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Transcript of interview with Daniel Kaminski by Brian Corcoran, March 14, 1978

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1978-03-14

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On March 14, 1978, Brian Corcoran interviewed Twenty-One dealer Daniel Kaminski (born November 17th, 1947 in New Jersey) about his life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss Kaminski’s occupational history and gambling practices amongst tourists. They then go in depth on the rise of gambling establishments across the United States and the impacts it may have on Las Vegas. The interview concludes with a discussion on the role of dealers in casinos.

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OH_00984_transcript

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OH-00984
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    Kaminski, Daniel Interview, 1978 March 14. OH-00984. [Transcript.] Oral History Research Center, Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

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    This material is made available to facilitate private study, scholarship, or research. It may be protected by copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity rights, or other interests not owned by UNLV. Users are responsible for determining whether permissions are necessary from rights owners for any intended use and for obtaining all required permissions. Acknowledgement of the UNLV University Libraries is requested. For more information, please see the UNLV Special Collections policies on reproduction and use (https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/research_and_services/reproductions) or contact us at special.collections@unlv.edu

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    Digitized materials: physical originals can be viewed in Special Collections and Archives reading room

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    English

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    36.17497, -115.13722

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    UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski i An Interview with Daniel Kaminski An Oral History Conducted by Brian Corcoran Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas Special Collections and Archives Oral History Research Center University Libraries University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski ii © Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2019 UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski iii The Oral History Research Center (OHRC) was formally established by the Board of Regents of the University of Nevada System in September 2003 as an entity of the UNLV University Libraries’ Special Collections Division. The OHRC conducts oral interviews with individuals who are selected for their ability to provide first-hand observations on a variety of historical topics in Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. The OHRC is also home to legacy oral history interviews conducted prior to its establishment including many conducted by UNLV History Professor Ralph Roske and his students. This legacy interview transcript received minimal editing, such as the elimination of fragments, false starts, and repetitions in order to enhance the reader's understanding of the material. All measures have been taken to preserve the style and language of the narrator. The interviewee/narrator was not involved in the editing process. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski iv Abstract On March 14, 1978, Brian Corcoran interviewed Twenty-One dealer Daniel Kaminski (born November 17th, 1947 in New Jersey) about his life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss Kaminski’s occupational history and gambling practices amongst tourists. They then go in depth on the rise of gambling establishments across the United States and the impacts it may have on Las Vegas. The interview concludes with a discussion on the role of dealers in casinos.UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 1 The interviewer is Brian Corcoran, 1925 Santa Paula Drive, Las Vegas. The narrator is Daniel Kaminski, a white thirty-one year old male. He’s been living in Las Vegas for approximately twenty years. He’s presently employed as a Twenty-One dealer at the Sands Hotel. This interview takes place at Mr. Kaminski’s present residence at 497 McKeller Circle, on March 14, 1978, at four o’clock in the afternoon. Okay, Mr. Kaminski, where was your birth place? I was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. And when was your birthday? November 17th, 1946. And your nationality? I’m Polish. Okay. What are your languages spoken? I studied Spanish in college along with English. I’m fairly fluent in— Did you take a couple years of this or is this just—? I had two years in high school and four years in college. Did you ever notice, or have any—needed to use it, like for work? Did it help you or whatnot? Well, I was working in New York for the mayor, and well, a lot of Spanish people live in New York so it came in handy there. What places have you lived besides New Jersey and Nevada? I—that’s it, New Jersey and Nevada. And—? I’ve worked in New York City, but I didn’t live there. I commuted there every day. