INSIDE GAMING: Big cats' habitat out, burger joint in at Mirage - Business

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Nov. 11, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

INSIDE GAMING: Big cats' habitat out, burger joint in at Mirage

INSIDE GAMING
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The Mirage's white tiger habitat is giving way to an upscale burger joint. Siegfried & Roy's famous exotic animals, however, aren't vacating the Strip resort.

MGM Mirage quietly closed the tiger habitat near the hotel's south entrance last week and announced that BLT Burger, a stylish hamburger restaurant from Chef Laurent Tourondel, will occupy the space by next spring. BLT Burger is advertised as having a hip and casual setting and a diverse menu, specializing in beef, Kobe, Lamb and Ahi tuna burgers.

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The tigers, who prowled the glass-enclosed home since The Mirage's opening in November 1989, can still be seen as part of Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the resort. Rather than the free viewing near the entrance, the Secret Garden carries a charge of $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 4 to 12.

"We thought we could make better use of the space by opening BLT Burger, and we wanted to encourage our guests to visit the Secret Garden," said MGM Mirage spokeswoman Jenn Michaels.

Officials from the proposed Crown Las Vegas project, slated for the former Wet 'n Wild site on the Strip, held meetings with their potential neighbors from Turnberry Towers last week. Developers wanted to alleviate any concerns about the potential height of the 5,000-room resort's hotel tower, now proposed for 142 stories.

The Federal Aviation Administration is reviewing a request from Crown Las Vegas to reduce the planned height of the tower from the initial 1,888 feet to 1,150 feet, one foot taller than the Stratosphere.

Crown Las Vegas officials told Turnberry residents the project could be turned into shorter, dual hotel towers, depending upon the FAA's ruling.

Does this count?

In an interview last month on TheStripPodcast.com, disgraced baseball star Pete Rose said he would pay $100 to anyone who sees him gambling.

Rose, the former Cincinnati Reds all-star who was banned from baseball for violating rules against wagering on baseball, will be at the Global Gaming Expo on Tuesday, appearing in the Kodiak Gaming booth.

Last year, Kodiak Gaming, a Florida-based slot machine company that supplies American Indian casinos, announced that it had signed Rose to a licensing deal for a Pete Rose-themed slot machine.

Voters in Maine rejected a referendum last week that would have allowed an American Indian tribe in the eastern part of the state to operate a racino. Penn National Gaming, which owns a slot machine parlor at a racetrack in Bangor, now has the state's lone casino.

The Inside Gaming column is compiled by Review-Journal gaming and tourism writers Howard Stutz, Benjamin Spillman and Arnold M. Knightly. Send your tips about the gaming and tourism industry to insidegaming@reviewjournal.com.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Report abuse adnan wrote on June 19, 2008 01:20 AM: I Need Some mony 1) Bank Name.adnan ananzeh 2)Bank Address... the islamic bank of jordan/ajloun my Bank Account..33570 4) Phone Number.0062777197790 5) Receiving Country...amman 6) E - Mail..adnan_ananzeh@yahoo.com 9) Age …37 Report abuse adnan wrote on June 19, 2008 01:13 AM: 1) Bank Name.adnan ananzeh........................ 2) Bank Address... the islamic bank of jordan/ajloun..................3) Bank Account..33570.....................4) Phone Number.0062777197790..,.... ……….5) Fax Numbers..no fax.....................6) Receiving Country...amman ………………7) E - Mail..adnan_ananzeh@yahoo.com.. ……………………...8) Profession..employ. ……………….....9) Age …37…………………………10) Sex...from Report abuse adnan wrote on June 19, 2008 01:10 AM: I NEED SOME MONY Report abuse Ugly American wrote on December 08, 2007 09:45 AM: I think it's alot better for the tigers. The front area was always too small and they looked harrassed by the crowds with flash cameras. Report abuse Dave in Cincy wrote on December 04, 2007 09:20 PM: I am just apalled at this decision. I already pay the $15 to see the secret garden, but I have seen the cost-cutting for a while. The moving sidewalk at that entrance to the Mirage has been turned off for quite awhile now, most likely because of the $$$ it costs to run it. And now, we demolish the tiger habitat to open yet another upscale L.A.-style burger restaurant. Listen, if I wanted to be around L.A.-style attractions, I'd go to L.A.!! Caesar's Palace used to be my favorite casino-resort, but the renovations that came with Celine ruined the atmosphere for me. I liked the moving sidewalks into the property, and the emerald lighting at night. My favorite spot was near Cleopatra's Barge around midnight, when there was smooth jazz played. It had a "Rat Pack" air of being classy. That all got changed, and I discovered the Mirage and all of its charms. Soon, it became my favorite casino resort. But now I wonder, how long before they get rid of everything that made them who they are in the name of trying to appeal to those weekenders from L.A.? I wholeheartedly agree with everything Eric said. A huge part of Las Vegas's charm and attractiveness is the architechture and vibrant colors on the strip. The front of the Monte Carlo is RUINED on the south side. The huge window signage on all of the major hotels are Branson-esque. The first time I brought my girlfriend, she said it was breathtaking. Now, she's as disappointed as I am and wonders what the executives making these decisions are thinking? Please, Mirage, keep what you have left in the Secret Garden, volcano, Coconuts and the aquarium. Those are great eye-catchers. I love the Atruim! Long live classy old-school Las Vegas!! Report abuse Fafner wrote on November 20, 2007 10:46 AM: God forbid the public should even see one or two sleepy-looking tigers for free. Report abuse P wrote on November 13, 2007 11:19 AM: Jasaon & Eric i agree with you. i won't be paying $15.00 to see the white tigers--they will loose alot of foot traffic, because of this. it is too bad that all tese hotels have come to think of the $$$ instead of the visitor. Report abuse Jason wrote on November 11, 2007 08:05 AM: It's a shame they've shut down the tiger exhibit; it was one of our favorite places to visit on the strip. I can assure you we won't make the same trip for a kobe burger and certainly won't pay the $15 to go to the Secret Garden. Report abuse Eric wrote on November 11, 2007 07:51 AM: In your article about the MGM/Mirage is just another example of how the big hotels now days are removing class from their properties,just what we need is another burger place. I dont' care who the chef is. Look around and see how they are using the buildings as billboards. If that is not enough ruin the looks of the Monte Carlo by adding an information booth to the front and then if that is not enough stick a Mexican Resturant on the corner that does not even match the decor.