
🔥 Vegas Pauly C on Casino Secrets, Gambling Scandals & The Truth About Las Vegas 🎰🔥 In this wild and unfiltered episode, we sit down with Vegas Pauly C, a social media personality and insider in the Las Vegas casino world. He breaks down...
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Paul D. Cantino
You have gamblers like him, and everybody's watching him and everybody's telling him how great he is. And he's basically the narcissist. See, social media is extremely narcissistic. I came into this with a knowledge base in that already because my father was toxic and my mother was a willing victim. So all of his followers that are willing victims, when they see me possibly casting some negativity towards the grand narcissist, who was this kid who plays online for. Listen, I don't even know whether that playing is fake or not. I don't care whether it's fake or not. I only care whether Nevada would pass that money through compliance. So all of his willing victims became mobilized because they're under his spell, and they all came after me.
Vegas Matt
All right, guys, one of the show's favorite guests is back on Vegas Policy. Let's go.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, hello, hello, hello.
Vegas Matt
I love him, man. Yeah, we can. We get some interesting comments whenever you come on.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, really?
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
Wow. You know, it's interesting because, like I was telling you, just as the lead up to this, ask anything you want, you know, everything is an honest answer. Like, if you're an addict, I think you learn that you're either going to be an open book or you're just going to be the biggest phony in the world. So I just decided to lead with, you know, open. Open book.
Vegas Matt
Yeah. That being said, we'll get straight into it.
Paul D. Cantino
Okay. Get. Get into.
Vegas Matt
Got some recent beef with this one guy named Exposed.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah. Can you believe that happened?
Vegas Matt
What happened exactly?
Paul D. Cantino
So I got the information that he had been playing at Resorts World and a couple of other places. And, you know, the God's honest truth is that I live right down from Resorts World and I have beef with them. I got thrown out of there twice. I'll tell that story in a second. And they have source of funds law in Nevada that is very strict about where did the money come from? So the money comes from a online website called Rubet. And. And listen, I don't know enough about Rubek to comment on it, but I know that they can't get licensed in the United States. I know that it's considered an illegal website, and I know that that's where his money comes from. So I addressed it in the video without going into too many specifics, and he contacted me, and a lot of people threatened me pretty bad. Really. Like, I got a couple of, you know, pretty serious things that I thought were serious, but it's like, I always tell them, let's Go show up. He's the one guy says, I know where you live. I said, come on, come over. And the reason for that is not because I'm brave or tough. It's just because I want to get it over with. I don't want to live with it over my head. 12 hours, 24 hours. So I got a lot of threats from his people, and then I spoke to him. And it was just one of these things that you hear out of people's mouths sometimes. And I'm sorry, but I consider there's lower IQ people when they say this. I don't want your name in my mouth. I don't want my name in your mouth. I don't want my name in your mouth. And so I got a lot of that from him. Why are you implicating me in this? And the bottom line is that they have to be very careful with source of funds in Nevada. Like, where did the money come from? So before I made this video, I went to two of the highest ranking casino executives in Las Vegas that I know. Okay? One is number two. One is number four. Let's just say out Resorts World. No, just. Just casino executives. I told them this story and I said, would you allow someone with this money trail to play in your casino? And they both said that it would have to go to Compliance and that it was a very bad look. And they're not sure whether or not Compliance would pass it for their places. Like, you can't come in with big money if it comes from a strange place.
Vegas Matt
How much did Exposed come in with?
Paul D. Cantino
I heard he lost a million. A million and a million. So I guess he lost 3 million. But the first million, I made a mistake in the video too. The first million was at another casino. And then the second million, the second million was at Resorts World.
Vegas Matt
Got it.
Paul D. Cantino
And then the third million was at Red Rock. But listen, I don't want problems with Exposed or his followers. It's a news story, you know, they were like, you're defaming him or that's my boy, or whatever, which goes into a whole nother conversation that you only know if you were a gambler or you really, really knew the psychology of gamblers. You have gamblers like him, and everybody's watching him and everybody's telling him how great he is. And he's basically the narcissist. See, social media is extremely narcissistic. I came into this with a knowledge base in that already because my father was toxic and my mother was a willing victim. So all of his followers that are willing victims when they see me possibly casting some negativity towards the grand narcissist. Who is this kid who plays online for. Listen, I don't even know whether that playing is fake or not. I don't care whether it's fake or not. I only care whether Nevada would pass that money through compliance. So all of his willing victims became mobilized because they're under his spell and they all came after me. So he DMed me and I spoke to him for a while and I was not getting through to him. And I should have known this because I know exactly the patterns of everyone's behavior in different spaces. I blocked him immediately put it up on his. I blocked him. I just couldn't listen to his crying anymore. It's like, I'm not going to feel bad for you, dude. You're over there standing on a 13 against a 9 with $25,000 in the circle. Like you know you're going to lose. I told the kid straight out, I said, you're gonna lose $100,000 an hour the way that you're playing. That's the bottom line.
Vegas Matt
So he wasn't following the book.
Paul D. Cantino
So he was not. He was not following the book. He's playing. They don't even let you vary your bet that much over there when you play that. So I said to him, you really want to learn how to play blackjack? And of course, he just blows me off. So this went up, back and forth. I blocked him. He immediately put up on his story that I blocked him. And now I look like the big, you know, P word and I look like the bee and what? And it's like I'm 60 years old.
Vegas Matt
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Paul D. Cantino
You know, I didn't even want to do this when I was in my 20s. So I unblocked them and I said, you want to talk this out as men? I said, it's a news story. The place has compliance issues. You get your money from a strange place. It's associated with online gaming, which Nevada regulators cannot stand. Obviously they won't even allow it in this state. So they certainly don't want to see some international website crypto with some kid. They just don't want it. So, in fact, there's another executive I'm gonna ask this question to, but that's the bottom line. So I stirred up a hornet's nest. Look, if someone has to come see me because they're watching some 27 year old kid play online blackjack, come see me.
Vegas Matt
Wow. I didn't know he sent his army after you.
Paul D. Cantino
No, he didn't.
Vegas Matt
Oh, he didn't.
Paul D. Cantino
But no, he. He's innocent. I'm sure he's an addict. I'm sure he's all caught up in the innocence of his addictions. I heard he makes $5 million a month. I don't know. All the money's coming in. He's innocent, but he has followers who love him. And they see me possibly casting aspersions at him. And so they become mobilized. I mean, look at politics in America. I don't need to tell anyone other than you. I know you're living it. So.
Vegas Matt
Absolutely. What do you think of that business model where these online casinos pay these influencers and then.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, it's very interesting. So I've never addressed this in a video because I'm tired of talking about this stuff over and over again. But you can Google it. Brazil and Turkey arrested the influencers doing that.
Vegas Matt
Oh, really?
Paul D. Cantino
They actually put them in jail.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, because they see it as like, it's sort of shady to start with. And then you're promoting and you're fake playing or you're lying to your following so that you can Google that, like anything I tell you. Brazil and Turkey recently arrested the influencers. And I thought it was funny, like I was gonna do a video on it about it being getting arrested and being an influencer. Cause I'm in that space, but I just never got around to it. What do I think about the model? Well, I know that Nevada gaming regulators agree with this because we are having discussions amongst my group. Staged stuff is not really permissible. Like you can't go into a casino. And this was a problem. In 2005 they did a television show called Casino and it was Tom and Tim. They took over the Golden Nugget and there were some discussions amongst the producers. And I only know because somebody who was on set told me, can we stage a hand? Can we put down $10,000 and can we turn it into a double down for the drama? Can we? No, they won't allow it. They don't want it on television. So when you ask me that question, you know, how much of a 27 year old kid betting $100,000 on roulette or whatever he's doing, like how much of that could possibly be real? It has to be, you know, and again, I don't even want to go down this road because I don't want the hate. But it's in casino parlance, it's called jdlr. Just doesn't look right. Let's just leave it at that.
Vegas Matt
Yeah. If they're faking the gambling, I'm not a fan of that. But if they're genuinely using their own money game.
Paul D. Cantino
But where did their own money come from?
Vegas Matt
From the casino. Right. They're allegedly getting.
Paul D. Cantino
It's still a circle. Anyway you look at it well, I'll pay you $10 million a month to promote my online casino, but you have to play and on and on and on. I mean, it's the same, you know.
Vegas Matt
If one of the Vegas casinos offered you money, would you feel right taking that?
Paul D. Cantino
So if I get offered money by casino, I just fully disclose it. So I had a situation where I played online and they had given me a few dollars and I gave the whole thing away to the audience because I just, it just becomes too conflicting. So I've been now spent three years, maybe a year and a half serious that I'm trying to find what I would call the fertile void where I can get a job. I'm never going to get a gaming license because I'm a compulsive gambler. So where I can get a job and I can do something that entertains people and then I'm able to make a living and survive because, you know, I still don't get paid. I did get 5,000 a video from Kalshee, but shout out to Kalshee.
