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Casinos Go All Out to Catch Whales

"The whales of casino city are not recognizable by girth but by worth, so rich that dropping a few million won't hurt; it just allows them to surface the waters of fois gras and caviar, the most expensive wines in the world and the surroundings of Tuscan-style villas, antique rugs, orchid-filled gardens, tapestries, porcelains and fine art.

"…`It's not always caviar and Champagne. Sometimes it's simple,' said Dennis Khanh, vice president of food and beverage for Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, location of the Association of Food Journalists' annual meeting.

"…At the MGM Grand, home of 28 restaurants and 2,500 culinary employees, 29 Tuscan-style villas known as The Mansion have been built, replacing a former amusement park.

"…Average cost per villa was $10 million. But considering that guests often lose millions in a single stay, it hardly took any time to recoup the cost, said Tobias Mattstedt, vice president of food and beverage at MGM Grand.

"…Even the trip over is often on one of two MGM-owned jetliners that fly anywhere in the world to pick up a whale.

"…Khanh estimates there are 5,000 such `whales' in the world -- that is, extremely wealthy and willing to gamble -- and maybe only 200 willing to lose millions on a single trip. Eighty-five percent are Asian, he says, and most of the rest are American, Australian and European.

"…Then it's no wonder that 10 kinds of noodles are among the possibilities when ordering room service. God forbid that Thai noodles be forced on a Cantonese. Serving them round-the-clock at the MGM Grand are personal butlers who altogether speak 15 or more languages and are trained in culinary and wine traditions and customs of their international guests, some of whom are superstitious and have `lucky' foods.

"…How do you spot a whale? Not in the restaurants, at the check-in desk or the main entrances. They have private places for all but the gambling and no routine protocols are necessary. You'll find them deep in the small gambling salons specifically set up for high betting. Pull up a chair and if there's room in the game, you can play. Sometimes the bets are up to $160,000 a hand, so be careful.

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