Card games and gambling go hand in hand and have done so for centuries. Not all card games necessarily; you’d probably be hard pressed to see a casino in Las Vegas that’s offering up a high stakes game of Go Fish or Old Maid. Then again, maybe we should be keeping an open mind to those possibilities. As unlikely as it might seem to be, there’s a casual card game set to hit just off the strip this week and it’s the “one” card game you likely never would’ve suspected.
As you probably surmised from the bad pun and the title of the article, we’re talking about UNO. Yes, the household staple where you have to try to discard your hand while making damn sure you announce it in Spanish when you’re down to only one. The game was created back in 1971 and has reportedly sold so well that it’s in the homes of 80% of Americans. So clearly, it’s a popular game. To that end it’s almost surprising that Vegas hasn’t jumped on the bandwagon already to bring the game to Sin City.
This week the Palms Casino Resort will be hosting the first “UNO Social Club.” What exactly is happening there? That’s a bit unclear. Mattel, the owner of UNO hasn’t gone into too much detail but their Vice President and Global Head of Games, Ray Adler stated, “We created UNO Social Clubs to reimagine what game night can be—bringing people together for real-world fun, connection, and a bit of friendly competition.” Sounds great, but can you wager on it? Are we going to be able to watch and bet on UNO games? Are we going to have players officially sponsored by Draft Kings?
It seems like Mattel is probably going to keep things family friendly as they plan on opening up more Uno Social Clubs at venues around the country in the year to come. If that’s the case, and they’re not limiting themselves to casinos, then there’s a strong likelihood that this is more about getting the brand out there then opening up new avenues for wagering. Then again, there’s the scene in “Vegas Vacation” where Eddie takes Clark to a casino where they play Pick a Number and Rock-Paper-Scissors. Sometimes art and life come together beautifully.
UPDATE
UNO has since issued a statement that seemingly indicates there will be no Las Vegas “casino” portion of their social club tour. We’ll let you know what we hear about the locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and Austin this August.
