Once a joke among serious gamblers, it is now the hottest form of betting during this recession.

From the USA Today:

"Bigger casinos used to frown on penny slots," says Bob Sobczyk, vice president of casino operations at penny-slot innovator Ameristar, which owns casinos in six states. "A consultant told us it was a joke to put all those penny machines in. Then we showed him our revenue," Sobczyk says.

He says penny slots are a hit because they're video terminals — full of visual glitz and betting variety — that a mechanical slot machine can't match by lining up three cherries.

Read the entire article by clicking the above link.

Compare parking rates for various city airports

From travel on the dollar:


If you are shopping for best rates to park your car and you’re crunched for time, then BestParking has already crunched the numbers for you and can help you find the best rate.

Great information including the ability to use their mobile site to see where you can save money on airport parking by getting a last minute rate check.

Click here for a link to their mobile site.

Hard times hitting Las Vegas

From Time Magazine:

But I'm here because Las Vegas is on sale. The hotels, led by Wynn Resorts boss Steve Wynn, slashed room prices to increase occupancy rates to 82% from a low of 72%. On the right day in July, you could book the type of 750-sq.-ft. room that was $500 a year ago at the Wynn for $109 and get a $50 gift certificate. The high-end restaurants at the MGM have gotten rid of most of their $400 bottles of wine and replaced them with $100 ones. This is either a model for the rest of the country or, if the reset fails, the beginning of a long, long slide.


Las Vegas is the city hit hardest by the recession. Click the above link to read more from Time Magazine's article that details Las Vegas' bet for a come back.

Worst Part of a Trip May Be Booking It on the Web

From the New York Times

A new report, to be released Tuesday by Forrester Research, found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many consumers were fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.

“What we’ve seen is growing frustration,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. “Consumers see other Web sites becoming easier to use — retail Web sites, banking Web sites, media Web sites. But travel is treading water as a category. There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process.”

Instead, customers are forced to figure out extra fees, wade through fine print and understand industry terms like the difference between a deluxe and a standard room, in addition to educating themselves about destinations, flights and hotels, Mr. Harteveldt said.

“Travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent,” he explained. “The question I always ask these guys is, ‘Could your mother-in-law use your Web site without having to call you for help?’ The answer is always no.”

In fact, Mr. Harteveldt said a growing number of consumers appeared to be interested in using an offline travel agency, if they could find one.

“The fact that there are more people now who would consider using a good offline travel agent is telling me people are saying, ‘Enough already,’ ” he said.


Enough already!!!!

Click the above link to read the entire story.