WELCOME TO Kimo’s Vegas ... The Player’s Edge!

“THE RICH GET RICHER.” Unlike the old saying, times are tough all over. According to Forbes magazine’s Top 400 list of the wealthiest people in America, the rich actually got poorer this past year. Bill Gates lost $7 billion, Warren Buffett lost $10 billion ... In fact, the list’s Top Ten lost a collective $39.2 billion. That’s more than the entire United States trade deficit for the month of July (a $32 billion tab).

THE RICHEST MAN in the desert city of sin is Carl Icahn, the majority owner of Tropicana Entertainment. He’s now 22nd with a net worth of $10.5 billion. Last year’s top dawg, Sheldon Adelson, lost $6 billion and dropped to 26th. Only one guy on the list calls Hawaii home, and that’s eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. If you’re wondering how much kala it takes to make the list: Dwight Schar and Sam Wyly are tied at No. 399 with an estimated net worth of $950 million.

 

OHIO IS THE largest state without casino gaming. Gov. Ted Strickland (an ordained Methodist minister) and the state Senate have agreed to allow the state’s seven racetracks to install 17,500 slot machines in exchange for $933 million in tax revenue ... Something to think about when you’re furloughed on Friday.

MGM MIRAGE has dropped the prices of the pricey CityCenter condos by 30 percent in an attempt to placate folks who bought into the project before the economy went south.

LOOK FOR the King’s latest joint at The Mirage, across from The Beatles REVOLUTION Lounge. BB King’s Blues Club will serve Creole cuisine for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night meals and feature four bars, a dance floor and live music ... The thrill is back!

AT RICARDO’S Mexican Restaurant, after you eat you can “pay at the table.” In addition to making a quick exit, your credit or debit card (and PIN) never leave your possession.

AT THE M Resort, the Marnell family continues the tradition they began when they owned the Rio. The inaugural Italian Festival is happening poolside Oct. 17 and 18, and admission is free.

HAWAIIAN 105 KINE is giving away paid Vegas vacations, including a room at the Cal, meals, ground and air transportation on Vacations Hawaii plus $500 in cash.

EVERY YEAR since his death on Oct. 31, 1926, there is a séance in honor of Harry Houdini, who said if there was a way back from the afterlife he’d find it. For tickets to participate in the only séance endorsed by the magician’s family, call 702-457-8448. Since the master magician, escape artist and skeptic has failed to appear at the gatherings, it’s a safe bet he’s probably not showing up again this year.

SEVEN OUT ... Heidi “The Hollywood Madam” Fleiss lost her Las Vegas dog-grooming business and was sentenced to three years’ probation on felony drug charges. Maybe we’ll be seeing her on a future episode of I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here.

EX-HOUSTON ASTRO Shawn Chacon was arrested at a bowling alley in Colorado because he failed to pay $150,000 in Caesar’s Palace markers. The All-Star pitcher lost his gig after he grabbed general manager Ed Wade by the neck and threw him to the ground.

NEW PLAYER in Vegas, Penn Gaming, is offering pennies ($300 million) on the dollar to buy the bankrupt Fontainebleau Las Vegas. After spending $2 billion, the market value of the project has been appraised at less than $400 million ... Apparently the slot machines aren’t the only bandits in Vegas. Experts estimate that it could take another $1.5 billion to complete the 3,889-room hotel.

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