I know other people have rated this show as stupid, but I find it entertaining. All reality shows are scripted, and this is no exception. I have been interested in the inner workings of a casino, and this gives me a glimpse inside.
9 Reviews
Absolutely Dreadful
chr1sberg14 June 2004
I Tivo'd this cause it had a cool title, and I heard it was a reality show, but knew nothing else about it. Hoped it would be something about rich people gambling and blowing lots of money.. when I realized it was about a couple of .COMers starting up a casino.. I wondered where it could go. I had good cause to wonder. It didn't go anywhere.
First off, why should I care about a couple of guys worth $100M+ between them buying a casino in downtown vegas? I mean, they spend 15 mins of the show watching them apply in front of the NGC for their license. It's obvious they're going to get it, or else, no series. And they're like "we have $50M on the line, we need to get a license." Sure, like they were stupid enough to pony up the money before even knowing if they had a gaming license.
There are a couple of sub-plots. Some of their college buddies throw a party for their shy friend. With hookers. Exciting, especially on non-Premium TV. There's another subplot about this 6'8" professional gamer guy.. they're like "we're throwing up the alert, he's a card counter!" and following his every move on the security cameras, watching to see if he'll go to the blackjack tables. LIKE THE STUPID REALITY TV CAMERA TWO FEET AWAY FROM HIM WATCHING HIS EVERY MOVE ISN'T A HINT! ..obviously staged. The three chicks from the party above, you see again, at supposedly the same time, hitting on the rich professional gamer guy. It's obvious the whole thing was staged.. it's stupid, boring, and not at all interesting.
Shame on you, Mark Burnett. To come up with this turkey.
0/10, nothing at all redeemable about this series. Hope it gets canceled soon so something not-as-dreadful comes out of the FOX network.
First off, why should I care about a couple of guys worth $100M+ between them buying a casino in downtown vegas? I mean, they spend 15 mins of the show watching them apply in front of the NGC for their license. It's obvious they're going to get it, or else, no series. And they're like "we have $50M on the line, we need to get a license." Sure, like they were stupid enough to pony up the money before even knowing if they had a gaming license.
There are a couple of sub-plots. Some of their college buddies throw a party for their shy friend. With hookers. Exciting, especially on non-Premium TV. There's another subplot about this 6'8" professional gamer guy.. they're like "we're throwing up the alert, he's a card counter!" and following his every move on the security cameras, watching to see if he'll go to the blackjack tables. LIKE THE STUPID REALITY TV CAMERA TWO FEET AWAY FROM HIM WATCHING HIS EVERY MOVE ISN'T A HINT! ..obviously staged. The three chicks from the party above, you see again, at supposedly the same time, hitting on the rich professional gamer guy. It's obvious the whole thing was staged.. it's stupid, boring, and not at all interesting.
Shame on you, Mark Burnett. To come up with this turkey.
0/10, nothing at all redeemable about this series. Hope it gets canceled soon so something not-as-dreadful comes out of the FOX network.
The Casino
alllllrightythen4 December 2006
I live in Vegas and I saw an actual scene.I used to go into the casino frequently just to see if they were filming any scenes. They did retake after retake of a conversation between two people in the casino. The director would tell the two people, "Ok, go around the corner, come back and say the line again." Well, I don't think that sounds like a reality series to me. I would even look at the faces of the blackjack dealers on TV and then go into the casino later to see if I could recognize their faces, and never once saw a familiar face. There was one guy on the show who was supposed to be the son of one of the casino hosts. At the beginning of the show, he was a blackjack dealer, but wanted to move up and be a casino host like his father. So he sucked up to whoever he could and ended up being hired as a casino host. I never once seen this person. It's just not a reality series.
FAKE! Not a reality series!
asaidi-21 July 2004
I've been watching this show for the first few episodes and I've had very strong feelings that the show was fake and/or staged. Those feelings were confirmed with one of the story lines in the third episode.
One of the story lines of the episode involved this young blonde woman who is moving to Las Vegas from Oregon. The first time you see the woman she is driving to Las Vegas because she is planning on moving there from Oregon. If this were REAL then she must have called the producers of the show to let them know she was moving there or the whole scene must have been staged. How else would they have filmed her driving to Las Vegas. Plus, she is apparently moving to Las Vegas but she's not bringing anything with her. There doesn't even appear to be a suitcase in the car she's driving. Instead of finding a motel or apartment she checks into a fairly expensive hotel (the Golden Nugget - the main hotel in the TV series) to LIVE IN while she's in Las Vegas. Then she starts looking for a job at the hotel she's staying at. She doesn't look like a regular job hunter though, even for Las Vegas. Not matter what she's doing she's always got makeup on and she's always wearing outfits that look like she's headed out to a dance club, even when she's filling out a job application. Hopefully, she'll get a job at the hotel to make enough money so she can continue living at the hotel. During one interview the person says they'll mail her some information. They don't need to mail it to her they could just bring it up to her room.
