By LIZ BENSTON, Las Vegas Sun

On the heels of last week's announcement of the sale of Treasure Island, MGM Mirage officials are taking exception to rampant speculation about which company properties could be next.
"Nothing is or was 'on the block,' " spokesman Alan Feldman said.

Lest anyone think Encore is simply another high-end hotel, or little more than a hotel addition to the attached Wynn Las Vegas resort, consider that Wynn Resorts executives consulted with experts from the Mobil Travel Guide to help them design a property that has a shot at becoming the country's largest hotel to receive Mobil's five-star rating.

Shortly after Nevada reported its worst monthly decline in gambling revenue since the state began compiling such information in 1983, the tourism authority reported the second largest monthly drop in Las Vegas visitors.

Casinos on the Las Vegas strip have maintained enviably high occupancy rates during this recession by offering deep discounts and unprecedented package deals - an indication that customers are still willing to open their wallets for bargains even in turbulent times.

Throughout this downturn, big casinos on the Las Vegas Strip have kept hotel occupancy high by cutting room rates and offering discounts and other promotions.
But this volume-driven strategy has a key weakness.

Every year slot-machine manufacturers gather to discuss their industry's version of global warming -- a dramatic shift in customer tastes with long-term implications or survival that are still years away.
Every year they confer about what they're doing to attract young customers -- people raised on video games who aren't impressed by spinning reels and blinking lights.

LAS VEGAS -- You're heard of the megaresort, the destination resort and the locals casino. But the "locals resort"?Station Casinos executives have coined the term for Aliante Station, which opens Nov. 11 as the latest step in the evolution of the suburban Las Vegas casino.

LAS VEGAS -- These days, Caesars Palace is looking a lot less Roman Empire and more Empire State.When it opens its sixth hotel tower, Octavius, next summer the flagship property of the world's largest casino company will be another step closer to the look and feel of luxury hotels found in other major cities.

LAS VEGAS -- Casino companies' earnings are plummeting by double digits. Debt costs are rising for many companies. And their customers are spending less.In the financial world, in this economy, those are the trend lines of doom.Indeed, a few smaller operators are already close to bankruptcy. But could giants like MGM Mirage and Harrah's Entertainment be next?