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twitterSteve Wynn’s move to ‘protect fans’ leaves sour feelings
Steve Marcus
A sign advertises performances by Garth Brooks at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino Thursday, October 15, 2009. A new deal will bring Brooks out of retirement for a series of special performances in the Encore Theater.
Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Wynn sends stern message to Garth Brooks ticket sellers (10-27-2009)
- Tickets sell out for Garth Brooks shows in Las Vegas (10-24-2009)
- One who knew Garth Brooks before fame says he’s still the same (10-19-2009)
- Garth Brooks coming to Encore Theater for extended stay (10-15-2009)
- Garth Brooks’ deal at Encore: One-man show, five years, all tickets $125 (10-15-2009)
- Wynn, Brooks seeking encore of ‘98 shows at T&M (10-14-2009)
Mike Napier set his alarm for 8 a.m. last Saturday, hoping to be one of the first to purchase Garth Brooks tickets online as a surprise Christmas gift for his girlfriend.
Just before tickets sold out at 1 p.m., Napier finally got through the gridlock of buyers, purchasing four tickets so he and his girlfriend could go with another couple.
The day after purchasing tickets, he received a call from a Wynn employee, demanding information that he had never before been asked in all his years of buying concert tickets: Tell us the name of each ticket holder, or we’ll cancel your order. Panicked by the short notice, Napier named his parents as the other couple, knowing they, at least, would be available.
“If I would have known ahead of time, that would have been fine, but to get a call at the eleventh hour saying you must provide names or your tickets will be canceled was just poor customer service and very unprofessional,” Napier said.
Hours after his resort sold out of tickets for Garth Brooks’ first 20 shows, Steve Wynn instituted an unusual anti-scalping procedure that has angered fans and ticket brokers alike. His resort not only demanded the name of every concertgoer for every ticket purchased but said tickets could be picked up only on the day of the show and photo IDs would be checked at the door.
Well within his legal rights, Wynn promised that anyone who purchased a resold ticket would be denied access to Garth Brooks’ shows. He said he was going after “scalpers” — lumping black marketeers in with legitimate ticket brokers who have been legally — and profitably — reselling tickets to Strip shows for more than two decades.
Ticket brokers don’t use the term scalping. They say they are reselling on the secondary ticket market, which has become an integral part of Las Vegas’ entertainment scene. The practice allows fans to nab tickets at the last minute or to sold-out shows and sporting events, frequently at prices far above face value. It also helps venues fill their seats on less-than-full nights — including shows at Wynn Las Vegas.
But Wynn lured Brooks out of retirement to perform at the 1,500-seat Encore Theater on the promise that he’d keep ticket prices low — $125 a seat, which comes to $143 apiece after taxes and fees. After tickets sold out last Saturday, they were being resold for hundreds of dollars — some were advertised online for more than $1,000 apiece.
That triggered Wynn’s decision to retroactively crack down on scalpers invoking a seldom-used Clark County ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to sell tickets for more than face value without permission from the venue. Wynn claims he helped write the ordinance in the ’90s to thwart scalping of Siegfried & Roy tickets. County officials say the law dates to 1987 and may even be older.
So fans such as Napier learned they’d have to provide the names of concertgoers — effectively shutting out resellers.
Both Wynn and ticket brokers say they are trying to protect fans.
The National Association of Ticket Brokers, which was founded in 1994 to set standards for the resale industry, fired back at Wynn’s new policy: “Fans hire brokers to help them find the tickets they want for the price they can pay or to resell tickets they can’t use. Wynn has no right to tell these fans ‘Hey, tough luck. Unless you bought them at our box office within two hours of going on sale then you can’t go to the show.’ ”
Gary Adler, legal counsel for the brokers association, said he can’t imagine why anyone would want to prevent brokers from reselling tickets in Las Vegas.
“Once you open up a market, it is much better for the consumer. You then have people doing business in the light of day and not through back alleys or the trunks of their cars,” Adler said.
