©2012 Center for Gaming Research • University Libraries • University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Number 18 June 2012 Center for Gaming Research Occasional Paper Series

University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas

From the Last Frontier to the New Cosmopolitan A History of Casino Public Relations in Las Vegas Jessalynn Strauss

ABSTRACT: This research chronicles the history of public relations by the gaming industry in Las Vegas. Reflecting larger trends in the field, public relations efforts by the casinos and hotels in this popular tourist destination have used a variety of communication tactics over time to promote themselves to potential Las Vegas tourists. Based on archival materials from over 30 casinos and gaming corporations, this paper identifies four ways in which public relations is practiced in the gaming industry and four macro-level trends in the evolution of casino public relations in Las Vegas.

Keywords: public relations, casinos, Las Vegas, communication, marketing

In the movie Casino, loosely based on the know as public relations, but this raises the real-life story of Las Vegas casino manager question: What role did public relations Frank “Lefty” Rosenthal, Robert DeNiro’s play in the promotion of Las Vegas’s hotel- Ace Rothstein comes to Las Vegas to run the casinos? This research seeks to chronicle fictional Tangiers casino. There’s just one the history of public relations by the problem: Ace is a noted gambler and bookie gaming/tourism industry in Las Vegas. who has run afoul of the law on several Overall, the definition of the term “public occasions. Even in the rough and tumble relations” has changed over the years, and a heyday of 1970s Las Vegas, Ace knows he practice that was once limited to won’t be given a gambling license. The disseminating information via the mass hidden “money” behind the casino, a media has evolved into one that utilizes a Chicago mobster, suggests that Ace give broad range of communication media to himself a fictional job title that won’t tie connect with interested publics. Similarly, him to the casino’s gaming function. And so public relations efforts by the casinos and Ace Rothstein becomes the Director of hotels in this popular tourist destination Public Relations for the Tangiers Casino. have used a variety of communication Ace Rothstein’s work at the fictional tactics over time to promote themselves to Tangiers resembles nothing like what we potential Las Vegas tourists.

[2] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The history of the Las Vegas gaming of U.S. success and excess. As the only U.S. industry, and the industry’s focus on city founded after 1900 to reach a promoting the city’s attractions to out-of- population of over 1 million, Las Vegas has town tourists, provide an unusual and played an interesting and integral role in challenging context for a history of its the development of the modern United public relations practices. As the industry States landscape. Its iconic casinos and and its targeted markets have evolved over hotels are recognized by people all over the the years, the use of communication to world for their depictions of world build relationships with these target landmarks such as the pyramids of Egypt publics has understandably changed as well. and Paris’s Eiffel Tower. Few people Communication used to promote the casino recognize, however, the role played by industry and the “Las Vegas experience” public relations in developing, promoting, has also been dramatically influenced by and popularizing this town as an “oasis in changes in technology, most recently the the desert” and a destination for evolution of social media as a direct-to- generations of tourists. consumer communication tool. This research examines the evolution of Literature Review public relations efforts in the Las Vegas gaming industry in order to provide context Settlement and early history of Las Vegas for future study of the contemporary use of Originally a small Mormon settlement, new communication technologies, and later an equally small railroad town, specifically social media, by the Las Vegas began to grow as workers on the corporations in this industry. An Boulder Dam (later the Hoover Dam, built understanding of the history of public from 1931-1935) came to its friendly relations in this industry will help inform environs to escape the strict regulations of present-day research by providing the workers’ residence town, Boulder City. background on the kind of efforts that have Gambling was legalized in Nevada by the previously been undertaken to promote state legislature in 1931, but both gambling casinos, gambling, and the Las Vegas and drinking were strictly forbidden in experience. Boulder City. Dam workers would This industry-specific history will also frequently pick up their paychecks and provide an in-depth look at how public head straight for Las Vegas, where both relations practices have evolved and been vices were legal (M. Land & B. Land, 1999). affected by environmental factors. By Almost since the town’s inception, Las considering contextual factors such as the Vegas’s economy has been based on history of Las Vegas and its casino gaming gambling and associated with vice. industry, as well as economic pressures When the steady stream of gamblers from that have influenced the industry, this the dam project dried up after the structure research will provide a fully informed and was completed in 1935, many thought the well-rounded picture of how public town of Las Vegas would dry up as well. But relations efforts have influenced the several far-sighted entrepreneurs saw in development of this tourist mecca and Las Vegas a potential tourist destination for American cultural icon. those drawn by the lure of legalized In 1905, the city of Las Vegas, NV was an gambling. Some of these early hoteliers and unremarkable town, centered around a casino owners were legitimate small train depot, in the middle of an businessmen, often from the West Coast, unrelenting desert. Just over one hundred but many of them came from places as far years later, Las Vegas is a controversial icon away as Chicago, Cleveland, and New York

