Partying prevailed over gambling — temporarily

David Strow

Monday, Jan. 3, 2000 | 10:25 a.m.

Was the first night of the Year 2000 a bust at Strip casinos?

Don't tell that to Las Vegas resident Bryan Jones, who spent the last few minutes of 1999 partying in the MGM Grand's Studio 54 nightclub.

"It is so much more upbeat (than past New Years')," said Jones, who was spending his sixth New Year's on the Strip. "People are so much more relaxed because they're rolling over into a new millennium. It's time for a fresh start."

The crowds were there, but that didn't translate into increased action at Strip tables and slots. Tables at the MGM Grand, usually packed on weekends, sat half-empty for most of the night. Hundred-dollar minimum blackjack and craps tables, usually the exception, abounded at MGM -- and, except for a few tuxedo-clad patrons, sat empty for most of the hours leading up to midnight. Twenty-five-dollar tables saw more action, but seats weren't hard to find.

Since slot limits remained at traditional levels, action there was a bit higher -- but for every full slot carousel sat two nearly empty ones. Toward midnight, more slot seats were filled by resting revelers than serious gamblers. It wasn't much busier than a typical weekend night.

Some visitors thought the atmosphere scared off some gambling purists.

"The gamblers are not going to be out here," said R.D. Sullivan of Mesa, Ariz., who was interviewed on the pedestrian bridge between MGM Grand and its sister property New York-New York. "There's so many young people out here. I'm not sure they're interested in playing."

New York-New York was also packed at 8:30 p.m., but few visitors wanted to have a go at the $25 and $50 tables, and slot action was muted. At 9 p.m. some parts of the Tropicana's slot floor were all but deserted and eerily quiet for a night many people called the party of a lifetime.

But one casino at the intersection of Tropicana Avenue, the Excalibur, bucked the trend. At 8:45 p.m. every table at the Excalibur was packed. That was the result of a decision by the casino not to raise table minimums considerably, as $10 tables were the rule and even $5 tables could be found scattered throughout the place. This seemed to carry over to the slots, which were slightly busier than neighboring casinos.

Many at the MGM Grand said they planned to hit the Barbra Streisand concert or the millennium bash at chic nightclub Studio 54 instead.

"It was pretty quiet in (the MGM) and at the Luxor," said Albuquerque, N.M., resident Betty Kievlin as she waited for the Streisand concert. "I was really surprised. I don't really see people gambling that much."

Kievlin said she did little gambling beyond some slot play. But she said that could change after midnight. "We're going to go to the craps table at the Monte Carlo," she said. "I hear they have $5 tables there. My boyfriend finished giving me lessons (on craps) this morning."

Still, some show visitors couldn't resist taking at least a couple of pulls on the slots. Joy Redfern of Elko, who saw the "EFX" show at the MGM with her husband and son, said she took a couple of pulls on International Game Technology's Megabucks -- and a crack at its $24.7 million jackpot. Redfern didn't hit the jackpot, but still collected $75.

"Anything can happen on a night like tonight, right?" Redfern said.

Inside Studio 54, the final minutes toward midnight were marked by two scantily clad dancers descending from swings suspended from the ceiling, throwing confetti into the crowd. Club organizers said 1,200 were in attendance -- and on this night, it seemed virtually all of them were packed onto the dance floor.

One of the most visible revelers was Jones, who sported a huge black Afro wig, a leopard print jacket and a pair of "2000" plastic glasses.

"The Y2K thing is driving everyone nuts, but ain't nothing going to happen out here," Jones said. "I had tickets to Rod Stewart, Santana and Bette Midler, but for a 25-year-old wanting a party atmosphere, you can't beat Studio 54. I'm going to be partying, having a good time and making people laugh."

Laura Sanluis of Bayonne, N.J., admitted there was no place like Las Vegas for New Year's Eve.

"I like Vegas, though the clubs can't compare to New York," Sanluis said.

In the final minute of 1999, the club lowered its newest piece of decor -- The Man in the Moon, a piece of artwork from the original Studio 54 in New York City. The 8-foot-wide crescent moon, lit with a string of lights along the face's nose, peered out from a cloud of smoke that covered the dance floor.

As 1999 crossed over into 2000, the crowd erupted into a roar even louder than the club's ear-splitting music. The club began playing a modern version of "Auld Lang Syne," but the song was drowned out by the cheering of the crowd, which continued as confetti and balloons rained down on the crowd for several minutes. A nearby go-go dancer wiped tears away.

One snippet did break through the din of the crowd, and it was strangely appropriate -- movie character Austin Powers, saying, "Yeah, baby! Yeah!"

Ten minutes past midnight, movement was nearly impossible in the MGM Grand casino, as revelers poured off the Strip onto the property.

It was a strangely un-Las Vegas sight, as gambling activity nearly died in the first few minutes of 2000. Slot machines were packed, but most were watching a band bang out the now-obsolete Prince song, "1999." Lasers projected "Happy New Year" and "2000" onto the domed ceiling, and attendees were engrossed in watching the spectacle.

At more than one slot machine, couples embraced and kissed, ignoring the sights, the sounds and the slots.

But traditional Las Vegas didn't have long to wait. By 1 a.m., slot play had resumed, and at a higher level than seen before midnight. Twenty-five-dollar tables became jammed with players, and seats even began getting scarce at the $100 tables.