“They say they are representing the fans?” Wynn told the Sun this week. “Well, Garth Brooks and I don’t think so. Scalpers were selling tickets online for $700 the day of sale. Garth wants to protect his fans, and I’m with him. We don’t want them exploited. The price is $125, and nobody but us and Garth Brooks are going to make money.”
Adler said the secondary market’s customers run the gamut — from sports fans who don’t have season tickets but want to see a particular game, to music fans who want closer seats and are willing to pay the premium, to people who don’t have the luxury of making plans months in advance.
Adler said 40 percent of tickets on the secondary market sell for less than face value.
There have been instances where primary sellers such as Wynn have tried to shut out the secondary market, but Adler said it only drives up prices and forces street corner deals. Adler said Wynn’s policy to identify in advance every ticket holder by name is unprecedented.
“Frankly it makes no business sense and in this case I guess they don’t care,” Adler said. “First of all, most people wouldn’t change the terms after someone bought the ticket. Second of all, most people aren’t in the position Mr. Wynn is in where they can afford to do that.”
Las Vegas attorney Barry Levinson said the procedure is an example of Wynn trying to control what goes on inside his resort.
“I think it’s an invasion of people’s privacy. I don’t want the resort to know who I’m going with and where I’m sitting,” Levinson said. “It could be a misrepresentation issue or contractual dispute, depending on what it says on the back of the ticket.”
Wynn’s policies have left a sour taste in the mouths of brokers and buyers. Adler said National Association of Ticket Brokers will no longer be hosting its annual convention at the Wynn.
The resort’s Facebook page has been filled with complaints from buyers, including Napier, who is thinking twice about doing business with Wynn again.
“Before this, I probably would have stayed at the hotel, I probably would have had dinner at one of their restaurants before the concert, I probably would have gambled in their casino,” Napier said. “I don’t see myself spending a dollar more at their resort.”
And it looks like his parents are going to be seeing Garth Brooks.
Discussion: 77 comments so far…
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"legitimate ticket brokers". haha.
they're scalpers too, scumbags. Good riddance.
"That triggered Wynn's decision to retroactively crack down on scalpers invoking a seldom-used Clark County ordinance that makes it a misdemeanor to sell tickets for more than face value without permission from the venue"
That pretty much covers it. To all the whining so-called ticket brokers, go and produce a show. Lay out enough of your own money and you can get anyone to play. Oh geez, it's that pesky "own money" again.
Steve Wynn for President!!
I'm kinda liking the Steve I'm seeeing these days. It's about time that people like him start to speak out & draw the line in the sand wether it be politics or otherwise...
Way to go Steve. I for one will be visiting your casino & spending my hard earned money there. Money that I earned...not money taken from some other guy by the government and then given to me...but like you...money I earned from MY hard work!!
Comment removed by staff.
So how many tickets without names on them will have to be resold? How many people whose names are not on the ticket will try to get in and be turned back? Then what will happen the night of the concert when Encore has open seats? Steve should just let a sold ticket be a sold ticket as long as he's packing the house.
I understand how Steve and Garth feel about this issue!
i have never understood why scalping is illegal.
if morons want to pay $400 to see beyonce'...someone should be able to make money off them.
I wonder why the Las Vegas Sun hates on Steve Wynn so much of the time.
I mean come on now, he runs a successful operation providing thousands of jobs here in Las Vegas yet day after day the Sun pounds on him like he was some sort of a monster.
If Steve Wynn ran his operation like everybody else he'd be bankrupt as well. So
hows about just backing off a little bit and watch Steve Wynn show the rest of Las Vegas how to run a profitable operation in both good times and bad.
Have you fools not given Garth Brooks ENOUGH of your money?
One ticket and one extra and that is it.
fencer, Your attempt to make a vailed political point is laughable. I am not a fan of scalpers just as I am not a fan of spinners like you who take every chance at every issue and try to turn it into a political stunt.You really must quit watching the idiots at Fox News and listening to the drug addict Rush. You have picked up some bad traits. Wynns policy on scalpers has nothing to do with politcs, it is a business decision,pure and simple. Get a life.
