Rio Renovation? I Call — B.S.

The owners of the Rio just announced plans to renovate a disco-era property that should have been imploded a decade ago.

I’m not buying it.  I’m not buying the poorly-researched Las Vegas Review-Journal article on this “breaking news,” and I’m certainly not buying the shithole known as the Rio.

Translation: (Rio ownership)

(1)  We’re actually desperate, but we’re making a faux public declaration that we intend to spend a shitload of money to renovate a dead property that probably needs half a billion dollars to become salvageable.

(2)  Our *real* motive is to drive up the selling price of this prime location, and 89-acre plot, to the Oakland A’s, the prospective buyer in their quest for relocation to Las Vegas and a new stadium site.

(3)  By acting like we intend to renovate the property we can actually add another $75 million to the price tag.

Folks, it’s simple.  This is called “PR 101.” A stunt.  Another name for it is “posturing bullshit.”

It’s the oldest game in the public relations playbook (pro tip–all PR is BS). Doesn’t anyone else see this? The musical chairs shuffle never ends. Just look at the history of the Fountainbleau site which has been a disastrous 60-story prick tease and the most despicable case of PR manipulation and price tag flip-flopping in the history of the casino industry.

When weak and desperate and broke–act strong. It looks like the Rio and its ownership are taking a page from that dirty and deceptive playbook.

What we are really seeing here is the money staredown.  Which side will blink first?

If the A’s have any common sense, they’ll call the Rio ownership’s idiotic bluff and throw a lowball offer on the table.  Then, we’ll see if the Rio’s owners are really serious about blowing $850 million on the renovation of a gasping dinosaur.

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Footnote: Why the cynicism about the Rio’s ownership and future? Well when they haven’t changed a light bulb in 5 years, and we can’t find a cocktail waitress anywhere on the casino floor, and the entire joint smells like a bus station, some people are going to question ownership’s so-called “commitment.”