For the casino cages, I always feel there are 2 people manning the rewards desk, 15 people in line, and 3 managers in the back just letting the line get longer.

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

Sounds about right man!👍🏻

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Similar to Sam's Club where there is one person working check outs but two people looking at receipts at the door 🤣🤣

I don’t know why people continue to stay at on-Strip resorts that have these customer-unfriendly policies that border on abuse. It started with resort fees, then it was 6/5 blackjack, then they cut back service at the hotel front desk and cocktail service on the gaming floor, the end of free parking (even for hotel guests), etc. And we as consumers let them get away with it instead of voting with our feet, when there are plenty of places off-Strip that offer better service, better odds, and better rewards.

@5877user

2 ай бұрын

I think the Strip casinos get away with their policies because people come from all over the world to visit Vegas and they want to experience the Strip… Cosmopolite, Aria, Fontaine Bleu, Durango, etc. They want to see all the glitz and glamour. So regular folks who visit Vegas more often see the cut backs whereas foreign visitors don’t mind because they don’t visit as often.

@drewconway7135

2 ай бұрын

@@5877userDurango is not on the Strip. I just don’t see the justification for staying on-Strip when there are better hotels with better service elsewhere. But that’s just me 🤷🏻‍♂️

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

I think the strip still has the allure, but with off strip properties continually upping their game I think more and more are looking at it as an option. Especially with prices continuing to stay up there during weekends etc.

@donnaburkett7854

2 ай бұрын

If you don’t want to pay for the “strip”experience, go downtown, or better yet, drive 90 miles south to Laughlin. We went to Laughlin and loved it. Colorado River is up. It’s clear, cool and wonderful. Harrah’s at Laughlin has a beach. No resort fees, free parking.

@alanjacobson1843

2 ай бұрын

@@donnaburkett7854 I've lived in Laughlin for 2.5 years now. I love it. It's quirky, laid back, and much slower than the rather insane Las Vegas strip. The casinos are way smaller than their Las Vegas cousins, but they are much more friendly and the table dealers know the "regulars" around here and everyone just has fun.

Can't wait for your show tomorrow! Lots of Vegas news! I look forward to you both putting your spin on this weeks updates!

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Another MGM cutback…the VIP room at Excalibur is closing in the next few days, will miss the trail mix.

The box is a drawing promo. There’s actually one at every CET property. The sign next to them says: “Receive one free drawing entry upon registration at a Las Vegas Caesars Rewards® Promotional Kiosk from 6:00am on Friday, May 24, 2024, to 11:00am on Sunday, May 26, 2024. Earn one (1) additional drawing entry upon earning one hundred (100) tier credits from March 1, 2024 through May 26, 2024. EARNING PERIOD 6:00am, March 01 through 11:00am, May 26, 2024. GRAND FINAL DRAWING 7:00pm Sunday, May 26, 2024 in the Octavius Ballroom at Caesars Palace. You must book under the offer in May and attend the party to be a winner!”

@richardtaylor5948

2 ай бұрын

They do give away alot of cool stuff. Last year possibly 7 vehicles and several other legit prizes. The food sucked unfortunately.

I hope the Guinea pig is ok. And I had a heart attack of the cost of the drink prices for the edc thing..who has that kind of money to spend?

I’m over the strip, notably MGM. I do enjoy going the strip from time to time to enjoy new restaurants and see new sights, but the lack of the companies have for their customers there is appalling. First it was the bad games introduced (6:5, triple zero, etc), then it was higher prices, more fees, less quality, and service from management is for sure noticeable. Unless I get a hell of a deal, I don’t plan to go back to strip

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

With what some of the off strip casinos are bringing to the table these days it is tough not to give them a look

I've heard that Chef Boyardee was involved in day to day operations, too.

Thank you to our co-hosts for this eclectic segment. Look forward to Tuesdays and Fridays. Interesting concept by Disni. Good luck

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Fred - have a great week!

At the Sphere, I cry everytime I think about how much I paid to get inside!!!

I feel dizzy for the gunie pig

@laurie6332

2 ай бұрын

I am surprised PETA is not all over that. It's pretty mean to the guinea pig. He stumbles when he runs and just heads for a hole that will save him. I don't like this at all.

