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Join the Habit Burger Grill’s loyalty club and get a free Habit Charburger with cheese. That’s it. Log on to habitburger.com through March 31 and join the CharClub to get you burger voucher. There are five locations around town, so it’s convenient, too. This is a total burger freeroll.
Involuntary airline bumpings hit their lowest rate last year since the number began being tracked in 1995. Only .34 passengers per 10,000 were bumped in 2017. Delta was the lowest at .05 passengers per 10,000 and Spirit was the highest at .82. It’s double good news for customers who want to get bumped, as the low rate is attributed to better compensation for passengers who volunteer to be bumped, spurred by the high-profile United Airlines forcible-bumping incident a year ago.
The Big Apple roller coaster at New York-New York now offers a virtual-reality experience. Riders are given headsets that provide a VR feed simulating an alien pursuit synced to the coaster’s movements. Tickets for the ride are $15, or $20 with the VR add-on. Must be 13 years old and at least 54 inches tall to ride. Not to be outdone, a Star Wars-themed VR experience will soon open in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. “Star Wars: Secrets of the Empire” is a walk-around experience, allowing customers to explore a facility with a mobile VR headset. The opening date and prices haven’t been announced.
A new food challenge is being offered at Sam’s Town’s Big Mess BAR-BQ. The “Big Mess Challenge” is a giant barbecue meal for $39.99 that's free if you can finish it in 30 minutes. You’ll also get a swag bag and your photo on the wall.
After winning almost $60,000 in a tournament in the U.K., professional poker player Jake Cody took his winnings to a roulette table and bet it all on a single spin. He bet black and the number came up … 22 black. You can see from the video that it was a single-zero wheel, so the expected loss was about $1,600 on the nearly $60K win.
After the closing of the casino last year, the only remaining Riviera on the Strip was the Redneck Riviera in the Grand Bazaar Shops at Ballys. And now that’s gone too. The bar that was partially owned by John Rich from the band Big & Rich has closed, which also means its bathrooms with sinks made from tires and gas-pump faucets, is also no more. There’s been no word about a replacement for the second-story space.
The Las Vegas Aces WNBA team will open the 2018 season away on May 20 against the Connecticut Sun. The home opener will be May 27 at Mandalay Bay against the Seattle Storm.
Planet Hollywood’s theater has a new name. The Axis is now Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, reflecting a partnership with the Zappos brand. We’re thinking that most will just call it the Zappos Theater.
If you're a local or will be in town March 1st or 2nd, you can make $100 in 90 minutes for being part of a focus group for some new gambling games. It's a cool offer from a major manufacturer that we've checked out thoroughly, but you have to go through an interview process to qualify. If you want to give it a go, get all the details at GamblingWithAnEdge.com.
A new report estimates that the number of online gamblers will more than double by 2022. The report says that 684 million players will generate a handle of $1 trillion. Of course, accelerating legalization is a driving factor, but improving technology is also cited as a major reason for the growth of the sector.
The distinctive marquee at the Palms is on its way out. Work is underway on a complete remaking of the sign that will be replaced with a digital display. It’s part of the ongoing $485 million renovation of the resort.
Jeremy Stephens is a -130 favorite over Josh Emmett in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jessica Andrade is -225 over Tecia Torres.
Discussion has begun about how the land near the Raiders Stadium will be developed. Currently an industrial area, there’s speculation that a “Gaslamp Quarter” will materialize, featuring bars, restaurants, and boutique hotels, although no specific plans have been announced.
The Mob Museum has debuted its first-floor renovation that includes the exhibition "Organized Crime Today," along with the experiential spaces "Crime Lab" (additional $7 charge) and “Use of Force Training Experience” (additional $12). The final phase of the expansion will open in April and include The Underground speakeasy and distillery. LVA members can use the Member Rewards offer for a $4 discount on admission.
