Sounds like many are predicting that Las Vegas will suffer greatly during 2001. The Tourist and Convention Authority states that 30% of the tourists are from California and the city will be affected by the following:

Energy crisis causing blackouts - people will be more reluctant to leave their homes during blackouts.

Energy rate hikes will leave less disposable income and the Californians will not visit LV as often.

Indian casinos in California will continue to hurt LV business.

I guess the upside of this will be the highways on Sunday nights will not be bumper-to-bumper leaving the city.<s>

Do you agree with the above? Or once a gambler, always a gambler?

Beth

Hi Beth
I think there is much more to Vegas than just gaming. I like the place because there is no place like it! The sounds, the lights, the dry air, even the smell of the place is different from any place I have been. A mix of people and all are having a good time.
I don't think any place compares.

Mike H.

Mike,

I certainly would have to agree with you.
As long as we're able, Fred and I will still be visiting.

Beth

Beth
I guess what I'm trying to say is if you like the town you'll be back. We travel thousands of miles to go. Californians only have to go a couple hundred. Seems like a no brainer to me!
Mike

per cnbc--wall street says a 9% decline in business for lv in 2001 but raised it rating on most casino stocks,huh?they say with no new openings,soft economy,and the cal power crunch will keep people away.for me,since i made a killing in the stock market last year,yeah right,if someone finds my butt somewhere,please mail it back to me,i'll still sell stock to go if i have to!!

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D.A.G.SEATTLE
furdoo3@aol.com

side bar--to me gambling is just another form of investing anyway,you just find out quicker if you made any money

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D.A.G.SEATTLE
furdoo3@aol.com

My opinion from Texas is that I hope most of the Californians who visit LV on a regular basis are not in a financial situation where energy costs would be a determining factor.

Also, I can't picture a rational decision to decide whether to stay at a blacked out home with no lights, no entertainment, no climate control, and no creature features or go to Vegas and get an overdose of all of the above.

JMT,
I must agree! However, if your looking for an excuse to stay home, CA has a couple of good ones! LOL

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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Out here in California, my utility bill (in a 10-year old energy efficient house) has gone up about $100/month over last year. If that kind of increase continues, yes, some California folks will have $1200/year less to spend on luxuries such as vacations.

The blackouts could become a very nasty and widespread economic issue in several western states. It's not just a matter of being in the dark; some agricultural businesses (and employees) have already been hit pretty hard by even the short disruptions. It's kind of like a snowball rolling downhill. For one small example, dairies that lost power could not keep up with their milking schedule and also could not properly refrigerate milk; some milk was destroyed at that level, some at the processing plants for similiar reasons, etc ...the bottom line is that businesses lost money, employees lost part of their paycheck, and the price of milk is going up for everyone.

As for the tribal casinos, I can only comment on Northern California. I don't think they are a big factor yet, but there are two large casinos planned ...one on the road to Tahoe and one just outside Sacramento on the road to Reno. If those places are run anywhere near right, they will definitely cut into Reno/Tahoe gaming revenues, especially in the winter months.

Daisy,
Here on the east coast, our natural gas bills have gone up about 35% over last years. But I'm not giving up a Vegas vacation!!!
I would think Reno has the most to loose with the new CA casinos.


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Lee-PA
Moderator, What's New Forum
lee@talkvegas.com

Lee, I'm not planning on giving up my Vegas vacations either<g>. I think you're right that Reno will be hurt more by the new tribal casinos. Las Vegas is a lot more than gambling, Tahoe has it's scenery and tourist trade, but Reno is more about gambling, with some food & entertainment variety. The tribal casino about 45 minutes from my home has gone from a temporary quonset hut....to a rather nice permanent building, with a good restaurant and a showroom that offers headliners such as Kenny Rogers on weekends. I only went there once to have lunch and check it out, but I could see myself returning occasionally, especially on a weekend when it's snowing up in the Sierras (like right now), and the normal 3-hour drive to Reno would be more like 5-6 hours. In fact, it's probably a good thing I'm having too much fun restoring my computer this weekend<vbg>.