I’m Noe Alarcon, and I’ve lived in Las Vegas since 1981. I know Las Vegas, I love Las Vegas, and I hope, through Noe Knows Vegas, to share interesting anecdotes about The Entertainment Capital of the World, my home for more than four decades now.
In Conversation With Pauly C, aka CasinoCompWallet
Vegas Prime Magazine Publisher Jamal Parker, Vegas Prime Magazine Editor-in-Chief Don Chareunsy and yours truly sat down with Pauly C, aka CasinoCompWallet, on July 10, and we asked the popular and fascinating social media influencer (Instagram, TikTok) questions.
Here are some highlights of the conversation in which Paul Cantino was animated, opinionated and refreshingly real:
Who is Pauly C? Is Pauly C a character? Is Pauly C real?
No, that’s actually me. I’m a compulsive gambler. I was born with a genetic mutation called CCAATT. My whole life, I’ve been chasing dopamine. … I’ve always done two things – the gambling thing and the sex thing.
I got into a monogamous relationship seven years ago, and it completely obviated the sex thing. It’s been a nightmare. … This is the real me. I’ve been a lunatic my whole life. I wasn’t born equal; I was born damaged.
I’ve watched your posts. I’ve been watching for a while. You often give great tips, odd, bets and plays. You’re a compulsive gambler. What are your go to games?
Gambling is medicine for me. I need to get my medicine. I have limited funds. I’m failing financially. How do I get my medicine? The cheapest way possible. I have to play the smart games. The two smartest games are blackjack and craps. … My luck turned in 2022. I ended the year with a $16,000 profit. This is after losing $400,000. In 2023, I won $190,000, and it really fueled my social media. This year, I’m down $109,000, and I’m a dead man walking.
You have CasinoCompWallet. A lot of your experiences come from gaming?
I drove across the country in 2019. I was working for Google and making a lot of money. I guess I was looking for trouble. I returned to New York to mailer, mailer, mailer and thought there must be an electronic solution to this. Long story short, I wasted $450,000, my life savings, on CasinoCompWallet. Now a couple casinos are interested in CompWallet.
What took you so long to get to Las Vegas?
I first came to Las Vegas at 23 with $1,300. It was gone in two days. I stayed at The Hacienda.
Are you surprised by the success you’ve had on social media?
There are no words for the level of shock. You have to understand, I’m a nerdy guy, and, believe it or not, I’m an introvert. I’m extroverted right now because we’re talking about something I love. I’m going broke. I’m not making money doing this. But my mom used to say hope springs eternal. This morning, I had a conference call with Norwegian Cruise Lines. They want to do a Vegas Pauly C cruise. Maybe I’ll make a few dollars off this? I’m not really successful at this at all. But I keep thinking maybe I will be.
What is the biggest misconception about you?
People don’t understand that a lot of this stuff I do is very painful. It was very painful to go into The Fontainebleau opening night and say, “Fail.” I’m acutely aware of all the employees, I’m acutely aware of all the investors, I’m acutely aware of everything that is painful about me knowing this is a disaster and a fail.
What do you like about Las Vegas?
It’s my medicine. It’s as simple as that. It’s like asking a diabetic what they like about insulin. I need it every … I could probably go a week without gambling, but after a couple of weeks, I like to get back to blackjack or craps or maybe bet on a game.
I’m not 100% thrilled about what I’m doing right now because I don’t need this 24/7, but the problem is my conscientious nature means that … social media is a business. Imagine having a bagel shop or a laundromat and not showing up for work. If you’re conscientious, you feel terrible. So if I don’t show up for work, if I don’t post on social media and keep up with the interaction, the guilt and the pain of letting it go fallow and die, it overwhelms me. I have to get back to it, and it’s unfortunate because I don’t want to be an addict 24/7. But social media, it’s a 24/7 job.
You tell the truth, which is refreshing and why people follow and engage with you. Is there a casino resort that is doing a good job?
On my page, we concentrate on Resorts World and Fontainebleau. Everybody is doing a good job. Let’s go from the South to the North. Michael Gaughan. South Point. Superstar. Knows the gambling business. He’s from the Binion’s school. He understands that when you give someone a roll of quarters, you’re giving them more time. That’s Binion’s. MGM. Fantastic company from top to bottom. They hit all the price points. Mandalay Bay is my No. 4 hotel resort in all of Las Vegas. It’s spectacular.
You can stay at Luxor or Excalibur for $70 a night. You could eat, you could drink, you could be merry. It’s amazing. Same with MGM. Park MGM. Beautiful property. Fantastic rooms. No smoking. Great. The Cosmopolitan? The sexiest hotel in Las Vegas. Unbelievable property. Blackstone did a great job with it. The Bellagio. You could sit there all day and just watch what goes on there.
You said Mandalay Bay is your No. 4 casino. Who are above it?
Wynn, The Venetian, The Cosmopoli tan, Mandalay Bay and Bellagio.
What would be the perfect weekend for Pauly C from Friday through Sunday?
Well, I would definitely want my girlfriend with me.
Signing off until next time,
Noe