Vegas Matt
They sponsored the podcast as well.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, cool. Okay.
Vegas Matt
You know who does well with this man?
Paul D. Cantino
Who?
Vegas Matt
Vegas. Matt.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, but he is.
Vegas Matt
You don't like his model? I like it.
Paul D. Cantino
No, he's just better than Me.
Vegas Matt
Yeah. But he uses his own money.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, he came into it wealthy. I did. Really did not. He's a slot player, which captivated everyone, you know, the audience. I'm not a slot player. You know, he's. He's just got more balls and more money than me. I mean, I would never, I would never put that money into slots like he did.
Vegas Matt
Yeah, well, he, he, admittedly, he's open about how much he loses on slots, which I like too, because you got to be honest with people.
Paul D. Cantino
Listen, when somebody's better than you, what am I gonna say?
Vegas Matt
Shout out to Vegas Mat, though. He's been on the show and he's been crushing it, man.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, he got a million dollar contract from. Was it FanDuel or the other one of DraftKings? Yeah, they gave him a million dollars.
Vegas Matt
Well, he just hit a million on YouTube. He gave a million dollars the other day. Speaking of people, again, I spell.
Paul D. Cantino
I spoke to another. You know, it's funny because I spoke to someone else in the Vegas Matt space. No names. He had contacted me and he actually gave me all his numbers and he told me that his revenue, top line revenue, was a million nine.
Vegas Matt
Holy crap.
Paul D. Cantino
I don't know whether that was just YouTube or everything. So he told me his top line revenue was a million nine, but that he gambles so much money and loses so much money and is building a staff. And he's the kind of guy who has that mentality. I mean, you know, Jeff Bezos did make a profit from Amazon for like 20 years. Right. That mentality. So he's building his brand and he's building his. But he has a top line of 2 million and he spends the whole thing, a lot of it gambling.
Vegas Matt
Shout out to him. I know Steve will do it. Does that too.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, but that's, again, the Internet money.
Vegas Matt
Right, right.
Paul D. Cantino
It goes back to that conversation. And that's. And that's big money.
Vegas Matt
Yeah, huge money.
Paul D. Cantino
But, you know, I'm in a deal right now with a regulated partner and I. And I'm. My gratitude is off the charts. And I'll, you know, I can't talk about it now, but it'll be out in a couple of months. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was in that. In that, you know, space like that. Yeah, I'm coming into it, you know, clean. It's perfect.
Vegas Matt
I love them. I just saw you gambling with my boy John Cerrasani the other day.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah. So Skyler Dice. Shout out to Skyler Dice. Skylar Dice is the General manager of the Strat. And he contacted me about a year ago. And, you know, I always use this term. Steve Wynn used to call them gorgeous personalities. So it's someone who just has it. You know, it's someone. He smiles through his face. He's very authentic. He's really about taking care of the gambler. In fact, the other night at dinner, I heard this the first time out of his mouth. He said that, you know, I've been doing this since I'm 19. I love it. I love this industry. You know, I heard him say that, and I kind of knew that. The other guy that just loves this industry is Jonathan Jostle down at the Plaza. And I don't say that because I'm down there all the time or I'm trying to do business with him. He said to me when I first met him, he goes, I've worked 17 years in this industry. I've never worked a day in my life. Isn't this incredible? But Skyler dies, cut from the same mold. So I said, skyler, I said, can I play crapless craps live in your casino? He said, absolutely. This was about six or eight months ago. And to play crapless craps, you come in with five or $10,000, and you can definitely lose it. When I played six or eight months ago, I played with 5,000. I ended up with three. I took the hit at two. I still had some liquidity at the time. But honestly, I'll just be straight out honest with you. I'm broke off my ass doing this. Like, I'm not able to monetize. I just borrowed money from a very close friend, a lot of money to make it through to what is theoretically my first paycheck. So I can't really afford to gamble, live like that. So John Cerazani said, can you set me up? Absolutely. You know, I knew him. I like the big energy. I like that he's a gambler. You know, I met him. He's six foot five. He's in really great shape. You know, here's a point I want to make about him that's important. I see a lot of the comments, like on my chat are like, you know, oh, he's so full of himself, or he's got an ego, whatever. But I like to ask the audience, and I'm serious, if you were 6, 5, right, and had his face and were in the kind of shape that he's in and had whatever he's got, I don't care whether it's a million dollars or $20 million. But I know he's living more like he's got $20 million. And you were that guy. Like, he tries to be humble. He tries to be a sweet guy. But think about it, Wake up tomorrow as him and take a look in the mirror and be humble. He does try, you know, People should know that he's not like this bad guy. Yeah. He's big on camera. Yeah. The guy's got it. You know, it reminds me. It reminds me of these girls that are just so attractive. And then you'll hear guys talking in the corner. Oh, she's a bitch. Oh, she. Maybe she has to be just to make it through the day. Can you understand that?
Vegas Matt
No, I do. And I think on the Internet there will always be those jealousy type people.
Paul D. Cantino
I know. But in real life, like, if you. In real life, like, this is really old man advice.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
In real life, if you're a guy 25, 30, 35 years old, and you're just a guy, you're not, you know, you're an average guy. These beautiful women are bothered all day long. Like, I have empathy for that. That they have. I'm not. I'm not, by the way. I'm not. Virtue signaling. I always thought about how annoying it must be to have all these guys coming up to you all the time.
Vegas Matt
Yeah. Well, now it's even worse. They get hundreds of DMs.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, I know. You know what's funny? And of course, some of them are cashing in on it. Good for them.
Vegas Matt
Yeah. I mean, if you were a girl, it'd be tempting.
Paul D. Cantino
I don't think it was your podcast. It was another podcast. And they had two girls sitting there and they were attractive. And the conversation was, why would you ever go to college if you're an attractive girl? That was the actual conversation that came up on my TikTok. And I'm just like, as an old man, it's almost painful to watch.
Vegas Matt
I love it, man. We gotta talk about your other drama with Mr. Perez Hilton, who just came on the show. What happened there?
Paul D. Cantino
You know, the thing about Mr. Irrelevant is this, you know, and I tell. I always tell people on the podcast. He just doesn't get me angry. Like, I don't. I did do one video where I put him crying in the middle of the video. Full disclosure. But I don't wake up in the morning and think to myself, I'm going to the gym today. I'm going to work so hard. I'm going to show Perez Hilton that I'm a winner. I'M not a loser. I'm going to show Perez Hilton that people really talk to me. He just doesn't inspire me that way. And I think it's because I really know in my heart from his behaviors that he's really hurting. And then, you know, you know, he hasn't had it easy. I'm sure, you know, he has an alternative lifestyle. I mean, I think everybody's aware of that.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
How hard was that in the 80s?
Vegas Matt
Really hard.
Paul D. Cantino
So think about the pain that he has. So I am. And he's about 50, you know, and he, you know, my relationship with him started funny because he DMed me. I would put up a video about Las Vegas, and he had 5 or 6,000 followers on Instagram, and he had his millions of followers on his other, other platforms. But he sort of was like, trying to get traction in Vegas. And I didn't know any of this at the time. And so he started a Vegas TikTok or a Vegas Instagram. And I would do a video and he would say. He would either repost it or he would say, good job. And at first, maybe I thought it was a fake account, but he. 20 times I made a video of him doing this. 20 times he post, you know, he posted a video. And I wrote, good job and thank you and heart and, you know, the hands. Because I was thankful. I was thankful that Mr. Irrelevant actually noticed me and was posting. I go to bed one night, and finally I said to my girlfriend, after about the 20th time he reposted one of my videos, I said, look, honey, Mr. Irrelevant knows who I am. And this is, you know, a little earlier in my social media career. She says, what are you talking about? She goes, that's a fake account. He doesn't know who you are. And, you know, I went to bed, like, I was kind of, like, feeling good about myself. I went to bed like, you know, this big. And I thought to myself, he doesn't know who I am. He's, you know, he's. He's Mr. Irrelevant. I almost slept up there. He's Mr. Irrelevant. He doesn't know who I am. And I'm okay with that. I'm okay with taking that pain side story, because as an addict, when you get that shot of pain from somebody, about 15 minutes later in my body, that adrenaline hit turns into dopamine. It's a precursor to dopamine. So maybe I was hurt for like 15 minutes, but after that, I'm like, oh, you know, I slept good that night. I felt good. When I woke up the next day because I got that shot of dopamine before I went to sleep. So time goes by and he keeps giving me the hands, giving me the hands. And one day, the Internet is so smart, of course it sends me the algorithm. And it's Mr. Irrelevant talking about Paul El Cantino, who's a casino host in Connecticut who stole points from players and got caught and got fired. May have gotten probation or something like that. And of course, Mr. Irrelevant's video immediately is Vegas Paul. YC has a secret. He's really from Connecticut. He's really a casino host. He's really a thief or whatever. And I just lose it. Not angry, just laughing. Because I know the story. Because I've read every story on gaming for the last 40 years. And you know that if I see a story about a casino host with the same name as me, that's gonna be seared into my memory. Of course. And I also was laughing. Cause I was a customer at Foxwoods, so. So he was a host and I was a customer. I didn't know him. But. So I immediately. You know, I'm so low tech. I immediately take my phone and make a video of my phone and, you know, put it up on the Internet. Look at this idiot. What a jerk. I'm. First of all, I'm 10 years older than this guy. I'm Paul D. Cantino. I'm not Paul El Contino. I'm from Long island, not Rhode Island. And I just excoriate him because, you know, and that was then the whole thing started. And then from then on, we've been like, you know, but I'm. But I'm not angry with him. I don't know why he can't stop. I can stop. Like, I don't wake up in the morning and think, oh, I wonder what he's doing. So I. No, he just doesn't.
