When it's good to be old (or at least middle-aged)

Seniors days have long been a staple of locals' casinos marketing, but now is a particularly good time to be 50 or older if you're a gambler who lives in the Las Vegas area. Casinos are competing as heavily as I've seen in my nearly 5 years here for the weekday business of older customers.

These programs differ in details but their staples have been slot tournaments, dining discounts, point multipliers and drawings. Different casinos' programs may be better for some players than others. Here's a brief summary of what's offered. Essential information is often available on signs in the casinos and details can be obtained at the players' clubs.

Sam's Town offers a complete program on Thursdays comprising a $3,500 slot tournament, a $3,000 drawing, 5 times points on video poker and 7 times points on reels, half-price buffet and a free variety show. Low rollers with time on their hands might find value in the slot tournament. The formula for determing the long-term value of (or your average win in) such promotions is the total of prizes divided by the number of entries. In this case it's likely to be less than $5. Another consideration for some is the time it takes to play in the tournament plus the amount of time spent waiting to play. For higher rollers, the point multipliers and drawings can offer more value. Sam's Town recently has added a scaled-down Monday seniors day to compete with the new offering of its neighbor, the Eastside Cannery.

The Eastside Cannery's program, which runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays, is unusual in that the qualifying age is 55, not 50. Enrollment at the players' club is required. Benefits are a 3 times point multiplier, half-price dining at selected restaurants and, after 300 base points are earned, a card swipe with prizes from $10 in free play to $1,000 in cash. Play on machines in the Classic Slots room does not qualify for the point multiplier.

The Palms also recently added a seniors program, on Thursdays, which includes dining and movie discounts and promotions. At least for now there are slot tournaments and drawings.

Station Casinos, including the Fiestas, have a $3,000 slot tournament at each property and half-price dining with payment in points until 6 p.m. Signs indicated that, as a special for this month, the program also includes a bonus point day, bringing points earned from the usual 3 per $1 coin-in to 10 for reels and 6 for video poker. Let's hope this "special" becomes a regular part of the program, as a point multiplier used to be. And, Stations, how about bringing back the drawings you used to have?

The M Resort has a drawing for seniors at 6 p.m. Tuesdays. The unusual thing about it is that you do not need to play, or activate your tickets, on Tuesday, and you need not be present to win. Tickets can be earned any day of the week and must be activated at a kiosk on the day earned. The winners' names are posted shortly after 6 and all prizes must be claimed at the satellite rewards center by 7 p.m.

The Silverton has two seniors drawings on Monday. Tickets must be earned that day but prizes can be picked up until 6 p.m. Tuesday. There are 50 winners in each drawing, and each winner gets a minimum of $50 and maximum of $500. A player may win twice each week, once in each drawing. Although the prizes are modest (expect $50 most of the time), it appears that this promotion offers an unusually good chance of winning something.

The Gold Coast recently cut the point multiplier on video poker for its Monday seniors day from 5 times to 4 times, but that's still a good deal given that casinos' inventory of strong games. Reel players get 10 times points. A maximum of 10,000 points on video poker and 100,000 points on reels are eligible for promotional multipliers at the Gold Coast. Seniors day there also includes a bingo special and a small video poker tournament.

The Orleans offers 7 times points and a card swipe after earning 50 base points, both from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays. My prizes from the card swipe have included two dinner buffets, two ticket to Big Al's Comedy Club, 5,000 points and 10,000 points. The great things about this swipe are that, opposed to the slot tournaments and drawings at other casinos, almost no time is involved in participating and everyone wins something.

South Point this month added a $5,200 slot tournament for seniors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays. This is a relative large prize pool and the tournament could be attractive to more players than those at Stations and Sam's Town, depending on how many people participate.

In addition to gambling- and dining-related promotions, some seniors days include movie ticket specials. Often the qualifying age for these is 60.

A few tips regarding casino seniors programs: As with any casino promotion, these may be altered or discontinued at any time. Most if not all require that you be enrolled in the program, not just that you have a players card and meet the age requirement. Many will put a small sticker on your players card showing that you qualify for discounts and other offers. Beware of time time limits and other restrictions on promotions. This information should be available at the players club.

The best fake thing in Vegas

Vegas is a city of fabulous fakes -- a fake volcano, fake Venice, fake pyramid. Rumor even has it thatcertain anatomical features of some cocktail waitresses are fake.

I have to admit that I like a lot of the fake stuff, even some of the kitsch. And I fail to see what the Luxor, for example, has gained from its "de-theming."

But my favorite fake thing in Vegas -- technically in Henderson -- is Lake Las Vegas. The "lake" is really a fake bay created by extending a fake lake, Lake Mead, the body of water collected behind Hoover Dam. But Lake Las Vegas is also a fake Italian Village and surrounding high-end residential developments.

The Village's lakeside downtown includes a nice hotel, shops and restaurants and a small but elegant casino, Casino Monte Lago. The casino reopened last year under new ownership after being closed for maybe a couple of years. It has a reasonable variety of video poker and up-to-date slots. Where the first incarnation of the casino had table is a collection of electronic table games -- blackjack, craps, roulette, Three-Card Poker and Ulitmate Texas Hold 'Em.

The decor is inspired by an Italian winery, with rows of barrel ends high on the walls, below wood and painted ceilings. There's an elegant and excellent small restaurant, Harry's, which is open until 12:30 a.m.; a sports bar; and a snack bar, Harry's Cart, that's open when the restuarant is closed. Above the casino floor is a sports bar that serves pizza and bar food. Across the street from the back of the casino is a small Chinese restaurant owned jointly with casino.

The owners of Monte Lago have an arrangement with the adjacent hotel, a former Ritz-Carlton now operated by a company called the Dolce Group, which runs some of the restaurants at the Hard Rock Hotel. The hotel, in turn, can arrange for customers to play the one golf course of the original three in Lake Las Vegas that remains open.

Lake Las Vegas has been hit hard by Vegas' economic and real estate woes, and the casino appears to be struggling a bit. I hope it can make it until the area rebounds. If I were a recreational gambler, I would likely do most of my playing at Monte Lago. It's a little gem in a lovely setting, a world away from the noise, traffic and banality of so much of the rest of Vegas.

I don't know how long the casino will last, so if you live in Vegas or are coming here soon, I urge you to check it out. It's only about a half hour from the airport. Just follow Interstate 215 east, continuing on Lake Mead Parkway to the entrance on your left. Follow the main road past the traffic circle and take your first right. Shortly, the casino will be on your left.