As of this writing in February 2001, Harrah's in New Orleans has declared bankruptcy and is whining that they are going to shut down at the end of March because they can't pay their taxes. Of course they knew exactly what their taxes were going to be before they ever opened their doors, and they bid for the contract on the basis of those taxes, but what of that? Apparently paying taxes is just for the little people....
(UPDATE: Harrah's has been bailed out. Can you spell P-A-Y-O-F-F, people? I knew you could.)
Another thing Harrahs whines about is not being able to take all the people's money and send it back to some Nevada corporation. Instead, under state law, they can't have their own hotel and gourmet restuarants. They have to send you to the local hotel and gourmet restaurants. We'll see if the legislature continues to stick to its guns to protect our local home-grown tourist industry in the face of the Harrah's clone/chain. I'm not holding my breath. (UPDATE: Good thing I didn't, or I'd be pretty blue right now from lack of oxygen!)
I have heard pit bosses flat-out lie to customers betting a mere $25-100 a hand and tell them that Harrahs/NO doesn't comp, but the fact is that they can and do. In the interests of research, I bestirred myself from my cozy home not too terribly far away to sample a comp to a very nice suite at the historic Windsor Court, which just happens to be conveniently located next door to the casino. Here is the beautifully decorated living room:
Here's the bedroom:
Here's the pop-up TV in the bedroom:
The bathroom area was roomy, with a separate toilet and bidet area and a nice vanity, but there was no hot tub:
The kitchen looks deceptively well-appointed with that large fridge:
But don't be fooled. The fridge was stuffed full of drinks that, if you took one of them, you would be charged for it! There was also a gift basket deceptively left out on the counter, with tacky little price tags on everything in it. How tasteless. Probably Harrah's would have paid for it if we'd emptied the refrigerator, since they paid our parking bill, but we didn't experiment. We were too stuffed from the comped meals we enjoyed at Bella Luna and Brennan's.
We had a great time and are proud of our small part in driving Harrah's off the cliff, but can you expect the same level of comps -- or even an open casino -- on your next visit to New Orleans? Only time will tell!
UPDATE: Harrah's won its concessions from the governor and the legislature who pretend to be anti-gambling but do nothing to protect the local interests. I hope there is an investigation into just whose pockets got lined to reduce Harrah's taxes. Hey! I don't get to decide what I pay in taxes, do you, folks? And Harrah's knew what they would be ahead of time. In any event, this latest development probably won't be too great for high rollers. Once their hotel is open, don't expect those great suites at the Windsor Court any more. If you've ever been a guest of Harrah's Las Vegas (about a step ahead of being a guest of the Clark County police department), you know what I am talking about!
Return to the Rockin' High Roller web page and rate some more casino suites!!!