Thanks, Shawn and Mark. Your shows are always informative and entertaining. I travel to Vegas two/three times a year, and you provide a wealth of info. I've never had that long of a wait to check-in at any Vegas property. The longest was maybe 30 minutes at Bally's (Horseshoe) a couple of years ago. My last two visits at Golden Gate and Venetian were no wait. Two very different properties, but check-in service was awesome. The guinea pig roulette is hilarious (maybe mean and cruel), but hilarious! 😂

So, on that Wheel of Fortune issue, I watched a video about it on Steve Lehto's KZread channel and he said that the spin feature did activate and the overhead wheel did spin. That tilt was shown after the wheel spin. Then the casino told her it was a malfunction and told her to leave the casino. Definitely worth watching that video.

When is Picasso closing? I’m surprised to hear that Steve Wynn wanted chefs that were actually in the kitchen. The food at the Wynn has been really terrible for years. On our most recent trip we went to Wazuzu and the food was not good at all. The crab in the crab hand roll was dried out and hard like chunks of plastic. The food at Red 8 had that reheated meat taste that happens when you recook chicken. When I complained to the waiter and asked what I could order instead, he said all the chicken dishes are actually reheated. Unacceptable if you ask me. If ai wanted reheated food, I would go to 7-11. I can’t tell you how many disappointing meals I have had at Wynn, it’s actually comical to us now how bad the food is there. I haven’t had a meal there that was better than ok since about 2010. If you are a good cook or a serious foodie with really good taste and you are staying at Wynn, you really have to go off property to find good food.

On the slot malfunction in Atlantic City at Bally's, the player did not have the correct symbols on the 1st payline for the WAP (wide area progressive) to be awarded. She had regular SPIN symbols on the 5th payline which would have awarded a 2x multiplier spin, not the progressive. Also, the 2x multiplier does not apply to the WAP. She should have taken her $350 win and been happy because now it's going to cost her much more. Additionally, when a WAP progressive such as this on Wheel of Fortune is hit, it sends an immediate signal to IGT in that area to dispatch a person for verification and payout. No one from IGT arrived from what I understand.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

Awesome Post!!

The Harrahs box, It's Superman in the closet. He's not ready to come out!!!

That Guinea pig roulette was not right.

Always cutting corners just to satisfy there investors, while you shit on the customers and your employees, I am so sick of these greedy CEOs.

@petrus666love

2 ай бұрын

That’s MGM for you !

I feel like the "idea" of Las Vegas is better than actual Las Vegas. There has to be a point at which all these cut backs and increased prices come back to hurt these properties. These places were built and laid out (with their amenities and designs) at a different time for the customer. Very disappointing.

I saw a stat that something like 70% of Picasso’s staff have been around for at least 20 years and many of them are also taking the opportunity to retire. Just goes to show how respected that whole establishment is.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

That is pretty amazing

MVCA - Make Vegas Cheap Again! 😂

Not with the animal cruelty at ALL. Wouldn't be so bad if they swapped out the guinea pigs every few spins but something tells me that's not the case.

@stanstevens6372

2 ай бұрын

Total animal abuse. Thought you guys were smarter than what your comments were about this. Love the channel though

@FlyLikeDove

2 ай бұрын

@@stanstevens6372 unfortunately social media nowadays makes it look so cute with all of these animals doing tricks and what not, but the abuse is so real behind the scenes. The fact that this is even an activity is heinous. Probably been going on a long time. But people won't necessarily care because they'll consider this a rodent, so like why would their life be valuable right? it's pretty frustrating.

@stevenrunyon170

2 ай бұрын

@@stanstevens6372 Stop judging people. The pig ran 1 foot to a small hole and was fine. God people are sensitive. And passive aggressively calling out the hosts is real douchebag behavior.

@FlyLikeDove

2 ай бұрын

@@stevenrunyon170 do you get paid to come for people online for caring about animals? You're sure going hard for it. You don't know what that little guinea pig is going through. Just like we don't know what you're going through in your day to behave like this in the comments.

@ashleylala4293

2 ай бұрын

Yeah I agree, it ain’t right.

Yes. I agree Wynn has no good places to eat. I've tried most of their places exceot Jardins and Lakeside and the food is not good and disappointing. Even room service is lacking.

Thanks for the updates. Might be going to Vegas next week to celebrate my job offer. I want to check out the downtown fireworks and sphere show

Going to see Dead & Co. next week--cannot wait! Second time at Sphere so it will be interesting to compare the visuals to U2. What I've seen looks comparable, so I'm sure it will be amazing. (Also, and I think it's worth mentioning, Ringo will be in town next week at the Venetian. He always puts on a fun show, so I'm looking forward to that too.) I wouldn't be too worried that older acts are playing Sphere; these acts sell out stadiums so Sphere is a natural place to host and bring them to another level. And a show there is on another level; there's nothing to compare.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Have a great trip!

the box is for a promotion where you get a key to open the box and win. They did it a few years ago too

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Interesting - do you remember what the prize was.

