Las Vegas WILD Taxi Ride

Last week I broke the bad news that those of us who drive to Las Vegas may soon be charged up to $10 a day for overnight self-parking at the MGM Resort hotels on the Strip. This week the bad news is for those of us who fly and take cabs from the airport to our hotels and to various off-Strip attractions like Fremont Street. Vegas taxis have been overcharging their passengers to the tune of $47 million a year according to the Nevada Taxicab Authority which regulates the rides in Clark County. 

The criticism comes a few months after ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft started operating in Nevada. The taxi industry fought hard against allowing the companies before losing the battle last spring. And no wonder. Taxi companies make big bucks shuttling visitors on the five mile trip from the airport to the Strip hotels. Two fees in addition to the cost if the trip are responsible for the $47 million overcharge. The first is a $3 credit card processing fee. Besides being ridiculously excessive, the fee hurts the drivers because many passengers think it is a tip for their driver and so do not add one. The fee far exceeds what the taxi companies pay the credit card companies — 8.5 cents per transaction to Wells Fargo, for instance, per Michelle Rindell of the AP. Most cities allow fees of 3.8 % to 5% of the total fare. The $3 fee accounts for about 17% of the total average cab fare in Clark County.

The second criticism is of the fuel surcharge increase even as gasoline prices are dropping. Having a fuel surcharge at all is unique to LV among the 12 major Western cities that the taxi board tracks. The fuel surcharge, which was approved last summer,  is based on a federal rate higher than Las Vegas rates. The fuel structure raises a full 12 cents more per mile once gas hits $3.25 a gallon instead of kicking in gradually as prices rise. 

And what’s a Vegas visitor to do?  Nothing it seems — just like the taxes and resort fees and soon-to-be parking fees we already pay for our fun. Viva Las Vegas.

Want a reminder of the good old days with the casino freebies and give-aways, the midnight breakfasts and free monorail rides, and the primitive slot games we played for next-to-nothing? Take a trip down memory land in IGT’s “Wild Taxi.”  Thanks to one of my favorite YouTubers Shamus for the ride. If you aren’t already a subscriber to his films, please watch, comment, subscribe to him on YouTube.  

MGM Resorts to Start Changing for Parking This Spring

Just in time for Spring Break in Las Vegas this April, the MGM Resorts have announced plans to start charging for parking at their Strip Hotels. Plans are to impose the new charge to coincide with the opening of the T-Mobile arena. First they tighten our machines so the good line wins and bonuses do not come up so often. Then they raise the minimum bets per line so that 50 cent games are now 60 cent ones (and worse). Then they add resort fees for amenities we often do not use such as gym fees and internet fees and spa fees...we came to play, not to work out. Now they are talking about adding parking fees. Where will it end? "Pardon my French : ) but when will we stand up and declare as Howard Beale did in Network "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more"! Well, we can't actually do that, but we'd like to. The news was released January 16, but I'm sure we'll be hearing it discussed for weeks to come. Here's an article from 1/16/2016 Business Day where you can read the bad news. I have copied it to my Blog from my entry on Slot Fanatics.

"MGM Resorts announced on Friday that it would become the first major casino company in Las Vegas to end a longstanding and popular perk: free parking. The move could bring in millions of dollars annually, and transform a tourism hot spot that increasingly caters to visitors who come for expensive attractions other than gambling. 

MGM Resorts, the largest hotel-casino operator in Las Vegas, said it would charge $10 or less for overnight self-parking at most of its properties on the Las Vegas Strip starting this spring. MGM Resorts has 35,310 hotel rooms and 37,000 parking spots on the Strip, which are at a premium during major events. The parking fees will be imposed at Mandalay Bay, Delano, Luxor, Excalibur, Monte Carlo, New York-New York, Vdara, Aria, Bellagio, the Mirage and MGM Grand. 

Valet parking will cost still more, but some parking at the Circus Circus hotel and the Crystals and Mandalay Bay Place shopping centers will still be free. The company did not provide details on the fees, but it said that parking would be cheaper at some hotels. Those in MGM’s loyalty program will be able to earn free parking rewards. The fees, though unexpected, fall in line with casinos’ focus on expanding their database of gamblers through reward programs, according to Alex Bumazhny, a gambling analyst with Fitch Ratings."

Here is additional information from the Las Vegas Review Journal: The Cosmopolitan does not have plans to follow in MGM's footsteps. Wynn says it will monitor the situation. The Palazzo and Venetian declined to comment. The Circus Circus will continue to have free self-parking, but there will be a fee to valet park. Las Vegas locals will be given a grace period for free parking after the program begins and can maintain free parking status by enrolling and earning privileges through M life, the company's customer loyalty program. MGM Resorts says it will invest $36 million to improve parking facilities at its Strip resorts. The parking program is part of MGM's profit growth initiative to increase cash flow by $300 million annually by 2017.

I'm sure you all have a lot to say in response to this news. Articles on the internet are already opining that it doesn't affect visitors who fly in to Vegas and take the shuttle or taxi to their hotel because they pretty much stay on the Strip their entire visit and don't need a rental car. I guess they have never seen the bumper to bumper lines of cars crowding the 15 making the pilgrimage from Los Angeles to Las Vegas each week! First resort fees, now parking fees! Where will it end? What do YOU think of this new way to pick our pockets and take even more of our vacation dollars?

Powerball Pandemonium

With any luck this may be the last of these spinning-to-win articles you read. “Why,” you ask? Well, like the rest of you dreamers, Jennifer Goodwin has invested $2 in a Powerball drawing ticket for tonight, and like the rest of you, she expects to wake up Sunday morning a billionaire. If the impossible dream comes true, you can bet her days of writing about other people gambling will come to a close. She’ll be taking up residence in the high limit room of a four-star casino herself. Or maybe in the suite in the Cosmopolitan her children rented for her recent 50th anniversary trip to Vegas. One added bonus would be there’s no state tax for Nevada residents. As if that should matter when we’re talking mega millions even after federal taxes.

I’m kidding, of course. The odds of winning the powerball drawing are astronomical. I have an article I posted last July 30 before the October 7 Powerball changes that will tell you just how unlikely the win is that you can link to at the end of this update. But hey, it’s only $2 to try. You can’t win if you don’t play.

The internet says if no one wins the $900 million expected jackpot tonight, it will rise to $1.3 billion next Wednesday. Yesterday alone 277 million lottery tickets were sold. More than 400 million are expected to be sold today. 

What numbers should you pick? Should you study the tables of past winning numbers to determine which are due to hit? Should you bet your kid’s or pet’s birthdays or numbers with other important significance in your life? Don’t bother. It won’t make a difference. The lottery itself tells us that 70% of all past winning tickets were Quick Picks. Mr. Hickey, the source of the mathematics in my original post, will explain how your chances were calculated if you care. 

Click HERE or search the blog for Powering Up For Powerball Changes posted July 30, 2015, for the bad news. And then, I’ll see you in line when we both invest another $2 later today. Might as well double our chances, right? 

Good luck to you all. If I can’t win, I hope one of you does.