'The bulk of your guests are in this highly concentrated area, just lingering,' Waltrip says. For another: Y-shaped buildings pose a unique security challenge. For one thing, gambling isn't the moneymaker it used to be revenues from other extravagances-hotels, food, booze, shopping-outstripped gaming in the late '80s. Y-shaped buildings have their issues, after all. The Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino was the first megacasino to feature the design-a bit of trivia that Mark Waltrip, Westgate Resort's chief operating officer, relays with a mixture of pride and irony. For years, the casino floor was where Vegas resorts made most of their money, and the Y was devilishly good at monetizing it. Their blueprints put gambling at the center of everything, funneling visitors past slot machines and card tables whether they're en route to a show, their room, a restaurant, or a retail shop.

Activate satellite view in Google Maps and head to the Las Vegas strip, and you'll see it: a strange smattering of Y-shaped buildings.

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