Vegas Matt
He doesn't seem like the type of guy that lets stuff like this go, to be honest.
Paul D. Cantino
I'm okay with it.
Vegas Matt
He's in the business of that. You know, he's got a report on.
Paul D. Cantino
He's never. He's never gonna get me because I work so clean. I'm in a monogamous relationship for seven years. So even though I have that little job at the Peppermint Hippo, one night, I mean, I saw him post about that. Actually, I hide in the other room. Like I. At my age. And believe me, and I was in there hardcore until I was about 47. I was in there one night when I was 47. And four guys across the bar from me, they see me talking to a young girl. She probably was 23, right? 22, 23. And she's really doing her job, which is basically to get my money. So she's flirting with me. And I'm standing over that now I'm 47. Not only am I 47, but I'm bald. And I was obese at the time. It was right before I lost a lot of weight. So I'm 2:30, I'm standing over there, and I look like an idiot. And they start denigrating me from across the bar. And they're telling her, get away from that old man. What's wrong with that old man? And I swear to you, this is what's funny about it. At 47, it was the first time I was ever called an old man. So I'm looking around like this, who's the old man? I'm not the old man. I was the old man. And I was like, you know what? Maybe I got to take a little step back from this whole adult bar thing, you know? And I did. And by time I was 50, I had already wasted maybe a million dollars at the strip club, at least, because I was making. I was. Well, my very first girlfriend. No, I thought you. My very. I am gonna tell you the story. My very first love, her name was Evie. And I was 27 years old, and I was making $150,000 a year. But you have to remember this is 1991. So that was a lot of money back take home. Like, my taxes got paid at the end of the year by my partner. My partner was an accountant. So I got a hundred. I got $3,000 a week take home. So first thing I did was I went over to the Cafe Royale, which is still there. It's in Farmingdale. And I think the guy that used to be the manager is now the owner. His name is John. You know, he'll never see this. And I went over there, and he actually knew her. And she's up on stage, you know, I mean, I'm just gonna tell this story like it is. I'm 27. I'm awkward, I'm unattractive. I got nothing going on. I never saw a girl with a nice body. Yeah, Like, I never saw that. Not, like, in person, you know? So I look up at her and I'm like, will you please? And it was $50. I'll never forget it. I said, will you please take my $50 and maybe pay attention to me now? I didn't say that to her, but this is what my brain is saying. I remember it exactly. And she took the $50 and she put it in her garter. I was not a veteran of that particular business at the time. I did do 20 hardcore years after that, but at that time, I didn't know. So she comes down and what they do back in the day, I don't know what they do now. They go around to the biggest hippers and sit with them and pretend to be interested in them, right? So she came down and she sat with me and she pretended to be interested in me. And, you know, I'm extremely aggressive in matters of business. And that to me, was like a matter of business. Like, I had to have her. Like, I'd never seen anything like it. You know, she had brown skin. She had the same color skin as my girlfriend now, although my girlfriend now, her skin is unbelievably beautiful. And I took her down and, you know, when you have skin like mine, you definitely want someone. You definitely want someone with brown skin. And I talked my stuff, and she was, you know, she knew that I had money, and so she, you know, she was an opportunist. And I remember I paid her $1,000 a week to be my girlfriend.
Vegas Matt
Holy crap.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah.
Vegas Matt
That's a lot.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, because she was dancing. And this is a deal that a lot of nerds make when they get together with strippers, but I'm gonna be the one who's gonna tell you about it. So it's 1990. It was. I met her in 91, but this all took place in. Yeah, 92. So I met her in 92. It all took place in the fall of 92. So she was dancing, but she's. Who wants to be objectified? Does anybody really? Are strippers really happy doing that job? 20% are, let's just say. And maybe 80% are. She was 80% who wasn't really thrilled with doing it. So I said to her, I said, look, I'll give you $1,000 a week so you don't have to do it anymore. You won't feel bad about missing out. She was making between two and three. She settled for the thousand, which I could afford because I wasn't going there anymore. And we had this agreement. She didn't move in with me immediately, but she moved into, you know, right next to me. And away we went. But. And this is story, because the Mirage interviewed me. I'm sorry, not the Mirage. German television interviewed me in front of the Mirage. And I'm Standing out there and they're asking me to have my memories of this goes into what Evie was doing. Whatever. My memories of the mirage, I'm like, oh, yeah, I came here with my fiance and she was sleeping with the bartender right in the front. When you walk like another. This is. This is the innocence of when I'm doing interviews. You would walk in, you would go through the atrium. There was a bar over there to the right. Good looking guy was working there. And I caught him sleeping with my fiance at the time. And I'm like telling us to German television. The guy from German television is just rolling his eyes. I was never able to get a copy of that interview, even though I tried to. Cause it was really funny. And Jose the taco guy was taping it, but it wasn't good sound. But I did put it up on social media because it was the funniest thing ever. But the bottom line with her was she got her narcissistic adoration. You have to look at where people get their power from and their energy. And I will tell you that narcissistic adoration is the most powerful drug in the world. And she got her narcissistic adoration from her body and from using her body and from showing it off. So, yeah, she was cheating on me with everybody.
Vegas Matt
Damn.
Paul D. Cantino
But the narcissist. Yeah, the whole three years. And the last time, the last time I got in the car and I drove to Atlantic City and I knock on the door and I knew she was in there with a guy, but I'm like, so dumb. And they were in connecting rooms and he had run into the other room. The next day she admitted it to me. And I went in there and I knew that she was like, you know, obviously I caught them in the middle of the act. It was just ridiculous. But getting back to the narcissistic adoration. Cause this is important. Social media is so narcissistic. So what happens with me is I finally started putting, you know, that's another thing Prez didn't have to do. I used his name. See, I got upset for a second, like a year ago when they were talking about a reality show for me or whatever. He's like, oh, he's too ugly to be on television. So when my producer first came to me like six months ago, I was like, because his girlfriend had asked me if I wanted to be on television. I said, ah, you don't really want me on television. But he put that down in my. He put that pain in my mind. Because again, he's in pain. So I stayed off of the camera until about eight months ago, ten months ago. Now it's like. And the reason that the narcissistic adoration conversation became about, like, what I look like is because now that people know who I am and what I look like, I mean, I can tell you on Saturday night, I probably took between 20 and 30 pictures.
Vegas Matt
That doesn't surprise.
Paul D. Cantino
And everybody wants me to say Vegas, Paulie. See that? By the end of the night, I was just like, wow. I can't even say. And then I was hanging out with. I was hanging out with Dustin Lynch's posse.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
So do you know Dustin lynch is the country artist? Yeah, the country artist. So he has a residency at Excess. So either his tour manager or his good friend. And it blows. This blows my mind. Like, they contact me, like, will you hang out with us? You know, we're going to be at the win. And I'm like, absolutely. I'll come over there. You got the residency. I know I'm going to go to excess. You know, I never went to a nightclub for 20 years. No excess. Invited. Yeah, I'll tell you that in a second. I'm not humble, faking, by the way. These are true stories. So I never went to the excess because I'm a big gambler. What am I going to do? Hi. I just spent $12,000 on this table, you know, to a girl. Will you pay attention to me? It's so not cost effective. Like, I gotta fake it. And I got. And I can't fake it. And I don't really have $12,000. So to me, the excess was always like, wow, now I'm not angry, you know, I'm not angry about this. I wonder what it's like in there. And then they invited me for New Year's. In fact, I saw Rand shout out to Randy Tomas, wherever you are. Great guy. He's a stage manager there. I ran into him again when I went with Dustin Lynch's group. So they brought me in and we had dinner together and I met some really cool people that are, like, in his group. You know, he's got a pretty cool group. But the whole night I was getting, like, a tremendous amount of, you know, narcissistic adoration. But what I was going to tell you is, why the Vegas police? He was even more unbearable. By the end of the night, there were two guys in his group that kept saying it on, like, every spin of the dice. I'm sorry. Every spin of the wheel, every roll, every turn. Of the card every. And I was just like, is. You know, I love it, but I love it, like, a couple times a day.