Anyone looking for a kosher resort experience for the eight days of Passover can book a stay at the Westin Lake Las Vegas through the Douglas Soclof Experience (soclofexp.com). The entire hotel will be kosher for Passover and the Westin recently completed a $50 million renovation of all its rooms and suites. The Experience includes seders, scholars in residence, a day camp, fitness classes, basketball clinic, and more.
An article in today’s LV Review-Journal discusses the disappearance of one of the first and most visible sports betting funds, Bettor Investments. According to the article, the fund has closed and its manager has apparently vanished without returning investor money. Known as “entity betting,” this idea was ill-advised from the start for several reasons that were outlined in a blog written by Frank B at GamblingWithAnEdge.com.
If you're catching a flight out of McCarran and you're carrying marijuana left over from your stay, you can deposit it in one of a dozen green-metal containers that were recently installed at the airport. The so-called "amnesty boxes" are bolted to the concrete in various places right outside the airport and car-rental center. Pot possession is illegal at the airport and it's illegal to fly with it, either in carry-on or checked luggage (even if you're flying between states where it's legal). What happens to your stash that you dump in a green box is a little vague; an airport spokeswoman says, "It's disposed of by contractors hired by the airport."
A second Giordano’s has opened at Boca Park on the west side of town. Specializing in Chicago-style stuffed deep-dish pizza, the first Giordano’s is in the Grand Bazaar Shops at Bally’s. Good Pie, from the former pizza-maker at downtown’s Evel Pie, has opened at the Pawn Plaza, serving classic New York-style pizza.
The move to primo convention facilities continues with the announcement that Caesars Entertainment will build the Caesars Forum Convention Center, a 550,000-square-foot space that will connect to Harrah’s, Flamingo, and The LINQ and LINQ Promenade. The complex will be built in the area that’s currently a large parking lot behind the High Roller wheel and is expected to be completed in 2020.
As unlikely as it may seem, the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team are now the favorites in Vegas sports books to win. Not a game. Not their Division or the Conference. They’re favorites to win the Stanley Cup. The Knights are now lined at 9-2 to take the Cup, shortest odds in the field at the Westgate, followed by the Tampa Bay Lightning at 5-1 and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators, both at 7-1. At one point this season the Knights were 500-1.
A new mechanical horse-race game is coming to the D. Don’t worry, the famous Sigma Derby machine isn’t being replaced, but it’s being joined by the new Fortune Cup game from Konami on February 28. The two games will sit side-by-side on the casino's second floor and it will be interesting to see which one draws the most action.
A $170 million expansion of convention space at Aria has opened, featuring views of The Park and T-Mobile Arena. The additional 200,000 square feet of space brings the resort’s total to 500,000 square feet.
Two new PT’s Gold taverns have opened, one at 690 South Green Valley Ranch Pkwy. in Henderson and the other at 9732 West Maule Ave. on the west side. They’re the 58th and 59th PTs in the chain.
The casino cage at South Point was robbed of an undisclosed amount by an armed woman yesterday evening. No one was harmed and the woman remains at large. There’ve been several casino robberies in recent months, but photo evidence like this of an armed robbery is something you don't usually see.
In an interview with the LV Review-Journal, new Wynn Resorts CEO Matt Maddox commented on several questions being asked about the company's direction without Steve Wynn at the helm. Maddox indicated that all projects announced for Las Vegas, Boston, and Macau will go forward, including the Strip's Paradise Park and Wynn West. He also addressed rumors of a possible name change, saying that the Wynn brand is strong and that he doesn't anticipate a change to another name.
Mandalay Bay has changed its floor-numbering scheme to eliminate the 32nd floor, now infamous as the firing point for the October 1 Strip shooting. Floors 31-34 have been renumbered 56-59. Already confused by strange numbering to accommodate the Four Seasons that’s allocated floors 35-39, the numbering will now go 1-30, 35-39 (Four Seasons), and 56-63. Interesting, since MBay is 43 stories tall.
