LAS VEGAS - There are two new casinos ready for business, while creating hundreds of jobs in Las Vegas. This comes at a time when Nevada's unemployment rate has risen 3 straight months.
Margaritaville opened Saturday at the Flamingo with more than 300 people waiting in line. And the parking lot of Skinny Dugans Casino and Restaurant is nearly full. Both businesses hope to keep the momentum going, despite what the economy is doing. More than a ribbon cutting, the grand opening of Skinny Dugans is a sign of hope in a state with the worst unemployment rate in the nation.
"I applied at like 8 different places and they were the only ones who called me back," said Skinny Dugans Buser Juan Navarette. Navarette was like countless Nevadans struggling to find work. Now he's one of 22 people hired by the Casino. The Staple opened in 1973, closing 30 years later. They re-opened in 2006, only to close again and sit idol on Charleston near Valley View.
"Although I've lived in this area for almost 30 years this is the first time that I've been commissioned to do something for a casino," said local artist Austine Wood Comarow. Comarow helped beautify the Caribbean styled casino inspired by it's owner: recording artist Jimmy Buffet. With 22 gaming tables and 220 slot machines, the casino hopes their island vibe stand-outs enough to boost their bottom line. "From the lime wedge lights to even our dealers wear khaki pants and flip flops and boat shoes, everything is untucked; we just let our imagination run wild," said Tamara Baldanza with the Margaritaville Hospitality Group.
The Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority reported 17 months of increased tourism and a 4% percent increase in visitor attendance. Both casinos hope to see that impact in sales.