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and had ties to those cities’ largest Mafia phases of corporatization and families. As the building boom began and conglomeration. hotel-casinos began springing up along Hughes’s impact on Las Vegas was swift Highway 97, later to be known as the Las and significant. After he purchased the Vegas Strip, city residents welcomed the Desert Inn, he continued to purchase prosperity and turned a blind eye to the surrounding casino properties, making it Mafia connections of the casinos’ owners clear that he intended to stay in Las Vegas (Ferrari & Ives, 2005). for an extended time. Local leaders must have been delighted at Hughes’s grandiose From mobsters to businessmen vision for Southern Nevada: Many of these Mob-connected casino Less than a year after he set up owners were colorful, iconic characters quarters in the Desert Inn, Hughes whose presence dominated the early issued a statement to Southern history of the town. In the 1940s and 1950s, Nevadans. He was going to improve they were not unwelcome; in fact, many the face of the Silver State. He believed that the unofficial “system” of mob promised to help diversify the justice helped discourage crime and petty economy by creating industry of the theft in the town (M. Land & B. Land, 1999). sort that had made him rich and Moreover, these mobsters were good for famous. business and for the development of Las Hughes painted a future in which Vegas into a viable city rather than a Las Vegas would become a clean, railroad-stop town. By building increasingly bright, shining city in the sun. “We can large hotel-casinos on previously make a really super environment: no undeveloped land on the Strip, they smog, no contamination, efficient local brought jobs and tax revenue into the local government, where the taxpayers pay economy (Rothman, 2002). Many Las as little as possible and get something Vegans welcomed even the dubious for their money,” Hughes wrote in a notoriety these mobsters’ presence and memo. (Smith, 2005, pp. 80-81) prominence in the local economy brought Due in part to Hughes’s declining health to the town (M. Land & B. Land, 1999). and increasing eccentricities, his vision for Las Vegas was never realized. The Howard Hughes era When Hughes departed Las Vegas in 1970, As officials looked to clean up their city’s the city was once more left to its own image in the wake of Senator Estes devices. Into the void of power created by Kefauver’s investigations into organized the absence of Hughes’s overwhelming crime in Las Vegas, the early influence came a new breed of casino mobster/casino owners eventually wore owners: entrepreneurial businessmen out their welcome in the city. In their place looking to cash in on Las Vegas’s ability to rose Las Vegas’s next larger-than-life figure draw tourists willing to part with their – reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, who money (Smith, 2005). Although brief, purchased the Desert Inn in 1967. Although Hughes’s involvement in the evolution of a respectable businessman like Hughes the Las Vegas casino industry brought a seemed to be an answer to reformers’ marked change in the amount of capital prayers, by that point he was already a bit that developers were able to access for of an oddball. However unconventional building improvement and expansion, Hughes’s personal and business practices construction of new casinos, and purchase might have been, this era in casino of existing casinos. This change ownership provided a transition to later foreshadowed the coming trend of casino [4] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas ownership by corporate interests, which nice. Investors would rather buy tobacco were able to access far more capital than stocks” (Binkley, 2008, p. 22). Loans given their predecessors from organized crime. by the Teamsters’ Union in the 1970s to casino-hotel operators to build large Corporatization of gaming in Las Vegas resorts including Caesars Palace and Circus The 1970s also saw the beginnings of the Circus laid the groundwork by “legitimizing” corporatization of the gaming industry in these endeavors as worthy of investment, Las Vegas. Hilton Hotel owners Barron and even though there was some shadiness with Conrad Hilton successfully lobbied the respect to the dealings between operators Nevada Gaming Commission to change its and notorious Teamsters’ Union president rules on casino ownership, paving the way Jimmy Hoffa (Schwartz, 2003, p. 110). for corporations with multiple stockholders It would be the 1990s, though, before to acquire gaming licenses without Wall Street investors caught on to the requiring background checks for every potential for profit in Las Vegas gambling investor (Ferrari & Ives, 2005). Many hotel stocks, later sanitized and called “gaming” chains, such as Holiday Inn and Ramada stocks to reflect a greater mainstream Inns, tried their hands in the Las Vegas acceptance of gambling as an acceptable hotel-casino business, but ultimately most recreational pastime (Rothman, 2002). This were not well suited to gaming endeavors, greater acceptance could be attributed to a and they sold their interests in Las Vegas somewhat-misguided attempt, early in the (Gottdiener, Collins, & Dickens, 1999). city’s mega-resort development era, to turn However, the face of the Las Vegas Las Vegas into a family-friendly vacation gaming industry was irrevocably changed destination (Binkley, 2008). Once the by this revision to the Gaming gaming industry became corporatized, it Commission’s regulation. Potential casino paved the way for the staggering growth in owners now had the option of raising the Strip casino-hotels, and by extension in capital by offering stock shares in a publicly the city, of the period beginning with the held corporation rather than relying on opening of the Mirage in 1989. In this way, private financing. This ability to raise large “the publicly accepted truism that the amounts of capital made the old model of corporations had driven out mob interests casinos funded and run by organized crime and made gaming respectable, which was a “financially obsolete” (Rothman, 2002, p. powerful idea that itself served to 22). In addition, public corporations could legitimize the industry, camouflaged the purchase casinos, once they had been true crisis that corporations had solved, approved for a gaming license, and having that of capital” (Schwartz, 2003, p. 163). done so once, many corporations continued Corporate ownership brought pressure to buy and sell casino operations in Las on the gaming corporations to generate the Vegas and elsewhere (Gottdiener, Collins, & steady, predictable profit streams Dickens, 1999). The post-Hughes era of acceptable to investors and shareholders development in Las Vegas showed a strong (Binkley, 2008). This has led to significant trend toward incorporation and changes in the casino industry as gaming conglomeration. corporations attempted to create more Corporate investment was slow to take off consistent cash flows through non- because of the stigma of casino gambling: gambling expenditures (Stein, 2004). For crime-ridden, mobbed-up, and socially instance, after gaming revenues declined unacceptable to the mainstream. To put it significantly following the 2008 economic another way, “The general view on Wall crash, gaming corporations turned to new Street was that the casino industry wasn’t communication technologies, such as

