As someone with an interest in politics and gambling, I’ve closely following the media coverage of the proposed “racino” at Aqueduct Race Track.
Since I was not privy to the negotiations, I have no opinion on which bidder was the most qualified but I do have an opinion about an unfair attack on one the best towns and nicest casinos in Nevada.
On Monday, while eating breakfast in a Las Vegas casino’s coffee shop, I read the New York Post’s front page slam of Elko, Nevada and the Red Lion Hotel and Casino
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/slot_firm_OwXQOSMEyM9ymZA9kNlkiP
The stringer that the Post sent to Elko calls it a sleepy backwater town and says the Red Lion is a rinky-dink casino. She quotes “one regular” who disparages the hotel rooms and prints a chart comparing various facilities of the Bellagio in Las Vegas to the Red Lion.
Unlike the stringer, I do not have to rely on the comments of Starbucks employees and anonymous sources since, I stayed overnight at the Red Lion last spring and even ate at its’ restaurant, one of the facilities the Post criticized.
I have never stayed at the Bellagio, but I assume its’ rooms are nicer than the ones at the Red Lion. But based on my stays at over 2 dozen Nevada hotels, I can guarantee that the difference in room quality is not as great as the difference in price. One secret about casino hotels is that, except for the rooms set up for the biggest bettors; most of the rooms are just not that luxurious. That’s because no casino wants customers to stay in the room. All of them want customers to gamble!
The rooms at the Red Lion, the restaurant and the casino itself are high quality. While not as spectacular as the Bellagio, Mirage, Caesar’s Palace and a bunch of Vegas hotels, the Red Lion would not seem out of place if it was located in Las Vegas.
And it is a much nicer facility than Empire City, the Yonkers “racino”, that is the most successful one in New York.
Elko is a neat place with 4 casinos, a bunch of indoor and outdoor activities and was once voted the best small town in America.
I still proudly wear a tee-shirt that says just that.