Deseret News (Salt Lake City): Las Vegas hits jackpot with high-tech gadgetry

LAS VEGAS -- Of all of the things Las Vegas does right, many of them involve technology. From the amazing neon to the systems that track gamers as they move through the casinos, there are some mind- numbing systems installed here.

There are a ton of Wi-Fi hot spots here, and high-speed Internet is available in nearly every one of the hundreds of thousands of rooms in this city. That should be expected in a city that commands the room prices this one does.

Here is some behind the scenes stuff you didn't notice:

-- When you drive in to some Las Vegas hotels, a valet with a small handheld computer from Symbol Corp. types in your license plate and name, alerting the front desk you have arrived. How do they know your name? The tags on your bags, that they are getting out of your trunk. (Baggage tags from airlines now have your name on them to aid in identification in case your bags need to be removed from a plane.) A small sticker with a bar code is quietly attached to your luggage and scanned, in case you want your bags delivered to your room.

-- Once you get to the front desk, your information is already printed and waiting for you, thanks to the valet. You're likely issued a gambling comp card, a small credit card with a magnetic strip on the back that the casino uses to track your gaming.

If you insert it into a slot machine and start playing (and play enough), you'll soon find yourself visited more often by the waitress. If you play a lot on an expensive machine, a casino employee soon will be by your side, offering you a lunch or other amenity.

If you play table games and play long enough ($25 average bet for four hours of blackjack, for example) credits will start piling up on the card. Those credits, earned at table games or slots, can be redeemable for dollars off your hotel stay or shirts, towels and other gambling merchandise.

For the casino, however, they are a valuable marketing tool. Every time you insert your card, your history goes with you. The slot machine (which is totally run by computer now, which simulates the random spinning of the wheels) is tracked by the amount of money that goes through it. So the casino can use the card just like the grocery stores use their loyalty cards: to track what players do, how much they spend and what items interest them the most. Without the computer technology, the casinos would have to hire an army of people to watch gambling behaviors.

-- The old Keno girl is now computerized; the sports book, once a haven of printed slips and grease pencils, now is totally computerized. A PC and monitor at every station allows bettors to place their wagers without a clerk's intervention if need be.

The maid's cart? It also contains a small computer that alerts the front desk if you've sucked down everything in the minibar or stolen all of the towels. It also can track how fast the maids are cleaning the rooms. Room service? Also computerized.

The savings from all of this, of course, come in the way of reduced need for staff and increased efficiency in operation. It's pretty cool to watch technology at work.

WEEKLY WEB WONDER: Visit the great NASA Web site www.nasa.gov with your kids. It's a fantastic educational resource.

James Derk is new media editor for The Evansville Courier & Press. His e-mail address is jderk@evansville.net