What's Bothering Allen Kessler Today? Formula 1 Racing in Las Vegas
Allen Kessler loves slot machines, casino comps, and meat cooked to a hockey puck-like texture. But Formula 1 racing in his hometown? He'll pass.
The second annual Las Vegas Grand Prix takes place on Saturday and will be televised at 10 p.m. PT on ESPN. Friday's qualifying session begins at the same time over on ESPN2.
Poker Player Doesn't Dig Formula 1 Racing
One person who will not be watching the festivities on TV or on the Strip is "The Chainsaw," who won a $1.2 million Buffalo slot machine jackpot in July.
"Horrible idea," Kessler told PokerNews about his thoughts of an F1 race in Las Vegas. "They could have built a standalone arena with all the wasted money."
The city of Las Vegas has a deal with Formula 1 racing to host the event on the Strip for a decade. But Kessler isn't convinced his town will stick to that plan. In fact, he gives the race "zero chance of lasting 10 years."
Kessler isn't the only poker player in Las Vegas, or Southern Nevada resident in general, who doesn't approve of the construction overhaul and increased traffic around the Strip in the months leading up to (and after) the race. If you follow X accounts such as @LasVegasLocally or @VitalVegas, two prominent Las Vegas influencers, you've likely seen hundreds of negative responses from their followers in regards to the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
But the inaugural Grand Prix, if you believe the figures released by the city, had a $1.5 billion economic impact on the community. That number, which many detractors have claimed is misleading, surpasses the $1 billion brought in by the Super Bowl in February. Kessler further explained his reasoning for hating on F1 in Las Vegas with a picture example on X of the chaos.
Daniel Negreanu is another Southern Nevada resident who is none too thrilled with the race. He tweeted that he will "avoid it like the plague," and said that he was invited to the Grand Prix but declined. The new non-poker podcast co-host lives in Lake Las Vegas, far away from the traffic the race will bring to the town this weekend.
Jared Jaffee, in a tweet, asked his followers if "even 1% of the Vegas population is happy to have F1." That's a good question, and the answer would be "no" if we are to believe that social media is a true reflection of society.
