My biggest problem is often choosing the issues. The US is huge, so the diverse American gaming industry creates amazing tales to tell. Each month I develop a list of subjects, only to find something more immediate in the news. My original topics often have to be postponed to another month. For me, having too much rather than scrounging for news makes for a great month.

However, summer is a time to relax and not think too seriously about much. Considering I live 15 minutes from the beach and the Atlantic Ocean in southern New Jersey, it is time to enjoy those sunny days.

So, in the spirit of lighthearted journalism, for those of you living near the beach or sitting poolside, I give you a column filled with little industry “tidbits” that are just plain entertaining.

Last month, I told you about the $17,000 found in the empty building and dormant slot machines at the shuttered Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The venue has been a hotbed of activity since the closure.

To prepare for the implosion of the building, everything had to go. Talk about a going out of business sale. For an initial $10 admission, which was later dropped, people could examine and bid on thousands of pieces of history. And, did they line up. It was a bargain hunter’s dream. What a way to furnish a room with history.

Everything from appliances to dishware and other furniture went on the auction block. More than 800 double and 150 king-size beds are now in the bedrooms of hundreds of happy customers. Thousands of smaller items that once graced the glitzy suites of the high roller and celebrities who performed at the Sands are in homes and businesses. Even the famous sculptures and artwork from the lobbies have been purchased.

Ever wonder what happens to the gaming chips when a casino closes or change its theme? When the Sands closed, millions of dollars in chips on the premises that had to be destroyed.

How painful was it to watch $61.2 million in chips turn to trash within minutes? First to go were orange chips worth $1,000, followed by the gray chips worth $5,000 apiece. I admit I have never seen those kinds of chips since I play the lowest minimum I can find.

Weighing 9,700 pounds, 457,000 chips in denominations of $1 to $5,000 were poured into metal containers and dumped into a vat in a tractor-trailer containing a hammer-like crunching machine. Following a loud rumbling sound, the little remnants of plastic ended up in cardboard boxes, worth nothing.

Oh well, easy come, easy go.

Any American – and possibly worldwide – over 40 remembers “The Beverly Hillbillies”, that 1960s television favorite. The show focused on the Clampetts, a “hillbilly” Tennessee family that discovers oil on their property and moves to Beverly Hills. Max Baer Jr. played bumbling nephew Jethro Bodine. He now wants to become a casino operator in northern Nevada.

Baer recently purchased a 2.5-acre parcel of land near Carson City, Nevada’s state capital for $1.2 million. To commemorate his alter ego, he wants to build a casino, calling it Jethro Bodine’s Beverly Hillbillies Mansion & Casino. Baer plans a 40,000 square-foot gaming floor with 800 slot machines and 16 table games.

He still needs almost 21 additional acres, but must wait for appropriate land zoning.

Las Vegas gamblers can continue to get lazier when they play. From end to end, the Strip’s distance is proving to be too much exercise for some. While older and obese people typically motor about on scooters due to walking difficulties, the trend has now dropped to younger, healthier tourists. For $40 a day, many are renting scooters to zoom around the Strip.

I guess possibly getting some exercise is proving too much for some. Also, how else can a player hold on to that beer bottle or wear four-inch heels and get anywhere? According to one company owner who rents to guests at several casinos, the scooters can go everywhere with wheelchair access at five miles per hour. However, they are banned from the street.

Casino International will not publish an August issue. So, enjoy your summer and relax. I’ll be back in September with some meaty, thought-provoking issues.

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