Casino promotions are lighter today compared to previous Presidents' Days, but there are a few. Boyd casinos are awarding 11X points on slots and 6X on video poker. Stations, Fiestas, and Palms have 3.3X on reel slots and 2X on video poker and table games. Silverton has 10X on reels and 2X on table games, cash giveaways of $300+ every hour from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 2-for-1 buffets (get voucher at kiosk). El Cortez is handing out White Castle sliders to players from noon to 6 p.m.
Donald Cerrone and Yancy Medeiros are pick 'em in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Marcin Tybura is -130 over Derrick Lewis.
Team LeBron is a -2.5 favorite over Team Stephen in tonight's NBA All-Star Game. The total is 333 … at least as of now. This one has moved like crazy, opening as high as 360 offshore and mostly fluctuating between 345 and 333 as the bettors try to figure out if the players will take the game seriously. There are some juicy middles in play.
With last night's 6-3 win at T-Mobile against the Montreal Canadiens, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Lightning loss, the Vegas Golden Knights expansion hockey team is number one in the entire NHL for the second time. Read all about the game, the players, and the records the VGK continue to set at our Knights on Ice blog, written by hockey veteran Joe Pane.
Several casinos are hosting Daytona 500 viewing parties today. They include South Point, Stratosphere, Aliante, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Orleans, Sam’s Town, Fremont, and Cannery. Doors open for most at 10 a.m. Brad Keselowski is the race favorite at +600 (bet $100 to win $600), followed by Joey Logano at +825 and Denny Hamlin at +900.
The finals of the World Sign Spinning Championship will be held today at the Fremont Street Experience. Sign spinners from around the world will compete beginning at noon today, with the final round beginning at 4 p.m. The event is free to the public.
A Las Vegas resident hit for $110,726 on a bingo game at the Rampart last week. According to the casino, it’s the “largest dual daub bingo jackpot in Las Vegas history.” This weekend Rampart is running the $75K Bingo Jamboree ($100 entry fee) with games starting today at 12:30 p.m.
The Maryland Pkwy. location of 7 Sinful Subs closed in December, but will reopen soon on the west side at Ft. Apache and Tropicana. The sub shop that was reviewed as a "Local Corner" in the August 2017 LVA is run by a group of established Las Vegas bar and restaurant owners, including “Vegas Vic” Moea.
Caesars Entertainment has announced a new policy for checking rooms with “Do Not Disturb” signs. Enforced at CET properties worldwide, rooms will be checked every 24 hours, whether or not the signs are displayed.
The 13th annual World Game Protection Conference will take place March 12-15 at Bally’s, with emphasis on lessons learned from last year’s Strip shooting. The conference, open only to casino-industry professionals, will also cover several advantage-play topics, which has always been its primary focus.
Do you leave a tip for the housekeepers? If you don’t, you’re not alone. It’s reported that more than two-thirds of hotel guests don’t leave even small tips of $1-$5 after a stay. While the number might be higher in tip-crazy Las Vegas, the fact that the housekeepers are often not seen and the lack of any form of social pressure (as you might feel in a restaurant) are factors that lead to suppressed tipping.
A $1.23 million jackpot was hit this week at the Fremont on a Wheel of Fortune Double 3X4X5X Pay Machine. It was the second big jackpot in seven months at the casino, following a $11.8 million Megabucks hit in August.
South Point has added a new poker-room menu, available to players 24/7. South Point has one of the better smaller rooms that features a big schedule of daily tournaments.
Casino du Liban in Lebanon now claims the world’s largest ceiling roulette game. We didn’t know there were others to compare to, but the giant upside-down wheel is live, with customers looking up to see the results of their wagers. No technical information was provided in the Yogonet.com story about the game, but we presume the ball is spun on the floor and the ceiling wheel conveys the results. It’s reminiscent of Bob Stupak’s giant big six wheel at the old Vegas World.
