared a POV that reminds one t…

Random Vegas Advertising at the Sphere costs approx. $450k for a one-day campaign, $650k for a week. For comparison, traditional billboards cost $20k a month, Mekka Walgreen’s is $65k a month and a 30 second spot during the 2024 SuperBowl will run you $7.5 million. Pricing for the Sphere does include production development of the ad. (VitalVegas & …

Random Vegas Because they used the shell of the Marina Hotel, the entire MGM Grand project was considered a remodel rather than new construction. Therefore, property taxes were set at the value when the Marina was built. (@AStotland) Twitpic of the week While it may be hard to wrap your head around, motels used to dominate the Vegas strip and beyon…

Who farted? Do you have that one piece of media that you would like to check out, but never seem to get around to it? Like, you’re scrolling through Netflix, and there’s that one movie that you’re interested in checking out, but not this time. Or the next time, or the time after that. It’s always there, and you’re interested, but not interested eno…

Random Vegas While already in use at multiple other businesses in the valley, the Las Vegas Club installed the 1st neon sign on a hotel gambling establishment in 1931 (Vintage Research) Twitpic of the week While there are many reasons to not like Caesars Palace, the architecture isn’t one of them. The move from the Sarno block exterior to an aesthe…

Patreon.com/360Vegas Something for everyone, that’s what Vegas has that makes it a magical destination. It took decades for the market to get that way but it seems every time change is needed, the city finds a way to adapt and evolve. At the end, the Hacienda looked miniature next to its new neighbors Luxor and Excalibur. Like many properties befor…

Random Vegas By 1980, the states five dominate gaming entities were publicly traded companies. They were Harrah’s, MGM, Del Webb, Caesars World and Hilton (Neon Metropolis) Twitpic of the week The concept was unique and interesting to begin with. City Center, a city within a city. So big it has its own fire department onsite. Unfortunately, what we…

Random Vegas There are over 130 unique employee uniform styles at the Aria. Each uniform is equipped with a radio frequency ID chip (sincitytalk.com) Twitpic of the week Welcome to the new strip landscape, one populated by a mesmerizing giant cylindrical object proving that even LED can be done in an interesting way and not just as a giant rectangu…

Random Vegas The myth is that casino carpet is busy to keep guests looking at the slots. The fact is its to conceal stains as well as wear. (@VitalVegas) Twitpic of the week A breathtaking photo of @Caesars Palace from @maverickHeli. An arial view of the property showing just how diverse and sprawling the property is. This photo has it all, well, a…

Random Vegas Silver Sevens deals live roulette again. That makes 67 casinos in the Las Vegas market that offer the game. There are 71 with table games. Of the four that don't deal roulette, three are small locals that only have blackjack. The other is Main Street Station. (@John_Mehaffey) Twitpic of the week Whenever we start talking about “locatio…

Random Vegas Casino staff often use police code as shorthand when dealing with guests. For example, a “408” means a drunk guest (@vitalvegas) Twitpic of the week It’s a hell of a view of west Fremont St, although not the view it used to be. But that’s okay. Business is business and the only constant is change. Especially in this town. So we’ll enjo…

Patreon Exclusive Content The Flamingo may be the most iconic property in all of Las Vegas. Credited with bringing the luxury theme to the strip, its opulence was considered off putting to some, particularly locals, especially when they were initially informed they weren't allowed to wear their cowboy hats inside.If your interested in learning more…