Winner Takes All: Steve Wynn, Kirk Kerkorian, Gary Loveman, and the Race to Own Las Vegas

A great summation of the last 15 years of Las Vegas, the influences that made it what it is, and the big personalities that rule the land. One negative comment I have is the movie is really two stories in one, Wynn/Kerkorian their deal and influence, and how Loveman/Harrahs elbowed its way from a smalltime operator to major player. The majority of the book is about Wynn and his influence in Las Vegas and how it developed from the Mirage to the Bellagio to the Wynn. And of course the big occurrence is the buyout of Wynn's operation by Kerkorian when he senses the stock weakness caused by Wynn's lack of management skills. A very fascinating story! After completing the acquisition the book slows down somewhat as it tells the tale of middle market Harrah's and how it busts into the big time by acquiring Ceasar's. This book explores the mathematical focus at Harrah's and how it increases profitablity. While it's interesting reading how a glorified math professor rises to casino president while retaining his old lifestyle, this section is the least interesting at least for me. In summary this is a fascinating read of a fascinating city. Just a walk down the strip let's anyone see every part of American culture good and bad as Las Vegas is the mecca of most Americans at some point in their lives.

Las Vegas changed so much, so quickly over the past fifteen years, that it makes sense to take a step back and see how it all got started and played out so far. Binkley does just that in this well-researched and well-written chronicle of a frenzied period in Las Vegas' history filled with big buildings and even bigger personalities. You'll learn a lot reading this book, but it's also a truly fun read. Starting the book, I worried when Binkley mentioned the "greed" of the major casino owners in Las Vegas. Books about business that view the desire to improve profits as "greed" tend to not offer much insight, because they can't understand the diverse forces that drive the people running the companies. This book avoids that fate beautifully, really digging into the differences in character and personality amongst the different people who run the different companies that dominate the Vegas landscape. The most interesting thing about this book is getting behind the scenes with Steve Wynn, who comes across as the person who looks down the road five or ten years to what Las Vegas will need to become next in order to continue building on its own success and popularity. When everyone else copies his latest idea, he moves onto the next one, constantly pushing everyone, and the city, ahead with him. As the visionary of the bunch, he is the most fascinating character to follow, both for his successes, and for the troubles he has with people who minds are a little too stuck in the here-and-now for his taste. Highly recommended for anyone who likes business, Las Vegas, big personalities, or would just like to know a little more about how Las Vegas became the place it is today.

Very interesting take on an historic period of corporate consolidation in Las Vegas. Easy read with lots on insight into the various personalities and egos involved. Well researched and a nice job of conveying the tension inherent in deals of this magnitude. In some respects reads more like a novel than non-ficton. Definetely not another dry financial book.

This well written story of recent developments in Las Vegas is a captivating read. Author Christina Binkley has written a serious business book in the style of an engaging novel. Much to like about this book! Las Vegas is a great "stage" for an interesting book. Wynn, Kerkorian and Loveman are such great characters, each so different. And, the race to be the biggest and the best is fascinating. The real kudos need to go to the author. In every dimension, this book is well crafted. Well organized with a great many facts woven into the compelling story line. Well detailed with every scene painted as if the reader was present. And, well written with business terminology correctly used and judiciously sprinkled so as to not detract from the powerful story. In an age where so many books are so poorly written, the quality of the writing here really is noteworthy. What I respect most about the author is amidst the captivating story she devotes time to asking the $64 million dollar question, i.e. how should one feel about a business whose purpose is to turn its customers into gambling addicts? A very thoughtful question that the author appropriately serves up for each reader to answer for themselves. Christina Binkley...for your first book, you did great!

Fascinating and well-researched book on three of the biggest names in the Las Vegas casino business. The author picks up the Vegas story in the mid-90s, and gives a play-by-play on the MGM buyout of Mirage Resorts. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in details about how the deals took place and how the casinos were built. Nice breezy writing style. My only two small complaints are the author incessantly brings up cosmetic surgery that some of the people got, which I think only needs to be mentioned once. And I think she doesn't give Wynn enough credit for building the Mirage, she glosses over that fact as if it was incidental when it was a seminal event in Vegas history. Great coverage of three men: Wynn, Loveman, and Kerkorian. The elephant in the room is almost no detail on Adelson (Chairman of Las Vegas Sands). If she had included the same level of detail on him, this would be a nearly perfect book on the business of Las Vegas. Fantastic read nonetheless, I admire her level of research. Highly recommended.