ZorkCast - Vegas Podcast + Yo-11 Minutes - Casino/Travel Loyalty, Casino Experience, Gambling and Luxury Travel

Michael is back, and today Steve asks him all about his trip to Encore Boston Harbor and, you guessed it, Las Vegas! We kick off the show by catching up with both Michael and Steve. After hearing about cold weather and avoiding fashion choices that’ll raise eyebrows at PETA, we tuck into the fleshy bits of the show. Michael shares his recent experiences at Encore Boston Harbor as he touches on the...

Today’s nine-minute show focuses on the Mirage in Las Vegas. The thing about the Mirage is that it has excellent historical value in relation to the Las Vegas strip. It was the first super casino; it transformed the entire concept of casinos in Las Vegas. The scale of the Mirage, the way it was laid out, it all started there. There was never an example of this type of casino resort until the Mirag...

The COVID-19 pandemic has made traveling feel like an impossible task, but on today’s show, Michael and Steve offer their insights as to why this is very far from the truth. A trip to Las Vegas right now may not be the same as it was before the pandemic (and it may not be the same for a long time), but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done. In fact, in some ways, it may even be better in terms of...

There’s a lot of unpredictability about 2021, like when UK travelers will be able to fly into Vegas or whether Planet Hollywood is getting sold to Hard Rock. Today hosts Steve White and Michael Trager leverage their casino expertise to share their top 2021 Las Vegas predictions. After a quick catch-up, we dive into the topic by first exploring the rumors around casino sales — rumors that touch on...

With around 150,000 rooms available in Las Vegas, some of the very best mid-market renovated rooms can be found at Paris Las Vegas . In today’s episode, we cover everything Paris Las Vegas and open the show by looking at the property, exploring its offerings and the unique themes that make it, well, Paris! We talk about its French-English language blend, as well as some of the beautiful architectu...

Few properties are as iconic or storied as Caesars Palace Las Vegas . Today we spend nine minutes reviewing the property. While we share the most important points about Caesars, don’t be surprised that we don’t cover everything. The property is massive. After touching on Caesars illustrious history, host @LasVegasUK expresses his appreciation for Caesars and how it serves as an ideal entry point i...

A lot has changed since we were last in Las Vegas in June earlier this year. Today we chat about host Michael Mason Trager’s triumphant return to the City of Lights and how the city is handling the pandemic. While we previously criticized the experience of staying at Caesars in June, Michael starts our conversation by complementing his recent stay at the Caesars Property Paris Las Vegas . We then...

Developed by famed developer Jay Sarno, Circus Circus has been an integral part of the Vegas gaming landscape since its inception in 1968. Today we review Circus Circus in only nine minutes. We open our conversation by highlighting its charming, old school appeal before diving into its history. Host Michael shares stories from its early days — did you know that the casino entrance was originally a...

It’s been four decades since a new casino joined the downtown Las Vegas skyline. Now the whole gaming world is buzzing with anticipation over Circa Las Vegas — a property that promises to be “The Conduit between the Las Vegas of Yesterday and the Las Vegas of Tomorrow.” Today we speak with Marc Meltzer about one of Circa’s most exciting features, its sportsbook. Early in our conversation, Marc com...

Alternate title: How Casinos Are Getting Their Mojo Back with Eric Rosenthal Few industries on the planet have been immune to the coronavirus pandemic’s effects, with the casino industry hit particularly hard. Today, we chat with Eric Rosenthal and dive into all things casinos (profitability). The pandemic has had some profound effects on casinos, with some battling to generate revenue, while the...

Not only is this the one-hundredth episode of ZorkCast, but we have Jonathan Jossel , the CEO of the Plaza Hotel and Casino in Downtown Las Vegas, joining us. Born in South Africa and raised in the United Kingdom, Jonathan moved to Las Vegas in 2007 to work for Tamares Real Estate, which owns Downtown Las Vegas properties.  Jossel was named the CEO of the Plaza in 2014. In today’s episode, we disc...

Casinos in the UK were finally allowed to reopen on Saturday, August 15th, after the government decided against extending the closures further. Casinos closed on March 20th due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so it has been a long hiatus! In this episode, we discuss our first trip to Playboy Club London . We also discuss some of the interesting regulations for slot machines in the UK. The episode’s unex...

