Gino LoPinto could be considered, after 22 years in the business, the godfather of nightlife in modern Las Vegas. Going back to the days of Utopia which ushered in the beginning of what has become clubbing in Las Vegas, Gino has seen it all.
A local product, going to high school at Bishop Gorman, then Las Vegas’ only private school, he was surrounded by peers with family names like the Wynn’s, Herbst, and more.
He was a trumpet player in school and loved to play baseball, even coming to close to making into Major League Baseball after college. Most of his family played music, so Las Vegas was a great place to foster this modern titan of Vegas’ nightlife.
Digital Journal got a warm invite from Gino and was allowed an exclusive and intimate look into Las Vegas’ new evolution in adult fun, Playground, Las Vegas’ 1st nightlife complex.
The name Crazy Horse III, is a rebirth of a name, that was at one time the premier strip club in Las Vegas, Crazy Horse Too. After almost a decade of intense scrutiny by the press, Vegas Metro, the IRS, and the FBI it was finally closed up, denied licenses, and left to sit in the shadow of a freeway overpass. It’s a well documented history and to complicated to even touch here.
Jay David Murphy
The front of Crazy Horse III and the all new Playground set for a grand opening August 24th, 2009.
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But it’s that history, that makes the reappearance of the name of Crazy Horse lll, news in Las Vegas and around the world, this time it's a whole new game in the Playground. Let’s make it clear, there is no ownership or direct affiliation to the Crazy Horse Too.
The owners had most recently been operating under a license agreement with Penthouse, which is now over, after a very short period of time.
Enter: A new name, new people, and a new vision.
The owners are Barry Arfa, a Las Vegas contractor and Nando Sostilio. The Director of Entertainment is Vinnie Varaci, David Pappas is VP of Marketing, the Operations Manager is Keith Ragano, and of course Gino LoPinto, Vegas nightlife guru.
This is the best of the best in Vegas night life, the dream team, this band of brothers is set to recreate what to expect when visitors come and redefine what locals love about the Las Vegas night life.
Jay David Murphy
Lola Rowe bartender in the VIP lounge at Crazy Horse III
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From bar tenders like Lola Rowe to limo drivers like Jason Booker to all the beautiful women, you will get first class treatment and attitude. After being there for almost three hours during the peak time, after midnight on Saturday July 1st, it was amazing to witness the team atmosphere through out the facility, from the front door to the back door, and everything in between.
Playground will be a strip club, dance club, game room, sushi house, exclusive VIP hangout, hookah lounge, and celebrity stop.
There will be VIP membership keys, great food, electronic games, pool tables, hookah’s everywhere, and some new things that are getting ready to come out.
The Sushi bar will be renamed this week and Digital Journal is the first to announce the creation of Dead Man's Hand, which is the brain child of a group of celebrity musicians who love the game of poker.
To understand the size of this complex, 40,000 square feet, located on Russell behind and just on the other side of the freeway from Mandalay Bay, providing easy strip access, you have to imagine a facility that would take up a normal street block.
For VIP patrons you come in the back entrance to the VIP Lounge, then pass into the main hall of the strip club, then on the other side of it, turn left and go into the, now Dead Man's Hand, or take a right and head down a monolithic hall to the club called Obsession, or you can pass by and stop into the Hookah lounge or continue to the indoor valet parking.
What the amazing thing is, is the doors are open now, during the massive remodeling project, scheduled to be ready and complete for the Grand Opening festivities on August 24th. When you have an owner who is a contractor with skills, you can get the job done in time. Everyday changes are being made, things are added, and others are ripped out. Any other project in Vegas has huge as this one, and you would need 6 months to complete, this is all happening in under a month.
Gino LoPinto took Digital Journal on the whole tour, explaining each detail of what the finished facility will look like. Gino, “In the main strip club we a raising up platforms to create a stadium feel, there’s no place in this city where you can eat, drink, smoke, play games, and have a beautiful woman right in your lap. We will keep the runway in front of the sushi restaurant and the glass wall with draw curtains for privacy when we want it in Dead Man's Hand. Just yesterday, crews hung these new chandeliers created by Barry Arfa so he could see how they looked before he chooses the material that they will be covered with. He built these in a day.” The four of them had to be 12 feet in circumference and 8 feet tall and will be using LED lights.
Back in the VIP lounge Gino, introduced all the principles, the band of brothers, who will make this nightlife complex sing.
There was Nando Sostilio the partner owner with Barry Arfa, who said, “We are just trying to have fun and be affordable.”
There was Vinnie Faraci, Director of Entertainment who said, “We are bringing the strip club back to the town the right way. We want this to be a place where people don’t have to worry about how much money they have, we have something for everybody.” Vinnie was with the original Crazy Horse Too for over 21 years, but has no affiliation with the old club now.
Then there was David Pappas who just had a moment to say hello, and was off doing his critical job as VP of Marketing. David was with MGM Mirage for 20 years and brings in the big shots, both locally and from around the world. He did say, “This is my new career after 20 years with MGM.”
Digital Journal went with these three men, along with Gino, The Master of Ceremonies, into one of the VIP rooms that adjoined the lounge for a group photo. The VIP section of the complex has a lot of private rooms for exclusive customers, with leather and a class decor, treating this level of clientele with the best.
Jay David Murphy
Gino-Vinnie-Nando-David, the Dream Team orchestrating the next evolution in nightlife in Vegas.
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Later, Gino took Digital Journal into the operations center, to meet Keith Ragano, Director of Operations. Keith comes from Scores in Vegas and Chicago (the only remaining Scores). He put it simply, “We welcome the guests to our house.”
When asked what was important to Gino LoPinto he replied, “I haven’t changed in 22 years in the business; it’s all about customer service and a core belief in taking care of the locals.” He spoke at length about the importance of the local clientele and their principle part in the marketing of all his past and present experiences. “It’s the cab driver, limo driver, the casino worker, and the valets who tell the tourist what’s up, they are more valuable than all the advertising we can do. That’s why it’s all about local love.”
Jay David Murphy
The Crazy Horse III digital sign.
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The Playground anchored by Crazy Horse III, is an Orchestra of wood winds, brass, violins, and percussion creating its own new Vegas sound, a new sound in the night, the next crescendo in the evolution of nightlife in Las Vegas. Lead by the dream team, a band of brothers on a mission, to set the next new standard for what to expect your Vegas experience to be, a Playground.
Jay David Murphy
Sound horns in Obsession mixed with light.
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