Give me a break ticket brokers. You are artificially creating the demand - not creating a seconary market. You hire bums to stand in line to suck up all of the tickets, use very sophisticated equipment to dominate the internet and the phone lines.
Providing a secondary market my arse!
Steve Wynn - Don't back down to the Sun's socialist reporting.
The ticket scalping businesses are all owned by the big legit ticket distributors, just like the big banks own all those rip-off check cashing businesses.
Bravo Steve. In our area, many originators of tickets to prime events have limited the purchase to four tickets, shutting out brokers who buy blocks of 50 or 100 or more tickets to very attractive events. We need more Steve Wynns.
Now the Ticket Scalpers will be out of jobs; it just keeps getting worse & worse in Vegas!
If someone has the means to pay $2000 a ticket, what's the problem? No one has a gun to their head forcing them to pony up the money. The last time I checked, I thought the price point was determined by supply and demand. I will occasionally spend $600-$700 on a dinner. Am I overpaying the restaurant? Of course I am. But it's my choice, my money.
Kudos to Steve Wynn. Never once in the 30 years we lived in L.A. could we afford (or in later years stomach) paying the ridiculous high prices to see rock groups at the Forum and other large venues, because of the greed of ticket brokers. That's one of the reasons it is a joy to live in Las Vegas. One can usually get tickets to musical shows.
If Mr. Wynn is serious about stopping ticket scalpers, next time the Legislature is in session, he should ask that the law be changed to a felony.
To all those who whine about their privacy, boo hoo to you. Have you given up flying on airplanes, in protest of having to prove who you are? In case anyone has forgotten, Muslim terrorists in Russia have several times taken entire theater audiences hostage and in one case many innocents were killed. If that happened in Las Vegas, you can bet the audience members (including the whiners who didn't want to show their ID) would sue the Wynn hotel for "not providing adequate security".
Consumers do need "protection" -- from Steve Wynn promotions.
Very simple resolution to this issue -- place every available seat to an event in daily auction blocks upon the Wynn website until they're sold allowing consumers to decide the best seat price for themselves.
"We cannot solve today's problems with the same level of thinking that created them." -- A. Einstein
: )
Hats off to Steve and Garth! I got an email from Wynn Box Office asking who was going to attend the show, and was glad to share the information. Its all about having a small supply of tickets, that should go to real fans, not scalpers trying to make a quick buck. Ticket scalping has gone on forever, as has counterfitting,grab and run, etc. I look forward to the show, and the lobby not full of people asking me if I "Got any extra tickets Man?" or "Need any tickets?". If scalpers aren't buying up tickets on the day they go on sale to resell, there will be plenty of tickets available for REAL FANS! And for those of you slamming Garth about prices and making bucks, Garth is the one trying to keep the prices down. Look at prices for Cher or Bette Midler, they are way over these. Garth Brooks doesn't need this money, I believe he is doing this for his fans. I can't think of any other performer that tries to keep ticket prices low, can you?
Garth's fans should be the ones warming those seats, in tickets they bought direct from Wynn at face value.
Steve Wynn is an idiot, when is everyone going to realize this. Now he wants to control what a person can do with the ticket that they purchased legally. Sounds like socialism to me. I'm glad he lost his previous company and I will be just as happy when he loses his current company as well due to GREED!!!
"Pissin' in the wind, bettin' on losing friends. . .
Makin' the same mistakes, we swear we'd never make again. . . "
Jerry Jeff Walker
oh please,
I have and my friends have shown up to shows in Vegas (ie Roger Waters, The Stones) about 1/2 hour before show time and have gotten great seats for face value or less. The scalpers don't get all the tickets.
Cynical... I have seen plenty of shows in la for cost, try getting up in the morning and getting the tickets at tickmaster when they go on sale.......
Shows in Vegas cost a lot more than they do in LA or the Bay Area.......
This is view is also based on experience..when I use to live in the bay area I would see easily 60 to 80 shows a year......(my finances were good at that time)
I have probably seen it least 600 shows in my 44 years here on earth......approximately 300 were Grateful Dead/Jerry Garcia Band......
