Park MGM is seeking approval from Nevada gaming regulators to open a salon that for the first time will allow patrons playing at table games to be filmed by the casino, comparing it to getting your photo taken on a rollercoaster. The Nevada Gaming Control Board signed off on the new salon at its Wednesday meeting and the matter now goes to the Nevada Gaming Commission for approval.
The move comes after Nevada regulators last fall made gaming salons more accessible under new regulations.
“Its the first of its kind since the regulations have changed,” said Board Chair Mike Dreitzer.
Chandler Pohl, vice president and legal counsel for MGM Resorts International, said ParkMGM intends to take advantage of the synergy of being on the Strip with the adjacent T-Mobile Arena. He said a natural flow of people from the arena has heightened the appeal of the casino and prompted the request of a private and public salon.
There’s an overlay of the television-like studio that co-habits the same space as the salon.
“Our MGM interactive team has believed there is some interest in the gaming community for the recording of people’s play for their enjoyment,” Pohl said. “In that salon environment, the public could enter the space and and there would be an opportunity the play could be recorded and shared with the people playing in that public setting should they want that copy.” In other words, someone could come in, play, and ask for a recording, which would be a perk of this location.
“In the private salon, the same might apply and we could offer filming in that space,” Pohl said. “The camera and audio equipment is all controlled by MGM and not by the patrons, which is dissimilar to what we see across the Strip with influencers where they use their own equipment.”
Recording slot machines is less challenging forthe operation compared to doing so on a table game within a general casino setting, Pohl said. That’s what prompted the idea of doing so in a salon.
“It would not be dissimilar to the World Series of Poker or any other filmed event where a crew is filming and patrons are playing,” Pohl said.
In a private salon, there is an admission criterion, but Pohl said they would apply for a waiver should the application be approved. “That would allow ParkMGM to have increased flexibility, especially if there was an influx of people from T-Mobile or elsewhere who would come in a moment’s notice and would give us the flexibility to cater to them in a private setting,” Pohl said.
If filming is going on in public, the property would require someone to sign a waiver of their likeness and image, Pohl said.
The private salon would be unique in that most salons have doors, but in this case the doors have been replaced with a curtain, Pohl said.
“Because it’s filming and some people who enter that space for filming purposes may want to engage with the public but don’t want the public to engage with their gaming,” Pohl said. “The salon would be private, but there would be an opportunity to engage with the audience. If the individual gaming did not want to engage with the public the curtains could be closed much like a door.”
Normally, people in a private gaming salon want it to remain private, but Pohl said they have found some people who want a private experience, but engage with their fans or other spectators while gaming.
ParkMGM is ramping up to test the room and how it operates to bring people in on an invitation basis as part of a tournament.
“With the regulation changes, we can now allow these tournaments in a private salon,” Dreitzer said.
Pohl said MGM has about six salons and The Cosmopolitan has a handful as well.
The minimum wager will depend mainly on the patron, who can also state the games they prefer. Since there’s only one salon, it can cater to a wide variety of people. The room has three tables – baccarat, blackjack, and roulette.
“There would be room if someone wanted to bring a slot in or any configuration,” Pohl said.
Pohl told the Board he expects the salon to be 70% private use, but if the television aspect takes off, that percentage could change.
“ParkMGM feels this is a unique case, so trying to predict its use (is difficult),” Pohl said.