The story goes on from there but by this time I've had enough. The whole storyline looked completely staged. Just like some other previous story lines of the show seemed. There is no way that this is real life Las Vegas. If you want to see what seems to be more like real life Las Vegas then watch "American Casino" on the Discovery Channel.
One of the story lines of the episode involved this young blonde woman who is moving to Las Vegas from Oregon. The first time you see the woman she is driving to Las Vegas because she is planning on moving there from Oregon. If this were REAL then she must have called the producers of the show to let them know she was moving there or the whole scene must have been staged. How else would they have filmed her driving to Las Vegas. Plus, she is apparently moving to Las Vegas but she's not bringing anything with her. There doesn't even appear to be a suitcase in the car she's driving. Instead of finding a motel or apartment she checks into a fairly expensive hotel (the Golden Nugget - the main hotel in the TV series) to LIVE IN while she's in Las Vegas. Then she starts looking for a job at the hotel she's staying at. She doesn't look like a regular job hunter though, even for Las Vegas. Not matter what she's doing she's always got makeup on and she's always wearing outfits that look like she's headed out to a dance club, even when she's filling out a job application. Hopefully, she'll get a job at the hotel to make enough money so she can continue living at the hotel. During one interview the person says they'll mail her some information. They don't need to mail it to her they could just bring it up to her room.
The story goes on from there but by this time I've had enough. The whole storyline looked completely staged. Just like some other previous story lines of the show seemed. There is no way that this is real life Las Vegas. If you want to see what seems to be more like real life Las Vegas then watch "American Casino" on the Discovery Channel.
S.T.U.P.I.D SHOW
SoonersRule3715 June 2004
That sums it up....Stupid show.....Bad acting and who the hell cares to see this garbage....A huge 6'8" guy takes a 'guy' up to his room and all he can do is smile when he finds out????? And says, "don't tell anyone....what happens in vegas, stays in vegas. Uh duh, there is a camera on you dumbass. First off, do you actually think that blonde would have just sat there and waited for him? or the other guy? Uh that would be a no. And once they find find a 'flagged' gamer, that gamer is tossed out..Its not like 'oh lets go up and watch the security camera's'..... And the party up stairs, what the hell was that? high school? Whats the story here, what are we supposed to watch out for? And wasn't that Gaming Commission hearing intense, oh boy.....what about that lounge singer guy....and his 'boss'...."You don't tell me what to do, I hired you" oooooohhhhhhhh scary stuff. This show should be cancelled ASAP to avoid any further humiliation.
Why the hell do I watch this every week?
Mike-29915 August 2004
I've been to Vegas a bunch of times and love it, and I watch all the Vegas shows on Discovery, Travel Channel, etc., because they're interesting. When I saw this was coming on I figured I'd watch it, and for some reason I got hooked. The thing is- I don't know why! While the two owners are OK, the other featured people from the Nugget wouldn't last 10 minutes in the real world. Matt Dusk sings well, but really sounds more like a Sinatra wannabe. But he has a very inflated idea of his own worth. If he'd have done an end run around his immediate supervisor to the head guy of a company like he did to the entertainment director of the place he'd be out on his ass. Plus, he wants to play the showroom, but can't darw flies to see him in the lounge. Tommy, the host trainee, is just not too bright. I could never see him keeping a job, much less getting promoted, at a job that wasn't a TV show. How these "guests" of the casino all end up with suites at a Vegas casino is beyond me- it's all got to be staged.
Obviously fake & scripted; Burnett ships Fox a dud.
snoorian4 July 2004
Mark Burnett scored a hit with the Apprentice, but in that show we began to see elements that he would soon use much more in his other projects: scripted drama and actors planted in (Such as Omarossa). We saw even MORE of this, and more scripting and reenactments in his failure The Restaurant (2nd season especially). At least the viewers reacted and the show was just plain dropped from the NBC schedule.