The Fremont Street Experience is about to get a lot brighter. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has approved a $9.5 million contribution, as part of a total $28.5 million upgrade of the canopy, that will nearly quadruple the number of pixels on the video screen from 4.2 million to 16.4 million. The new lights will overlay the existing system, which means there will be no interruption in the shows while the work is done. It’s the first upgrade of the canopy’s technology in 14 years. Also planned is an interactive element that will allow the public to scroll messages on the screen and have input into the FSE play list.
Celebrate Mardi Gras tonight at the LINQ Promenade. Starting at 6 p.m., a pop-up parade will take place every hour till 10 p.m. In-between there will be live entertainment; free gifts, including koozies, masks, and beads; and food and drink specials throughout the Promenade.
Long-time Las Vegas performer Marty Allen has died at age 95 from complications related to pneumonia. Allen performed for years with partner Steve Rossi at the old Vegas World during the heyday of Bob Stupak's VIP Vacation marketing program. He continued performing right up to his death, most recently at South Point.
In a U.S. News & World Report list of the “Best Hotels in the USA,” 11 Las Vegas casinos were designated “gold badge” properties, putting them in the top 10% of the rankings. In order of finish, they are Mandarin Oriental, Aria Sky Suites, Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Encore, Wynn Las Vegas, Skylofts at MGM Grand, Four Seasons, Bellagio, Aria, Palazzo, and Venetian.
Show Nevada I.D. to get 2-for-1 tickets to Imaginarium at the Tropicana throughout February. Locals can get a 2-for-1 deal for Murray the Magician at Planet Hollywood by using the code “MCLOC” at the box office or when ordering online. And through the end of the year, locals get 50% off rides on the High Roller observation wheel at the LINQ Promenade by using code “HRLOCAL.”
Known for a brief time as Project Blue, it’s been announced that the former Fontainebleau will become The Drew. The resort will have a casino, nightlife venues, more than 20 dining options, 500,000 square feet of convention space, and 4,000 rooms run by JW Marriott, marking the brand’s first appearance on the Strip. The Drew is scheduled to open in 2020 at about the same time as Resorts World Las Vegas. Read more in our Stiffs & Georges blog.
The Year of the Dog in the Chinese calendar is the theme of the new display at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The display features lanterns, I-Ching coins, good-luck fountains, 22,000 flowers, and an 18-foot Siberian Husky. The Venetian atrium displays a 14-foot-tall Chinese Shar-Pei named Vincenzo Li, and more than a dozen Shar-Peis are positioned around the resort. The Wynn has three 9-foot-tall dogs on display, along with a 45-foot-long dragon. The Chinese New Year is February 14 and the displays will be up at least through the end of the month.
Cher’s pop hit Believe has been added to the rotation of accompanying songs in the Bellagio fountains show. She joins the eclectic mix that includes 25 songs from the likes of Elvis, Gene Kelly, and Tiesto.
In a list of the most expensive buildings in the world based on construction costs (adjusted to reflect costs in today’s market), casinos occupy five positions. Leading the casinos is the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, built at a cost of $4.24 billion. Also included are Wynn Resort ($3.28 billion), Bellagio ($2.33 billion), Palazzo ($2.06 billion), and Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City ($2 billion). The most expensive in the U.S. is Apple Park, the Apple campus in Cupertino, California, with a cost of $5 billion. The worldwide leader is the Abraj al Bait hotel and residential complex in Saudi Arabia, listed at $15.49 billion.
Luke Rockhold is a -180 favorite over Yoel Romero in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Curtis Blaydes is -170 over Mark Hunt.
The Las Vegas Lights professional soccer team plays its first match tonight in a “friendly” against Major League Soccer’s Montreal Impact. The game kicks of at 8 p.m., but the tailgate activities at Cashman Field get going at 5:30. Tickets start at $15. The Lights have been promoting like mad, with a focus on playing a wide-open style that promotes lots of scoring. You can watch the match live on KCLV Channel 2.