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 2 And how long have you actually been in Nevada? I’d say about twenty years. It’s about twenty years on and off. In other words, you went to school here, and then went back to New Jersey? How was that? I’m not really clear on that. Well, I went to high—I did grammar, I went to grammar school in New Jersey and then we moved out here and I went to high school here. And then I decided to go to college in New Jersey. And what school was it? Well, I went to Rutgers there. And then after that, for two years, for two or three—three years actually, I lived in New Jersey before coming back out here. What made you decide to come back out here? I was married at the time I was living in New Jersey. And after my marriage broke up, I decided to come back out here and see my parents. Oh. Just for a change. Kind of getting it all, coming into the sun, stuff like that? Is that the—? Yes, just say that I wanted a change. Okay. Okay Daniel, I’d like to get a little family background here. What was your father’s name? Henry Kaminski. Alright, where was he born? He was born in, I think it was Scranton, Pennsylvania. Scranton, Pennsylvania? Okay. Your mother’s name? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 3 Her name was Florence Flazenski. Yes. And her place of birth? She was born, I think in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, if I’m not mistaken. Okay, okay. How about your paternal grandfather’s place of birth? Both my father’s mother and father were born in Poland. Where, I really don’t know. Alright. And I believe, I think both my mother’s parents were born in Poland too. Okay, Daniel, do you have any brothers or sisters or? No, I’m the only child. Okay, what about cousins or? Cousins, and uncles and aunts, I have a lot of. My parents both had large families. Except yours? Except mine. (Laughs) (Laughs) And are they all spread out? Or they just stayed around Pennsylvania, like where your parents were from and stuff like that? Almost all of my father’s relatives still reside in Pennsylvania and my mother’s relatives have all moved out to New Jersey. Moved out to New Jersey, okay. Okay, Daniel, what was life like back in New Jersey? It was colder than this, it’s a lot colder, I’ll tell you that. It snowed in the winter, which I really miss out here actually. Especially during the holiday season. I went to Number Seven Grammar School in Fords, New Jersey, at the age of five. And before I could complete it, we moved out here. What was school like there? I mean Number Four, it sounds very impersonal. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 4 Number Seven, Number Seven. Oh, Seven, sorry. Schools out there were named by numbers, I guess. According to district or something—there was a Number Fourteen, School Number Twenty-Seven, School Number Nine, and I happened to go to Number Seven School. It was about two blocks from the house I was living at in Fords. And is this like, city-type area, or? No, it was suburbs, definitely suburbs. You know, trees in the backyard, backyard barbecues, and the whole thing. The whole works. (Laughs) Yes. Okay Danny, how did life differ from New Jersey than to Nevada? Well, Nevada is mostly desert. Back east we had the ocean, which I really miss. I enjoyed—we used to go to the boardwalks and which, actually, I sort of had a limited type of gambling there, where you’d put a quarter down and you’d win a stuffed animal or something. It was sort of, similar to the Big Six wheel, except there were much more numbers and it was about a quarter a shot and you’d win a stuffed animal or an (unintelligible) or something if your number came up. And there was no money gambling there. There were pinball machines, you know, regular pinball machines, not that the types you put the nickels in and you win your nickels back. And it was sort of controlled gambling I guess. Well, the weather gets nice in the summertime right? It’s not quite as hot here, I know. But is there—? Well, the weather back there is much more humid, as you know, back there. It’s not as hot, it’s very pleasant. Especially on the ocean because you get the ocean breeze and it’s nice. It cools off UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 5 at night, it’s about ninety to a hundred during the day if you’re lucky. And at night it cools to about sixty-seven, it’s very pleasant. And you were there at—what age was this? I was there till about the age of ten I believe before we moved out here. So in other words, you’d go down with your parents and they would buy you