While the talk of the town is solely about the recession and how it is affecting the economy in Las Vegas along with other major cities in the world (both those that are tourist attractions and those that are not), it just so happens that Japan is saying just the opposite when it comes to Las Vegas based casino operators.

There is a particular slot like machine that is very popular among the Japanese population. This machine is called the Pachinko and is being installed all over Japan in all the land based casinos.

MGM, Las Vegas Sands abroad are reporting that while they attempt to close the gap by continuing to operate in other countries, they are nowhere near making up for the losses that they have experienced in the US and are tones away from hitting numbers that they have seen and have become accustomed to in years past.

Both the online casino and the land based casino industries seem to be weathering fairly well when compared to other industry in the economic crisis. But unfortunately this does not hold true for Las Vegas as a city that is used to entirely surviving on the money that travel and tourism brings in.

While it is definitely an extremely long way before the Las Vegas Sands stock comes back anywhere remotely close to where it was at over the past few years. The stock is seeing a bit of a glimmer of hope in that it has doubled since it hit what appeared to be rock bottom last week at just over one dollar.

Today the stock is at $3.10 and seems to be climbing. The company as a whole is not doing exceptionally amazing but they are reporting that the hope to see a sufficient bounce back by the end of the fourth quarter this year.

The Las Vegas Sands company is not the only one that is hoping for a turnaround sometime this year. Financial analysts are reporting that they are likely to expect some sort of a recovery for the economy all together. While there are no promises to be made about a bounce back to where we were last year there is a strong possibility that there will be a drive in the right direction.

Travel and tourism is an industry that has been hit really hard. But Las Vegas seems to be feeling an extreme blow. The city is currently offering almost anything to get people in. The hotel deals are amazing and having a good time in rather expensive city is seemingly cheap these days.

If you are looking to travel to Vegas in the next little while, keep an eye out for deal and sign up for email notifications as there are many offerings happening all the time.

A new report that was issued this past month showed real estate sales for 2009 for the city of Las Vegas. It seems as though while average prices for a single family residential detached home are the lowest that they have been since 2001. The median selling price for the home quoted above is roughly $150,000 USD. The same exact type of home averaged at approx. $250,000 this same time last year, making that a reduction of a whopping $100,000.

As a result and reflection of what is happening in the economy the real estate markets are feeling the burn. It is a historical fact that while the real estate market mimics what happens in the stock market it usually does this relatively slower than the stock market.

And while this is not what appears to be happening at this time, it is likely that we are not yet at the lowest point and home prices will continue to drop in the Las Vegas area and most of the US for the next little while at least.

The bad news: that while the real estate market is usually slower to fall it is also slower to rise back up from the falls that it experiences.

The good news: those that are new to the real estate market in Las Vegas and surrounding states have likely never seen a better time to get into the market as right now or in the next few months to follow. For first time buyers this is nothing but a dream come true and for those few investors that all kept their assets in cash, it’s a great time to pick up and sit on property until there is a turnaround and an opportunity to flip wisely!

The Las Vegas based company Harrah’s Entertainment has been experiencing some rather tough economic times recently and is apparently looking for assets to sell off to other companies and investors in order to secure their footing throughout the rough time that they are facing.

As a corporation Harrah’s entertainment would surely love to hold on to the WSOP (World Series of poker) rights as long as possible especially since the UIGEA is rumored to be lifted at some point in the not so distant future. If the laws were lifted then the Las Vegas Company would surely create their own online casino or even a string of online casinos and run an online version of the WSOP.

However, unfortunately the economy is what it is and there is seemingly no time to look for other ventures or opportunities. The Harrah’s corporation must act now and save the assets that they do hold at the time.

The sale of the WSOP is likely to bring in quite a few wagering members of the online casino world and is likely to raise enough revenue for the company to cover their backs for a little while at least. Next on the list of things to sell in order to stay afloat will be the Las Vegas Rio hotel and casino.
Surely the company will do anything in their powers to hold on to what they have but there is no guarantee that there is a light at the end of tunnel at this point. The company reported losses of more than $4 billion dollars in just the last quarter overall and is looking for ways to recapture their position.

Great deals to Las Vegas have been quite the buzz in recent times. It seems that you can have a modest or not so modest weekend in Las Vegas for half of the cost that it has been in times past and the hotels are happy to throw in bonus packages and all the luxuries for just a quarter of the price. Of course hotels are likely banking on the fact that most visitors will be spending money at the table and the rest of the gambling facilities where the casino makes the majority of their money anywhere.

However, with the new proposed tax increase on hotel room rates the ideas of staying at a hotel for almost free will quickly disappear. The tax increase is a suggested 3 percent making hotel taxes as high as 13 percent. If the changes do take affect they are going to do so in a few months starting with the month of July.

So if you were considering a stay in Las Vegas at a low rate without extra fees and costs associated with the room rate than it may be a good idea to get to Vegas within the next few months to follow in the next little while.

The projected revenue from the taxes will go directly to benefit the city and state and the projections show that the new taxes will yield roughly $233 million within the first and second year of the implementation.