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Facebook and Twitter, in order to promote Although there has not been a their products in new and different ways comprehensive history of the use of the (Schwartz, 2010). press release by public relations In early 21st-century Las Vegas, the trends practitioners, most seem to agree that the towards corporatization and practice originated when Ivy Lee responded conglomeration first seen in the 1970s have to a train crash involving Pennsylvania reached their high point. Three Railroad– then one of Lee’s clients in the corporations primarily own the casinos that early practice of corporate public relations make up Las Vegas’s Strip: MGM Mirage, – in 1906. Lee’s early work with Caesars (formerly Harrah’s) Entertainment, corporations such as Pennsylvania Railroad and Wynn Resorts (Binkley, 2008). A fourth, and John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil Shelden Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands focused almost exclusively on placing Corporation, owns two of the Strip’s largest positive stories about his clients in the high-end properties, the Venetian and the newspaper, which at that point was the Palazzo, in addition to other gambling primary way that most people received properties overseas. Two other gaming their news (O’Brien, 2005). corporations own a number of casino The press release, along with the media properties in Las Vegas: Boyd Gaming, relations component of the practice of which also owns properties in Atlantic City public relations, has been influenced over and the Midwest, and Station Casinos, time by the change in mass media and which owns and operates 10 “off-Strip” communication technologies. The casinos in the Las Vegas metropolitan area widespread use of the press release – and which largely cater to a local audience. some might say its value – diminished with the introduction of the World Wide Web as History of Modern Public Relations a communication tool for public relations Most public relations histories portray practitioners. A 2000 study showed that the modern practice of the profession as use of the Web for public relations one that has ancient roots dating back well purposes, while still minor in the public back into the BC era. These histories often relations practitioner’s list of priorities, divide modern public relations history into could help demonstrate the organization’s distinct chronological periods for didactic technological aptitude, supplement purposes, and although the periods do vary traditional media relations, help the in length and labeling, all generally provide organization reach new audiences, and “a development from manipulative build relationships (Hill & White, 2000). beginnings to symmetric communication” Over time, Web sites became valuable (Hoy, Raaz, & Wehmeier, 2007, p. 197). tools for organizations to use to provide a Although there is no standardization of the nearly unlimited amount of information to history or chronological periods through audiences such as news media (Callison, which the profession evolved, the time 2003). In fact, some industry pundits have period being examined in this research even taken to proclaiming the “death of the (post-World War II to the present) is press release” (Dumenco, 2010), due to the commonly acknowledged as the “modern” Internet’s ability to distribute information era of public relations, separate from the more efficiently to publics, especially when primitive media relations practiced by Ivy social media are used effectively. Using Lee and the manipulation of public opinion these communication technologies allows ascribed to Edward Bernays (e.g., Cutlip, organizations to reach their publics directly, Center & Broom, 2006; Seitel, 2004; Wilcox eliminating the need to use the media as an & Cameron, 2006). intervening public. [6] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The Web also began to be used for the through magazines, brochures, newsletters, purposes of invoking and promoting and ultimately social media. dialogue between organizations and their Because this research focused on the publics (Kent & Taylor, 1998), opening a topic of public relations in the casino new line of direct-to-consumer industry, it faced a few challenges and communication that had previously been limitations related to this focus. Due to the unavailable to organizations, forcing them unique nature of the casino industry, it is to communicate through intervening often difficult to distinguish between efforts publics such as the media. With this at public relations, advertising, and evolution into “Web 2.0,” organizations marketing. Hashimoto (2008) identifies were able to solicit feedback and interact public relations and publicity of one of four with publics through tools such as blogs components to a casino’s marketing and and, later, social media. promotion strategy, the other three being personal sales (i.e. group sales), sales Research Questions promotion (i.e. tournaments and junkets) and advertising. In order to RQ1: How is public relations practiced by comprehensively consider public relations Las Vegas casinos? in the casino industry, this research cast a fairly wide net in considering actions and RQ2: How has this practice changed over artifacts that could be part of this endeavor. time? The researcher also considered the broader definition of public relations as relationship Method building and maintenance in order to be Research for this project was completed inclusive of all potential public relations in the archive at the UNLV Special efforts undertaken by the casinos in the Las Collections Library during two weeks in Vegas gaming industry. March 2012. The researcher examined Due to the nature of the materials public relations and promotions archival available in the collection, this research material from 34 individual casinos and took a macro level approach by looking at gaming corporations and took notes larger trends of change in casino industry pertaining to common themes that arose in public relations. The collection is in no way the materials. Seven trends were identified complete or comprehensive, and some in the examination of the materials: an casinos have more archival material than evolution from cooperation among others. This research was completed over individual casino properties to the the course of one week in March 2012 corporate ownership and cross-promotion during a residency fellowship funded by the of multiple casinos; the use of various Center for Gaming Research. Due to both tactics to differentiate casinos from time limitations and the inability to competitors in a growing market; the consider the materials possessed as a valid market-specific evolution and use of the sample, a full-scale content analysis of publicity stunt; the changing use of media materials was inappropriate, not to relations, including press releases and mention impossible. increasingly elaborate press kits and promotional materials, by casinos; the Findings increasing use of public relations agencies by casinos; and the changing trends in RQ1: How is public relations practiced in direct-to-consumer communication the Las Vegas casino industry?