like, cotton candy and stuff like that? Sort of, yes, we’d get—usually we’d rent a bungalow each year down there, and stay there during my father’s vacation for a week or two and lived on the shore, which was nice. And also, you went back there when you were going to school in New Jersey? When you were a little bit older too, right? Yes, I went to college there. I decided I’d like to get back there so I went to college there. Was it different when you went down there when you were about twenty years old? I mean, you were gonna become more mature, and kind of looked for different things when you went down to shore, I’m sure. Oh yes, basically, the place hasn’t really changed that much. I mean, it’s grown a bit. But the whole shore scene is still the same there and the weather hasn’t changed one bit. The girls seem to be a little bit prettier when you’re down there when you’re a little bit older? Oh yes, sure. Sure. Okay Danny, you were about ten years old when you moved out here. I mean, that’s kind of tough when you’re young. Leaving your family, your friends, and you know, it’s a pain anyway, just coming to a different scene at such a young age. What was your first reactions? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 6 Well, I really missed my relatives and my friends there, especially during the holiday season. I used to have family get-togethers and be visited by uncles and everything, and aunts— Big Polish get together, huh? Yes, sure. Get the posse and all that, I know, I know, I’m part Polish myself, okay. The whole environment was different, like I said. You come out here and it’s completely desert, and I like to fish—luckily there was a place like Lake Mead to fish, and things like that. But it eventually, you know, you meet new people out here, and make new friends. And actually, I have a friend who I met out here, I think on the first day of school. I still know some people. Still around, huh? Yes. That’s amazing, it’s just—from back then, to when you came back from school, I mean, what were like the basic differences? I mean, it’s expanded a great more, I mean in area-wise, business-wise— You mean Las Vegas? Right, yes. Oh, casino-wise, especially—yes, I know what you’re talking about. It seems like they’re putting up a new casino every day, sure. After I went—when I went back to go to school, this town was fairly large. I mean, the big hotels were here. And when I came back, well, these other little casinos sprung up. Actually, if you want my opinion, I think the town’s going to burn itself out from putting up so many casinos. Okay, what was the main reason you came back out here? I realize it must’ve been your father was doing? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 7 Oh yes, like I said, it was—my father was working back there in chemical analysis, and he had an offer to come out here to the Test Site to work. So we decided we’d talk it out, or I guess, I didn’t really talk it out, my mother and father talked it out and decided to come out here. I mean, he’s not part of the military at all, right? No, he just works—he just, he works in chemical houses. Right. And so, you just wanted to be near a base? By any chance, do you get PX privileges by him doing this? Or any advantage the dependent of a serviceman would have? No, it’s completely independent of that. It’s classified as military at all. And he’s been doing this for how many years? Since I can remember. Since you can remember? Then, he never really talks about the job? You know like, did he ever like, show you around and see the airplanes and all that stuff? All the guys in uniform? No, well, I never really had any interest in that. Never had an interest? No. Okay Danny, what does your mother do? She’s a housewife, typical housewife. She doesn’t work. I think at times she’d really to work. She enjoys gambling in fact, after twenty-some years, she’s still is trying to get the twenty-five thousand dollar key-note ticket. That’s a big key-note ticket. Did she ever get close? Oh, she’s hit eleven hundred a couple of times, but you know, nothing really big. She’s not that big of a gambler, she enjoys it, and she goes to bingo. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 8 Oh. Bingo, which is the same back in Jersey, you know, Jersey Church Bingo back there. Right. That’s right, what do you think about this New Jersey starting gambling? Like you say, there’s a minor form of gambling now, but how do you think people will react to major gambling? Because it’s so dense there, I mean, within an hour ride, you can have people from New York City, you can have them from Pennsylvania, Maryland, I mean, do you think it’s gonna really cause problems? Whereas Las Vegas itself is small, people actually go out of their way to get to it. Where in New Jersey, it’s just right down the road. I’ll tell you—well, one thing, I’ve never been to Atlantic City, or I’ve probably been to Atlantic City but I really can’t remember