Vegas Transformation, Elon's D.O.G.E., and Taco Bell Weddings | Ep. 33

What if the Las Vegas you remember is slipping away, buried under a pile of surging costs and sneaky fees? We investigate the transformation of Sin City from a vibrant party paradise into a place struggling with its former glory. Join us as we spotlight the audacious Dutch couple who shattered a world record by conquering 110 casinos in just 24 hours, proving that adventure is still alive on the Strip. The intriguing tales continue with a look at the quirky yet enticing world of Vegas weddings, including the deliciously unconventional Taco Bell wedding package.

Chapters

• 0:00 Las Vegas Casinos & Trump's Daughter-in-Law
• 18:09 Online Criticism and Stereotypes

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

President Trump's daughter-in-law, lara Trump, will host a new weekly show for Fox News called my View with Lara Trump. The show is expected to be her stepping stone to a cabinet position in the third Donald Trump White House term. The third Donald Trump White House term. Norman Chad. Norman Chad. Welcome to Gambling Mad with Norman Chad. I am Norman Chad, coming up on the program today.

Speaker 1: 0:41

Would you want to set the record for most casinos visited in 24 hours? I wouldn't. Would you want to bet against the Denver Nuggets winning another NBA title? I wouldn't. Would you want to get married at a Taco Bell Dang? I wouldn't mind that.

Speaker 1: 0:58

Gambling Mad, as always brought to you by Fritos Picked fresh off of Central California trees each morning, direct to your local retailer every afternoon, and by the refreshing taste of Fresca Fritos and Fresca. It's a meal. So let us ask this how did Las Vegas go from Sin City to a ghost town? One year ago, las Vegas hosted the Super Bowl. The town was popping. This year, during Super Bowl week, you could get a room on the Strip at Excalibur for $25, at Luxor for $24, at the Horseshoe for $28. Suddenly, people are having second thoughts about going to the biggest party in America. Why? Why. I'll tell you why.

Speaker 1: 1:50

Las Vegas has done picked our pockets clean. They used to take our money slowly and we understood that. Now they rob us from the moment we set foot, and we've had enough of that. Let's just talk about the casinos themselves. They've got the resort fee, a hidden charge for nothing. Where's the resort? Wheel of fortune slot machines do not constitute a resort. They began charging for parking and a lot.

Speaker 1: 2:18

You go to the wrong two properties in one day and you'll be out $75 or so. They leave a bottle of water in your room. You want to drink it? That's seven or eight or nine bucks. Okay, you can buy a case of water in the Superbark for maybe 20 cents a bottle. This is your 20 cent bottle. How do they mark this up? 4,000%?

Speaker 1: 2:42

I've said it before, I'll say it again there's profit and then there's greed. I accept profit, I reject greed. There are virtually no bargains left on the Las Vegas Strip. They used to fly you in cheap, put you up cheap and feed you cheap. Then they'd make money on you when you gamble. Now you don't even have money left to gamble. They monetize everything. What's next? They might go to pay toilets, not just on the casino floor, but in your room Every flush boom, $1.50. They might charge you to use the elevator. The stairs will still be free, but the elevator is, say, $1 a trip, or you can get a day pass for five bucks.

Speaker 1: 3:27

How about sex? Okay, well, you already pay for that one way or another, but hookers might start charging for condoms. It's a cliche now, but Las Vegas was better off when the mob ran the town. With the mob, they either take care of you or they bury you. It was like roulette 50-50 on odd or even these corporate types give away nothing. So if I can speak directly to the suits at MGM Mirage, at Caesars Entertainment, they own most of the strip. Toss us a bone here and there, take your foot off our necks and your hands out of our wallets, comp us a buffet, throw in some show tickets. We don't expect, and would it kill you to pay three to two on Blackjack again? Let's switch to happier times in Las Vegas.