Vegas Matt
I love it, man. That's funny. Yeah. Excess is a good club. I've been there.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, I'm sure you get in no problem. But for me, it was, you know, the table part.
Vegas Matt
Like you said, you're dropping 5k at least.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, you know, I'll tell you a funny story. Dustin Dre invited me to Dre's, and he put me in the second table right by this stage. And I brought. Wow. I just stuttered. I never did that before. And he put me in the second table by the stage, and Trey Songz was there.
Vegas Matt
Nice.
Paul D. Cantino
And it was awesome. I had the best time. In fact, there's a video on my YouTube because this great kid that I know, Justin, he's a great videographer, he thinks that I'm funnier than I am, and he made, like, a video. So I said to Dustin Dre, I said. I said, I can't even afford the tip, because I can't. I can't. You know, what's the tip on the table like that? It's got to be 1,000, $2,000, right?
Vegas Matt
Yeah, it's gotta be at least. Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
Dustin was like, no, I take care of my people. I thought that was super cool. Like, I had to be honest with him. And, you know, he was. You know, he was honest with me. He was nice, and he's. And he's a great guy. And that's a great place. That's a great place.
Vegas Matt
In terms of nightclubs, I hear it's one of the best.
Paul D. Cantino
It's just, you know, the. You know, if you get the pounding music all night, then to go and get the great R and B. You know, they play the great hip hop stuff there. Yeah, it's. It's.
Vegas Matt
It's really got a lot of talent coming through there.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, yeah.
Vegas Matt
I see their billboard every day.
Paul D. Cantino
Trey Songz was great. He was great. I mean, just watching him and just. He's got a great club there.
Vegas Matt
Do you think you and Starfish will ever make up?
Paul D. Cantino
No, because when I was at my lowest points, which. And a lot of this is the reason why I did that stupid taco shop and only took 25% because she had me so on the ropes last December, like, she was putting posts up, and I have copies of them. No one will ever work with you in Las Vegas. He is barred from all of the following casinos. In fact, she said I was barred from The Circa. And she made it public that I'm barred from the Circa. And the Circa texted me and said, paul, I mean, I love the Circa. I really do. I have so much respect for Derrick Stephens because it's so effing creative, you know? And they were like, paul, you're not barred from here. Come here whenever you want, you know? And I'm a big fan. And I do all of my Sportsbook videos. I do a lot of them in the Circa. But, I mean, look at the Circa. The Circa is that that incredible sportsbook? It just throws the energy off of the Sportsbook into the casino, and you feel it. Have you ever been there on an NFL game?
Vegas Matt
Yeah. It doesn't feel like you're downtown when you're at Circa.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, my God. Well, that's the point with the Circa. If the Circa was just on the corner where those idiots at Resorts World are. If he just had that corner, I know he would do. Be doing. You wouldn't even be able to get a room in there ever. And he would have three times the rooms. But he's a guy, and I don't know him, and I've never met him and I've never talked to him, but this is the way I feel. Which I guess I shouldn't be saying. I just feel like he's a guy who's so into Vegas history and so into what Vegas was, that in his mind, he just had to, you know, revitalize downtown. And he's done it. I mean, you could stay at the d. It's like 70 bucks a night. It's clean. The casino is cool. It's. It's got the long bar. It's got good games. It's got a good blackjack game. It's got great energy. And that's like, probably the best cheap hotel to stay at. It might even be the best cheap hotel to stay at in Las Vegas. Although I'm a big fan of the Tuscany. Then if you want to really live some history, because the Golden Gate is the oldest hotel, I am telling you straight out, I don't think there's another operator in the gaming space in America who would have done what he did with the Golden Gate. He brought it back. They would have it as a slot house. It would just be slot machines. You would walk in there, they'd have three employees and go after yourself. He's got girls in there doing the watusi up on the stage. He's got great games in there. He's got great energy. He's got A full casino. He's got an area over there, around the corner. He's got the 1909 fountain, which is super cool to see it. He has a museum in there. And he renovated two suites upstairs. They're incredible suites. I got to stay in one of them once. And then he's not done yet. He says, let me pay. And he paid top dollar for that real estate. I did a video. He paid $13 million for a twelfth of an acre.
Vegas Matt
What?
Paul D. Cantino
He bought it from Haim go Bay in 2016. It's in the Las Vegas Review Journal. I did the research on this. Then Haim Gabay took the money and bought the world's largest gift shop, which is on the corner of Sahara and the Las Vegas Boulevard. But anyway, he paid top dollar. He's not public, and I don't know his numbers, but he spent plenty of money building that place. You can see it. And nobody else would have done that. So it's like, 1, 2, 3. He saved the Fitzgerald's. I think it was before it was the D. He saved the D. He saved all the history at the Golden Gate. And then he built a super, amazingly creative hotel casino with. I don't. I don't know that there's a hotel casino that has better energy in it. I don't know. Yeah.
Vegas Matt
Wow. I love circa Shout out to Barry's.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, I know. And then Chef Barry, have you ever met. I know.
Vegas Matt
Two days ago.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, he's amazing.
Vegas Matt
He's great.
Paul D. Cantino
He's the nicest guy. So they had contacted me. It was one of my first gigs, whatever you want to call it, to come down or whatever. And I sat with Chef Barry from Any Barry. And he said, you want to come in the kitchen? Or whatever. Listen, I was in the restaurant business for a little while. I don't want to say anything, but I've never seen. Did you go in the kitchen?
Vegas Matt
I haven't.
Paul D. Cantino
I've never seen anything like that.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
It's like an operating room. It's like you would totally get a kidney transplanted. Transplanted in his kitchen. That's how clean.
Vegas Matt
I love that. Some kitchens are not the cleanest.
Paul D. Cantino
I couldn't believe it. That's what blew me away. And I did a kitchen tour, like, on my. This is a. This video is like a year and a half old. But I was blown away.
Vegas Matt
It's one of my favorite steakhouses in Vegas, man.
Paul D. Cantino
It's got it, you know, but there's so many. But wow. But, you know, just the fact that he can compete on Such a high level. And it's mobbed. He's got it. And he's got a great personality. I saw him the other day in the street. He came right up to me, was, hi, how you doing?
Vegas Matt
I love it.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, guys like that really make Vegas.
Vegas Matt
Agreed. Agreed. I see you go to Seagull's Bagel Mania every morning. Is that the best breakfast spot in Vegas, in your opinion?
Paul D. Cantino
For me, it is. And it. And it's funny because it's mainly about the coffee. Like, I can make coffee at home, and it's maybe an eight and a half if I get it just the way I want it. I go in there and they put that coffee in that white cup, and I'm just like, I cannot believe that they've gotten all the acid out of the coffee and made it that flavorful. I tell them all the time, I don't work for them. I've never gotten paid to do a video. It just hits me every six months and I'm like, wow. And this morning. And I gotta stop going there. Cause I'm just gaining weight and gaining weight. This morning I had the sesame bagel toasted and the cup of coffee and like an ounce of whitefish. And I call. I almost went there for lunch.
Vegas Matt
Why?
Paul D. Cantino
Wow. I went there for breakfast and I almost went there for lunch.
Vegas Matt
I've never had their call.
Paul D. Cantino
And Steve Siegel, you know, people don't realize that he's probably. Wow. So this Kirk Kavorkian, or whatever his last name is. I can never say it properly. Of course. You've got Steve Wynn and Sheldon Adelson, you know. Oh, definitely in the top 10 entrepreneurs to ever come to Las Vegas. Absolutely. He's in the top 10. Is he in the top five? Maybe.
Vegas Matt
I see Siegel a lot around, and.
Paul D. Cantino
This I can tell you because they told me. I can talk about this. They have. They have 10 acres right on the strip, and they're going to do something there, but I don't know what. I actually, I don't deal with Steve because Steve's busy, you know, and he's running an empire. But I talked to his executive, Alex, who's super nice. And Alex will tell me, you know, well, we're opening a new store down in Summerlin. And then he also told me, yeah, we're going to do something amazing with the 10 acres. So he bought the 10 acres for 75 million, which was a steal, really. Nobody else had the cash. It says it right in the article. Like, I'm not telling his business. It says the person who sold it, said no one else had this. Could write the check. But Steve wrote the check.
