As tourism numbers dip in Las Vegas, nowhere has seen more challenges than Downtown. Casinos on Fremont Street are trying new things to attract customers. During Halloween, that means scaring up a few more guests.
Fremont Street itself has a number of Halloween related events going on, but Binion's did something they have never done before. They dedicated an entire unused floor to Halloween.
An electric chamber sits outside Binion's. Walking inside, there's something frightfully different about the casino. Even the waitresses and dealers took part in the holiday. "Everyone is really excited about the costumes. They love them. People are constantly coming up to us complementing our costumes -- telling us how cute we look," said dealer Cory Ghiotto.
This is just the beginning of the attraction. This week, Treasure Island owner Phil Ruffin said the only way to get customers in this recession is to offer a reason to visit. "I think you have to be aggressive and go after stuff like that. In fact, we have never done a fight here. We are doing a fight. We are starting to bring in some headliners," he said.
What's true for the Las Vegas Strip is also true Downtown. So Binion's created the haunted casino. No one rented Binion's banquet halls so spokeswoman Lisa Robinson says they decided to make their entire second floor a Halloween attraction. "It's always great to have an attraction. We were able to put it in some space that was off our casino floor on the second floor," she said.
Binion's actually used their real banquet kitchen as part of the theme. Robinson says they have never done this before.
Since it started October 1, 2009, she says Binion's has noticed an increase in foot traffic. "This is an example of what you have to do in this economy. That is to create something special at your casino," she said.
Tickets are $12. Robinson says the numbers are encouraging Binion's to make this a yearly event.
There are no complaints from Ghiotto. "People come to check out the costumes and they sit down you know," she said.
Gaming revenue for Downtown casinos has been off about 10-percent so far this year. Occupancy rates are also down.
The haunted casino opens at 7 p.m. and goes until 1 a.m. The last day is Saturday.