Speaker 1: 4:19

I think A Dutch couple broke the world record last week for most casinos visited in 24 hours. The official Guinness World Record was 74. The unofficial record was 93. Arjmin Meijer and Dominique Vandegeer set the new record of 110 casinos visited in 24 hours and they live-streamed it on their YouTube channel. Why would you want to set the record for most casinos visited in 24 hours? I guess it has more sex appeal than setting the record for most 7-Elevens visited in 24 hours.

Speaker 1: 4:57

They started at 2 am in Laughlin, nevada, then took a helicopter to Prim Nevada, the California-Nevada border along Interstate 15, and then they motored into Las Vegas. They worked their way up the strip and they finished off downtown in Fremont Street. Their plan was to spend four and a half minutes in each casino to make their goal. To make it official, they had to play some casino game at every property, so they would rush in, find a slot machine or video roulette, throw in five bucks, hit the button, pull out their voucher, take a photo with their voucher as proof and then bolt to the next casino. They actually finished up almost three hours ahead of schedule. Meiser said they walked about 19 miles in the 21 plus hours, so that's about a mile per hour. The couple gambled exactly $5 in each of the 110 casinos, that's $1,100. And Meiser said they walked out with about $600, which would be a $500 loss. At least they didn't have to pay a resort fee anywhere and they brought their own snacks and drinks. So there you go. The new record 110 casinos visited in less than 24 hours. What's next, you know 7-Elevens would be harder.

Speaker 1: 6:23

Las Vegas, of course, has always been a popular site for weddings. Some are planned like a shotgun wedding and some are not planned. People elope, people get drunk, people make mistakes. The bottom line is you can tie the knot in Las Vegas 24-7. Vegas, 24-7. And now, for the first time ever, you can get married and enjoy a three Doritos, locos, tacos super combo at the same time.

Speaker 1: 6:52

Yes, america, taco Bell, the Taco Bell next to Planet Hollywood on Las Vegas Boulevard, is now offering a wedding package for $777. You get an Elvis impersonator, you get Vegas showgirls, you get a taco or two. The bridal bouquet includes Taco Bell sauce packets. You even get a sauce packet garter. It all comes with a chapel and a private reception area you can use for up to a half hour for up to 25 guests. My goodness, now, at Taco Bell, marriage is on the menu for $777. Weddings must be booked four hours in advance to the ceremony.

Speaker 1: 7:35

By the way, there is a dress code and I respect it no shirt, no shoes, no marriage Otherwise. Wear what you want. No shoes, no marriage. Otherwise, wear what you want. Go to TacoBellWeddingcom, you know. If they wanted to, you know, capture the whole marriage business. Soup to nuts. They should add a drive-thru divorce option on their menu. They'll take care of you all.

Speaker 1: 8:03

In one day Time for Trump, tittle Tattle. All the latest news on the failed casino. Honcho in chief. Cue the music. President Trump installed himself as chairman of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC. The first show he is expected to greenlight a stage production of the McKinley Tariff Act of 1890. President Trump, declaring war on paper straws, signed an executive order to bring back plastic straws. The president said that all hell would break loose if Hamas did not return plastic straws. By Saturday. President Trump's daughter-in-law, lara Trump, will host a new weekly show for Fox News, called my View with Lara Trump. The show is expected to be her stepping stone to a cabinet position in the third Donald Trump White House term. The third term Donald Trump White House term.

Speaker 1: 9:17

President Trump told Fox News' Brett Baier that he is indeed serious about making Canada the 51st state, first state. Canadian officials declined comment, though a small contingent of Royal Canadian Mounted Police were spotted this week constructing a moat on Canada's southern border. President Trump named televangelist Paula White to head the newly created White House Faith Office. White has shown faith in the institution of marriage with three weddings, two divorces and the occasional affair. President Trump announced he is kicking undocumented immigrants out of Social Security. A quick note on this undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for Social Security because, well, they're undocumented and don't have Social Security numbers.