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An understanding of how public relations branded with the casino and a travel agency. has changed in the Las Vegas casino Cross-promotions with products such as industry requires that one first describe cars and other items used in giveaways also how public relations is practiced in this shows an avenue for relationship building industry. Examination of the archival employed by casinos. material revealed how Las Vegas casinos Casinos have also long enjoyed and practiced what could be considered as nurtured fruitful relationships with public relations in four different ways. This businesses. The evolution of Las Vegas as a section starts by describing the four types “business” destination, as evidenced by of public relations practiced in Las Vegas archival material, is particularly interesting casinos as personal relations, strategic in light of recent controversies over the use relationship building, publications, and of Las Vegas for a business purposes. Early media relations. “business” trips to Las Vegas were Personal relationships have contributed promoted primarily as “men’s golf trip” to success for the corporations in the casino outings and clearly appealed to a higher gaming industry since its inception. Early socioeconomic class. Once Las Vegas’s Las Vegas casino-hotels paid extraordinary casinos realized the potential for fruitful attention to customer service and were partnerships with those in the business known for attending to the needs of hotel world, they developed larger facilities and patrons. This was especially true for promoted their meeting spaces and celebrity guests, upon whom casinos were convention centers for business purposes. dependent to raise the casino’s profile and These individual casinos’ meeting space generate media coverage and buzz for the was eventually eclipsed by the city’s casino. As an example, archives from the El enormous convention center, and Las Vegas Rancho Vegas (open in the 1940s and secured its current status as a prominent 1950s) show the preparations made by location for conventions and conferences hotel staff for the wedding of guests Joanne for businesses as well as associations and Woodward and Paul Newman in 1958. Not trades. only did the hotel completely arrange the Public relations in the casino industry wedding and reception, but the entire affair was often purveyed through the creation was provided free of charge to the famous and distribution of controlled media such couple and their guests. The importance of as magazines and brochures. These personal relationships in the successful publications allowed casinos to operation of a casino corporation lives on communicate directly with patrons without today in the casino host, an employee the use of media as an intervening public. whose sole responsibility is to facilitate the Publications of this nature were found in needs of customers expected to wager large archival records dating back to the earliest amounts of money. days of Las Vegas’s casinos. Although we Casinos have also used public relations to now think of these publications as quite develop advantageous relationships for commonplace, their prominence in the business purposes. For instance, as air public relations efforts of casinos, even travel technology developed and Las from an early date, is noteworthy. The Vegas’s visitors increasingly started evolution of these publications over time arriving by airplane, casinos partnered with will be described in a later section. travel agencies to promote packages that Following the most conventional combined the guest’s air and hotel fare. definition of public relations, the casino Archives for a number of casinos contained industry has also employed traditional promotional brochures that were co- media relations. The discussion of this use [8] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

