Yesterday, the Las Vegas portion of the O. J. Simpson saga came to a conclusion. Simpson was shipped out of the local jail about 45 miles away to the medium security prison at Indian Springs, High Desert State Prison. Last night was was his first night spent at Indian Springs, serving the sentence of nine to 33 years he received Friday for his participation in an armed robbery in September 2007 at Palace Station.

Yes, Indian Springs is only about 45 miles away, and so Simpson must truly be learning that Vegas is a city built in the middle of nowhere. If he has a window view, he will be seeing only the bleakest and ugliest desert nothingness you can imagine. When I drove past Indian Springs I thought it was a good nomination to be Purgatory. And that is without the prison.

Back in Vegas yesterday, I happened to get off a highway exit near Palace Station, and I noticed the casino. I have gotten off that highway exit many times before but never picked up the clear view of Palace Station. The reason, of course: Palace Station, was just another casino, and when you live in Vegas, over time, small gambling properties -- despite marquees,  blinking lights and a large hotel towers -- become as invisible as slot machines at the grocery store. 

But Simpson has given a notoriety to Palace Station forevermore and that odd twist of fate has made this rundown property probably the best known casino in Vegas outside the tourist corridor. That is a pity because parent company Station has three fantastic properties that equal the tourist corridor offerings without being amidst the Strip wildness (apparently, some people want away from that): Red Rock Resort, Green Valley Ranch and, newly opened, Aliante Station.  And Station could use the tourist dollars around now.

But Palace Station is not in the same league as those the newer Station properties and  probably will gain little in terms of room sales from all the free press. Palace Station remains where you stay when you can't afford someplace nicer; and with all the bargains to be had on the Strip now, that might be a harder sell than ever. Of course, even the worst room in Palace Station is still in Vegas and I bet that is heavenly compared to the accommodations in Indian Springs.