Harley.......Love the Jerry Jeff Walker quote......
blake is 100% correct.
it's just like when people on here say real estate agents make home prices go higher and i have to break out the "economics for dummies" book.
don't want to pay $300,000 for a 1400 stucco box?
don't.
don't want to pay $3.00 for frap-a-gouge-achino?
don't.
don't want to pay more than $9.47 to see a cheesy fake cowboy warble?
don't.
Comment removed by staff.
maybe Stweve Wynn should offer the scalpers some cheese with thier tickets to go along with the whine!... lol The reality is he could cancel all tickets refund all moneys and announce tickets will be sold at the door on first come first serve basis and you just enter upon payment..just like the old movie theater days.
This is crazy, way to go Steve this is great time to be pissing people off. I recall being in line at the will-call at the MGM several years ago picking up Cirque tickets and there was women in line trying to sell Jimmy Buffet Tickets (at face value). She had 4 tickets for sale because her friends from New Orleans were unable to come to the show because they had lost everything in huricane Katrina. There are all kinds of reasons why people re-sell or buy re-sell tickets, scalping is but one of them. This is a crazy policy and Wynn needs to be cautious about allinating customers in a very soft market.
Newsdawg:
Mark off a spot, you're ass all over.
If I owned a Casino-I'd be happy if the tickets were scalped. The people who buy scalped tickets usually have pretty deep pockets. After the show lets out-the scalped ticket buyers are apt to gamble more money in The Casino then people who paid face value. Being a publicly traded company is all about making the most money possible. Steve Wynn should simply sell tickets to the show & let the secondary market take care of itself.
Wynn is an arrogant sour faced sour puss like Rush Limpbout, He should get a job as a crybaby conservative on FOX
So-called "resellers" employ sophisticated computer software that allows them to swoop in and get first crack at online tickets that should otherwise go to true fans at face value, fans who wait patiently in line without the benefit or knowledge of such subversive methods. And then the resellers have the nerve to turn around and sell the tickets to us for five times -- or higher -- the face value. Why on earth would anyone take the side of someone who's essentially corrupting the system for their own personal gain?!?! Bravo to Steve and Garth for trying to do something, anything, to guarantee true fans and not resellers reap the benefits of a Garth Brooks experience.
The more Steve Wynn talks, the more I like him.
Scalpers have made it nearly impossible for the real fans to get into a show without paying hundreds over face value. I hope to see Garth there sometime, but I will only do so if I can buy my tickets at face value from the venue. I've never supported a scalper or "broker" and never will. I've been to hundreds of events in the past 30 years. (Concerts, Nascar, MLB, NFL, etc.) Never dealt with a scalper. I know of one "seller" on ebay, claiming to be a "legitimate broker" selling some Merle Haggard tickets claiming to have "tickets in hand" when the venue hadn't released or sold any tickets yet, even to V.I.P's (I know the venue promoters and reported this to them). One can only hope that the scalpers get stuck big time on the tickets they are hoarding. Way to go Steve Wynn!
In the article it said "GARTH AND STEVE MADE THE DECISION TO KEEP THE TICKET PRICE LOW". Same thing Garth did with his last album. It sold ONLY thru WalMart at a very very low price for what you got compared with other CD sets. It was a set not just 1 CD. Not all Wynn's decision. Just wondering..... Good for them to fight the scalpers.
Homer...
That was by far a political statement...If I put out a political statement, I'd take you to task.
It's people like you and your pals in the White House that are going to ruin this country.
Yah, I know...you'll start telling me all about how bad Bush & Cheney were. That's the lame excuse you people have. God forbid a Democrat step up to the plate and take responsibility for something.
Oh...can I say God...or is that some form of racism by your foolish standards?
Seems like your kind like to watch FOX News as well...if they aren't watching then why are they picking fights with the fella's at FOX?
Oh and by the way...I have a life. A pretty good one as a matter of fact. Thanks for your concern though.
I wouldn't see this fat-has been if the tickets were free. Same goes for Garth lol.
Repost of 10/27. Sorry, but this is what I still think about this:
THIS IS NO DEFENSE OF STEVE WYNN, BUT
It's HIS casino, HIS show, and HIS boondoggle if he FLOPS.