Vegas Matt
Shout out to him.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah.
Vegas Matt
If you could ask Steve Wynn anything, what would you ask him? Vegas legend.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, wow. That's a great question. Why? Why wasn't it enough? Why wasn't what? You had enough? Why did you have to, you know, do what you did?
Vegas Matt
Yeah, you had it all right.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah.
Vegas Matt
Had the best casino.
Paul D. Cantino
You know, again, you know, it all goes back to. It all goes back to how you're born, I really believe. And I always used to come up with this stupid analogy in college, you know, or not analogy, but comparison. It seemed to me in college, there were two types of guys. Guys that would drink and get violent and guys that would drink and get placid. And I was always the guy who drank and just got placid, you know, but maybe, like, 20 or 30% was smashing things. And I'd be like, God, you guys are gonna destroy the pool table in the rec room. Why would you do. Got to clean it up. And I think it comes down to the same thing with employees. Like, I've probably had 40 to 50 female employees, and, wow. I just can't see it. Like, I don't know whether that comes from me knowing that I'm not cool and knowing that it would be a burden on the poor girl, or it comes from just fear or. I mean, I'm not saying that I didn't have attractive employees. I certainly did.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
But. Wow. No, because, I mean, and I. And I had, you know, Companies in the 80s and 90s the same time that Steve, you know, you can't really.
Vegas Matt
You got to be able to separate, you know, personal.
Paul D. Cantino
It's not even separate. It's just like. No, like, I don't. I don't. You know, I don't want it that way. No, it's not even. It's not even that. I just don't. You know, part of the great thing about being nerdy and being awkward and not being able to get girls, if you are an introvert is you have your whole world of just reading and doing your math and, you know, watching your sports and betting on your horses and gambling like an idiot. I can remember coming to Vegas in the 90s and I had. You know, I had. Well, I had half a million dollars in credit around town. I had $100,000 at five places. How do I know that? When I left here, I owed $100,000 at five places and 50 at MGM, which I paid immediately. I used to be here in the 90s with all the money in the world. And I was in my late 20s, and I was skinny and, you know, I had a full head of blonde hair. Whatever.
Vegas Matt
You were blonde?
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, I was full head of blonde hair.
Vegas Matt
Send me a photo. We'll add it to the video.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, okay. And I wasn't even looking and thinking about girls. I was thinking about gambling. So it was always second for me. But, you know, again, that's the question I would ask him. I'd say, wasn't it enough? And then even if. Look, I know the way the world works. You know, I live on Long Island. Sometimes I think that, like, every guy on Long island has a goomar, you know, has, like, a girlfriend or whatever, because it's just. It just comes up so often. And I totally am not judging him, but why couldn't he just have a girlfriend? You know what I mean?
Vegas Matt
Well, he had a wife, didn't he?
Paul D. Cantino
No, but I mean, if he. If he had to be Tony Soprano, you know, do it the Tony Soprano way. Have a couple of goomars, whatever.
Vegas Matt
Oh, yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
Like, there were episodes on the Sopranos. Wow. I don't want to go into this. It's so stupid, but Ralphie's girlfriend was trying to, like, be Tony's girlfriend, and Ralph and Tony was like, no, I can't. You know, like. Like, even Tony kept it. Have a couple of girlfriends, you know, respect them. It's separate from work. Like, what I'm trying to say is, if you have that much money, you don't need to put that pressure on anybody.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
That's what I don't understand.
Vegas Matt
I guess it's hard for us to put ourselves in that position because we've never had that much. You know, it's easy to say these things.
Paul D. Cantino
Not judging. I just can't understand it.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
Not judging.
Vegas Matt
It sounds like getting girlfriends wasn't on your priority list when you were younger.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, so when I was 17, 18, 19, I tried, you know, but it was just like. It was. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I always look at that situation in Columbine, you know, the shooting in Columbine. And, you know, Dylan was a weirdo. The guy that did that. And again, it goes back to the guys who drink and get violent and the guys who drink and get placid when I was rejected. 17, 18. I know now chemically, what was going on.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
And that's why I'm like, okay. And that's why I can explain it to you. So it would hurt like hell. Because you know, I remember I tried to go to prom with this one girl. She went with somebody else. I mean, I never even had a chance. And she was not, you know, the most popular. But you would get hurt, and then I would get that shot of adrenaline from being hurt. Just like gambling. This is why gambling is so insidious, because you get better chemicals from losing than you do from winning. Wow. I'll explain that to you in a second. In just one second. So I would get that shot of adrenaline, get that rejection hurt for like half an hour, and then I'd be tranquil. Then I'd be like, yeah, you know, and it hurt. But I think, you know, and I really believe this in life. I think the marketplace tells you who you are and where you belong. So, you know, I've been doing instagram now since June 23rd of 2023. I got about a year and a half doing it. The dinosaur got me 42,000 followers. Abandoned the account. I took it over a year Later, I had 42,000 followers. So for a long time, I was getting like a thousand a day. Now I get about three to five hundred. So a thousand. A thousand. And I saw it growing and I did my videos. So I said to myself, wow, the marketplace likes what I'm doing, you know, and then I get all the shout outs and all the people that condiment. So the marketplace. So I'll stick with this for a while. But I can tell you conclusively, this is my last year of deluding myself.
Vegas Matt
Really?
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah. Because if I don't. If I don't manifest something this year that I can actually do, like I'm incapable of take. Even if someone called me five minutes from now and said, paul, come down to this is the world's greatest gambling gift shop. I'm just making something up, and we'll slide you five grand under the table. I'm not capable of doing it because the fear will be in my voice when I do the video. The voice. The video will be very inauthentic. There's videos that I've done where I say something that's a little questionable right in the video, and I can hear the pitch in my voice change.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
I. That. All of that, all of that excitement, all of that, I'm genuinely like, I won't. There's times of the day that I just can't do videos. You know, it was funny last night and they reached out to me, by the way, last night, Mark Wahlberg's tequila company was doing a promo at on the Record at park mgm. So I got invited to come to a Super bowl party there. So at the Super bowl bowl party, so one of the promoters there says to me, paul, you need to do a video for Mark Wahlberg's Tequila. Do a promo video for that. I mean, now you know my page a little bit. Like, do I do promo videos?
Vegas Matt
No, I've never seen one, so.
Paul D. Cantino
But I feel bad because I got the table for nothing. You see, this is why I don't want anything free. Do you understand Why I don't want anything free? So they. They hand me the bottle and the three girls, nice young ladies. These. They were nice young ladies. That's the way I feel. It's like. I'm like, grandpa. They put the three. I said, put the three ladies in the bus. They put the three ladies in the bus. They put the thing. So this video is going to just be an absolute disaster. But I know, you know, two years ago when I was 158, I was really ripped. And I know Mark Wahlberg works out. And I know he's an older guy. He's seven years younger than me, but he's got the body. So I took a picture of me with my shirt off and a picture of Mark Wahlberg with his shirt off. It's the videos. I posted it yesterday. Now I know that I have a video that everybody's going to say, wow, that weirdo Vegas police is actually, like, ripped. Like, actually, someone said to me in the chat, you are ripped. Why? And I said, because my girlfriend wants me that way, which she really does. She wants me, you know, with the abs and everything. She's actually angry right now because I'm about 10 pounds overweight. But anyway, so. But I knew that I had to construct a video that would be comical and that would grab people's eyes. And at the last second, I came up with that comedy part of it, and that's why I did it that way. And, yeah, it has like a quarter of a million views from yesterday. But if it's not funny or if it's not interesting, you know, there's times that I'll do a video, and I think it's the greatest video in the world, and then it just falls flat.
Vegas Matt
And you're just like, oh, God, it happens to everyone.
Paul D. Cantino
And then there's stuff that you say to yourself, why? I gotta tell you one that happened about a month or two ago, and I was with my little girlfriend, Mahi. I love her so much. Her skin was designed by NASA. She can reenter the atmosphere without burning up Mahi streets are all natural. I don't know why I need to do that, but I just did it. So I said to her, let's go down to the overpass. I heard they canceled this overpass in downtown Las Vegas. They were gonna spend $5 billion on it, and they don't even have the money. I go down, I go under the overpass. You know, being under an overpass is not the most visually place. Most visually stimulating place in the world. I'm under the overpass and I do the video. And I had done three videos that day already, and they were doing okay. And I said to little Mahi, I said, I'm not going to put this up. This is just not even like. And then I said, but if I don't put it up, I'm going to forget about it. And I guess if I'm ever going to put it up, I'll put. I put it up. It's over 3 million views on Instagram. But I don't know what happened. People just wanted to fight about the fact this is what happened. I do know what happened. It became a political thing. Why are we sending money to Ukraine and not building a $5 billion interchange in Las Vegas? You know, and it be once. It Once. Once you post, and it's not even intentional. Although sometimes I know it's gonna become this. So sometimes when I'm doing it, I do know ahead of time it's gonna become political. But leading up to the election, when you would do a video like that, you know, that was political, like, why is the money going here? Why is the money? And it's very interesting because now I notice the first thing that they're doing is a why, where's the money going? Thing. So it always was a big factor to the, you know, the exchange in your chat.