When you think of green with Las Vegas in mind the first thought is more likely about the Benjamin’s than it is about transportation, but this time we are talking about transportation within the Las Vegas area! There is now a company called Earth Buses and Limousines and they specialize in offering luxurious services with professional drivers and great service, all while keeping this planet a brighter, safer and cleaner place to live.

The company now offers service within the Las Vegas area concentrating on the Las Vegas Strip , offering professional transportation with preset appointments as well as service on a last minute basis. The greenhouse gas emissions are much less than that of any other comparable transportation and the prices for the transportation and all the services is very competitive with others in the industry.

After the technology show as well as other conventions in Las Vegas all pointed in the direction of all things green and cutting costs across the board this was a natural step in the green direction.

Las Vegas is one of the first cities to be doing this starting with luxury transportation and likely moving to overall transportation as well. Many other US cities are likely to move in the same direction as well as are companies in the other industries.

Jumping on the green train will not just be a way of for the city to make money and cut costs but also a way to pay it forward to the environment and everyone enjoying the lavish resources.

There are very few industries in the world these days that are simply immune to the economy. Most businesses thrive in a booming economy and most slow when the economy is rocky. When the phenomenon that Las Vegas has become first entered the world of travel and tourism in the 1940’s it was luckily one of those things that just could not be weakened by a bad economy. No matter what the financial state, the city was always busy and money was flowing in, no matter what.

It seems that those days are completely gone as Las Vegas is experiencing one of the worst economic situations to date. Most of all, the projects that were planned and started before this recession that we are currently in, are now none other than way over budget. The biggest project of all might just be the new and completely uncompleted city center.

The city center was planned just as Las Vegas was experiencing some of the highest points ever. The multiple building project which included hotels, spas, restaurants, residences and the ultimate shopping center had just been in the beginning stages when the financial landscape started crashing down.

And the sad truth is, the project has now run into millions of dollars over budget without an end in sight. The plans are to keep moving forward but perhaps at a much slower speed and the eye soar of the buildings that are incomplete will continue to be there for a long time.

But as history hopefully repeats itself, Vegas too is hoping for a bounce back and sometime in (fingers crossed) near future the city will thrive again and business will go back to what it was just a few short months ago.

It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Sands corporation has been experiencing some difficult times the past year due primarily to a weakening economy. Earlier this week the company announced some more news that they are claiming will change the direction they are going to the positive. William Wiedner will be leaving the company and his role of operating chief and handing the reigns onto Sheldon Adelson who is currently the CEO and majority share holder for the company at the present time.

The Las Vegas Sands as well as many other casino operators in the US and throughout the world have been experiencing quite a tough time in this unforgiving economy where travel and tourism are often times the first to suffer, not to mention they are also they industries that feel the hardest and more immediate blow.

The CEO explains that he is happy about this change and there were rumours that there was conflict arising from the two streams of leadership. He is happy that there will be one voice of direction now and hopes that the company turns a new leaf.

This week the company has experienced its lowest point in terms stock price. The stock is below a $1.50 and there are rumours that bankruptcy is a darkened possibility. The CEO explains that this prediction is not theirs by any means and is hopeful that the next month will bring some positive changes.

The hotels continue to stand strong and entertain each and every patron that walks through the doors and stays at the wonderful hotel and casinos.

As if Vegas is not completely green as it is on a regular basis in several days you can guarantee that all the hotels as well as the strip will be filled with green as people (locals and visitors) prepare for the St. Paddy’s day celebrations. There will be plenty to do all throughout the city. So paint yourself green and check out one of these fantastic parties.

New York New York will be hosting nine fine Irish men as part of their entertainment package to honour the four clover holiday filled with drinks and parties. O’Shea’s will also have a daylong event filled with flowing beer and some comedy.

St. Patrick’s day has always been a big celebration for those visiting Las Vegas as the streets are normally filled with party people throughout the weekend on a regular basis and even more so for this holiday where many gather to have a few drinks to say the least.

While there are several destinations that have planned events for the festivities there are also likely to be hotels and casinos involved in the day’s events even though they are not advertising in advance. Likely a beer special at the local bar as well as hotel deals to mark the occasion.

This year the holiday falls right smack in the middle of the week, so it looks like many will be celebrating the event from Wednesday onward to the remainder of the weekend, making for a long recovery for the week to follow.

There is a new hotel that just opened in Las Vegas amidst a not so pleasant economic time that not only the city of Las Vegas has been facing but rather the rest of the US and even the remainder of the world as well. The new player in town will be known as the “M Resort, Spa and Casino”, this 1 billion dollar project was just recently completed and opened its doors to the public on Sunday.

The hotel is located ten miles away from the strip in the south direction. There are a total of 390 rooms which are mostly suites. The owner mentioned when speaking to the press that he is happy that the hotel is smaller than the thousand room hotels that are on the strip because during a time like this it will be much less to worry about since he will only have fewer than four hundred rooms to fill.

The idea behind this hotel is to attract mostly local clientele as well as those that will be driving thru into Vegas from California and are looking for a fancy but intimate destination rather than all the lights and glamour and busy atmosphere that the strip has to offer.

The hotel has a luxurious spa, nine restaurants which have several high end a la carte options as well as a buffet restaurant as many other Vegas hotels consider a staple. The nightly rates per room currently start at 109 dollars with packages available for short trips or long stay.