UFC President Dana White is a man of many hats. He’s a visionary, an entrepreneur, and an off-the-cuff talker. Apparently, he also holds grudges as the Palms Casino will attest.
According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, the brash and shiny bald White pulled all UFC-related events from the Palms Casino because the latter decided to cut his gambling credit line by 50%. Anybody who knows White will attest that he enjoys his downtime in casinos – and has proven to be a generous tipper when he’s running hot – so this dust up, which actually occurred six months ago, is something that the UFC prez isn’t taking lightly.
Since then, the UFC hasn’t held any event – whatever shape or form – at the Palms Casino.
This news is especially debilitating for the struggling casino, who relied heavily – maybe even too excessively – on UFC events to help their profile. The UFC even had an exclusive contract with the Palms to hold televised “Ultimate Fighter Live Finale” events at the hotel’s “Pearl” theater.
But now, that the relationship appears to be over after the Palms’ decision to cut White’s gambling credit line in half. It’s a shame too, especially for the staff of the casino, a lot of whom vouch for White not only being one of the casino’s biggest gamblers, but also for his now legendary tipping habits. It’s been recounted that the UFC president was never shy about dipping into his wallet on tips, even dropping $10,000 on gratuity on his $20,000 dinner tabs at the casino’s N9NE Steakhouse.
“Anytime he came in, we knew it was a big payday,” a Palms employee told the Las Vegas Review Journal.
Unfortunately for the staff of the Palms, that gravy train appears to have come to a screeching halt. And, ironically enough, they have their employer to blame for it.