Vegas Matt
I'm sure you're loving that, seeing where all the money's going. I know you're a data nerd, so it's mind blowing. I mean, some of the stuff they. They spent it on is mine.
Paul D. Cantino
Hey, you know what? That girl. Girl, Woman. Girl, woman. I mean, she's 27 years old. That woman that they put in the White House press room. What is her name?
Vegas Matt
I forget. I know who you're talking about, though.
Paul D. Cantino
Wow. Is she talented or is she talent? Is she. Is she amazing?
Vegas Matt
Is that Levitt something?
Paul D. Cantino
Yes, Carolyn Levitt.
Vegas Matt
Is that Carolyn Lovett? Yeah. She's a beast.
Paul D. Cantino
How talented is that? Is that woman super talented and such a young. Where'd they find her.
Vegas Matt
I know.
Paul D. Cantino
I feel like they have access to, like. Like, I just love watching her because she's just so good at what she does.
Vegas Matt
She had to, like, deal with the Biden administration in the past four years.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, she. Did she work for them?
Vegas Matt
Yeah. So shout out to her for, like.
Paul D. Cantino
She can make it.
Vegas Matt
Right.
Paul D. Cantino
She's amazing.
Vegas Matt
She's a beast.
Paul D. Cantino
When I see talent like that, I go, wow.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
Some people are just born with it.
Vegas Matt
You know, I just applied for White House credentials. We'll see if I get it.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, wow.
Vegas Matt
They're allowing people like us to start doing.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, I'm sure you will. Yeah, I'm sure you will. I mean, yeah, you know, you've had some amazing guests on.
Vegas Matt
Absolutely. Do you ever get involved with politics?
Paul D. Cantino
No, I don't, because I know something that, like, nobody wants to talk about. Would you like to know what it is?
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
You can Google all of this. Didn't we do this? Didn't we do this already?
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
It's all genetic. So you can Google brain chemistry and political affiliation. They can put anybody in a brain scan. So there are five categories in the brain scan. Extremely left, extremely right, somewhat left, Somewhat right, and middle of the road. So they can hit the five categories with 72% accuracy based on a brain scan.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
But I knew this. So the fascinating parts of it to me are that the brains are completely different. So the really far left has a tiny amygdala. Amygdala. Amygdala. I don't know how to say that word. Amygdala. Amygdala. I don't know. I say it wrong. I say it the wrong way, but it's that I could spell it because I've spelled it a million times. And the far right has a much larger amygdala, and it has so many interesting outcomes. And I think that people get all caught up in. And they don't all caught up in it, and they don't realize that the person that they're fighting with has absolutely no choice in the matter a lot of the time.
Vegas Matt
So you can't even change their opinion.
Paul D. Cantino
So why even bother, you know? And I have to respect everybody, because if you really look at history, everybody's had a hand in making us, you know, who we are today. I remember about 25 years ago, I'll never forget this, because I had no idea, because the Internet wasn't around. There wasn't a lot of reading, and the movie Milk came out, which was about Harvey Milk. And by the way, I'M not in any way virtue signaling, but it's just an example of how you just don't know things. And my sister is gay. And I watched the movie and I said to my sister, I said, I had no idea that they were beating the hell out of gay people in the 60s. I never read it anywhere. I had no idea that it was this, that and the other thing. But the point is that the political establishment at the time, you know, that's reversed now. Like, one side was doing one thing and one side was doing the other thing. But the bottom line is, if people aren't activists, I always use that when people try and attack the activists. If people weren't activists, we'd still be beating people up, you know, in the streets. Like, that's so true. Yeah, like. And then the other thing is, I don't know if I've ever watched Mad Men.
Vegas Matt
I haven't.
Paul D. Cantino
Same thing, you know, in the 60s and the 70s, there's a couple of scenes there where she just rolls down the window and takes a whole tray of used fast food and just throws it out the window. So that's another thing that you know. So you just, you really get what I love about social media, I love this about social media. And I really fault pretty much every company for not doing this. Although I'm sure some do. When I do a post on XYZ Hotel, I don't care whether it's the Wynn, the Fontainebleau resorts world, the Plaza, circa, whoever it is, if I do a post that's good, a post that's engaging, where I get 500, 600, 700 comments, why is that hotel not addressing what's in those comments? Sometimes it's all love. Like, I know and I have no relationship with the Hard Rock. And I was shocked to find this out. The Hard Rock Corporation there in Florida, they're run by the Seven Old tribe. I did a post, I did a walkthrough in Atlantic City. I did walk through the Hard Rock Atlantic City for nine minutes. I've never seen so much love. And then I did another post somewhere else and I found out that in my opinion, because of the amount of love that I saw, that the Hard Rock Gaming Company, I don't know what they call themselves, but they're controlled by the Seminole Tribe in Florida, is probably the most loved gaming company in America. And number two, again, just based on the comments, is the Golden Nugget. The Golden Nugget brand.
Vegas Matt
Interesting.
Paul D. Cantino
And I would say number. And then, and then it gets, you know, Then of course you have the win. And station casinos. I love station casinos. I love the architect there. But what I'm trying to tell you is that chat will tell you everything about your product. So if you, if you're honest and you are willing to accept. So I very rarely. The most annoying thing that I see is who cares? Like if I see who cares and it's a non follower, I will, I will block them. But I tell everybody, I'm like, don't come in here and post who cares? If you don't care, just scroll. You know what I mean?
Vegas Matt
No need for hate if it's not productive.
Paul D. Cantino
Well, I don't really think it's hate. I think it's worse than that. I think it's taking a person and not giving them their existence. Like, who cares? Like, who are you to have an existence? This is my life. Like, who cares? This is my life in Vegas. Yeah, I'm out doing this and I enjoy doing it and people enjoy watching it. So, you know, don't take away my existence.
Vegas Matt
Yeah, you raise a good point though. If you're getting five comments about your hotel, if you're working PR in that hotel, you can make a lot of money.
Paul D. Cantino
Okay, so I'm not going to name the hotel because I don't. Just don't feel like being a jerk right now. Maybe later. But I know that I am a compulsive gambler and this was a huge part of my life in my early 20s, of course, for all the chemical problems that I have and that I was born with, but also because I wasn't dating, you know, whatever, and I was just working. So if I was 23 and the Internet didn't exist and social media didn't exist, but if I was 23, and let's just take in 1983, let's just take the Hacienda because that's the first hotel that I ever went to in 1987, actually was when I went to the Hacienda when I was 23 years old in 1987 when I went to the Hacienda. If I had made a comment on their social media post and they had said to me, wow, you're excited about coming here. Here's $20 in match play. Or we'd really like to welcome you while you're here. Here's $10 off breakfast. How are they not you? I mean, I don't get too dramatic and too emotional on your show, but how are they not utilizing that tool? They could have a staff that put up A link, and they could just recruit gamblers and give them a little something and generate. I know that if you worked the chat of this hotel on this particular video that I did that had over a thousand comments. I know that one employee. And I'll use $1,000 a day because get two great employees. I'm gonna assume they cost you $500 a day each. Let's be fair. Let's be generous with our social media team. I know that if you spent one week just on that one post that I did back and forth with the people and the DMs, whatever, you would invest $5,000, right? $1,000 a day. And I know your ROI would be up there like 10, 20, maybe even 100. You might even generate $500,000 in business. How do I know this for a fact? So I met a guy named Big Daddy. Joe Lino. You mentioned him. Big Daddy. So I met him, and he's a character, and I love working with him because he's funny and he's fun and he's a nice guy, and I think he's great at his job. And I don't get paid by him. I probably could have if when I met him. I shook him down, but I didn't. And he gets so much action from the social media that I do with him. And, you know, yesterday he texted me, you know, thank you so much, Paul, whatever. I said, big Daddy, I want you to be as big as you can be. So then I get more content so that you become bigger so that I get more content. So he's a great guy. And he actually contacted a tribal property in California and said, you know, Vegas policy will come out for the weekend and he'll show all your rooms. All you have to do is give him $5,000 in free play. I'm gonna take the $5,000 in free play and give it away. Like I already told someone, we're gonna do a contest. We'll give it away. We'll give somebody a thousand. Because I'm trying to build my following, and I don't really want to gamble with free play and not disclose it anyway. So if I'm getting paid. So you can get a tremendous return from just giving it away? No. They said no. I said, well, they're idiots. I mean, they're really idiots. I would have gotten them. The first time I did circa, I was one third the size I am now, and I generated 2 million views for them. Wow. Like in. In four days. Because I love the place. And I knew that I love this tribal property in California. No names, but, like, you know, there's. There's a disconnect. You know, there's rich teams and there's poor teams, and then there's 50ft of shit, and then there's Vegas policy.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
And I just don't feel like there should be 50ft of shit between me and poor teams. So in that way, and I don't really think it's ego in that way, I feel like there's a miscommunication in the market or something. And maybe it's because I'm an asshole sometimes. Maybe. You know, or maybe because I'm real. But if you see something so egregious, like, how are you not going to address it? You know? And maybe I come across as whatever. I mean, you think it didn't hurt me? I was telling some executive the other day, do you think it didn't hurt me to meet with the top level of the Fontainebleau before it opened and tell them, you are going to fail? And this is why. Do you think it didn't hurt me? Like, do you think I got off on it? I didn't get off on it. You know, these guys look like they got hit by a car when I. You know. But I already knew the cosmo opened in 2010 with no database. Right. I. How are you going to open a casino hotel of that size with no database? Let's just do the math. If 1000 of the best gamblers in the world come through your front door on opening night, right. And you have 30 incredible VIP hosts working there, and each one handles 10, right. That's all they're going to handle. Because gamblers want to be talked to. They want. They want to talk about their credit line. They want to talk about what kind of hotel room they need the love. So we're going to say that every VIP host could handle 10, and you have 30, 70% of what you were trying to do just went out the door. And this is why you don't open with no database. You find a way to build. They have something called central credit. You have reps who can build your database that come in with a mailing list or a list of people that they're going to call. How can you not open? And the executive itself, I'll never forget it. No names, but trust me, top of the top. We were busy. This is like the most critical thing. So I don't know this because I'm a genius. I don't know this because I've worked In gaming. So many people will say to me, who the hell are you? How do you know? I know this because I talked to guys who were at the Cosmo in opening night in 2010 and what did they tell me? Exactly what I told the people opening at the Fontainebleau. But they don't, they didn't care. They were like, look at this Tiktoker abusing us. So the whole thing fell apart.
