“They are used to serving the local customers, so I’m sure they have some tricks up their sleeves,” Schwartz said.
The tribe operates Yaamava' Resort Casino in San Bernardino County, one of the state’s larger Indian gaming properties. Schwartz believes the Palms’ newest steward, Southern California’s San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, has the right characteristics to discover the formula that will once again make the Palms integral to the Las Vegas landscape. “He knew the market, both for the tourists and for the locals,” said Schwartz, who is the Ombuds at UNLV and an affiliate professor in the school’s history department. Schwartz, who has analyzed Las Vegas since the mid-2000s, credited Maloof’s original vision and his outside-the-box operating style with making the Palms part of the Las Vegas landscape.