Now he brings us "The Casino", on FOX. Maybe Burnett's trying to get some revenge on Fox by sending them a huge dud. This show is awful. Full of actors and scripted drama. It's all fake. All of it. And not even good actors. It's just so obvious, that it is insulting to watch. On top of that, the drama isn't even interesting. At least cover some of the business side or something.
Overall -2/10. Yes negative because it's doing harm to all television, and harm to the reality genre.
Hopefully this string of failures will cause Burnett's garbage to drop off the map of network television.
Now he brings us "The Casino", on FOX. Maybe Burnett's trying to get some revenge on Fox by sending them a huge dud. This show is awful. Full of actors and scripted drama. It's all fake. All of it. And not even good actors. It's just so obvious, that it is insulting to watch. On top of that, the drama isn't even interesting. At least cover some of the business side or something.
Overall -2/10. Yes negative because it's doing harm to all television, and harm to the reality genre.
Hopefully this string of failures will cause Burnett's garbage to drop off the map of network television.
Sin City in your living room
MartynGryphon9 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
This entertaining show is getting it's airing on British TV for the 1st time on the challenge TV channel.
I am addicted to it, there's only a few more episodes to go and can't wait to see how the series ends.
Tim and Tom have brought the legendary Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Vegas and set about trying to re-create the glory of old style Vegas, circa The Rat Pack years. For music they turn to Canadian Crooner Matt Dusk, who's desperate for the big time, and is obviously distressed about always being relegated to bar singer. (but hey that's where Sinatra started kid!, don't knock it).
Owning a Casino soon shows itself to be the pain in the arse it really is, when all of Tom's efforts to bring quality entertainment to the venue backfire consistently, much to the chagrin of his dominating partner Tim. Personally, of all the acts seen on the show, I'd choose Matt Dusk every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The weirdest moment of the series is when an arrogant manager turns up and basically blackmails Tim and Tom to sign an act, without letting them see him, or tell them what he does. Amazingly, Tim and Tom agree. (Had it been me, I would have personally kicked that smug git manager down all 900 flights of stairs into the street below and then run over him in one of the courtesy cadillacs). What makes it weirder is that the act is an 'impersonator' called 'Downtown Gordie Brown' and to say the least is....er....well...CRAP! Yet Tim and Tom are in fits at hysterics at his antics and think they've made the right decision. !!!DOINK!!!!
The most annoying character in this show is little Tommy, a blackjack dealer who wants to break out of the pit and get the much coverted job of casino host and follow in his fathers footsteps. Again, even more amazingly, he is hired by Tim and Tom to do just that, as Junior Host. This pathetic weasel of a man, is to Customer Care, as I am to Brain Surgery...Useless! He even goes to the Cotton Tale Ranch Brothel and....wait for it....escapes out of the window. It is easy to see where his old Pit boss Monique, with whom he constantly fought, was coming from.
The High Rollers especially the Mills clan, have more money than sense, and It's hard to believe that these people are intelligent enough to have earned the wads of cash they blow at the casino. Surely, a man capable of earning so much money corporately should be astute enough to realise when he SUCKS at gambling, It's hilarious to watch Tim chase one destitute High Roller to a golfing range, after he skips the Hotel owing a cool million dollars.
Tony Bennett crops up in one episode after being invited to sing in the showroom for a gala re-opning weekend and turns Matt Dusk into nothing more than a drooling schoolboy. Tony catches a show at Zax's restaurant and stays long enough to give Matt his personal seal of approval, which is enough to swell our Commonwealth cousin's head by another 12 inches at least.
I love this show, staged or not, it's gripping viewing. Sadly I fear a follow up season will never transpire as from what I gather it has bombed in the States coupled with news unveiled a few days ago saying that Tim and Tom have sold the property (and their debts) after little less than a year in charge after profits have plummeted, Unfortunately after seeing some of their wacko business decisions I can clearly see why. Well I'm of now to watch that other addictive casino show 'American Casino' and party the night away at JC2K. (an ultra lounge don'tcha know')
I am addicted to it, there's only a few more episodes to go and can't wait to see how the series ends.
Tim and Tom have brought the legendary Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Vegas and set about trying to re-create the glory of old style Vegas, circa The Rat Pack years. For music they turn to Canadian Crooner Matt Dusk, who's desperate for the big time, and is obviously distressed about always being relegated to bar singer. (but hey that's where Sinatra started kid!, don't knock it).