Vegas Matt
Is fountain blue still struggling?
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, yeah, still struggling. And it's a beautiful hotel. It's a beautiful hotel. It's got wide hallways upstairs. They've really put the money into the place, the finishes on the inside. I mean, you know, it's. I'm not saying it's the walled off Astoria, but let's just use this as a. It's the Waldorf Astoria. And Resorts world is like Motel 6. I mean, you know, I learned so much by reading my chat, but I also pick up funny things. And one woman on my chat, we were talking about Resorts World, she said, let's just face it, it's a self service hotel. Another, I mean, they opened with no room service. I remember I stayed there in the meeting, I was like. And an executive said this too in my chat. They said they thought that they were going to replace people with technology and it just didn't work out. Like, I'm learning so much. I don't come to this with all the knowledge in the world. I'm learning so much from my own social media and I always beat industry. So like I'll get a guy who's general counsel over here and I'll run down or I'll get a guy who's vice president of marketing and I'll run down. Occasionally I get a president and I'll run down and I let them talk and I ask them questions. I'm never going to be able to handle the minutia of the back room. But they're not going to tell me that anyway, you know, because that's all proprietary information that I can only try and figure out from the financials. But you get the feel, you know, for every property, what their priority is, it really flows. And this is why the win was so successful. Steve had the personality, Steve gave the love. Steve was interesting. Steve had a great voice. Steve was incredibly creative. But Steve said this and you can go and you can watch it. The drapes, the carpets, the rooms. And he had the. They have the best of everything there and they still do the finishings. None of that matters without the people. Somebody called me and they said that they were the people who are going to be responsible for North Strip development. It doesn't matter the specifics, whether they're. I get BS'd so much in Las Vegas that maybe he's BS. But I went and I met him and I took a piece of paper and I drove three circles and I said, here's your $6 billion. I'm not going to put what's here. And I said, here is your hotel casino. I said, you have your $6 billion. Unbelievable. You know, he tells me he does. I don't believe him. But whatever you have your site, you have, even the plans are drawn up for this particular property. I said, what are you missing? What are you never going to be able to get? What are you never going to find ever? Because they're basically all taken to be honest with you. I said, you are never going to find the employees that are going to do the job that's going to get you a return on $6 billion. You're just not. You're just not. Because the industry is not an industry that is heavy on training. It's not an industry that's heavy on love. It's not. It's an industry. It goes back to the movie Casino. The eye in the sky is watching the floor man. The floor man is watching the box man. The box man is watching the dealer. The dealer is watching the player. It's a tough, rough, hardcore industry. And if you want to have employees that give the love, you're going to have to give a lot of love to those employees. You're going to have to nurture them. You're going to have to give them that culture and you just can't do it with a new property anymore. And you know, I read all the comments about the employees at places like Resorts World. You know, with the overbearing security, you know, an interesting juxtaposition is, is the security at Resorts World and the security at the Wynn. The security at Resorts World, they're dressed like mall cops that are absolutely going to harass you and absolutely have a bad attitude. The security at the Wynn, they're just like safari guards. They have that great personality. I think the Wynn on purpose hires all good looking guys for that job. So everybody looks like they're about to take you on safari. And then you have, there's Oswald and I'll just. I met with an investor in the project that I'm working on the other day and I mean, I don't think he's trying to blow smoke up My ass. He says, yeah, I was over there with so and so. I'm not gonna tell you who. And you know, friend of his. And I was in the corner and they came up to me and wanted to know what I was doing. Now, this particular guy is extremely wealthy. I saw him piss away $40,000 like it was nothing. One day I was like, wow. And they chased him out of it or they made him feel bad. You know what I mean? You can't go around making people feel bad. Now, I had an incident there. You know, I am definitely a provocateur in a lot of this. And the other day somebody contacted me and they said, we really would love an hour of your time. We just. My friend is the biggest fan and, you know, no ego. But this is what I was told. We're staying in the super suite at Resorts World if you come over here. I said, oh. I said, I don't know how to price out an hour with me. You want to give me $1,000? I said, I tell you what I'm gonna do because I feel stupid. I said, I'm gonna take the thousand dollars and I'm gonna give it to the taco shop and I'm gonna let them buy tacos for everybody for the afternoon because we have no business in our taco shop. It's doing terrible. So I kill two birds with one stone. I get it. That and the guy, he's on cnbc. I'm not gonna give you his name, but he's on CNBC. I'll double it. He says, I'll give you $2,000. I'm like, wow, I'm in 9:00. I'm in a meeting with somebody and I say to myself, immediately I go into submissive pose, because if a super famous person is going to ask to give you $2,000, I know I'm going to get content. I thought I was going to get the room. He didn't want me doing the room because he's afraid of Resorts World. You run down there. And I said, I can run in. I'll run in the vip, I'll run in the back. I'll get the money, I'll get out of there and they'll never even see me.
Vegas Matt
Because you're banned there, right?
Paul D. Cantino
I'm banned there. But also, you have to remember I'm projecting. I know who I am. I know I'm going to run in there. I know I'm not going to cause any trouble. I know I'm going to be a church mouse. I know I'm going to run out of there. So I'm projecting my own innocence on the situation. I go running in there. The VIP room was open. I go running past the VIP, I would say in 45 seconds to a minute, security was, you know, 26ft behind me.
Vegas Matt
Wow.
