[BBMW]

The problem with that is that the county (assuming they do it) would have to pay fair market value for the land. What's the going rate per acre of mid-strip frontage? And would there be any support for spending that much for a "park"?

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by BBMW

The problem with that is that the county (assuming they do it) would have to pay fair market value for the land. What's the going rate per acre of mid-strip frontage? And would there be any support for spending that much for a "park"?

Not a problem. It would cost a bundle...but Clark County is used to that. Watch the convention center.

And does MGM really want to go hard up against the CC Commission? Not very bright to do that.

[BBMW]

There are any number of ways they could influence the county. Some of them would not be badly received.

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by BBMW

There are any number of ways they could influence the county. Some of them would not be badly received.

One always has the allegations of who is paying off who...but it can get difficult. Watch Bob Beers trying to win reelection after going with the heavies.

[Merrily Gather]

I'd previously considered that the new water park development at the Wynn was playing a factor here and reading the article validated that.

They also mentioned the fountain's 20 year run and that it was time for a new show or attraction at this spot. Others also mentioned it's being done better elsewhere. They said an Italian shopping village is what they have in mind for the designs to replace it.

I picture something like The Park over at NYNY, or the Link Promenade, and the indoor shopping villages at the Paris hotel across the street and The Venetian with the canals and even Ceasers forum shoppes. Like a mix of all of these somehow with indoor and outdoor shopping and places to eat and watch the world go by.

So I guess it's possible that like the parking situation and the Balley show girls exiting stage left the iconic Bellagio fountains may very well become a bygone era too.

[crabtrees]

As humans we tend to want things to remain the same, stay routine, so we can remain in our comfort zone, but the irony of life is that everything changes and evolves. I don't personally care if the fountains stay or go, but I do like the fact that the casinos are open to evolving as time flies by. They have to keep things fresh so that they can attract each new generation of 21+ year olds to the city. When I was a kid Excalibur was a brand new resort and I remember seeing commercials for it in California all the time. I thought it was awesome. As an adult I forgot that it even exists.

Building a new water park is a great idea. I think they should tear down Circus Circus and build a new modern resort aimed to draw families with children. Take a few tips from the Disney people and create a kingdom/brand that will draw parents with children for decades. Those kids will always remember their experiences and eventually be of legal age to come to the city to gamble, party, vacation etc. and they'll always remember.

[OmegaSupreme]

We should lower the legal gambling age to 18+

Now that the stadium is being built and funds taken away from schools, our kids are screwed anyway. Might as well shake them down young

[69Charger]

Originally Posted by crabtrees

As humans we tend to want things to remain the same, stay routine, so we can remain in our comfort zone, but the irony of life is that everything changes and evolves. I don't personally care if the fountains stay or go, but I do like the fact that the casinos are open to evolving as time flies by. They have to keep things fresh so that they can attract each new generation of 21+ year olds to the city. When I was a kid Excalibur was a brand new resort and I remember seeing commercials for it in California all the time. I thought it was awesome. As an adult I forgot that it even exists.

Building a new water park is a great idea. I think they should tear down Circus Circus and build a new modern resort aimed to draw families with children. Take a few tips from the Disney people and create a kingdom/brand that will draw parents with children for decades. Those kids will always remember their experiences and eventually be of legal age to come to the city to gamble, party, vacation etc. and they'll always remember.

A lot of truth there, especially Excalibur. Maybe Disney Vegas would be a good replacement for Circus Circus. Although I do like C.C. for its reasons for existence, they could expand the Adventuredome and accomplish the same

[NLVgal]

I despise MGM more and more every year. They are one of the worst things that ever happened to Las Vegas.
The hostile takeover of Steve Wynn's properties by MGM with their tacky green property and stupid failed theme park, marked the beginning of the decline of standard of living for Las Vegas casino employees. Ask the valet guys.

This duopoly with Harrahs ( now calling themselves Caesars, but it's still the same hedge fund guys that ran Harrahs) has not been good for this city overall. If they keep gouging our tourists and doing things like this people might just stop coming.

[BBMW]

Tearing down CC means they lose the revenue from CC for a few years. The cost of completely redeveloping the resort would be huge, and, given the disaster the last downturn was for casino debt holders, floating the debt to do it would be difficult and expensive. And if they wanted a build a new resort, they have the essentially empty Rock in Rio venue they own south of CC. I see Rock in Rio venture as a way to make some money off the land while they figure out what they want to do with it.

Redeveloping (or just developing) the Bellagio lake makes much more business sense. It doesn't generate any revenue now, so they're not losing much (the construction disruption might cause some people to book elsewhere), by doing it. And a one or two story mall structure would be much cheaper to build than an entire casino complex. So it's a cheaper, quicker, easier project that probably has a higher rate of return.

Also, MGM at this point might see themselves as having too many rooms. They don't seem to really want the low end business they have, and as we've seen with the pay for parking implementation, they don't want to bother with customers who don't want to spend real money. I would not be entirely surprised to see them sell off some properties (CC, X, maybe Luxor) to free up capital, and concentrate on the higher end properties.

Originally Posted by crabtrees

Building a new water park is a great idea. I think they should tear down Circus Circus and build a new modern resort aimed to draw families with children. Take a few tips from the Disney people and create a kingdom/brand that will draw parents with children for decades. Those kids will always remember their experiences and eventually be of legal age to come to the city to gamble, party, vacation etc. and they'll always remember.