A YouTube star who likes to promote the fun side of Las Vegas and has more than 5 million subscribers and social media followers was kicked out of a Strip casino last year, but still plays in rival Strip properties and downtown.
Las Vegas resident Matt Morrow, known professionally as Vegas Matt, says he still doesn’t know why The Venetian had him removed from the property, but he happily plays at the El Cortez and has a fan event coming up at Fontainebleau Oct. 9-10, according to his website.
Venetian officials have yet to respond to a Wednesday request for comment.
“I don’t do drama,” Morrow said in an emailed comment to the Review-Journal Wednesday. “Our channel is all about having fun, and we do our best to focus on positive vibes.”
Morrow, 62, acknowledges that men escorted him from The Venetian in November, but he said he didn’t comment on it at the time.
The matter resurfaced Tuesday when Vital Vegas posted about it on X 10 months after it happened.
“Popular gambling content creator Vegas Matt has been 86’d from Venetian. Reason was not communicated, but rumor is it’s related to advantage play the resort didn’t appreciate,” the Vital Vegas post said. “Such activity is not illegal, but ‘frowned upon.’”
While not illegal, advantage play is described as players using the characteristics of a particular game to produce a better chance of winning. In the case of slot machines, players who spend more can often win more if they play long enough.
Vegas Matt (@itsvegasmatt) responded on X that he had just won $400,000 playing a slot machine at The Venetian when he was escorted out.
“We played a Phoenix link but left the counter higher than we started it which is hardly advantage play. Maybe they just didn’t like me winning.
“Their loss. I prefer giving my business to properties that are happy when I win! Just won $260K at Fontainebleau and I’m here playing again today!” he said on X Tuesday.
Morrow said he didn’t post anything about his removal in November because “I like to maintain good relationships with all casinos.
“I feel I am an ambassador to all of Las Vegas and I don’t really like when influencers stir up controversy to get views even if it reflects poorly on our city or our casinos,” he said in a statement. “While I thought Venetian handled it very poorly and were excessively rude and there was no reason to have me escorted out by security, it is well within their rights to not allow us to play there. I have great relationships with the casinos that I do play at such as El Cortez downtown and Fontainebleau on the Strip. Hundreds of people come to these casinos to see us filming every day, so I do believe it was a tremendous error in judgment on their part to ban me.”
The Vegas Matt YouTube page includes videos of him, his son, E.J. and several friends in rapid-fire slot-machine play while the participants tell jokes and stories.
He organizes fan events at various casinos across the country and aboard cruise ships. He also sells Vegas Matt swag online and in gift shops where the fan events are held.
Contact Richard N. Velotta at rvelotta@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3893. Follow @RickVelotta on X.