Paul D. Cantino
So we went into the central area and I see security coming around the corner and the guy who's famous says, come on, Paulie, let's just go to the room. So I go to the room and it's the super suite, which is, you see, I can make the separation the super Suite. And I think they have three of them at Resorts World. People call it Vegas. Matt's bedroom. I think the super suite at Resorts World. It's fan effantastic. It's absolutely, splendidly, amazingly gorgeous. I. If they didn't have like the most boring casino in the world and I had millions of dollars, I would stay at the Super Suite. And you know, you can get a similar product at the Wind. They call it the Fairway Villas. It has the pool and everything. Very similar. But the super suite is gorgeous and I can understand why this super high roller is staying there. And who's he with? Who are the people who want to see me? Basically Miami Royalty. Not going to go any deeper than that. I'm sure they don't want their names out there. In fact, the guy was saying to me, google them. Google them. They're Miami Royalty. This is what he's telling me. So of course I googled them. When I left, I was like, oh my God, they are Miami Royalty. Miami royalty. So I did my shtick for like an hour and a half because when I'm talking, you can imagine it's 1:30, I have a 2:00 appointment, corporate appointment, and I got to get out of there. Open the door and there's security, right? They take me down, they're in the elevator with me. They're very cool. They're very cool. I can't say they weren't cool when we were in the hotel. The minute I got to the curb, they read me the riot act. We are telling you now that if you come in here again, we're going to arrest you. We are telling you. And I have a copy of the guy talking to me. Now, you don't know me and your audience doesn't know me, but trust me, my body floods with adrenaline, with whatever other fear hormones there are. Like, that shit gets me really fashioned because I don't get off on that. When I get pulled over by the police. I'm like, yes sir, no sir, here's my license. I'm sorry I did that. I'm an idiot. I can't believe my lights weren't on. I didn't even think to signal. I understand. You got to give me. Because I don't want those problems. Why don't I want them? Because conflict is extremely dopamine sucking. So if you're coming into all your situations with limited dopamine, you can't really do conflict. That's why great debate people, great lawyers who thrive on that conflict, they're super high dopamine people. Athletes, entertainers, comedians, they tend to be way lower dopamine. They need to get off so they end up entertaining you. So I met the other night, there was a big event downtown Las Vegas. Who was there? Steve Wynn's right hand man from the 80s and 90s, super famous guy, super well known in the gaming community. Couple of other executives and the president of that hotel. So of course I say to them, what would you do? And I tell them the exact same story. I say, and again, this is my empathy kick. Wouldn't you kick the. Wouldn't you pump the brakes? Wouldn't you pump the brakes for just maybe that day or two days? Or maybe contact him another way? Like would you do it in front of your. Would you follow him to the super suite where there's billionaire players who are playing to minimum multi million dollar credit lines. Do the hallway thing, read them the riot act right in front of your super wealthy guests, right you're running this other and every executive said they would have not done that, that that's a really bad look, that it's high limit players, that it's a super sweet whatever. They just don't have a brain in their head, in my opinion. And that's the way I tell the story, you know, was I testing them? I'll tell you this, if I could have written that scenario to show what assholes they are, it would have been absolutely perfect. Think about it. I'm sneaking in there quick. I'm going to billionaire clients, I'm picking up the money for charity and I'm getting the F out of there and causing no trouble. And they still had to be dick weeds F them.
Vegas Matt
Did you get arrested or what happened?
Paul D. Cantino
They read me the riot act and I said if I come on again, I'm gonna get arrested. If I come on the property at all again, I'm gonna get arrested.
Vegas Matt
Damn, they must have facial recognition or something. They got you quick. You're also pretty recognizable, though.
Paul D. Cantino
Yeah, I know. I know that. But even so, I'm very recognizable. But even so, why would you handle it like that? Like, why wouldn't you just have a little class? Like, you know, I didn't murder anybody in there.
Vegas Matt
Yeah, well, they probably didn't know what you were up to. To be fair, from their perspective, I.
Paul D. Cantino
Went to the Super Suite. They know who's in the Super Suite. How about a little communication? This is one of the problems in these hotels. They're so big that the layers are not talking to one another.
Vegas Matt
Yeah.
Paul D. Cantino
You know, and then Alex Dixon, who's the new CEO, tells people that I know I inherited this problem. Dude, you're on property. You know what I mean? And I'm going to be straight out with you. Like, Alex Dixon. Like, you're set up for failure over there. They're never going to give Alex Dixon. And I feel bad for this guy because one of his friends contacted me and told me to pump the brakes. And I said, I'm gonna tell you something. This poor kid, because he's young, he's only 41, they made this kid president. They're never gonna give him the tools to fix the problem over there, and they don't even know what the problem is over there. So he's. He's. This. This is gonna be a blast. Just the same way I predicted the Fontainebleau, he's gonna fail over there, and then three years from now, they're gonna pin it on him. This is what we talk about, you know, when I'm meeting with executive.
Vegas Matt
Time will tell, man. Well, dude, it's been cool. Anything you want to close off with here? It's been fun.
Paul D. Cantino
How long did I go?
Vegas Matt
We went an hour and ten minutes.
Paul D. Cantino
Oh, okay.
Vegas Matt
Not bad, right?
Paul D. Cantino
No, just that, you know, it's all about. In the gaming industry, it's all about personality, and it's all about who the CEO is. That's all.
Vegas Matt
I love it, man. Well, we'll link your stuff below. Hopefully you can figure out some money stuff soon.
Paul D. Cantino
Man, you okay? Thank you.
Vegas Matt
All right, check them out, guys. See you next time.
Digital Social Hour: Exposing Gambling Scandals & Casino Secrets | Vegas Pauly C DSH #1247
Release Date: March 19, 2025
Host: Sean Kelly
Guest: Paul D. Cantino
In this episode of Digital Social Hour, host Sean Kelly engages in a candid and in-depth conversation with Paul D. Cantino, delving into the murky waters of gambling scandals and the inner workings of Las Vegas casinos. Paul shares his personal experiences, conflicts with prominent gamblers, insights into Nevada's stringent gaming regulations, and the pervasive influence of social media within the gambling community.
The episode kicks off with Paul discussing his contentious relationship with a gambler known as Exposed. Paul criticizes Exposed's gambling practices and the subsequent backlash he faced from Exposed's followers upon calling him out.
Paul explains how social media amplifies narcissistic behavior, citing his upbringing with a toxic father and a victimized mother as foundational to his understanding of such dynamics. His criticism of Exposed led to threats and backlash from Exposed's loyal followers, whom Paul describes as "willing victims" under Exposed's influence.
A significant portion of the discussion revolves around Nevada's strict Source of Funds law, which scrutinizes the origins of gambling winnings to prevent fraud and money laundering. Paul highlights his concerns over Exposed's funds originating from an online platform called Rubet, which he deems illegal and unlicensed in the United States.
Paul has consulted with high-ranking casino executives to assess the legitimacy of Exposed's gambling funds, revealing the rigorous compliance measures casinos must adhere to. These measures often result in exclusion of players with questionable financial backgrounds.
The conversation shifts to the role of online casino influencers and their impact on the gambling industry. Paul expresses skepticism towards influencers who promote gambling without transparency, drawing parallels to recent arrests in Brazil and Turkey for unethical promotion practices.
He criticizes the business model where online casinos pay influencers to promote their platforms, pointing out the lack of authenticity and potential deceit involved. Paul stresses the importance of genuine engagement over staged or fake gambling activities, which Nevada regulators condemn.
Paul opens up about his personal battle with gambling addiction, detailing the financial and emotional toll it has taken on his life. He reflects on his past obsessive gambling behaviors, detrimental relationships, and the challenges of maintaining authenticity in his social media presence.
Paul recounts his history of compulsive gambling, his estranged relationships, and the impact of his addiction on his personal and professional life. He emphasizes the difficulty in balancing his passion for gambling with the need for financial stability and genuine connections.
Throughout the episode, Paul shares his interactions with various casino executives, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the operational challenges and strategic decisions within Las Vegas casinos. He critiques the management practices of resorts like Resorts World and the Fontainebleau, highlighting issues such as poor customer service, inadequate databases, and lack of employee training.
He underscores the importance of effective customer relationship management and the necessity for casinos to prioritize personalized service to retain high-value gamblers. Paul's insider knowledge provides listeners with a deeper understanding of what makes or breaks a casino's success.
Paul emphasizes the untapped potential of social media for casinos to engage with their patrons. He illustrates how interactive and responsive social media strategies can significantly enhance customer loyalty and attract new gamblers.
He advocates for casinos to actively monitor and respond to social media interactions, using feedback to improve services and address customer concerns. Paul's approach demonstrates how leveraging online platforms can lead to substantial returns on investment through increased patronage and positive brand perception.
The episode also covers Paul's encounters with public figures like Perez Hilton, where he discusses the complexities of public relations within the gambling industry. He shares anecdotes about misunderstandings and miscommunications that have affected his reputation and interactions with influential individuals.
Paul highlights the delicate balance between calling out unethical practices and maintaining professional relationships, illustrating the fine line influencers walk in managing their public personas while addressing industry issues.
In the closing segments, Paul reflects on his journey, the lessons learned from his experiences, and his ongoing efforts to reconcile his passion for gambling with personal well-being. He reiterates the significance of authenticity, ethical engagement, and the need for systemic improvements within the casino industry.
Paul emphasizes that the success of a casino is deeply intertwined with the personalities driving it and the culture they foster. He encourages industry leaders to prioritize genuine customer interactions and transparent practices to build trust and loyalty among gamblers.
This episode offers a comprehensive exploration of the intersection between gambling practices, regulatory frameworks, personal struggles, and the influential role of social media within the Las Vegas casino industry. Paul's firsthand experiences and critical insights provide listeners with a nuanced understanding of the complexities and challenges that define the modern gambling landscape.