I personally wouldn't pay $143.00 to see Garth Brooks BUT if he wants to take his chances, SO WHAT.
As Mr. Wynn has famously said in national TV interviews:
"The ONLY way to win in a casino, is to OWN ONE."
(It's also the quickest way to lose your shirt, just like all the suckers that go into these joints...gamblin' is gamblin' any way you cut it.)
--
(I recall original Cirque tickets were only about $43 when he owned Treasure Island. I had definitely appreciated the non-scalped price, and it was a fabulous show.)
I think Wynn is right.....why would someone want to pay $500.00 for his ticket and then sit next to someone who payed only $125.00.....if you dont like the way he is handling the show maybe he should cancel it..then no one gets to see him.....hows that ! ! !
How come you can still buy tickets?
I thought this stupid show sold out.
Guess not!
Is this more fake PR coming out of Wynn as he spins the truth to create a fake hype?
What do you expect from a man who buys million dollar paintings yet claims he can't see.
Note to Wynn: You can't buy culture to make people believe you actually have culture. All those voice lessons you have had, the plastic surgeries, won't help you have culture.
Mama always said you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
HOW ABOUT ALL THOSE PEOPLE BEING RIPPED OFF ON EBAY, THEY ARE GOING TO GET TO VEGAS AND FIND OUT THE TICKETS THEY PAID BIG BUCKS FOR ARE NOT ANY GOOD.
and Carol... "your lack of education is showing"....where did you buy your "diploma"... on which street corner....
It's a publisty stunt everybody. This way everyone will want to go to Steve Wynn's casino, because everyone will be checking out CITY CENTER tipical Steve Wynn
RE: Harley
I have not spoken to Jerry Jeff Walker, or his representation, as you (presumably) have not also, but I would venture a "good gander" that Mr. Walker is pro customer, pro musician's fanbase, and therefore probably supportive of Garth.
That does not mean, ala Pearl Jam, that artists are opposed to ticket agencies.
Vegas is a unique market. If you don't believe that, read about some of the current tour ticket prices in the current issue of Rolling Stone, and compare those prices to concert ticket prices in the Vegas market.
Examples:
Fall Out Boy: $7.75
Creed: 75 cents
Steely Dan $22.75
KISS: $14.25
Those prices are not found in Vegas. These low prices are not deflation per se, but an unspoken understanding between musicians, certainly rock and roll, and their fan base that no matter the economy, they are going to be out there delivering the goods for their fans. See Motley Crue, summer tour.
I know professional musicians right now on the way up tonight who are driving vans 200-300 miles on Halloween to play small clubs for 50-100 people. Most high gross musician remembers those days and nights.
Performers know in Las Vegas they carry the extra weight of overhead for their host property, as hundreds of jobs depend on successful shows. Kudos to Mr. Brooks for pitching in to help Las Vegas in a time of need.
This Wynn Resorts ticket policy provides conflict and discussion that feeds promotion and loyalty to Mr. Brooks, who has always put his family, fan base and staff around him first.
After all, this is a man who went out and bought green Jaguars for his staff one Christmas early in his career, thanking them for helping with his success.
impeach steve wynn - I heard he is the cause of the horrible economy (hmmm - sound like what stevie is saying about the pres!) all in all much ado about nothing!
get rid of all scalpers and politicians and the world would be a better place.
Great job Steve !! U da man !!
This is a strange story. First of all the price of an entry to a show is arbitrarily set. No one knows in advance how great the demand will be, therefore no one can calculate the real value of a ticket.
This is where the resale market serves a purpose, it connects willing sellers with willing buyers at a price that satisfies both parties. This seems to be a positive method of ensuring that tickets are used and seats are filled.
My guess is that Mr. Wynn fears that the secondary market will reveal that the arbitrarily set total price of $143 is too high.
.....ever since Mr. Brooks took the opinion that his CDs shouldn't be sold "previously owned" without him being paid an additional royalty, I've not contributed a dime to his lifestyle.......and that was in the 90s.......Mr. Wynn's joint runs by Mr. Wynn's rules - pretty simple concept.
