www.CostaRicaTicas.com

From the Tico Times article




Traylor Park wrote








If he follows through on his announced plans I doubt the price will be lower than the hotels he mentioned. In fact I would assume they will be a good deal more expensive.



Don't you think that is just a tad premature

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

The city better beef up security if the plan goes full sail ahead, because other than developer, I can also see petty thieves and malo robbers clapping their hands at this potential cluster of targets.

And I'll bet it will NOT be chica friendly, mis 2 colones.

Some observations:

When I first started traveling to San Jose, I spent a lot of time in and around the Gran Hotel, Plaza Cultural. I was attracted to the area because of the color, atmosphere and fine examples of spanish archutecture. (sorry for the spelling).
I would pass many hours in the lobby casino which used to be upstairs in the front lobby. I met quite a few characters there and enjoyed the parade of tourists checking in at the front desk. The casino staff was friendly and my luck was good there.
I would frequent the outside resturant where I enjoyed the parade of chicas walking through the plaza on thier way to work. I also sat outside on one of the many benches. People were friendly and I met a lot of locals with interesting stories. If you needed to meet someone, this was the place to meet. To me, this was what downtown San Jose was all about.

I have seen changes that ruined the experience. First, they put in a hedge around the outside cafe which blocked the view. Then they ran off the colorful vendors who sold toys, cigars, souveniers and one guy who was selling land. Next they re-molded the lobby of the hotel and moved the casino to a downstairs area which made it like a dundgeon. I hear that the plaza is taken over by ladyboys at night and it can be dangerous.
I no longer frequent the area but I do miss it.

I think that a change could be for the good. Security will most likly run off the bad element. A face lift couldn't hurt. Lets wait and see. Maybe I'll get my Plaza back.

LVSteve

_________________
Just an old horney, fat gambler.

If you think the neighborhoods of SJ are dangerous,try walking around the neighborhoods surrounding the highly successful Casinos in Atlantic City. A.C. was promised the World when New Jersey legalized gambling. In actuality,the only benefits were gotten by the Casinos, their investors and the crooked politicians. A.C. is more of a shithole now than before the Casinos opened. I would expect the same graft and corruption to take place in SJ that went on in New Jersey,and probably even worse. If forced to do it right,a major casino could be a boom to the community by creating thousands of decent jobs..... providing protection and physical improvements for the area. My guess is that the investor group will give back shit to the community just like AC because the crooked politicians will only be concerned with getting rich. At least in AC a lot of them went to jail. (The last three mayors there went to jail to the best of my memory.

I tried to do a Google search of this David Sebag but found nothing.Maybe someone better at searching could help us here.

When I read the thread first Atlantic City was what came to mind to me too. There will be a one or 2 block benefit and the rest will remain or get worse. The question as to the HDR and girls will come down too who has the most juice.

Hi guys! Long time no post, in fact I need to renew my membership…. . I saw this thread and thought I’d chime in.

I’ve been in the gaming industry since 1994 starting in Tunica Mississippi and now based in Biloxi and honestly this does not seem viable to me and here’s why. First off, there would be a serious lack of continuous daily revenue, by that I mean locals who come in regularly and blow $100 to $200 dollars once or twice a week. The local market is the absolute lifeblood of a mid size casino like this. There just aren’t enough local people in San Jose who can afford to blow that kind of money once a month much less more frequently. The casino absolutely has to keep those slot reels spinning because slot machines are what keeps the doors open and the majority of the profit. The only “Locals” you see gambling to any extent at the HDR are the putas, so you can pretty much guess what their position on prostitution would be.

Table games…my department. The $25 dollar player is the bread and butter of the casino in this department as well. And they generally fall under the same local heading as above. You now run into the same problem, where is the local market?

Junkets. If the casino runs junkets which they absolutely would have to do they could in fact cater to a certain percentage of high rollers who find would find the worry free open sex market appealing, I for one would absolutely LOVE to write a comp out for some p*ssy . Yes quite a few guys I know would like that aspect, to come down for a weekend without the wife and go crazy. This of course has to be regulated to an extent, because you have to keep them gambling for as long as possible to maximize their time in the casino…not banging the 2 young chicas in the room.

I just don’t see it working. There are just too many gambling venues in the US to justify taking regular trips to Costs Rica for these guys, yes the tax free winnings might add to the mystique, but then there is the problem with bringing large sums of money into CR and out again. Believe me, I would love something like this because I’d be the first in line to push for a casino shift boss or table games director job.

Anyway, just some quick thoughts on the subject. I’m hoping to make my 3rd trip down sometime in March.

Be safe and enjoy!

Maboman

_________________
Maboman
________________________________

I like my women just like my coffee...100% colombian!

Maboman,
I know what you're saying but I think you've overlooked a couple aspects of the gamblers in the US.

First thing to remember; when Atlantic City first legalized gambling there was an uproar about how it would affect Las Vegas. They said people would no longer travel to Las Vegas for what they could get in Atlantic City.

What in fact happened was AC only created a larger market of gamblers. When they got tired of the local scene (and the winters) they opted to fly to the Mecca of gambling: Las Vegas. This year's projected numbers for visitors to Las Vegas was approaching 40 million people.

Increasing the luxury and draw of gamblers to Costa Rica will only increase the influx. The World Poker Tour filmed a tournament in San Jose in their first year (2002, I believe). That sort of exposure along with the TV commercials touting cheap land has only increased the interest in Costa Rica. Costa Rica has become a household name in the US now.

Another aspect is that flying from the Atlanta to San Jose takes the same amount of time as going to Las Vegas. As people begin to expand their horizens they will begin to see how combining an international trip with gambling will only increase their fun and excitement.

Another factor is the increasing legislation in the US putting pressure on the online gambling businesses. Some people will eventually rebel against this and begin to look for other places to play.

Now throw in the availability of cheap, LEGAL girls and things are going to explode. San Jose could become what Havana was in the 50s.

I don't see anything good coming of this for the likes of CRT members.
The prices will increase everywhere and the best "talent" will be working the big money markets.

More business brings more talent which brings more guys. Word will travel fast and things are going to change. Of course only so many girls can work in a given establishment so there may be some overflow to other venues (i.e. Del Rey, Key Largo, etc) but the pricing structure will be seriously damaged.

I could be wrong but if this new project gets built that's the way I see it.
Wit

YO:
As I have stated before, I am fortunate to have loved and enjoyed CR in the 70's and 80's. At a time when the influx of outsiders only seemed to drift in and out while not taking away the rich culture that persisted there. Yes, expats moved there but most were absorbed in the culture and took little away from it.

I hope that this latest announcement does not come to pass. Another nail in the coffin of what....at least until the last three or four years.......had been a nice and safe place to be in.

Wish I'd seen it, Circus. I could see back then.

Maboman and Witling both commented on the draw of legal prostitution to add to gambling revenues. Sounds like it could eventually turn into Bautista's Havana to me, and perhaps with similar social consequences.


The seething and ugly pseudo-morality which makes gambling and porn more or less okay will still condemn prostitution. If it all gets too big... Who knows?

Wit, I agree that A.C. (and Native casinos, and Biloxi and...and...and..) have all increased the number of gamblers, but I still wonder how many of us would make C.R. a regular part of travel for gaming.

Perhaps this is why the developers are planning to start small, making the Arkada into a six story structure and maybe evaluating the project from there?

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.