of media relations, which follows in a later examination of promotional materials from section, highlights some important changes early casinos shows that these casinos often in the use of the press release and the need included information on other properties’ to use different approaches for niche media entertainment and attractions. In Las — here, the tourist/visitor magazine Vegas’s early days as a tourist attraction, market. Casinos’ use of media relations also there were more than enough visitors to fill expanded to include the business press as the casinos’ hotel rooms, and it behooved their business operations became each individual casino to promote the increasingly corporatized. overall “Las Vegas experience” in order to increase the number of visitors to the city. RQ2: How has the practice of public Several brochures from approximately the relations in the casino industry changed? 1960s show clear evidence of this Returning to the brief history of Las Vegas cooperative promotion by listing the phone given in the literature review, it is numbers of the showrooms of all casinos on important to highlight two elements of Las the Strip. These brochures also often Vegas that have changed considerably in featured maps labeling not only the casino ways that affect the evolution of the casino that produced the brochure but also the industry’s public relations efforts. The others that were available for tourists to trend toward consolidation of many casinos visit. under one corporate entity, and the However, the promotional efforts of increased focus on the business side of today’s casino corporations solely feature casinos, has created a state of public that corporation’s casino properties. In the relations for the gaming industry that is, at current landscape of oversupply (of hotel present, vastly different than the same rooms, restaurants, and gaming options) endeavor in the city’s early days. The and decreased tourist demand, corporate- number of casinos in Las Vegas has also owned casinos are in fierce competition grown exponentially, and with increased with each other; it is therefore unsurprising competition has come the need for that public relations materials by casino individual casinos to differentiate corporations make no mention of themselves from other casinos in hopes of properties owned by other corporations. attracting customers. Both the increasing For example, the Pulse of Vegas Blog trend toward corporatization and the (http://lasvegasblog.harrahs.com) appears enormous expansion in the casino market to be a tourist-oriented blog about things to have significantly impacted the do and see in Las Vegas, but it features only development of public relations practices hotel-casinos that are owned and operated throughout Las Vegas’s history until the by Caesars Entertainment (which until present day. recently was known as Harrah’s Entertainment). From cooperation to competition Today’s promotion of corporate casino These large-scale movements toward properties is the culmination of a trend that corporatization and expansion seem to have began in Las Vegas around the Howard influenced the first notable change in Las Hughes era of the late 1960s. After Hughes Vegas’s public relations over time: Where purchased the iconic Desert Inn, he went on individually-owned casinos in the city’s early to own several other properties including days tended to cooperate with others for the Frontier, Landmark, and the Silver promotion, today’s casino corporations Slipper. Promotional material for these solely promote the casinos owned by that casinos reflects some cross-promotion of corporation to the exclusion of others. An the Hughes casinos, with no mention of

