From the Las Vegas Review Journal: “Singer Jimmy Buffett recommended for license by Nevada gaming regulators”
Singer Jimmy Buffett spent roughly 15 minutes penning the lyrics to “Margaritaville” back in 1977. It was time well spent.
The song, about a man finding solace in “that frozen concoction that helps me hang on” after a failed relationship, has become an international conglomerate, spawning retail stores, restaurants, consumer products and casinos.
The three-member regulatory panel unanimously recommended licensing for Margaritaville Holdings to share in gaming revenues earned by the Margaritaville casino in the Flamingo.
Buffett, 65, is chairman of the Palm Beach, Fla.-based company that owns the Margaritaville brand and has operated a Margaritaville restaurant at the Flamingo since 2003. The 15,000-square-foot casino opened last fall with 220 slot machines, 22 gaming tables and the centerpiece “5 O’Clock Somewhere” bar between the restaurant and the main casino.
The Flamingo section marked the company’s first Margaritaville-brand casino. Two stand-alone Margaritaville casinos are under construction in Biloxi, Miss., and Bossier City, La.
The 45-minute appearance before the control board by Buffett and company officials Wednesday was a combination of official business, celebrity interview, and story-telling session that fell between concert appearances in California.
“This is like grown-up stuff,” Buffett said following the hearing. “(A gaming license) is a really big thing for me that I will take very seriously. We’ve had success but we’re going to have fun also.”
Buffett said that he originally offered the restaurant idea to the MGM Grand, where he annually performs in the Grand Garden Arena. Celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse told him the largest crowds at his MGM Grand restaurant came when Buffett performed, he said.
“It was between us and an Irish pub, and they went with the Irish pub,” Buffett said. “I wonder where the guy who made that decision is working now.”