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The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion Derwin Mak, OMSA No. 5285 "-[_._~ail Caesar, mighty Emperor of the Romans! Your ¯_ _l_guests may earn one of your coveted golden medallions by earning twenty points on their Emperor’s Club Card." Did the poet Virgil give this speech to Augustus Caesar and the citizens of Rome, urging them to bravery in battle, 27 B.C.? No, a "Roman princess" gave this speech to the gamblers at Caesars Palace casino, Las Vegas, to encourage them to play the slot machines in A.D. 1995. I battled a dozen slot machines for the glory of the Empire and won the Caesars Palace Golden Medallion, which might be the only example of a medal specifically awarded for gambling. The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion is a gold-colored brass medallion, two inches in diameter, that is worn from an equallyfaux-gold neck chain. It looks like one of the medallions worn by Richard Burton (Anthony) and Rex Harrison (Caesar) when Elizabeth Taylor (Cleopatra) and her film son Caesarion entered Rome in the movie Cleopatra. I have seen two designs, both based on the logo of the casino, which features a genetic profile of a Roman Caesar: Type 1- Obverse: Left-facing profile of a Caesar wearing a laurel wreath. CAESARS PALACE in mock Greco-Roman letters above the profile and LAS VEGAS in Latin letters below the profile. Reverse: Same as the obverse. Type 2 Caesars Palace Medallion Type 2- Obverse and reverse are identical to the Type 1 except the bottom inscription is LAS VEGAS ¯ MCMXCI (1991) in capital Roman letters. The undated Type 1 medallion is no longer awarded. I asked several casino employees about the history of the medallion, but none of them knew when it was first awarded or when the Type 2 replaced the Type 1, if they even noticed the difference. The Type 2 presumably dates to 1991, although a fellow gambler received a Type 1 medallion as late as 1994. However, by 1995 only the Type 2 was awarded. The medallion is awarded to persons who have either earned a minimum number of points on their Emperor’s Club (slot club) Card, participated in a slot tournament, or won a minimum amount in a slot tournament. Casino employees, such as blackjack dealers, security guards, and cocktail waitresses, also wear the medal- lion. Most recipients win the medallion by earning a minimum number of points on their Emperor’s Club Card. Most casinos have a slot club to encourage slot machine gambling. Customers obtain a card that they insert into the slot machine. The machine is connected to a computer system that records how long the card holder has played and how much money has been fed into the machine. The card holder earns points based upon the amount of money played. When the card holder has accumulated enough points, a prize can be obtained from the slot club. 23

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Page 1: The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion - Orders and · PDF fileThe Caesars Palace Golden Medallion Derwin Mak, OMSA No. 5285 "-[_._~ail Caesar, ... awarded or when the Type 2 replaced

The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion

Derwin Mak, OMSA No. 5285

"-[_._~ail Caesar, mighty Emperor of the Romans! Your ¯ _ _l_guests may earn one of your coveted golden

medallions by earning twenty points on their Emperor’s Club Card."

Did the poet Virgil give this speech to Augustus Caesar

and the citizens of Rome, urging them to bravery in

battle, 27 B.C.? No, a "Roman princess" gave this

speech to the gamblers at Caesars Palace casino, Las

Vegas, to encourage them to play the slot machines in

A.D. 1995. I battled a dozen slot machines for the glory of the Empire and won the Caesars Palace Golden

Medallion, which might be the only example of a medal

specifically awarded for gambling.

The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion is a gold-colored

brass medallion, two inches in diameter, that is worn from an equallyfaux-gold neck chain. It looks like one

of the medallions worn by Richard Burton (Anthony) and Rex Harrison (Caesar) when Elizabeth Taylor

(Cleopatra) and her film son Caesarion entered Rome in

the movie Cleopatra. I have seen two designs, both

based on the logo of the casino, which features a

genetic profile of a Roman Caesar:

Type 1- Obverse: Left-facing profile of a Caesar

wearing a laurel wreath. CAESARS PALACE in mock

Greco-Roman letters above the profile and LAS VEGAS in Latin letters below the profile. Reverse:

Same as the obverse. Type 2 Caesars Palace Medallion

Type 2- Obverse and reverse are identical to the

Type 1 except the bottom inscription is LAS VEGAS ¯ MCMXCI (1991) in capital Roman letters.

The undated Type 1 medallion is no longer awarded. I asked several casino employees about the history of the medallion, but none of them knew when it was first awarded or when the Type 2 replaced the Type 1, if they even noticed the difference. The Type 2 presumably dates to 1991, although a fellow gambler received a Type 1 medallion as late as 1994. However, by 1995 only the Type 2 was awarded.

The medallion is awarded to persons who have either earned a minimum number of points on their Emperor’s Club (slot club) Card, participated in a slot tournament,

or won a minimum amount in a slot tournament. Casino employees, such as blackjack dealers, security guards, and cocktail waitresses, also wear the medal- lion.

Most recipients win the medallion by earning a

minimum number of points on their Emperor’s Club

Card. Most casinos have a slot club to encourage slot

machine gambling. Customers obtain a card that they

insert into the slot machine. The machine is connected

to a computer system that records how long the card

holder has played and how much money has been fed

into the machine. The card holder earns points based

upon the amount of money played. When the card

holder has accumulated enough points, a prize can be

obtained from the slot club.

23

Page 2: The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion - Orders and · PDF fileThe Caesars Palace Golden Medallion Derwin Mak, OMSA No. 5285 "-[_._~ail Caesar, ... awarded or when the Type 2 replaced

Volume 50 Number 6

"Caesar" and "Cleopatra" making their grand entrance. At lower left, one of Caesar’s subjects bows in supplication.