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other casino properties. A similar properties such as the Luxor, which was promotional strategy was seen in shaped like an Egyptian pyramid, and promotional materials for the casinos Treasure Island, whose pirate theme was owned by the Del Webb Corporation, carried through in a communiqué that including the Sahara (owned by Del Webb exclaimed, “Attention all privateers, in the 1960s and 1970s) and the Mint. buccaneers, and mutineers!” The increased corporatization of Las Casino properties also attempted to Vegas’s casinos, seen in an increasing trend differentiate themselves using more since gaming law changes in the 1970s traditional public relations tactics and allowed stockholder-owned corporations to techniques. Many archives contained own and run casinos, also created the need extensive press releases highlighting for increased activity in stockholder features of the property and its amenities, relations and financial media relations by suggesting that media relations served an gaming corporations. Document archives of important role in this effort to make the modern-day casino corporations, such as casino stand out from its competitors. As the Circus Circus/Mandalay Group, featured will be discussed shortly, Las Vegas casinos an extensive number of press releases have been known for their use of the targeted to financial media with topics such media-attention-grabbing pseudoevent – as quarterly earnings or legal matters. The Evel Knievel’s motorcycle jump of Caesars use of press releases about casino Palace’s fountain in 1967 is one of the most expansion were also important in the era of well-known – sometimes to the point of casino corporatization because they bordering on the Barnum-style hype of the demonstrated the health of the company, “publicity stunt.” encouraging investors to purchase shares But perhaps the most striking use of of the company. Stockholder-oriented public relations – in its more modern documents, such as annual reports and conception – is seen in the casinos’ efforts corporate social responsibility reports, also to use communication to establish become more prevalent in the archives of relationships with past customers in hopes modern casino corporations. of generating repeat business. Casino archives show repeated instances of The need for differentiation personal communication with customers As the Las Vegas landscape has become that shows efforts to differentiate the more crowded, literally and figuratively, casino from its competitors by cultivating a with casinos and other options for visitors personal relationship through apologies for (restaurants, shows, spas, etc.), casinos past experiences, solicitation of suggestions have tried to differentiate their property for casino improvements, and promotion of from the others in hopes of gaining the customer-specific deals at the casino. A biggest share of the elusive tourist dollar. more contemporary example of the use of Archival promotional materials spanning relationships to differentiate the casino can nearly fifty years show an evolving trend in be seen in the use of social media to the ways that casinos attempted to cultivate relationships with followers and differentiate their properties. Originally, fans on social media such as Twitter and casinos attempted to differentiate based on Facebook. Some casino-hotels are quite traditional qualities such as price, active in communication through this convenience, and luxury. The late 1980s medium, while others are not; this through the early 2000s saw the dawning, participation in social media can potentially apex, and eventual decline of Las Vegas’s serve to set a casino apart from others that signature element: the elaborate theming of [10] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

do not communicate with customers in this This symbolic act drew the attention of way. nearly 300 reporters, and at least The casino industry in Las Vegas, with its momentarily, the eyes of the nation were tendencies toward excess and unusualness, fixed on this metaphoric “out with the old, has been a fertile breeding ground for the and in with the new gesture” that type of outlandish “publicity stunts” that characterized Las Vegas’s building boom of have historically been incorporated into the 1990s. Wynn also broke new ground in public relations efforts for certain promotion when he purchased one hour of industries. Las Vegas’s casinos have faced prime time programming on NBC (at an two uphill battles: first, to convince the approximate price of $1.7 million) to air a general public to consider the town as a program he produced, “Treasure Island: The vacation destination, and later, to Adventure Begins,” which prominently encourage patrons to choose their casino featured his new casino. This sort of property over the growing number of other, revolutionary “adverprogram,” coming long similarly equipped facilities. Publicity before product placement became an stunts and other outrageous efforts by accepted norm, introduced Wynn’s casino – these casinos have served to promote both as well as the city of Las Vegas – into the individual casinos and the overall Las thousands of homes across the nation. Vegas experience: From the Frontier Hotel- As Las Vegas expanded exponentially Casino’s sending of an Old West stagecoach through the 1990s and into the 2000s, it to pick up VIP passengers at the airport to struggled to keep the attention of the nation the Silver Slipper’s hiring of an airplane to with a series of increasingly elaborate, drop promotional materials over the orchestrated events. Grand openings of new parking lots of competing casinos, these casinos became star-studded affairs, and efforts have been intentionally eye-catching. demolitions of old properties were Some, like the Pioneer Club’s acquisition of exploited for attention wherever possible. a downtown lot and repurposing of that Documents from the 1996 opening of the land for a public parking lot, have been Monte Carlo casino and the 1999 opening of directed toward both Las Vegas’s visitors the Mandalay Bay casino show the efforts and its residents; others, like that same taken to ensure the attendance of casino’s purchase and public lighting celebrities, including entertainers and celebration for its iconic “Vegas Vic” sign, athletes, at the grand opening weekend. were clearly intended to raise Las Vegas’s Rooms were complimentary, lavish meals profile as a tourist destination. were provided, and a red-carpet event In Las Vegas’s modern era, publicity stunts ensured that media captured the entire reached an entirely new level with the 1993 event on film. Of course, the use of opening of the pirate-themed Treasure celebrities to promote Las Vegas dates back Island casino. The casino’s owner, Steve to the opening of the Flamingo in 1946; Wynn, planned to demolish the historic however, the pace at which these new Dunes hotel, which he had purchased in casinos opened led these star-studded order to build his next project, Bellagio. events to become almost commonplace, Never one to let an opportunity for publicity possibly diminishing their effectiveness in be wasted, Wynn arranged for the implosion attracting attention. of the Dunes to coincide with the grand Casinos also tried to attract attention by opening of Treasure Island: From a replica using media relations to place stories in pirate ship in front of the new casino, Wynn national, local, and tourist publications. fired a fake cannon at the same time that Press releases were sometimes used to crews initiated the demolition of the old one. attract attention through appealing to