Today’s episode dives into the fascinating topic of UK casinos reopening from August 1st, which has been a long time coming, given that casinos in the UK closed down in earlier this year in March. The government has confirmed that casinos will now be allowed to reopen, adhering to strict rules on social distancing and public safety, of course. In this episode, Michael and Steve ( @LasVegasUK ) dis...

In his own words, host Michael is a gambler, and he stays where the casinos are, even though Vegas is home to several excellent hotels that do not have onsite casinos. This episode is dedicated to answering the question of whether you should stay at a non-gaming hotel. After noting the prevalence of conventions, we talk about why Vegas needs hotels for people who are there for business, not pleasu...

Welcome back to another episode of ZorkCast. It’s another Nine Minute episode and, today, we’re going to talk about nine minutes on, drum roll please – The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas ! Commonly referred to as Cosmo (which is what we will call it today to save time), the resort opened on December 15, 2010, and is located just south of the Bellagio on the west side of Las Vegas Boulevard. In this epi...

In today’s world, pre-COVID-19, flying transatlantic from the UK to the States is considered an every day, multi-option travel journey. When you’re deciding on what route to fly, how to spend your money, what airline to choose, and whether to connect or fly nonstop, you can easily become overwhelmed with all the aspects to take into consideration. We love to fly and have been doing so for many yea...

Nine minutes is just about the amount of time needed to review anything…or so Steve ( @LasVegasUK ) seems to think. On this episode of ZorkCast Steve introduces a new concept, known as “Nine minutes on…” whereby Michael and Steve spend strictly nine minutes discussing something related to Las Vegas and/or travel. They aren’t allowed to go any further, as Michael has a special buzzer that goes off...

Coronavirus regulations in the United Kingdom currently mean that you must self-isolate for 14 days if you return to the UK from a country outside the common travel area.  However, the UK government has now announced that it is satisfied that it is now safe to ease these measures in England and has introduced travel corridors for some countries and territories.  From 10 July 2020, you will not hav...

Discretionary casino comps have become a nebulous concept since there is such a discrepancy in the allocation of them among different casinos. Back in the day, hotels and casinos readily gave away discretionary comps, but this has changed significantly over time. Today, hosts rarely give these away, often suggesting you use your rewards credits instead or charge the items to your room. This is not...

What everyone has been waiting for — Vegas is back for business. We sent out an advanced scout in the form of podcast host Michael and this episode; we dive into what you can expect from Vegas now that it’s reopened. Based on his nine-day trip, Michael talks about why he had a superb time in Vegas but that some peculiarities might take getting used to. Not being allowed to high-five the players at...

[ Important Note: The entire landscape and rules and regulations for the openings of casinos in New Jersey is a "moving target." We recorded episode 90 on June 24th, 2020 ] When the first Atlantic City casinos opened, players used to queue along the boardwalk to get in. Now that the city is reopening its casinos from July 2nd, not many people know what to expect. With limits on how many...

Today, we have an extraordinary guest who is going to be talking about the New England Casino scene, with much emphasis on Massachusetts, Robin Aubin. Robin is the founder of NETimeGambling , a blog where he shares his interest in gambling, the casino business, and his love for New England. NETimeGambling’s goal is to provide the necessary resources for anyone visiting New England’s expanding casi...

We all remember our first time in Vegas — the lights of the Strip, the excitement of playing, and the first property that you ever stayed in. But like all first-timers, you probably made the same mistakes that we did. In today’s episode, Steve ( LasVegasUK on Twitter) shares the top three things that he absolutely got wrong on his first trip to Vegas. In our conversation, we talk about why you sho...

Everything you wanted to know, from day #1 of the reopening of Las Vegas. Also, a few things you probably did NOT want to know. Michael and Steve ( LasVegasUK on Twitter) banter about this “historic” casino event. Caesars Palace Las Vegas Caesars Palace Hotel Rooms (including my Augustus Tower Premium Smoking Room) Wynn Las Vegas Introducing the new co-host for ZorkCast Steve - LasVegasUK Follow h...

Join us on the show as we are taking this opportunity to continue exploring the question of whether you should have a casino host! Following on from the last episode, we talk about the impact of comps and why never to feel bad about making the most of what you have earned. The conversation also covers the apparent difference in standards for foreigners and local casino visitors and how these norms...