Casinos’ ‘Save the Whales’ campaign is succeeding

Angie Wagner

Friday, May 25, 2001 | 10:43 a.m.

A "Save the Whales" campaign of a different sort is going on in Las Vegas -- only this one has nothing to do with the ocean and everything to do with gambling.

A "whale" is what casinos call the most elite high rollers, about 200 of the world's wealthiest gamblers courted to stay in lavish suites with personal butlers, chefs and private pools.

As if the red carpet isn't rolled out enough, casinos now want their biggest gamblers betting in private salons, away from gawking tourists and their plastic change buckets.

A bill approved by the state Legislature and awaiting Gov. Kenny Guinn's signature would create private gambling salons in which casinos' most prized customers wouldn't have to mingle with regular folks.

Many casinos already have gambling rooms for high-end players, but they are required to be open to the public.

"Times have changed," said Alan Feldman, spokesman for MGM MIRAGE, a big hotel-casino owner in Las Vegas. "We have to show as much revenue as possible. We're trying to find as much as we can."

And that means offering "whales" what they want. Casinos in such destinations as Macau, Monaco and Australia offer private gambling rooms, and Las Vegas casinos say they need such salons to compete.

Some casino executives argued before the Legislature that some whales avoid Las Vegas because they are not ensured privacy.

"Some of these people can win or lose millions of dollars, but not all of them wish to be identified in public," said Bill Timmins, president and chief operating officer of the Aladdin.

Casinos decline to identify their whales, and work to not only satisfy their most valuable customers but try to lure them away from the competition.

"Vegas should do whatever they can to cater to this segment of the market," said Jason Ader, gambling analyst for Bear Stearns. "There's a tremendous economic impact the high rollers have on Las Vegas."

Under the new law, casinos can decide which gamblers are wealthy enough to gamble in private. Celebrities may be invited into the salons, but ultimately each casino chooses who has the money to play, said Brian Sandoval, chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.

"I would agree they should have privacy, but I'm not sure about sealing it off," said Bill Thompson, a UNLV professor and gambling industry expert.

Casinos would have to notify gaming regulators each time a whale gambles so regulators can decide if they need to provide extra surveillance.

So who are these high rollers? Casinos say they're large-business owners from around the world who have credit lines of millions of dollars.

How much they win can directly affect a casino's cash flow. "They could shift an entire day or a couple of days," Feldman said.

Because they bet so much money, they get the royal treatment -- free suites that spread over entire hotel floors, shopping sprees in the casino's shops, a private jet ready to whisk them anywhere they want.

Inside the high-limit London Club of the Aladdin hotel-casino, dealers wear evening gowns and vested suits. The dim lighting and slot machines that seem to have muted music offer a much different setting than the Love Me Legal Tender slot machine tournament jangling in another part of the casino.

High rollers can check-in, depart and dine without ever stepping into the main casino.

"They get all the freebies and we pay for everything," said Baltimore tourist Connie Miller, clutching a bucket of quarters inside the Aladdin.

While the casinos look to make the world of high rollers even more exclusive, Miller, like most gamblers, will have to be content with those free key chains and the sweet sound of clanking coins.

"It's called peon," she said, classifying herself in the gambling world.