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traditional news values such as accentuating big events, such as grand openings, were celebrity (prominence), newness, or promoted by external public relations unusualness. Archives for a number of agencies. However, the use of agencies different casinos reflected a fairly consistent became much more prevalent in the 1990s selection of press release topics, including and beyond. expansion or new facilities, entertainment in These agencies were primarily contracted the form of shows and special events, for technician duties such as writing press personnel changes at the managerial level, releases and distributing press kits. and jackpots won by casino patrons. Archival records provide some indication As more casinos put resources into public that casinos retained control of the content relations and press releases became and directed the larger strategy for the increasingly common, casinos turned to casino’s public relations. Over time, the different angles in attempting to stand out public relations duties for most casinos and earn a coveted media placement. Press were consolidated under corporate releases began to promote human interest auspices. Most of the public relations for stories, such as the personal stories of today’s casinos is conducted by these performers in the casino’s shows, or use corporate offices or outsourced to outside photos to show jackpot winners and casino agencies. facilities. The eventual increase in competition for press coverage lead casinos Publications and other direct-to-consumer to explore the use of alternatives for communication communication through the mass media, Casinos’ efforts to communicate directly including the use of some early advertorials, to consumers began in the form of dating back to the 1980s, in addition to the magazines with a variety of content related aforementioned “adverprogram” in 1994. to the property. These magazines, which Competition among casinos also spurred were ostensibly sent to past guests of the a trend in which promotional materials hotel, featured stories and pictures about became more elaborate in order to attract events at the property, celebrity visits to interest from customers and journalists. the casino, personnel news about Press kits in the shape of Luxor’s iconic promotions and new employees, and pyramid and Excalibur’s ornately detailed upcoming shows and entertainment at the castle contained information about new casino’s venue. These publications, often casinos and attempted to promote existing around 10-12 pages in length, were at times casinos in new and different ways. Although very personal, reflecting a similarly advances in printing technology enabled personal relationship with the hotel’s the casinos to produce oddly shaped and guests. elaborate printed collateral, the cost of Over time, these magazines simplified these was likely still significant. into shorter publications, often in newsletter format. By the 1980s, these Casino use of public relations agencies newsletter communications were in a Although records detailing these casinos’ simpler brochure format and often use of the services of public relations emphasized bargains and special agencies is sparse, there is some indication promotions at the casino. Likely due to that elements of the casinos’ public changes in printing technology, they were relations activities, such as the production usually printed in color. They were also of press kits and press releases, was sent to a wider audience, usually the occasionally outsourced to agencies. There casino’s entire roster of members for its is some evidence as early as the 1980s that [12] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