I’ve seen Julian Serrano many times walking around Bellagio, the odds are most people would not recognize him, as much as I’ve enjoyed his restaurants throughout the years, it’s time to bring something new. the allure was authentic Picasso paintings hanging in the walls, if I recall they sold all or several of them during the pandemic for nearly $110 million dollars.

PS, the harrahs box is deffo a leg lamp 🤣

The problem with lines at check in is created in part by the properties themselves. If they would allow early check in without a $40 fee, they could alleviate part of this. It makes everyone wait until check in time and than they get slammed at 3or 4 pm (whenever published check in time is) and it can take them hours to recover

Hey guys! Sorry to hear about Picasso’s closing . I had dinner there last year and it was excellent. I didn’t realize Julian Serrano was so hands on . Probably why his restaurants are such good quality . I love Lago as well . 😎😎😎

Winnie, Buck, and Chip are in the box. Winnie has been redone with new fingers that wont break off.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

That would be pretty epic

I would love to see Dead and Company, if I could afford it! I had to sell my U2 tickets, unfortunately. I'd hate to miss another opportunity at the Sphere. Shame on MGM. They print money. People who are coming to Vegas for the first time have no idea how much better the visitor experience was back in the 80s and 90s, even up to 2008. Lastly, I love what they're doing with downtown Henderson. So much history there with BMI and growth after WWII.

THAT. LAST. PART. LOL - I knew Mark was thinking it. I was. LOL. Then he says it and can't stop laughing. I freakin' love these guys.

Love this show. You both do a fantastic job. Not sure if you knew or reported on this but I was just informed by my mgm player rep that they discontinued their “birthday month free play” promotion. I wasn’t notified until after I booked my yearly trip out during my month. For me, last year I had $140. My buddy who gambles a bit more than me had slightly over $200. This is something I’ve been getting since 2021.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

I had not heard that. Would be another unannounced loss for players. Sad

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

Good lord it just keeps gettin worse + worse!! That's lame Thank you for sharing info

I was thinking of a vr/ar tour of the strip where you could see all the old landmarks with a timelapse and watch 3d renders of implosion lol

Mgm is definitely cutting back on my rewards thinking about playing more at resorts world or fountain blue my next trip

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Sounds like FB has been treating players well

@rickmiller6770

2 ай бұрын

MGM cut my freeplay, I was getting $1600 and now it's $200. I called my host to see why and he said your not the only one. Buiness is good. HUH? I used to go 4 times a year and haven't been since Dec 2023.

Sad to see Picasso close . Another Wynn legacy disappearing. I feel the restaurants with the celebrity chef in the kitchen leads to a better product #wulffdendad

Love the rainbow and Emerald Isle casinos unfortunately I can only handle about 20 minutes of the smell/smoke

that random box was also at the Flamigo when i was there in March

There's no pride or dignity when extreme cuts are made at the expense of customers and employees. The rules of incorporation need to be changed to Madate quality and value and responsibility to customers and employees.

Chris Angel is in the box.

@petrus666love

2 ай бұрын

Better if it was kiddy fiddler Copperfeild 😂

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

He will make it disappear!

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

😆

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

​@@petrus666love wait what!!???

Mysrtery box at Harrahs? Maybe it's like the "mystery box" at Harveys in Tahoe back in the day? If you don't know what happened at Harveys, look it up, it's wild!

The Mirage checkin line was like that on Saturday 5/11 too. Understaffed, only 4 people behind the counter. And now since they are closing, they’ll never have enough staff.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Sad - one thing when the company isn't coming back, but when you are going to want those people in 3 years they will remember that.

I wonder if there is food in certain boxes for the guinea pig roulette which lures them. Regardless, I hope the guinea pig is okay after that ridiculous spinning.

Box was at Paris and horseshoe too

The large crates are for Caesars' "Unlock The Box" promotion. It used to be an invitation-only event for higher level players. Caesars has been slowly turning into a locals gaming company lately, having a lot more promotional events and multiplier days etc...

$100,000 is a ton of money, as most of the Ace players make well under $100,000 a year lol

The box thing is some Caesars Rewards promo. I’ve been working out a lot of Caesars casinos in the past few weeks and every single one of them has one somewhere on the casino floor.

There is a box at the Linq, too.