Most casinos give T-shirts, baseball caps, sweat shirts, and jewelry as prizes, but only Caesars Palace awards a medallion. It is also the lowest-ranking Emperor’s Club award, just below the baseball cap and far below the gold-link Gucci watch. Despite its lowly status in the casino’s pyramid of prizes, I coveted the medallion more than the baseball cap or T-shirt. Unlike the other prizes, the medallion can’t be bought in the gift shop, although the gift shop did sell it sometime in the early 1990s. One must literally gamble for it. Like a moth to a flame, I went to Las Babylon, looking for a challenge, adventure, and another medal for my collection. My relatives, who have better sense, thought I was crazy for preferring the medallion over a baseball cap.

needed to play to earn one point at the quarter machine. Thus I would have to render unto Caesar $12.50 to earn one point and $250.00 to earn the needed 20 points for a $1.98 brass medallion. Hopefully, I would win back most, if not all, of my $250.00.

I began my battle against the slot machine. As I played, the machine’s computer display counted down the number of coins I needed to play to earn the point - 49, 48, 47, 46... When I finally earned one point, the display read, "CONGRATULATIONS, DERWIN..." and gave me my updated point balance "...YOU HAVE 1 POINT..." Somehow I felt I was playing against HAL, the computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

After I obtained my Emperor’s Club Card, the slot hostess told me that I needed 20 points to earn the medallion. The minimum number of points changes over time, but 20 was the magic number during my visit in late 1995. Fortunately, the slot card system at Caesars Palace is straightforward compared to those of other casinos. I inserted my Emperor’s Club Card into a quarter (25 cent) slot machine, and the machine’s computer display read, "WELCOME, IIERWIN...YOU HAVE 0 POINTS...50." Fifty was the number of coins I

Odyssey is one of my favorite movies, so I wasn’t bothered by the chatty display. In fact, the countdown and messages helped me because a player can’t earn a point if the card is removed prematurely; that is, before playing all the coins needed for a point. The machines at other casinos don’t tell you when you have earned a point or give you a point balance. I liked the Caesars Palace machines for giving me a constant countdown so I would know when I could jump to another machine without losing part of a point.

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Page 3: The Caesars Palace Golden Medallion - Orders and · PDF fileThe Caesars Palace Golden Medallion Derwin Mak, OMSA No. 5285 "-[_._~ail Caesar, ... awarded or when the Type 2 replaced

The Journal of the Orders and Medals Society of America

But the countdown and messages also kept me at a dud machine that was as rewarding as a divorce settlement in California. Anyone else with more than two brain cells would have fled from the machine, but I hung tough because I wanted the point - and the medallion. Oh well, no pain, no glory.

Fortunately, I found a few lucky machines, and I earned my 20 points and won back most of my money. I went to the slot club counter and collected my medallion. I had finally won an imperial honor. What else could I want? Dumb question. I, of course, wanted no less than more medallions!

Players can also win medallions in slot tournaments when players compete to win the most money in a set time. These are dramatic events with actors dressed as Caesar and Cleopatra urging the competitors to win for the glory of Rome. At the end of one tournament, Caesar announced that "thirty-eight individuals had been privileged to receive one of my [his] coveted medallions." Actually, everyone who had competed in the tournaa-~ent received a medallion.

During my 1998 trip to Las Vegas, Caesars Palace held a nightly tournament called "Caesar’s Challenge." It was a droll event. It began with a procession of Caesar, Cleopatra, and a Roman centurion from the adjoining shopping plaza into the casino. Inevitably, a crowd of curious tourists gathered around the imperial party. Caesar challenged them to compete for his "valuable golden medallions." Then he turned to the centurion and ordered, "Centurion, bring forth the riches of Rome"! The centurion grabbed a handful of medallions from a silver tray held by Cleopatra, marched into the crowd, and proudly showed the medallions.

The reactions of the crowd ranged from snickering to looks of awe. After the centurion had shown the golden spoils of gambling, Caesar pointed at several rows of slot machines and urged his friends, Romans, and countrymen to go to the machines and play for three minutes. If a player wins ten or more coins, he or she should raise an arm and shout, "Hail, Caesar!," then Cleopatra would award a medallion to the player.

I could not resist the challenge, so I joined two dozen other players at the slots. Music sounding like the score from Ben Hur or Quo Vadis blared from speakers for the entire three minutes over the voices of players shouting "Hail, Caesar"! When Cleopatra awarded a

"Caesar" exhorting his legion of players to greater effort from the top of a slot machine

medallion, she shouted, "Hail, Caesar!" too. Her accent was more Kansas than Egyptian. Relatives and friends of the players cheered and laughed from the sidelines. Above the din of the music and shouting, Caesar stood supreme atop a slot machine and spoke in serious tones about the thrill of the tournament, the riches that awaited the brave, the glory of Rome, and the honor of winning his gold medallion. It was a scene worthy of being immortalized in poetry by Virgil or Horace. After three minutes, the challenge ended, and Caesar congrat- ulated the victors and encouraged them to continue playing in the casino.

By the end of three challenges, I had fourteen medal- lions. Each time I won ten coins, Cleopatra would return and shout "Hail, Caesar!" as she gave me another medallion. At one time, Cleopatra said, "Oops, I ran out, I’ll get more from over there." During a challenge, one of the other players looked at his medallions and exclaimed, "Hey, this isn’t real gold"! What did this

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