What's the difference between Mr.Wynn running his own show, and this paper removing comments by staff?
if m.j was still alive he be playing at the encore instead garth brook. steve wynn is full of sh**. since beginng of recession in end of 2007 on bush watch people change there habit in spending. steve it not going to the same anymore get used to it. u have indian gaming in every state why fly or drive hours to loose money at your expensive hotel they can loose at home. steve you change your vision no pun attended.
Just another example of Steve Wynn bringing this town down. I'm not sure who ruined the city more.
Him or Howard Hughes
Wynn is mad because the brokers are making more than him. He's mad also because he didn't think of it and charge as much as the brokers have.
He's doing all this under the phony guise of caring about people when the only things Stevie cares about is Stevie and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!
The most I ever paid for a show was $70 to see Riverdance at the Pantages in Hollywood in 1997. Oh yeah, I did pay $90 to see Seigfreid and Roy at the Mirage in 1989, and I wanted my money back. I saw "Scarlett Princess of Magic" last year for $20 and I enjoyed it a lot more than S & R. Why not just watch Garth on You-Tube?
Steve Wynn is an idiot. Doesn't he realize scalped tickets sold for $1,000 each will bring wealthier people into Wynn and Encore that could potentially spend and gamble even more money? He has screwed over his own table games dealers for years now and he is angry that someone besides himself has a chance to profit from one of his endeavors. He's a big baby that needs yet another face lift and hair dye.
If ticket scalping is so bad we did ebay pay over 300 million for stubhub? If ticket scalping is so bad why did ticketmaster pay over 250 million for ticketsnow? And the answer is scalping tickets is as American as apple pie. Freedom to buy and sell anything allows a price point to be found. In many cases that price is below the face value of the ticket. Customers often time get great deals from brokers other times they pay too much. Keep in mind it is all supply and demand and often times this gets out of "whack" because the house holds seats back. An example would be U2 last week. It was $100 to walk in the door until Thursday when they released about 1000 seats and the market went to $50 then it went to $20 in the parking lot (under face value)... Steve Wynn was concerned because he say Garth Seats on the web for $700 keep in mind you can list seats for what you want that doesnt mean thats what they sell for and if you haven't figured that out get a clue.
As a broker/scalper I deal with about a dozen highrollers from the Wynn who sell me their comped ticket. This is a way for them to recoup there loses at the casino. Recently a man I have dealt with for several years lost everything at the Wynn. He had to close down his 2 restraunts that employed about 80 people. Lets keep this in mind when Steve Wynn claims he's concerned about his customers. He wasn't concerned when this man's gambling became a problem in fact he encouraged it.
Comment removed by staff.
Problem with Wynn's policy is that people like me who don't read their emails all day every day and missed the confirmation email, got their tix cancelled AND have not received credit back on their credit cards. I am not a scalper- I am a nurse who works 18 hours shifts. I will not spend a dime at Wynn and I will be sure to tell everyone I know not to either.
Steve Wynn had an audience with the Pope once and an onlooker said " who's that guy with Steve Wynn?"
Not surprised. Wynn is a jerk.
When he owned the Golden Nugget he kicked out a gambler who was up too much money - Benny Binion was probably rolling over in his grave at such treatment of high rollers. Caesar's promptly sent over a limo and happily escorted the gambler into their fold - where he lost most of what he had taken from the Nugget.
For a person who claims to have his pulse on the future of Las Vegas, this ticket incident shows that he's still as short sighted as ever. Pun intended.
Perhaps "lights-out" Wynn could explain how the added ticket cost's associated with FEES and L.E.T. (Live Entertainment Tax) "protects" consumers?
And why any price (betting-line) on a sporting event offered by "lights-out" can be beat with a simple click of a mouse?
: )
Wonder how many tickets the Wynn kept for their high rollers? My guess the majority of the first few rows. EVERY show in town has comped tickets, usually in the front rows, for the high rollers - who ignorantly come walking in after the show has started. (Love the middle age dude with their bling - and that includes some young bimbo on their arms - that come and make a big deal about finding their Row A seat after the show has started!!)
