Hawaii, Vegas Style?

Travel Blog  •  Pam Mandel  •  01.28.09 | 4:17 PM ET

Waiter carrying tray of Mai TaisPhoto by antigone78 via Flickr (Creative Commons).

With Hawaii’s tourism-driven economy taking such a big hit this season, all kinds of ideas are being thrown around to raise money for the island state. Legalized gambling is again on the table—only Hawaii and Utah do not have legalized gambling in the United States.

Charles Memminger—writing in the Star Bulletin —has another proposal:  Export Hawaii to the mainland. Vegas, to be exact, and build a Hawaii-themed casino.

The point here—a point I’ve made before—is that Hawaii should get into the business of separating losers from their wallets, but we should take their money without them actually coming to Hawaii. The state of Hawaii should build its own government-owned casino in the only place where losers flock to be fleeced: Las Vegas. Why ruin the lives of Hawaii residents by allowing gambling in our state when we can make millions soaking the residents of Nevada?

Pull tabs behind the counter at the Hasegawa General Store or a massive faux Hawaii complex in the heart of the desert? I know that Memminger is being snarky and that the question isn’t that simple. Plus, the state of Hawaii is not in the business of running casinos. But I can also picture, with no effort, a Hawaii casino fully formed, the tiki-style script spelling out the name of the complex—Haleakala, maybe, one of the volcano names, or something evocative of an earlier Hawaii. Old Lahaina, maybe? I can see the painted greenery, the hula shows by girls who are much too skinny, the dealers in their matching Hawaiian shirts ...

I’m not a fan of Vegas artifice, but I can easily imagine my response to such an establishment. “Ooo! Hawaii!” I’d say, hurling myself out of the Vegas heat into an aggressively air-conditioned lobby the size of the entire island of Lana’i. “I’ll take a Mai Tai, please, extra umbrellas, thanks!”


Pam Mandel is a freelance writer and photographer from Seattle, Washington. Her work has appeared in a variety of print, radio, and web publications and she's contributed to two guidebooks, one on British Columbia and one on Hawaii. She plays the ukulele, has an internal beacon that is surprisingly capable of locating the best baked goods in town, almost any town, and speaks German with a Styrian accent. Learn more on her personal blog at Nerd's Eye View.


4 Comments for Hawaii, Vegas Style?

Michael Yessis 01.28.09 | 6:04 PM ET

I am a fan of Vegas artifice, and I love the idea of a Hawaii-themed hotel-casino. It’s a perfect fit for Vegas. I’d stay there.

Though, of course, I’d prefer the real thing any day.

Eva Holland 01.28.09 | 6:20 PM ET

Now that I think about it, I’m actually kind of amazed that there isn’t already a tiki-themed casino in Vegas.

Jim Benning 01.28.09 | 6:41 PM ET

I agree: I think a tiki-themed casino would be huge.

And I think they could bring James Teitelbaum in as a consultant:

http://www.worldhum.com/features/travel-interviews/james_teitelbaum_inside_north_americas_top_tiki_bars_20070802/

pam 01.29.09 | 11:22 AM ET

There WAS a place called “Castaways” but it was imploded a few years back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRsxzf7znU8
I couldn’t find any interior photos of the decor, prior to the dust cloud…

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