A Casino Player exclusive: The Future Looks GRAND
By Seth Schorr/C.E.O. Downtown Grand
With Downtown Grand Las Vegas, we set out to write a brand-new chapter for the Las Vegas playbook by not only giving a nod to our past, but also embracing the excitement of today’s dynamic downtown community. By creating something uniquely suited for the intimate scale of downtown, while introducing an elevated value experience to the neighborhood, we believe we’ve done just that.
But our efforts have just begun. We envision an urban casino resort experience that fully integrates with our continuously evolving community and makes the most of the area’s growing number of distinctive attractions.
Case in point: one of our closest neighbors is The Mob Museum, the National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement. Just across Stewart Avenue from Downtown Grand, this venue showcases both sides of the battle between the Mob and law enforcement—a battle which obviously played out in high-profile ways here in Las Vegas in decades past. Indeed, when our property first opened as the Lady Luck Hotel & Casino in 1964, it’s no overstatement to say Las Vegas’ reputation as a Mob-run town was justified.
This spring, Downtown Grand put together a Grand Museums package, which paired tickets to The Mob Museum with deluxe hotel accommodations as well as tickets to the guest’s choice of either the nearby Las Vegas Natural History Museum or Neon Museum. Our customers’ enthusiasm for these packages confirmed we were onto something: Downtown Grand must make the most of the historic and cultural draws of the area—for many guests, our surrounding attractions are clearly part of our appeal.
The Mob Museum happens to look directly onto Downtown3rd, Downtown Grand’s outdoor, street-level dining and entertainment district that bisects the hotel’s two towers. On Downtown3rd, we engage passersby, guests and the community at large by offering special events, concerts, health and wellness fests and even the weekly dt3 Farmer’s Market. In addition, we always envisioned a street-side gaming experience for Downtown3rd and, in the shadow of The Mob Museum, that’s how Street Dice was born.
Inspired by the hotel’s proximity to The Mob Museum, Street Dice recalls old back-alley dice games that flourished during the Mob’s heyday in the early- to mid-20th century. We wanted something lively, something eye-catching and out-of-the-ordinary that would really draw in our guests and visitors to Downtown3rd . We designed Street Dice to be a lively, easy-to-learn game that is essentially a quick version of a pass line bet in craps. The shooter rolls the dice once to set the point, and then must hit the point within three subsequent rolls of the dice to win. Whether they’ve played craps or years or are inexperienced at the tables, our guests enjoy dynamic action involved in throwing the game’s extra-large dice into a ground-level tub in an effort to match the point and—if they’re lucky—collect their winnings.
Bringing the game to life was truly an enlightening experience for me—it took more than three years to see it through from original concept to reality. Once I knew the sort of experience I wanted our dice game to be, I turned to my longtime business associate Ofir Ventura. He brought a keen understanding of the mathematical aspects of game development to the process, which helped bring our vision closer to realization. Over the ensuing months and years, we modified our original vision of having players throw their dice against an actual brick wall. The Nevada Gaming Control Board required more standardized backdrop than an irregularly formed brick wall, so we custom-built a special gaming table that replicated the experience and used brick-and-mortar graphics on a smooth surface. Other regulatory requirements were met by the incorporation of an electronic roll-counting meter, ensuring players rolled the maximum three times each bet.
With the exception of poolside gaming tables, which Downtown Grand also offers at our rooftop PICNIC pool area, very few examples of outdoor gaming exist in Las Vegas or anywhere, for that matter. Introducing Street Dice is just one of the ways Downtown Grand’s community-minded outlook is turning the Las Vegas hotel-casino experience upside-down. (This summer’s casino giveaway of a Tesla S and upcoming installation of Tesla charging stations on Downtown3rd is another way, but that’s another column.) After all, it’s invigorating to be part of the change that has come to downtown Las Vegas in recent years—and we’re committed to sharing that excitement with each guest we welcome.
This article was written exclusively for Casino Player by Mr. Seth Schorr, the C.E.O. of the Downtown Grand.
Skyline Casino to Celebrate 50 Year Anniversary
50 Years and Going Strong! This fun & festive event will be celebrated Saturday, October 4th, 2014, All Day! The Restaurant will be serving featured Breakfast feasts, as well as lunch and dinner buffets including most of the Skyline’s delicious menu entrees, and their “World Famous” Prime Rib. The Skyline Casino will continue to celebrate their 50 Year Anniversary with up to 25% Added Bonus on Royal Flushes, and many more added winner surprises throughout the day! The celebration continues at “The Bar” where Well Drinks will be drastically reduced, of course!
