Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/303789
L as Vegas is a city of secrets. Although this town plasters its main thoroughfare with brand names, neon logos, and paths to seemingly easy scores, it also harbors exclu- sive pocket s of discret ion t hat most people w ill never see. They exist in the gilded back rooms, hidden hotels within hotels, and carefully secured safes—literal and figurative—where precious things reside. The allure of access to those precious things is irresistible. According to Sara Wedeman, founder of the Behavioral Economics Consulting Group, anything that's scarce or secret or difficult to obtain is imbued with value. For a visitor to Las Vegas, where indulging in rare luxury is often the very reason for coming here, the allure is magnified. "When you can go to a certain place or stay in a certain room, you yourself become special," says Wedeman. "If somebody treats you like a person who is important"—by approving your iris scan or your bankroll or maybe just recognizing your name—"you must be important. They prove it with their behavior, which is more powerful than words." It's the kind of importance that casinos confer when they offer a safety deposit box, with a level of 24/7 security that sultans can only dream about, to superst a r ga mblers for st ashing t heir cash. A mong high rollers, who simply ca ll t hem "boxes," t hey a re coveted com modit ies. Professiona l exclusive FROM PRIVATE VAULTS TO SECRET RESTAURANTS, THE REAL HIGHSTAKES ACTION IN LAS VEGAS TAKES PLACE FAR FROM PUBLIC VIEW. BY MICHAEL KAPLAN vegas VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 123 122-125_V_F_SecretVegas_MAYJUNE_14.indd 123 4/21/14 1:17 PM