Speaker 1: 10:07

President Trump congratulated the Kansas City Chiefs with an ex-post on quote their fantastic comeback in Super Bowl 59 and wrote you represented the great state of Kansas so very well. Quick note on this the Chiefs did not make a fantastic comeback. They scored a late touchdown to lose by 18 points. And the Chiefs don't play in the great state of Kansas, they play in Missouri. A brain. And finally, in other government news, florida Republican Ana Paulina Luna will head a congressional investigation into the 1963 assassination of President John F Kennedy. Representative Luna said she intends to bring in members of the Warren Commission which concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in shooting JFK. Her efforts to question those on the Warren Commission will be stymied by the fact that all of them have been dead for decades. And that is Trump Tittle tattle for this week. You know MAGA. We now have MEGA. Mega is better than MAGA. Mega is make Elon go away.

Speaker 1: 11:28

Let's review the case against Elon Musk. X is not a level playing field. X is full of half-truths and full lies. X is the manipulated personal playground of Earth mogul Elon Musk. As for Doge, it has the right idea eliminate government waste but it has the wrong execution. Doge is unconstitutional period.

Speaker 1: 11:55

The Constitution does not give the president unilateral power to impound funds appropriated by Congress. The Constitution gives Congress alone the power of the purse. Elon is Doge. The power of the purse. Elon is doge. There is not a single person in the world, including my father, my mother, my brother, my sister, my best friend, my priest, my rabbi or myself, who I would cede this much power to. And boy boy, don't get me started on my brother. He can't even tell you what 15% of 100 is. So how are we allowing one man, a very unnatural, naturalized citizen, to make these decisions on all government programs? Make Elon go away Mega. Okay, there's got to be one way flights from the USA to South Africa daily. No, and I will pay for the first class upgrade.

Speaker 1: 12:54

Federal agents are going to execute a large scale raid targeting illegal migrants in the Los Angeles area before the end of February, according to the Los Angeles Times. The operation, of course, will be led by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, aka ICE. Listen up, folks. The feds may have ICE, but I have ICE water in my veins. You want to get to my illegal migrant friends? You got to get through me first. There isn't an immigration raid in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan region that I can't stop. Hey ICE, I know where you're going to raid before you know where you're going to raid and I am not afraid of the feds. I'll give you my name, address, date of birth and social security number. Actually, elon already has my social security number. Come and get me. Okay, I will melt ice into my Coca-Cola glass and enjoy a cool, refreshing fresca while protecting my neighbors.

Speaker 1: 13:59

I am a big library fan. I did a one-man off-Broadway show on public libraries in 1998. It closed after two days, but it was tremendous. Back when I was an eligible bachelor, I used to snag the ladies in singles bars by reciting the Dewey Decimal System. I would just mention 718, the landscape design of cemeteries, and they would swoon. Anyhow.

Speaker 1: 14:30

In honor of Black History Month, I thought we would briefly celebrate Dorothy B Porter, who deserves recognition. Dorothy B Porter was the first Black person to earn a library science master's degree from Columbia University in 1932. She then went on to work as the Howard University librarian for decades. She was a pioneer. The Dewey Decimal System used to have only two classifications for black people 325 was colonization, 326 was slavery. That was it. If a black person wrote a book on African-American art or a book of poetry, it was just classified as colonization. While at Howard, dorothy B Porter made the effort to create a new classification system that ordered books by genre and author, she essentially desegregated the Dewey Decimal System. Ms Porter was born in 1905. She passed away in 1995. And we are thankful for her landmark work.

Speaker 1: 15:38

Let's take a quick gambling break. Who's my favorite NBA player? Nikola Jokic, the Joker. At the moment, my man, the Denver Nuggets center, is averaging 29.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game. He's averaging a triple-double as a 6'11", 285-pound unicorn who stumbles down the court like he's got rocks in his shoes. The Joker and the Nuggets have very little curbside appeal, but I believe they can win the NBA title for the second time in three seasons. Well, they got to start playing a little better defense If you bet on them today to win it all and don't bet much, because I'm usually wrong. You get 14 to 1 odds. Okay, so a $100 wager that's the most you should bet, because I'm usually wrong. $100 wager will pay you back $1,400 if the Nuggets take the title.