being there so I don’t know what it’s like. I hear right now, it’s not the nicest place in the world to be, that’s actually why gambling came back again for revenue purposes and stuff like that. But I think it will hurt Las Vegas a bit. Weather wise, the people coming out here more for a vacation will come to Las Vegas. The people who are really into serious, heavy gambling, they’ll probably go to New Jersey because it can be snowing outside, as long as there’s (unintelligible) in the casino and a deck of cards on the table, they’ll still be playing. Okay, Danny, what do you do on your free time when you’re not working at the Sands? Is there any special places you’d go or certain things you’d like to do? One thing I said before, is that I like fish. I like to go to Lake Mead and when I get the time off, I get a chance to get a couple extra days off. I like to go up to LA, I know a couple people up there in California. And usually I hang out at bars. I have a girlfriend who I do things with, you know, go to the movies and stuff like that. I gamble occasionally, I’ll do a little Twenty-One once in a while, but no heavy gambling. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 9 You talked about pinball machines—is there anything you can play with that’s similar to that here? You mentioned something, like the nickels or something? Oh nickels, there’s regular pinball machines here and the nickel kind here too. There’s both kinds. How are they different? ‘Cause I’m really not familiar with them at all. I just play Twenty-One and that’s about it. Oh, the nickel machines, you know, you put a nickel in, put a bunch of nickels in there actually. And you—? Try to line up the numbers right and if you do, you get a certain amount of nickels left. And the other ones are just a regular pinball machines, you know, you need twenty-five thousand dollars for a free game. (Laughs) Twenty-five thousand points I mean. Oh for real. So in other words, the ones here, it’s really not a way of making money? It’s just a way of entertainment. Yes, more or less. Right, and you mentioned you miss the snow? Did you ever ski in New Jersey? No, not really. I’ve been up to Mount Charleston a couple of times, once to Lee Canyon, yes, gone up to Lee Canyon a couple times. Did you? It’s nice up there. I think every Christmas time you go up there and you feel at home because there’s snow, right? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 10 Actually, yes, I usually do. On Christmas I usually take a ride up there with my folks. Yes, so. Okay Danny, how did you get into casino life? Casino work? Well, I first came back a second time, I was living with my parents and decided I wanted to get out of there. So I really didn’t have any casino skills, and I didn’t know how to deal Twenty-One, and I never did craps or anything, so I went to work Downtown as a porter in the Golden Nugget for a while. And while I was working, I decided that I didn’t want to do this forever, and decided to go to school for Twenty-One dealing. Set out after about seven or eight weeks, I finally graduated and I started to work in casinos as a Twenty-One dealer. I auditioned in a couple of places that I turned down, and I finally got a job dealing—particularly funny—at the Golden Nugget where I was working. So I quit my porter job and then went right to the tables. I found that the money was better dealing Twenty-One. (Unintelligible) the first two weeks I worked there I didn’t get any tokes, they kept the tokes for themselves, and then splitting them amongst the other dealers, but after that I started getting full tokes. Then I was able to get my own nice place for myself and get away from my parents. And I worked there for about two and a half years and then I auditioned at the Sands where I’m working now. And I’ve been there ever since. Danny because you mentioned tokes—how’s that set up? Is it that if somebody gives you money, you keep it yourself? Or are you saying something that they provide up? Do they put a pool in there or—? Yes, it’s basically a pool. It’s—you put the money when they give it to you, you knock on the table, and you put it in the top pocket, and you give it—put it into the canon and everybody divides it up at the end of the shift. