Super Casino: Inside the "New" Las Vegas

The book is really two books in one.The first part deals with how Las Vegas came to be, the establishment of the first casinos, a small description of how Jay Sarno established Caesars Palace and Circus Circus (nothing like the more detailed story of "Grandissimo"), background on how Steve Wynn established himself in Las Vegas, and how Circus Circus established itself as the largest casino company on the strip. Its really the last part that dominates the book, describing how Circus Circus turned itself around after Sarno had to let it go up to getting the Luxor off the ground and the building of Mandalay Bay.The background on all the owners and managers is far from superficial and was very interesting, but if you are looking for multichapter biographies you will be disappointed; wars between owners are investigated and presented from both sides, but you won't find psyche analyses. Also, the author does a good job of presenting what the owners/managers do right and wrong strategies in establishing their casinos and does give some insight into how things are run (like how one of the managers interprets the revenues for slots or how owners set up their casinos for either slots or board games), but you won't find a step-by-step guide through how everything in a casino works with pages of numbers or statistics.The second part of the book (basically the last 20-30%) focuses on a select number of individuals and tries to tell their personal stories and how they intertwine with the casinos. These include: 3-4 managers or upper managers/owners,a couple of security personnel, a couple of local gamblers, and a prostitute. The stories of the casino employees is great in getting to see how things work at a casino and the type of culture that exists. The stories about the gamblers and the prostitute did not fit in well and would have been better in a book just about Las Vegas stories (prostitute finds old customer who falls in love with her and helps her get out of business, prostitute finds true love, old customer gets mad and dumps her, true love dumps her once he finds out she was prostitute, and then old customer takes her back and gets her out of Las Vegas). Also throughout the book are interspersed quick 3-4 page stories from people who work at casinos or are customers, ones to just give you an idea how cut throat Las Vegas can be.Overall it's a really nice read if you want to learn more about how Vegas came to be. I dropped one star from the rating simply because of incorporation of the individual stories in some cases took away from the casino stories and history.

One of the best books on LV history you can get. The sheer wackiness of Jay Sarno - 'Tanya The Worlds First Gambling Elephant '- is worth the price of admission alone. Many geniuses are often completely nuts. The author also includes the lurid, sleazy side of LV too. Shawna The Teenage Hooker and Kelly Jo The Topless Showgirl prove that no matter how dull the new corporate overlords try to make it, LV will never be the new capital of political correctness. Thank goodness for that.

Las Vegas has certainly changed in the past 20 years. Casinos have become big business, and their owners are now Fortune 500 companies with Wall Street ties rather than the shady characters from Cleveland. Pete Earley attempts to contrast the old and new Vegas, and finds many differences and some surprising similarities. The action in the executive suites is just as cut-throat now as it ever was, although the casino business is quite different.=== The Good Stuff ===* Earley had excellent access to the casinos, especially the Mandalay/Circus Circus properties. We get to meet a sampling of casino executives and lower management, as well as a few dealers and even some of the denizens of the gambling floors and cocktail lounges. Some of the stories are heartbreaking, some slightly vulgar, but in total they present a good overview of how a super-casino functions.* Earley contrasts the modern super casino (The Mandalay Bay, Luxor) with the older generation of Las Vegas properties. He makes the case that the newer casinos are very different, and rely more on entertainment and lodging for profits than the older casinos did. With that comes a new focus on quality of foot and beverages, better accommodations, higher standards of service, and blockbuster entertainment. Throughout the book, the author constantly contrasts the requirements of the new Vegas with the traditional casinos of the 1960's and 70's.* The book doesn't sugar coat the casino life. We see the tool the casino takes on its workers, its gamblers, and the others who are a part of the tawdry casino business. The environment is cut-throat, especially in the executive suites where the ultimate high-stakes gambling is underway.=== The Not-So-Good Stuff===* The book is written in a somewhat convoluted style. The story is not told in chronological order, but frequently jumps back in time between old and new Vegas. Some of the tales seem a little cliched, and I would love to read just one Las Vegas book that doesn't mention "Casino" and Tony Spilatro.* Earley seems to struggle with the level of detail to include. Some parts of the book seem overly detailed- the description of the Luxor lobby seems to drag on forever, while the financing of a $1 billion casino are arranged "with a few phone calls".=== Summary ===I enjoyed the book, and would recommend it for any student of Vegas, or of business in general. The book was easy to read, and captured and held my interest throughout. I'd recommend it to anyone with an interest in the business of gaming.

Well written and factual. I worked for Bill Bennett for over 20 years. The book is essentially a biography of Circus Circus humble beginnings to just prior to being swallowed by MGM. An excellent read and very accurate reviews of the honchos who ran the show.

This is a very interesting book, giving all the history of Vegas. Great if your planning to travel there .

Good follow up to a Trip to Vegas

Great read, if you're into Las Vegas. Super detailed but not bogged down with superfluous info. Learned a great deal!