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- Who produces the Fremont Street Experience shows? (5-5-2009)
- Why don't Las Vegas homes have basements? (4-28-2009)
- How do I remove the smell of dog urine from fake grass? (4-24-2009)
- Does Las Vegas have a film board for TV shows and movies being filmed here? (4-14-2009)
- Why is the Fifth Street School on Las Vegas Boulevard? (4-7-2009)
- Why aren't bad road repairs being fixed? (3-31-2009)
Mr. Sun,
Driving by downtown on U.S. 95 recently, I noticed a flashing neon sign at the top of the California. It says “at the Cal,” and alternately flashes “eat,” “park” and “DST.” I know what eating and parking are, but what is DSTing?
•••
The California uses DST as shorthand for daily slot tournament.
If the acronym doesn’t immediately translate in the minds of some Las Vegas gamblers, it’s because locals aren’t the casino’s target audience, according to company executives. The casino’s customers — many of whom are from Hawaii — get it.
“The Hawaiian customer is familiar with DST as daily slot tournament,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, director of marketing for Boyd Gaming in downtown Las Vegas. “The tournaments are, of course, open to anyone, but people from the state of Hawaii — those folks and locals who are Hawaiians — they recognize it.”
Indeed, Boyd Gaming, which owns the California, has long cultivated the Hawaiian market with package deals and charter flights. (Fitzgerald claims the California sells more oxtail soup, an island favorite, than any other Las Vegas casino.)
Mr. Sun called the Las Vegas Hawaiian Civic Club to check the company’s claim that Hawaiians here and there understand their DST acronym.
A vice president of the organization answered.
“I’m not familiar with that abbreviation,” he said.
The California Hotel and Casino is located a block away from the Fremont Street Experience and offers affordable rooms, gaming and dining options.
The hotel-casino was built to pay tribute to the 31st state, California, but has become an unofficial tribute to the 50th state — the property is often a stop for Hawaiian visitors. The Aloha Specialties restaurant is known for some of the best Hawaiian food in town.
The casino floor features live-action gaming, more than 1,000 video and reel machines and even a satellite-fed Sports Book.
Questions for Mr. Sun can be sent to [email protected].
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