First, the good news. Harrah’s Las Vegas casino floor, one of the most claustrophobic and unpleasant in town is getting a makeover.
And, while they’re at it, Caesars Entertainment is converting the space formerly occupied by The Cafe at Harrah’s and Ming’s Table into a newer, bigger eatery, Fulton Street Food Hall, bringing a touch of New Orleans to the Strip.
The bad news is that Harrah’s has jacked up its resort fee to $22/day. That gouge is nominally for gym usage, on-property Internet access and local phone calls (like anybody uses the in-room phone in the days of the cell phone). Paris-Las Vegas and Planet Hollywood have tacked on a couple of bucks a day to their resort-fee ripoffs.
Treasure Island is also taking a harder line now with its $25/day resort fee, although there is a Byzantine set of exceptions, including the “TV Ad Special” and for qualifying members of the players club. At least Phil Ruffin gives you something tangible in return for your resort fee: “in-room Internet access, a 2-for-1 cocktail as well as buffet, a newspaper, local and toll-free calls, boarding pass printing, copy and fax services (up to ten pages) and a $20 credit for a future stay.” Still, it’s clumsy sleight of hand to create the illusion that hotel rooms are cheaper than they really are, a trick that oughtn’t fool a baby.
* Here in the U.S., we take casino admission pretty much for granted. Across the Pacific Ocean, Filipino lawmaker Peter Unabia wants to charge players the equivalent of $80.15 just to set foot in a casino. The 
object, obviously, is to discourage gambling by residents and target the tourist market instead. He points to comparable policies in Singapore, where you’re persona non grata if you’re unemployed, on welfare or in bankruptcy. Monaco bars its residents completely from casino play and India‘s casinos charge a token $3.30.
Unabia also cites Section 14 (3) (b) of Presidential Decree 1869, which mandates a prior-year income of $11,45 if you’re to be allowed to play. You could also only bring two guests if Unabia’s bill becomes law. At this point there’s no word on the bill’s prospects for becoming law.
* Caesars is doing bang-up business at Horseshoe Baltimore, 
averaging 15,000 patrons a day over the Labor Day weekend. Surprisingly, General Manager Chad Barnhill downplayed it, saying it was much like the Cincinnati and Cleveland openings: “It’s in line with what we forecasted. We were very excited with the volumes of people who came through to see the facility.” There’s already been some attrition in the workforce, so perhaps Barnhill can whistle in some ex-Showboat employees to fill the gaps.
* BoingBoing.com has discovered the “Trailer Station” phenomenon. Unfortunately, its coverage is riddled with errors, so I only mention for the benefit of those hopelessly besotted by the phantom-casino phenomenon.
* One of the best, Vegas-based photographers with whom I’ve worked is Jeferson Applegate, who’s done great work from the Las Vegas Business Press to All In. Anyone looking for a lensman could do far worse.