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 11 Alright, is that—toke-wise, is that a majority of the money you make? Or is it, is the salary good? No, most of the money you make is in tokes. That’s the way you make your money. So in other words, to the people who toke, are the people who play for more money, they’re the so-called high rollers right? In other words, some of your works on the Strip like MGM or Caesar’s, you’re probably getting more in tokes than somebody who works with the Golden Nugget? Oh sure, definitely. But mostly, a lot of the times, a lot of times its high rollers are sticky, they won’t give you anything. Really? Oh yes. ‘Kay. Okay, you’re immediate supervisors, (unintelligible), what is their attitude towards you? Do they treat you fair, or? They’re actually not too bad, you’re always being watched, you know for cheating. So you don’t give someone three hundred fifty dollars change for a ten dollar bill, and I don’t know, I think pit bosses are overpaid for what they do. I can say, Twenty-One pit bosses are definitely overpaid, Crap pit bosses I think, they have to know the game, and they sit there and they watch, and they yell out the pay raise when you get a high roller there. But the Twenty-One pit bosses, actually just, you know, stand around and watch you. I wouldn’t want to be one on that kind of deal. What do you mean they just stand around and watch? It’s like, I know how they’re set up, they’re usually a big circle, I guess, what they call the pit. And they just stand there and they watch? They don’t—? They’d use the calculators when you’re yelling out? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 12 Yes, they’ll shorting them when you need money on the table, they make the fills, they watch the security regiment make the fills. And they just watch so that everything comes out legitimately. Nobody’s cheating, you’re not cheating, the customer’s not cheating, no complaints. When you mentioned Craps, did you ever—you said that’s a little more interesting? ‘Cause like Twenty-One you’re really, just, pretty basic. I mean, Craps is pretty complex. I don’t think, Craps games are just (unintelligible) You know, I was thinking, in Jersey, and he got (unintelligible) ‘Cause you go there, you can get, your toke-wise, you’d probably be twice as much as we’re handing out. Well I think it’s going to be a while before the next casino gets established. Maybe after they get set up and all the hotels are running, but not for a while because it’s going to take ‘em a couple years to get everything running right. So. And you have (unintelligible) back there, right? Oh sure, I think every dealing this town has they’ve got back, especially when they’re not making that much money. That’s true of the people who work Downtown. Because it’s mostly, most of the, of the people is just a big chain moving up, you know, up Nevada to a place they’ve probably never been to. That’s true, but like, what—you know, there’s a lot of people from New York and New Jersey and Nevada here, and like, they come out here like, because they’ve heard this and that. Well that’s another thing, that one of them, it’s going to be a lot different back there than it is here. Really? UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 13 You’re going to have winter. Another thing is that they’re only going to be open, I think, eighteen hours a day, so. Is that right? Yes, it’s probably going to coincide with the drinking law. Closes at three o’clock in the morning. Oh that’s right. So there won’t be any gray bunch. When—do you have any personal (unintelligible) towards people that live here? Compared to like, where you were back east? The people have been out here for a while are more friendly than money-oriented, as the people who have stayed for a couple of years. Particularly, move out here from, let’s say back east or California, are more into money and the tokes and things like that. The people who live here, I find are less into that, but are more fun to be with. You know, don’t worry about money as much, that toke-oriented, make a thousand dollars. They’re just happy to be here. And they do serve—it’s kind of strange, ‘cause whenever people think of Nevada, they think of Las Vegas, and they think of Sin City, and they think of all of this—do you think people are like that? I know they’re not, but like let’s say people outside of Las Vegas, from your experience. You mean the people who live in Nevada? Yes, right. That aren’t in this city. Oh like from Reno, that kind of place. I think they’re just average, common people. The same type of people you’d meet back east. It’s, no, I don’t think of Las Vegas as “Sin City,” I mean, I UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 14 think New York is worse than Las Vegas. And in that sense—the people outside the city itself, who aren’t casino oriented are just your average common people. (Unintelligible) Money isn’t a big thing for them. Okay Danny, in your opinion, how much did—have the town and the people have changed? Oh the town has grown immensely since I moved here. I don’t know the exact figure, but the people have doubled or tripled, I’m pretty sure. (Unintelligible) and the casinos, there’s like one popping up every day. You know the maximum comes up every day, and (unintelligible). I think the MGM, they put it up about eight years ago now, they put one up now in upper Reno, so they’re just expanding. The Frontier used to be this sort of cowboy place, you know. This old big old western type of place, and now it’s just, a regular casino like every other one. Speaking of casinos, what is your favorite casino? I mean, to play yourself. Actually, I