Las Vegas is the New Ellis Island

I just got back from a professional meeting in Las Vegas. I haven’t been there for over 20 years. It has changed. Boy, has it changed! I am still trying to digest everything. Why Bugsy Malone decided this was a good place to set up a casino, is still a little befuddling-high desert with dust storms, no water, far removed from any population centers.

Bugsy, Steve Wynn and the Gambino Family understood something about Las Vegas that I haven’t really grasped until my recent visit. It is all about the games of chance. These visionaries understood that the vast majority of Americans will travel thousands of miles to a forlorn place that the early polygamists gave up on just to be part of the great American pastime, gambling!

Visiting Las Vegas and the mammoth casinos that have become the standard on the strip is really one of modern wonders of our time. How do I really do justice to these mega-structures? They rise out of the desert representing familiar streetscapes and iconic images of our collective imaginations: Paris, Ancient Egypt, and Manhattan. They are cavernous and seem to go on forever. Inside you are treated to a retail paradise that represents all the desires of our consumer culture. Each casino invites you in to join with others to embrace the collective American dream of shopping, dining and most treasured, gambling.

You can buy chocolate truffles that are better than the ones made on the Rue Garde. You can drink wines bottled before Robert Parker knew the difference between apple juice and his mother’s milk. And you can play games of chance in expansive casinos that tempt you with every form of gambling with names such as the “Wheel of Fortune,” “Deal or No Deal,” or the “Shrimpomania.” You can play by yourself pushing buttons on little screens. You can play games with others at large tables. You can even join in on educational sessions to learn how to play games of chance better. You can bet a penny or thousand dollars. In either instance, you are invited to take part in this great American pastime.

Las Vegas is the new Ellis Island because everyone is welcome to join in on the fun. The humblest gambler can play a slot machine in the Bellagio pushing buttons hoping that his or her nickels will become quarters. John Daly can take his winnings from a PGA golf event and in hours lose over a million dollars. The point is, all are welcome if we are willing to place a wager, encourage others to make a wager or enjoy watching others taking part.

The visionaries of Las Vegas understood inviting people to gamble is not enough. They attempted to create another world of sensual delight that seduces all of us to see wagering as a quasi-religious experience of human bonding and connection. We make offerings. We sacrifice. And sometimes, we are rewarded. Not only do we enjoy playing the slots but we also enjoy watching others play the slots and take pictures to prove it!

Only Las Vegas would invite you and me to tour casinos filled with incredible public art, walk on floors of marble, travertine or inlaid tiles and encourage us to take family pictures in breathtaking indoor gardens. And we are fortunate to be able to place a bet at the same time!

Seniors flock to the gleaming city in the dusting valley. The physically handicapped are welcomed. People of all races and backgrounds can take part. The very rich high roller and the modest penny slot player are equal members in the new secular cathedrals of Las Vegas.

Steve, Bugsy and the Gambinos figured it out. Even I spent some time tithing my hard earned dollars in the Las Vegas offering plate. By the way, I have to go. The Mega-Millions Jackpot is over $320 million and I have to buy a lottery ticket!