Park MGM’s Planned ‘Recording-Enabled Gaming Salon’ A Sign Of The Changing Times

What happens in Vegas is about to stay in Vegas less than ever, pending final approval from the Nevada Gaming Commission.

Park MGM, the Las Vegas Strip property formerly known as Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, is seeking to become the first Strip casino with a designated “recording-enabled gaming salon.” Sign-off is expected at a commission meeting scheduled for March 26, on the heels of the Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) unanimously recommending approval last week.

Whether this will prove some sort of paradigm shift remains to be seen, but it is at the very least a sign of the times, one small step toward the Truman Show-ification of our society, where everything everywhere is recorded and available for viewing — including, increasingly, the gambling that once was the exclusive recording domain of the casino’s “eye in the sky.”

What Park MGM has in mind is not quite the same as the ever-growing presence of “influencers” recording their casino action themselves to post on their personal feeds. Rather, in this gaming salon, Park MGM will handle the recording, and patrons can access the footage afterward if they want.

“It’s much like when you ride the roller coaster at New York-New York, afterwards you can buy a photo of yourself on the roller coaster,” explained Chandler Pohl, vice president and legal counsel for MGM Resorts International, at the NGCB meeting.

“Our MGM Interactive team has believed that there is some interest in the gaming community for the recording of people’s play for their enjoyment,” Pohl added. “In that salon environment, this will be the first one of its kind where, in a public setting, the public could enter the space and game as per normal, and there would be an opportunity that the play could be recorded and shared with the people who have been playing in that public setting, should they want a copy.”

From discouraged to encouraged

Different casinos have different rules, but for the most part, throughout Las Vegas history, photography and videography on the gaming floor has been discouraged, based on the notion that it could aid cheating or violate other patrons’ rights to privacy. There were never any formal laws against taking photos in casinos, but security personnel were frequently quick anyway to tell casino goers that snapping pics wasn’t allowed.

Bit by bit over the past decade-plus, those limitations have lifted.

Scott “The Big Jackpot” Richter, who at last check had 672,000 subscribers on YouTube, began recording and posting his slot play in 2014, making him one of the earliest casino influencers. Brian Christopher followed in 2016 and has just shy of 800,000 subs, and Francine “LadyLuck HQ” Maric started in 2017 and has more than 1.1 million subscribers,

Even for those who don’t film their casino play for a living, there’s much more freedom to record these days. Properties encourage guests to snap selfies and post them with a promotional hashtag.

But Park MGM’s proposal takes it to another level. Until now, the property stood out in two ways: It was the only fully smoke-free casino resort on the Strip, and it was the closest casino to T-Mobile Arena, home of the NHL’s Golden Knights.

Now it’s poised to become the first Strip casino with a special section where all game play is recorded for purposes other than security.

Pohl explained at the NGCB meeting that MGM will post signage around the gaming salon informing patrons that filming is in progress and will provide forms for people to sign consenting to being filmed in the salon — whether they plan to play or just watch.

It’s curtains for ya

The salon, which will be curtained off from the rest of the casino, can either be configured as open to the public or booked for private use by celebrities or influencers. Park MGM’s proximity to T-Mobile makes it a popular place to gamble for folks with assorted claims to fame who are on their way to or from a concert or sporting event.

Pohl explained that “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. The salon would be private, but there would be an opportunity to engage with the audience.”

At the outset, the new room will feature blackjack, baccarat, and roulette tables.

Although this would be the first area on a casino floor that’s set up for streaming, there are other studios in operation at other Vegas properties.

The Luxor boasts the Omen Streamer Room, a broadcast center near the front entrance of the casino built specifically for eSports and video-game streaming. At Palms, there are a pair of high-roller suites in the hotel that are set up as production sets. And at the downtown property the Plaza Hotel and Casino, a gambling streaming studio initially opened in 2021 with Brian Christopher’s name attached is now known as the Vegas Live Casino Network.

It wasn’t so long ago that snapping a photo of a hand you won on the casino floor could get your camera confiscated or get you escorted off the premises. Now, broadcasting your play to the world is encouraged. And Park MGM wants you to go home with not just a story to tell, but documented proof of how you brought down the house.