Owning a Casino soon shows itself to be the pain in the arse it really is, when all of Tom's efforts to bring quality entertainment to the venue backfire consistently, much to the chagrin of his dominating partner Tim. Personally, of all the acts seen on the show, I'd choose Matt Dusk every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The weirdest moment of the series is when an arrogant manager turns up and basically blackmails Tim and Tom to sign an act, without letting them see him, or tell them what he does. Amazingly, Tim and Tom agree. (Had it been me, I would have personally kicked that smug git manager down all 900 flights of stairs into the street below and then run over him in one of the courtesy cadillacs). What makes it weirder is that the act is an 'impersonator' called 'Downtown Gordie Brown' and to say the least is....er....well...CRAP! Yet Tim and Tom are in fits at hysterics at his antics and think they've made the right decision. !!!DOINK!!!!
The most annoying character in this show is little Tommy, a blackjack dealer who wants to break out of the pit and get the much coverted job of casino host and follow in his fathers footsteps. Again, even more amazingly, he is hired by Tim and Tom to do just that, as Junior Host. This pathetic weasel of a man, is to Customer Care, as I am to Brain Surgery...Useless! He even goes to the Cotton Tale Ranch Brothel and....wait for it....escapes out of the window. It is easy to see where his old Pit boss Monique, with whom he constantly fought, was coming from.
The High Rollers especially the Mills clan, have more money than sense, and It's hard to believe that these people are intelligent enough to have earned the wads of cash they blow at the casino. Surely, a man capable of earning so much money corporately should be astute enough to realise when he SUCKS at gambling, It's hilarious to watch Tim chase one destitute High Roller to a golfing range, after he skips the Hotel owing a cool million dollars.
Tony Bennett crops up in one episode after being invited to sing in the showroom for a gala re-opning weekend and turns Matt Dusk into nothing more than a drooling schoolboy. Tony catches a show at Zax's restaurant and stays long enough to give Matt his personal seal of approval, which is enough to swell our Commonwealth cousin's head by another 12 inches at least.
I love this show, staged or not, it's gripping viewing. Sadly I fear a follow up season will never transpire as from what I gather it has bombed in the States coupled with news unveiled a few days ago saying that Tim and Tom have sold the property (and their debts) after little less than a year in charge after profits have plummeted, Unfortunately after seeing some of their wacko business decisions I can clearly see why. Well I'm of now to watch that other addictive casino show 'American Casino' and party the night away at JC2K. (an ultra lounge don'tcha know')
Like Watching a Trainwreck.....
yprice-21 December 2004
OK, the show has been off for about 4-5 months now but I am still ticked off that I was sucked into this lame show. I guess I had a soft spot for "Vegas" based shows since I am a huge fan of American Casino. I just *assumed* that The Casino would be of the same high caliber as AC. Boy, I was so wrong. From the moment the viewer is introduced to this wreck, you have an uneasy feeling. You just get a feeling that this is NOT going to be pretty. You watch one episode with hopes that the next one will finally show some redeeming qualities about The Golden Nugget and all the colorful characters. Once again, you are let down and all you see is a horribly scripted show with bad acting, scummy people and a soft-core porn undertone to it.
First of all, if Poster and Breitling are smart enough to be internet gurus, they should have been smart enough to get a better reality show deal. I am assuming that neither guy did any research on Burnett and his shows. Yes, he has had lots of success BUT he has also had a HUGE failure with Mr Rocco DiSpirito. The first thing that Poster and Breitling should have done was make sure that they had COMPLETE CONTROL over what was shown. Due to MB's use of scripts, bad actors and soft-core porn undertones, the show made The Nugget look sleazy and low class. Also, add the fact that Poster and Breitling need to learn that in order to bring The Nugget back to its rat-pack day, the use of Trashy Lingerie and Bikini Bowling does not help them achieve it.
First of all, if Poster and Breitling are smart enough to be internet gurus, they should have been smart enough to get a better reality show deal. I am assuming that neither guy did any research on Burnett and his shows. Yes, he has had lots of success BUT he has also had a HUGE failure with Mr Rocco DiSpirito. The first thing that Poster and Breitling should have done was make sure that they had COMPLETE CONTROL over what was shown. Due to MB's use of scripts, bad actors and soft-core porn undertones, the show made The Nugget look sleazy and low class. Also, add the fact that Poster and Breitling need to learn that in order to bring The Nugget back to its rat-pack day, the use of Trashy Lingerie and Bikini Bowling does not help them achieve it.
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