Don't think Wynn did this just for the fans.
He had to close down his 2 restraunts that employed about 80 people. Lets keep this in mind when Steve Wynn claims he's concerned about his customers. He wasn't concerned when this man's gambling became a problem in fact he encouraged it.
And it is NOT Wynn's problem that this man lost everything gambling. Personal responsibility comes to mind.
Wynn is a business man who employs thousands. you should be thanking him. he can do want ever he wants at his casinos. no one ever works for a poor person. if you don't like it - don't go there. complaining about his policies is pointless...no cares what you say.
vegasfun01;
You nailed it. If someone wants to complain about Wynn's policies (or Harrah's, or MGM's) start your own casino, employ thousands of people, and then listen to the masses of whiners bash you for being successful. Wynn didn't get to where he is without the general masses supporting his businesses. Welcome to free enterprise - something lost on several posters on this site.
Las Vegas was established as a railroad town, the transcontinental railroad was a government project. If it was not built, las Vegas would have not been built. The interstate highway system was a government project (thank you Ike) where would this moron be if not for the I15? The aviation industry was built on government tax and spend. Thank you government mail planes. McCarran would be a dirt field. 80% of the research on macular degeneration 1s taxpayer funded. Thank you government, I might be able to see into the future.
It's Mr. Wynn's money, his playground and his show.
If he wants to limit access to the show, that's his prerogative as he engaged the artist.
I always applaud Mr. Wynn's courage to step up and be in charge, no matter what.
Right or wrong, he takes a stand.
I support Steve Wynn on this issue. I thinks it's hightime someone put a stop to the greed and piracy regarding ticket sales to concerts and shows. Why should two people at the same show have to pay different prices to be there? Ticket Master and all those resale agencies are just high class scalpers with business suits instead of baggy pants and offices instead of street corners! Good going Garth and Steve.. give 'em hell!
I truly believe it's a NEIMAN 1 conspiracy
Steve Wynn is a miserable old man who simply wants to control and hold on to his empire no matter what it takes. I don't ever go to the Wynn or Encore for any reason. This heavy handed tactic Wynn implemented is not just limited to concert tickets in his casinos. The good thing about Las Vegas is the vast variety of choices you have for resorts. I choose the Palms. George Maloof treats his customers so much better and its a much more fun and friendlier atmosphere than Wynn's anal retentive casinos. Wynn and Maloof are polar opposites.
Simple solution for people who don't like this: Don't go to Wynn or Encore. Garth Brooks is not that big of a deal. I have had more fun at concerts in Pearl and The Joint surrounded by fun people.
And by the way, as a member of the Armed Forces, there are many resorts in this city who have gone out of the way to shows us appreciation and help us out. I can honestly say, I have not had that experience at Wynn or Encore.
I've got some of my best tickets from legitimate scalpers (ticket brokers) and American Express, and Ticket Master and Live Nation.
Think about that one,
Capitalism at work, it brings good things to life.
Maybe we need a ticket CZAR so that we can all get our equal and fair share of tickets to whatever performances the CZAR deems acceptable for us to see, then we can stop all of this bickering.
Then again, it is Mr. Wynn's theater and he has the right to attempt to protect his fans anyway he chooses as long as it is legal and hopefully moral and ethical.
Let's do the same at the grocery store with an bid process for each item. Capitalism at work. Free enterprise at work as the invisible hand moves in the market. What a bunch of cr-p. Wynn's move will stop the black market with this one item.
gilrus47 : you really need to come up with a better metaphor than grocery store goods. Are you suggesting grocery items could be traded in the black market? the closest they come to with that are the 99 cent stores LOL!!
I think it is a fantastic idea. We wanted to see U2 but the $75 tickets were going for #300. Good for Steve Wynn!
I believe that if the demand to see a show is out there, you can undermine the scalpers piracy by reinforcing the supply side. Simply add as many more shows that day as necessary to satisfy the demand. But then again poor Garthie would really have to work for a living again...