enjoy going Downtown rather than staying on the Strip because the Strip is a tourist area and in Downtown there’s more—it’s more common people, more local people that hang out down there. I like the Showboat, it’s mostly local people there. But as I said, I like Downtown. It’s more earthly down there. Okay Danny, we talked about these other places that are starting gambling. You know, they talk about it in Miami, and they definitely talk about it in New Jersey and all these other places. What do you think the future is for Las Vegas itself? You know, like you say, a lot of dealers might be leaving, the outlet managers and stuff like that. Well, I think that New Jersey is definitely going to hurt it, but if—I hear that they’re talking about it in California. If California gets gambling, it’s going to hurt Nevada incredibly because UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 15 Nevada really doesn’t that much to offer except for the gambling. I mean, it’s mostly desert. And if California gets it, most of the people come from California to gamble in Nevada, they’re gonna lose, I’d say, maybe forty percent of their clientele. That’s going to put a pretty big dent in Nevada’s income. If Florida gets gambling, it’s gonna hurt too because Florida has the right type of climate for it, besides just being a resort area, they’ll have gambling too, which would be more to offer. And it’s going to take away from the people who would come to Las Vegas to gamble. I agree with that. ‘Cause like, New Jersey, I don’t know, it’s just like a big meat factory, it’d just be people you know, concentrated. And like, California, would hurt because of that. But I would personally, I think the one that would really would hurt the most would be Miami, because like, people go to Miami anyway. I mean they go there for the resorts, they have the warm weather, like you said, but they have a big plus—they have the ocean there too. Yes, that’s right, they do have the ocean to offer don’t they. People go there all the time from north, up north, and if they got gambling, god, I think that’s really going to hurt. But how do you think they can combat that? I mean, do you think they have to go into some other type of field? Other kind of tourist trade? Or—what do you think we’ll have to do? I don’t think that there’s anything—where else could they go into that they have? Legalize brothels and have gambling? What else could they offer? They might be able to offer more transportation modes, I mean, like, they have the junkets now. Almost maybe a free flight out here just for people who want to gamble. Yes, that’s true because, yes, because funny thing that I just heard on the radio, just a little while ago, that they’re thinking that fewer, at certain distance away—I think it’s five UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 16 hundred miles or a thousand miles away, that they’re cutting the price of the airfare now thirty-five percent, which I think is very smart. That’s what they’re going to have to do. They’re going to have to get people out here almost for free and offer them a lot more, maybe even have to offer them free hotel staying if they’re going to gamble, to do the junket routine where they have to spend so much money gambling while they’re here and give them room and transportation free. But it’s going to have to—it’s probably going to have to expand that program, just to get the people here. I think there’s going to be a great deal of competition, don’t you think? Like, ‘cause it’s, it’s kind of like machines here in different casinos? You know they say, the (Unintelligible) got the loosest slots, trying to get the best rate of return. And then they say this and that. And after, they’re just going to have to compete—because here, let’s face it. You know, you’re working at a casino, you know that’s just a big rip-off. Sure. Nobody really has a chance— Well, people do, people do win, or else they wouldn’t come back. Sure, but the thing is, for one person that wins, there’s like four or five that loses. And now when everybody goes home, let’s face it, nobody ever “loses,” they always say how they won. Hmm. Even though Nevada was at about eighty billion dollars (Laughs) but they lost. Oh sure, if someone’s going to win in one casino, a guy’s going to say, even though the money’s in their pocket, “I’m playing on the hotel’s money.” And they don’t realize that they’re actually losing money that they actually have made. UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 17 And they’re giving it all back, of course. They’re giving it all back, (unintelligible) that’s what most of the people come out here for. But the high rollers, people who do win a lot of money—if these other places do open up, and it’s closer for them to go there, and cheaper, they’ll probably do that. Why would they pay to go out here when there’s, when they’re just coming out to gamble. They’re not coming to lie in the sun and get suntanned