MOGH Report 08/17/11
This report will summarize some of the activities of the Museum of Gaming History
Committee over the last 12 months or so.

In the early summer of 2010 we began discussions with a Las Vegas hotel/casino
located on Las Vegas Boulevard about space for the Museum. After looking at the space
in our initial face to face meeting, we determined this would be a great first location for
the MOGH. There was over 5000 sq ft, close to the parking garage and valet entrances
and the space was monitored by hotel security. And the price was right! As the year
progressed, the discussions and meetings became more frequent. As we moved into
2011, the discussions/negotiations had reached the point that the Board of Directors and
myself, had to submit to background checks. After these came back OK, we awaited the
terms and conditions draft of the contract from the property. In March, while on vacation,
I received a phone call from the leasing agent at the property. He informed me that the
Executive Team that had been overseeing the property had hired a new General
Manager. The new GM had reviewed the plans and decided that the MOGH did not fit
into his vision for the property. So, I got the cliché response from the leasing agent, “At
this time, we’ve decided to go in a different direction. But let’s stay in touch, as
things could change.” To say the least, this was a tough one to take.

While the above discussions were going on during the summer of 2010 we also looked
at leased space in downtown Las Vegas. The building just didn’t have enough
continuous space, the rent was too high and some other things we didn’t feel we could
overcome. The owners and managers were extremely supportive of the MOGH concept
and we may well work with them on other space downtown if we find the right
opportunity moving forward.

While we have only listed two properties above, we are continually looking at/for space
and talking to people about what our requirements are. Since the very beginning of this
project, it’s been clearly stated that this is a long term process and it is. We have
limitations of what we can afford to lease or buy and we need a certain amount of space,
and the right type of space, so we continue to push forward looking for perfect situation.
In August on 2010 we invited a select group of 28 people chosen for their knowledge of
Las Vegas, its cultural environment and/or museums to attend a MOGH Focus Group.
They were invited to attend one of two sessions we held over two days in Las Vegas.
The insights we gained from these sessions have been invaluable in reinforcing that we
are on the right track for the Museum.

The Chip Guide - A project that has been ongoing since the 2010 Convention, is the
Chip Guide on the MOGH website. With the generous gift from Greg Susong’s family,
the contributions from David Spragg and the incredible work of Charles Kaplan and his
volunteer group, the Chip Guide has become a very impressive site and marketing tool
for the MOGH and the Club. The MOGH website is averaging close to 2200 unique
visitors per day, mainly due to The Chip Guide. Charles has 10 volunteers helping him
as administrators and they now have surpassed 30,000 images on the site. Charles has
launched an email notification service to inform subscribers each day of the new
additions to the site. He is working on several other improvements and additions to the
site that sure draw even more eyeballs. I hope that those in attendance at this year’s
convention made it to “Chip Guide Seminar” that Charles presented. You can visit The
Chip Guide by visiting the MOGH website at www.themogh.org.

We would like to thank all those members who once again donated items to be included
in the MOGH Grab Bags that were sold at the Convention this year. Thank you to Steve
Palumbo who once again headed up the drive for this fundraiser. And a special thanks to
Ralph Myers for his assistance this year. And of course, “thank you” to everyone who
purchased the bags!

We plan on discussing with the Editor of the Casino Chip and Token News about doing
an article on the Museum of Gaming History in an upcoming issue. So stay tuned.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Skelton
Museum of Gaming History
.