players club∗, and were less personal than Vegas beyond what can be found in the the direct-to-consumer communication of Gaming Collection archives. A more the early Las Vegas casinos. complete history of the industry would As an evolution of the direct-to-consumer require additional research methods, such communication previously carried out over as oral histories, to draw information from printed publications and other controlled a wider variety of sources. In fact, this media, today’s Las Vegas casinos have would be an excellent time to undertake turned to social media such as Twitter and such an endeavor: As a relatively young city, Facebook. This communication medium many of the pivotal figures in Las Vegas’s allows the casinos the valuable ability to public relations history, even from its early connect with not only past customers (in days, are still involved in the industry. hopes of generating repeat business) but Because media relations was an also potential new customers for the casino. important component of these casinos’ Social media allow these casinos the ability efforts to promote themselves, both to local to differentiate themselves by establishing a and national audiences, additional research brand personality and also allow them to on newspaper coverage of the casino provide customer service through this industry might reveal more about the way medium, further establishing relationships that news media helped (and harmed) with current and past customers. these casinos in their quest to productively use media relations as a public relations Limitations and Future Research tactic. Additional research could also be As mentioned previously, this research conducted on communication with specific was primarily limited by two factors: the stakeholder publics that are traditional to incomplete nature of the casino public the industry in addition to the media, such relations archive in the Gaming Collection as employees and investors. The use of at the UNLV Special Collections Library and public relations for the nascent casino the relatively short amount of time (one corporations, which emerged into week) the researcher was afforded in which prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and to do this research. As such, this research grew larger through the 2000s, may focuses primarily on identifying industry- provide some interesting history on how wide trends rather than providing thorough the investor relations aspect of this analysis of individual collateral material industry evolved out of nonexistence. available in the casino archives. Several of the casinos’ archives were more complete Conclusions than others, and these might provide for The use of public relations by Las Vegas fruitful further research that delves more casinos has changed over time in a number deeply into one casino’s efforts to promote of ways, some that are similar to larger its product using public relations. trends in the evolution of the field, and There is a great deal more to be learned others that are specific to the gaming about the history of public relations in Las industry and the city of Las Vegas. Although this research is industry-specific and ∗ As early as the 1970s, casinos developed “players limited to the city of Las Vegas, it can still clubs” to collect customers’ information and track serve to provide context for contemporary their play at the casino. These clubs were often used study of public relations. For instance, the to issue complimentary food, beverage, and rooms strong trend toward direct-to-consumer (“comps”) to high-dollar gamblers, but the contact communication, as seen in the building and information collected through the signups became another way for casinos to communicate directly with maintenance of personal relationships and customers. the use of publications, continues in today’s

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use by these casinos of social media promote other casino properties. However, technologies such as Twitter and Facebook. early brochures from casino-hotels such as The casino industry of Las Vegas, NV the Dunes and Circus Circus show that this provides a unique context in which to study practice was commonplace. The gracious the history of public relations, and cross-promotion, without any direct demonstrates the value of focusing on an financial benefit, by casinos of other industry-specific history of the profession. properties speaks to a bygone era where While some trends in casino public independently owned properties worked relations, such as the employment of public together to promote a larger product — the relations agencies or the use of media Las Vegas experience. relations to generate attention, mirror larger trends in the field of public relations, others — like the frequent use of P. T. About the Author Barnum-style “publicity stunts” — seem to Jessalynn R. Strauss is an assistant be unique to this industry. Other industry- professor in the Department of specific histories of public relations might Communications Arts at the Xavier uncover more nuanced practices that are University in Cincinnati, Ohio. common to one industry but uncommon to the practice of public relations at large. This study of public relations in the Las This paper was published June 2012 as the Vegas casino industry has also revealed eighteenth in the UNLV Center for Gaming some interesting findings that supplement Research’s Occasional Paper Series, the existing history of this notorious town. accessible online at http://gaming.unlv.edu. For instance, few who are familiar with the hyper-competition between today’s gaming conglomerates would imagine an era where independently owned casinos would

[14] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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[16] Occasional Papers | Center for Gaming Research | University of Nevada, Las Vegas

About the Center for Gaming Research Located within Special Collections at UNLV's state-of-the-art Lied Library, the Center for Gaming Research is committed to providing support for scholarly inquiry into all aspects of gaming. Through its website, http://gaming.unlv.edu, the Center offers several unique research tools and information sources.

About the University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution of 28,000 students and 3,300 faculty and staff. Founded in 1957, the university offers more than 220 undergraduate, masters and doctoral degree programs. UNLV is located on a 332-acre campus in dynamic Southern Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.