We were at the Horseshoe last month and they had the box set up there. You check in to the Rewards kiosk with your players card which then enters you into a contest to win a key that opens the box. I think it runs through May.

Having a pit clerk at the higher end MGM properties is so important to the smooth operation of table games. If a guest wants to redeem their marker it goes much faster having a pit clerk retrieve it immediately versus waiting for a pit manager to show up and do the work. I cannot fathom how slow the process is going to become and how annoyed the guests are going to be when they discover that their dinner reservation is in 10 minutes but it is going to take 30 minutes to redeem a marker.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Hopefully they change course or the rumor is just that.

The box is another kiosk that doesn't work to check people into a CET property.

If they cut back the employees, it might be time for visitors to cut back on Vegas. As much as I like the town I am staying away as long as they gouge the customers. Like Benny Binion said. “People want good whiskey, cheap, good food, cheap, and a square gamble... Make the little man feel like a big man.”

We saw those crates in other Caesars properties last weekend. Almost snapped a picture at Caesar’s, thinking Donkey Kong.

I believe I have seen those mystery boxes in other hotels as well in my walks around the strip.

Well if one doesn't want to support corporate run casinos there's still the South Point..... The Gaughan family has been around a long time, and has always run "locals" casinos..... Support them!!! I do....

@17:35 yeah record profits for the past 4 years but MGM Resorts is still $31B in debt. So operating expenses have to come down as assets vs. liabilities is still unfavorable.

The box is a promo for players ...it happens once a year called "unlock the box" at the end of the promo..Players points are added up in the period and there is a drawing to win up to a 1,000,000 dollars

@Milestomemories

2 ай бұрын

Interesting. Never seen it before now. Thanks for the answer!

TS 🧳 gadget during the SB 🤣🤣🤣

Unfortunately I can confirm that the pit clerk positions are being eliminated, very sad to see. Some of them are very nice and friendly.

Picasso is my favorite restaurant in Vegas. Happy he gets to retire but bummed that it’s closing.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Gonna be a big loss for a lot of people

How does a machine ‘malfunction’ ??? Siri gave a wrong answer !?! 😂😂

16:49 They do NOT care about the customer experience anymore. Quality customer service is a thing of the past and people just keep tolerating it.

As technology has improved and new systems are in place the Casino’s have been cutting back on pit clerks. I noticed that Resorts world, Circa and FountainBleau all opened with no Pit clerks making other Casino’s cut the position. As I understand Caesar’s did away with Pit clerks in all their Strip properties except for Caesar’s palace. They look at a Pit Clerk as an Entry level position and want to pay them as little as possible. The only places that start a pit clerk at a good wage is Wynn and Venetian from what I have heard. The Casinos are having to pay more money for other crucial positions that deal with the money if they want well qualified candidates. The writing has been on the wall for awhile that with technology the pit clerk position is just not as needed. Most things that a pit clerk was needed for is now just a push of a button on a computer.

It is crazy how much MGM has raised the minimums on tables - they are already making record profits, why do they need to cut the pit clerks. As a player I don't need the pit bosses having even more to do and being less aware of service issues.

@SusanYINGLING-ho4dp

2 ай бұрын

I don’t think there making profit Caesar just reported and missed there numbers

The box has the "button" when pushed the Tropicana distructs.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Getting to set off the demolition would be a unique prize

It's been over 10 years since I had a meal at Picasso, I didn't know realize it's still around! But it's a bummer that it won't be around anymore.

Those one dealer crap tables are just a fad. What happens when the PC power supply takes a dump. Game down. Plus no interaction, I can play that on my phone. Another great video!

The food at Picasso's is very good. Had dinner there with the ex-, one of our best meal.

FYI Picasso was always empty so Prime is expanding and taking over that spot.

Great show as always. I have an upcoming Strip stay in June. Going for the GaGa. It'll be my last Strip stay for a while. I don't gamble. I go for food, drinks, and a (hopefully) top-notch customer service experience. All in ( basic room, food, drinks, parking, resort fees and tipping, etc) it's $700.00 day. If they take away my happy person-to-person , being waited on hand and foot experience and replace it with tech, f*ck 'em. Durango, here I come. At least parking is free. Cheers!

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

I think a lot of people are in the same boat right now.

@freeman436

2 ай бұрын

I'm a big tipper. I probably underestimated my daily spend by a coupla' hundred. And that's just for me. Kudos on the other Chanel BTW. I subbed. Thanks. Take care.

