CHANGE IS COMING
New Acquisitions May Affect Slot Clubs
By H. Scot Krause
Last month The SLS Las Vegas was sold to Alex Meruelo and Meruelo Group, owners of the Grand Sierra in Reno, for an undisclosed amount from Stockbridge Capital Partners. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2017. At the same time, SLS launched their new slot club, Club 52, with lower point earning requirements and better value plus benefits including bonus multiplier days, invitations to special events, private gated parking, complimentary room upgrades, pre-sale concert tickets and more.
The SLS Las Vegas, formerly the Sahara, opened in 2014 after a $415 million upgrade. SLS features include over 1,300 guest rooms and suites in two distinctive towers, a collection of acclaimed restaurants, bars and entertainment venues, a casino occupying 60,000 square feet with approximately 800 of the latest slot and video poker machines plus more than 70 classic table games. Additionally, SLS houses a sports book operated by William Hill and the rst W Hotel on The Strip, the 289-room luxurious, W Las Vegas.
Details of the new Club 52 are as follows. Players earn 1 point for every $1 played on slots and video keno and 1 point for every $2 played on video poker. 250 slot points = $1 in redemption value for free slot play, food and beverage. There are four tier levels starting with Preferred (0-3,000), VIP (3,001- 30,000), Elite (30,001-150,000) and Legend (150,001+ based on approval.) Tier earning credits vary slightly from point earning.
Slots: $1 = 2 Tier Credits
Video Keno: $1 = 1 Tier Credit
Video Poker: $1 = 1 Tier Credit
Table Games: Earn credits based on the type of table game, average bet and amount of time played. The earning periods for tier review are June 1 – November 30 and December 1 – May 31. New members who sign up can play a kiosk game worth up to $5,000 in free slot play.
Currently the casino is hosting $52,000 Summer Extravaganza Drawings. The drawings will select 25 lucky winners for free play prizes. The 25 participants will get the chance to play Pick-A-Color from 3 to 9 p.m. to win a share of the prize pool, determined by a big wheel spin. In addition to the wheel spin, all winners will receive $2,500 in free play plus any unclaimed prizes from prior drawings. Drawings will be held at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., and Bonus Extravaganza drawings will be hosted at 9:30p.m. every Saturday.
There is also a Daily Hangman Kiosk Game. Players who choose correct letters in the game of Hangman may win prizes including free slot play, points, dining credits and more. Players who solve the phrase can win up to $5,200 cash. Players who guess incorrectly will be entered into the Summer Extravaganza Drawing. Some restrictions do apply on all promotions. Visit Club 52 for details.
SLS Las Vegas always offers complimentary covered parking and valet services. More information about current promotions can be found on the website at www.slslasvegas.com.
In related news of sales, Golden Entertainment announced a deal last month to purchase American Casino & Entertainment Properties (ACEP) for $850 million. Included in the transaction are four Nevada casinos; Stratosphere Casino Hotel & Tower, Aquarius Casino Resort in Laughlin and Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and Arizona Charlie’s Boulder, two local’s casinos located on their namesake streets in the Las Vegas valley. The four casinos currently have one linked player’s club card known as ace/PLAY and there is no word as yet how this sale may affect the slot club.
Golden Entertainment is a gaming company based in Enterprise, Nevada that operates casinos, taverns, and slot routes. It was formed in 2015 by the merger of Golden Gaming and Lakes Entertainment. It is the largest tavern operator and largest slot route operator in Nevada. PT’s Entertainment Group (PTEG), a division of Golden Entertainment is the part of the company that operates PT’s Pubs, PT’s Gold, PT’s Place, Sierra Gold and Sean Patrick’s in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Henderson.
Golden Entertainment will now own eight casinos – seven in Nevada (besides the ACEP properties they also own three hotel casinos in Pahrump) and one in Maryland. For more information about Golden Entertainment, visit: www.goldenent.com or www.pteglv.com. We will keep you posted in the coming months.
Good luck and happy slot clubbing!
Scot Krause is a gaming industry analyst, researcher and journalist. He is a former entertainment director and a 22-year resident of Las Vegas. His work is regularly featured in Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Gaming Today as well as other gaming publications, including the annual American Casino Guide Book. Questions or comments for Scot may be addressed to: krauseinvegas@cox.net
