Fortune Monkey

What is Fortune Monkey?

The report, titled The State of VIP Operations, was compiled by The Playa in collaboration with Gaming Operations Academy and WarriorLab.

Conducted in 2026, it surveyed 70 professionals actively engaged in VIP management, including VIP account managers, heads of VIP and consultants, with 64% employed directly by gambling operators. 

The report sought to understand how VIP portfolios are managed daily, how the tools are utilised and other key operational challenges.

What is Fortune Monkey?

Baldwin and fellow casino entrepreneur Shawn Scott arrived in Laos in 2007 with ambitious plans to build a casino business aimed partly at customers crossing the country’s borders.

The pair established Sanum Investments and partnered with Laotian conglomerate ST Group. Baldwin later testified that the investors initially committed around $7.5 million to the venture, which envisaged two casino resorts and several slot clubs.

Their biggest success was Savan Vegas, strategically located near the Friendship Bridge linking Laos with neighboring Thailand across the Mekong River. A planned second resort, Paksong Vegas, was never built.

What is Fortune Monkey?

Vegas is where travelers come to trade the expected for the unforgettable. The ‘Vegas 5-Day Sale’ gives visitors even more reasons to book the trip they have been talking about, whether that means checking into an iconic resort, seeing a favorite artist live, celebrating a milestone, or simply making a little room for spontaneity,” said Kate Wik, chief marketing officer at the LVCVA.

For a complete list of all the deals, click here.

Following a down year in Las Vegas, where visitor volume slowed 7.5%, the casino town has stabilized and rebounded in 2026, albeit only slightly. The LVCVA says visitor volume was up 0.5% through July.