Speaker 1: 16:38

Hey let's do it, go out there. Let's just go out there and bet the mortgage Well, if it's $100 or less, because, trust me, I'm usually wrong on the Denver Nuggets to be the next NBA champions For the half of America that did not watch Super Bowl 59,. Here is your update Eagles 40, chiefs 22. And at halftime, kendrick Lamar broke the internet. So Kendrick Lamar's halftime show divided America. Not surprising, considering everything divides America these days. Black America said you go girl. Well, that's not the right expression for here, but I just like saying it and you know what I mean. And white America said what the hell? What the hell was that? In particular, maga America wanted Kendrick Lamar arrested or deported on grounds of we don't like this shit. This is where I feel conflicted. When you're agreeing with MAGA minions, you feel like you've got to be wrong. Kendrick Lamar's music just doesn't speak to me Not my jam, as they say. I turned on my closed captioning and closed captioning said it needed some closed captioning to help. Anyway, maybe it's a cultural or generational thing. Hey, I don't care much for Bon Jovi either, but I was not entertained by the Super Bowl halftime show. So be it, we move on. But I think America wants Elon Musk to do something about it.

Speaker 1: 18:09

Before we wrap up, I'm going to say this one time and one time only I don't like the word ratioed and I don't care if I am ratioed On X. When you are ratioed, it means your tweet gets a lot more replies than likes. For those of you fortunate enough not to wallow in the sewer that is X, let me tell you that replies generally are negative. Trust me, replies tend to be overwhelmingly critical, saying you are an idiot or you are subhuman or you should be dead by sundown. You think I care that the keyboard warriors, these Yahoo yakkers, are slinging mud at me, sticks and stones. My friends, as best I can, I ignore the electronic lynch mobs. I never would equate a mob mentality with a thinking man's perspective. Anyway, getting ratioed does not change the truth. Imagine if X were around in, say, 1836 and I was living in Mississippi and I tweeted out slavery is flat out wrong. I got a feeling I would have been ratioed from Hattiesburg to hell. Actually, if I tweeted out something anti-slavery right now, some of my followers might unfollow me. Tough town right now out there in America. That will do it for another edition of Gambling Mad with Norman Shad, hope to see you next time and remember, if you're gonna roll the dice, make sure they are loaded.

Speaker 1: 19:50

It's Black History Month, so what does Elon Musk do? He's posting data on how welfare has destroyed black families. For some reason, during Black History Month, elon, who is African American, wants to revive an old African American trope that the rise of black children being raised by only one parent is because welfare pays single mothers more than married ones. Then these lazy black women can sit around until they use their food stamps to buy steaks. Before going any further, let's just note that most people on welfare in America are white, with a rise in single white mothers as well.

Speaker 1: 20:26

So, yes, there are more children born out of wedlock and more single mothers now, but generations ago, black women often could not survive without a husband. They had no work or very low-paying work. Nowadays, there are better employment opportunities and divorces regarded in a different light, so women have a bit more control over their lives. They can leave a bad marriage. But hey, elon, you know this and you certainly know women. You've had what? 77 children with 34 different mothers. Yes, are these numbers inaccurate, elon? Well, I'll just post them on X and community notes will chime in. Until then, get your planetary poobah Tesla, mess the apartheid toting Pretoria. Punk megalomaniac. Butt out of my face or I will go gambling mad.

Speaker 2: 21:19

Gambling Mad with Norman Chad is written by Norman Chad and Ghosts, written by Norman Chad. Executive producers are John Scheinberg and Rick Barriodil. Produced by Norman Chad and Rick Barriodil. Our associate producers are Brie Coorey and Asher Freidberg. And edited by Asher Freidberg, with studio facilities at 360 Pod Studios, beverly Hills.