The employees at the Mirage have jumped ship early to go to other properties especially if they haven't worked long enough to get a severance

I’m sick that Picasso is closing! I didn’t visit in April and doubt if I’ll be back prior to closing! The food was glorious! Damn😞

I read some place that the lady already has a lawsuit against Bally's. Also, some time ago something along the same line happened to a person and they won the lawsuit. I live close to National Harbor MGM and the beverage service is nonexistent and you pay for your drinks. Last week I was there 3 times for a total of 10 hours or more and never seen a cocktail waitress.

@2011blueman

2 ай бұрын

Yep, the only drink service in National Harbor is really in the poker room. I think it's the fact that they don't have free alcoholic drinks so the zombies in front of the slot machines don't want to be bothered for them.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Beautiful property but I don't remember the service being very good when I was there either

back to fiending for the next trip, April was great birthday visit, can't wait to bring the cajun back out to the valley!

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Glad you had a great trip!

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

It's always cool to hear about the good times still had in Vegas 🤩

Like to see Bally's give the lady that won the Jackpot someting. She really is a victim of the malfunction; assuming there was no tampering on her part to cause the malfunction.

Don't forget to put up some video of the opening of the Starbucks opening at the el cortez

box is some promo jackpot theyre doing at all of the caesars owned properties not just harrah's

I work as a casino supervisor at Mandalay since opened 25 years ago. After we reopened from covid we never brought back the pit clerks. The supervisor does all the work. It really doesn't effect the players any. If they need a card we just send them to the players club desk, where they can sign up for one. All this does is put more work on the supervisors besides watching more games I think casino will continue to make cuts wherever they can. Pay for parking, higher resort fees 6 to 5 bj 4zero roulette People will continue to come to vegas.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info

@SusanYINGLING-ho4dp

2 ай бұрын

Not me

MGM really are a bunch of Tight arses !

We had our wedding dinner at Picaso Beautfull views amazing food Sad see it go

That’s animal abuse! Still. Please don’t show this kind of stuff. Ok.

The Venetian tried eliminating the Pit Clerks just after Covid ..... same thing; have Pit Boss do a lot of that work ..... It was a disaster .... and the position was brought back ( with a different title and lower pay ) after less than a year

@Elhastezy888

2 ай бұрын

There is a post here from someone who works Mandalay Bay, 25 years + said they did the same thing, never brought back certain positions at all + expect that work to be done by only a few people 👎🏻

In other LVCA news, they are putting in $2 mil for WWE WrestleMania next year. The event is expecting to bring in nearly 200,000 visitors to the city. I can provide a link to an article if youbwould like to see it. And on a different note, the Wife and I were at the Paris a couple years ago and they had the same box right by the entrance where you purchase your tickets to go up the Eiffel Tower. When we went up to the waiting area for the tower elevator, you could see the top of it, and there was no top to it, and it was empty on the inside, lol.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Send it over - we can take a look.

I think the box has to do with drawings in June .

The Excalibur is closing its VIP lounge tomorrow, it was a small lounge but just another cut back and another less perk for those with status.

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Sad to see the lounges continue to dwindle in town

The malfunction was and probably will always be..."oops we aren't scheduled to show a net loss until next month." Pay up!!

As long as people spend the money, the more money grab and employee cuts will happen.

The box you saw at Harrah's, I saw the same thing at Caesars Palace on Sunday. I commented it looked like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland.

Great show

Pink Floyd at the Sphere? Can you imagine.

@Milestomemories

2 ай бұрын

With edibles! 🤩

I love how you guys literally report on EDC in this video, yet can't figure out why the hotels had super long check-in lines the day before it starts...

@markostermann6632

2 ай бұрын

Wouldn't you think they would have more than a couple reps working the desks?

Big corporations, make more money, screw everyone else. The experience continues to 💩 compared to 5 years ago.

Seeing the EDC prices makes me even more 🖕🏾to the “new Las Vegas”.

So anytime you hit a jackpot it's a "malfunction"!

Never been, been to the one in NYC, but wasn't one picture of Picasso really Le Cirque? The picture with the tent and the circus acts along the edge @4:26?

MGM stock price actually has been quite stagnant and they no longer pay dividends. So where does the money go? 🤨

In 8 years a Tesla bots will do table games.

The attended said it's a Glitch in the Matrix lol

Regarding the LLCVB supporting the Aces. Are you sure that LLCVB gets their money from taxes? Here in Madison the convention and visitors bureau gets its funding from the hotel tax. Now you could argue that it’s still a tax, but the chief burden of it falls on tourists.

@Milestomemories

2 ай бұрын

It is similar. Funded by tourism taxes.