and see Hoover Dam (Laughs) (Laughs) They’re just coming out here to gamble. But if New Jersey is close or New Jersey’s cheaper, and they can get there quicker, they should go there, right? My personal opinion is that the professional gamblers, the guys that really are good, you know, I just think a lot of ‘em are like me, like you say, from California, from either coast. From either the West Coast— From the bigger cities. Right, to say no, that there’s money that can be made, because they’re always (unintelligible) Right like you say, you guys can play Twenty-One, but like, I don’t know, just stay closer together. But like the little old ladies that come out here, they want to play slot machines and stuff. I mean to them, when they lose, it’s not that bad. To them, it’s just throwing it away. Another thing that Las Vegas may have in its favor is that they’re fairly well established as an entertainment capital. And there are a lot of people who come here to just to, you know, put a couple nickels in machines and just go out to see the shows, if the other places aren’t as entertainment oriented as Las— (Tape one ends) UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 18 Las Vegas—that’s going to be one big plus for Las Vegas, because of course, there are people who just do show people, just to say they’ve been to Las Vegas and have seen Don Rickles at the Sahara. Yes, I think that’s true too. It’s just like, like the word I used to say, it was the “Adult’s Disneyland.” Oh, sure it is. Yes, your fantasy land to get away from it—I think they should still keep that, because, here it is. Like I said, way out in the middle of nowhere and you got—come over the horizon and you just land here and that’s it. And people from my experience, they just like having a drink, make a fool out of themselves. No, it’s just having a good time. It’s, yes, it is a fantasy land, huh? And you know, people win a couple nickels, they’re happy. Those aren’t the serious gamblers. I think that’s like ninety-nine point nine percent of them are—are just—in fact, people I’ve talked to, they say that, you know, “Oh, that’s how much I expected to lose tonight.” You know, like they expect to lose a certain amount. Sure. You know, they put it down, it’s almost like a fixed crust before they even came out. Yes. Another thing is, I don’t think that the town can survive those people though because the casinos aren’t making their money from the entertainment. They’re not making their money from the buffets, they’re more or less breaking even on that, the idea between the entertainment and the cheap food and the cheap rooms, it’s to get the people in there to spend their money. And if you get the people who are here for entertainment purposes, they’re not going to spend their UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 19 money, they’re going to put their two dollars in a machine a night, and the casinos won’t be able to survive on that. Hmm. That’s true, wasn’t it, isn’t it a fact that like, a couple years ago, the entertainment used to be really, really cheap though? I mean— Oh, much cheaper than it is now. I guess that’s—I don’t know if that— I think that’s why they’re doing that because they want to make up more money. Because I remember a time when you can go see somebody for twelve dollars—you could pay two dollars or a big (Unintelligible) but I guess, with the cost of living, the entertainment, the actual people are doing entertainment in the lounges are charging more money. Hence, the casinos need to put out more money and charge more money just to break even. That’s true. What about, I think that’s one thing in their favor, is they’ve got their management or their business structure pretty well together. Well sure, they’re—Las Vegas wasn’t built in seven days. I mean, you know, how long has it been here? And they have everything down, as where the other places are just opening up, they’re going to be fresh, they’re going to be green at it and they’re going to have to learn a lot. They’ll have to learn a lot about gambling and the entertainment factors. Hmm. I’ll tell you, there’s a lot of directors out here, you know, executives of the hotels, probably get paid a lot of money just to go back there. In fact, there’s one guy I know who has one back there. There are people back there—I’ve been offered a job back there, but as I said before, I’m afraid to do it because it’s all new now, and I’d wait a while if I was to go back till everything got fairly established. But I know people who have been offered—one person that I know for instance, has UNLV University Libraries Daniel Kaminski 20 been working, in charge of the slot department and is going back there to, I think it might be Hotel—Resorts International, to take over the slot department there. They definitely, I mean, people come out here— That would be, as you were saying, they could gamble, they got to figure it out. ‘Cause you figure, one way or the other, t