Most casinos on the Las Vegas Strip are owned
and operated by either MGM or Caesars Entertainment,
but The Venetian is run by Nazi sex freaks.
As we watched a crying prostitute dragged from the casino
floor in handcuffs, I started to think over how different things are at The
Venetian from the rest of Vegas…
Police Dogs-
In town for a bachelor party, the groom had gotten a good price on two suites at
The Venetian. At check-in, I watched as a security officer walked a dog through
the lobby. A frequent Vegas visitor, I’d never seen this at any other hotel,
and made a mental note.
The second day I watched as another dog walked through
the poker room, directly between tables packed with players. As I happened to
standing with a poker room floor manager, I inquired as to the unusual sight.
He explained because the property is a “soft target,” they have heightened security
measures.
“Ah,” I responded, “for bombs, suspicious packages,
and such?”
“Yes,” said my suited interlocutor, before adding, “and
drugs.” I hope I kept my poker face as my mind screamed. In a town with a poker
community perpetually wrapped in the aromas of sativas and indicas, this is
purely menacing harassment. Hard pass.
Cannabis Prohibition-
Marijuana has been legal in Nevada for years now. It’s nothing to see tourists,
enjoying their vacation, smoking everywhere. However, one night as we returned to
the property, straight from a local dispensary, several people had cannabis
products they had just purchased. Only one carried the bright, baby blue branded
bag, like a neon bomb in his hand. A security guard, watching us approach, came
from behind his special podium in the main lobby and stopped my friend; he stated,
while it may be legal in the state, marijuana was still illegal according to
federal law, which the property chose to enforce. And he escorted this paying
guest towards the door.
My buddy went outside, shocked, but without a word of
protest. I waited in the lobby, thinking he would simply remove his purchase,
conceal it in his pockets, and dispose of the noticeable bag. But the guard had
the attitude of someone who would continue the harassment, and I wanted to see
how this mini drama played out. To his credit, my friend, casually walked around
the side of the building, until he saw an employee entrance, and walked in,
James Bond style, completely unmolested. Cheers, homie.
Racial Profiling-
Driving up to The Venetian, whether through front or rear entrances, visitors
will notice a couple security officers, stationed by cones, monitoring each
lane of traffic. On my first arrival, our Uber was a van, packed with five guys.
The officer stepped in front of the van, stating the windows were “too dark,” and
demanded the driver open the doors, so he could inspect inside. It was strange
and aggressive, and I noted a slight distain in our driver’s attitude as he
complied.
I thought nothing of the imposition until, after
coming and going for several days, it became the only time I saw such
treatment. When I realized the correlation was the Middle Eastern appearance of
our driver that night, his grumbling became clear: just your average, every day,
racial profiling.
Bonus Weirdness-
While not on the level of these previous transgressions, there were two other
highly suspect characteristics of The Venetian.
First, neither suite we
occupied, with six registered guests, contained any glasses or cups. I’ve never,
in my entire life, stayed at a hotel, motel, or Holiday Inn that didn’t at
least have cheap plastic cups. My room at The Bellagio, for example, provided SIX
glasses, both tall and stemless options, for a single bed. No idea what’s
behind that bizarre management policy.
Secondly, located atop the
refrigerator, among the overpriced nuts and waters, was a pastel gray and pink soda
can. It looked non-descript, like a fancy sparkling water that any curious child
would grab upon instinct. However, upon inspecting the can, one finds a list of
sex toys that might be found in a truck stop bathroom: condoms, lubricant, light-up
vibrating cock ring, etc…you know, just a grab bag of goodies for your average
orgy. In all my decades of visiting casinos and staying in hotels, I’d never
seen anything like it anywhere, much less in a multi-billion dollar property
like The Venetian. Again, wowzers…
To be sure, The Venetian is a fancy hotel, complete
with gold-fringed marble columns, fountains, and fresco murals painted upon the
ceilings. But, after spending loads of time under its roof, I would never voluntarily
stay there, nor do I intend to return as a player. The specter of Trump
mega-donor, Sheldon Adelson still haunts the management style of the casino,
and it leaves a grimy flavor of gaudy authoritarianism upon your soul: place is
wack Vegas.