The Winter Olympics are underway and for the first time in 20 years, betting on them is allowed in Nevada. That is, if you can find a line. Not all sports books are booking the games and those that are have lines on only a few events. For example, Westgate and William Hill have lines on hockey, figure skating, and skiing, while Boyd books hasn’t put up lines on any Olympic events.
Details about the Sands/Madison Square Garden performance venue on the Strip have been released. The MSG Sphere Las Vegas will be an 18,000-seat arena located behind the Venetian. The 400,000-square-foot sphere-shaped venue will be 360 feet tall and be outfitted with state-of-the-art sound and staging technology. Construction is slated to start this year and be completed in 2020.
New York's Resorts World Catskills has opened in Monticello. The $1.2 billion resort has a 332-room all-suites hotel and a casino with 2,157 slots and 112 table games. A golf course and water park are planned.
Amid lots of speculation about the likely future for Wynn Resorts, one casino honcho feels that the company is at least safe from a hostile takeover. MGM Resorts International CEO Jim Murren says that Steve Wynn’s resignation is unlikely to result in an acquisition. “It would be difficult to believe some entity is going to have the financial wherewithal to make a serious bid for them,” Murren said. “I don’t think people are going to see the megadeals. Those days are over.”
The Monday and Thursday $50-for-$500 promo at the Jackpot bar has been discontinued. Jackpot has gone up an down with these types of deals, so it's a good place to check out. Plus they do good food.
The band Chicago began a nine-show engagement at the Venetian last night, with subsequent performances scheduled for Feb. 9-10, 14, 16-17, 21, 23-24. During the first part of the show, the band plays the entire Chicago II album. Then there's an intermission and a second set is dominated by Chicago classics. Sounds cool. Tickets start at $59 base.
The days are numbered for two MRI sushi spots. Grand Wok and Sushi Bar will close February 19 at MGM Grand, and bigger news is the closing of Aria’s high end BarMasa and Tetsu on April 2. While no replacement at MGM has been announced, Aria is bringing in Catch, a seafood and steak restaurant out of Los Angeles.
MGM Cotai in Macau has announced another opening date. After four postponements, it now appears firm that the resort will open on February 13. We’ll let you know.
The foreclosure auction of the Lucky Dragon, originally scheduled for yesterday, was postponed until February 22. No reason for the change of date was given. Among the crowd gathered yesterday was the D owner Derek Stevens, who told the media he was “more of an observer today.”
Steve Wynn has resigned as CEO of Wynn Resorts in the face of mounting evidence of sexual misconduct that spanned decades. What's next? Wynn president Matt Maddox has been elevated to CEO; however, analysts say the move leaves Wynn Resorts vulnerable to a takeover.
The Westin on Flamingo has completed its transformation from a casino—originally the Maxim and later Westin Causurina with the Max Casino—to a non-gambling and non-smoking hotel catering to conventioneers. New restaurants are open along with a new bar, although the bar has machines (with poor paytables).
As expected, this year’s Super Bowl handle set a record with $158.6 million wagered, a 14.5% increase over last year’s previous record. The state's 198 legal sports books reported a $1.2 million profit, which is a hold of just .7%, the lowest since 2011. The good match-up of teams, exploding popularity of props, mobile apps, and in-game wagering were cited as reasons for the betting jump.
After going many years without, the Henderson-area Skyline is expected to debut a players club in early March. One of the best video poker houses in the Las Vegas area -- and still offering the best shrimp cocktail deal -- the question is whether or not the good schedules will be retained.
Elvis Costello has canceled all six of his shows scheduled for February and March at Wynn Las Vegas. While no official reason has been given, the cancelation appears to be related to the sexual misconduct allegations against Steve Wynn.
The Eagles 41-33 Super Bowl victory over the Patriots was a bummer for the books. Reported results are mixed, but a few major sports books say they lost overall and there's a chance that the statewide result could result in only the third loss for the books in 28 years of tracking. The culprits were a $10 million win by the player known as Bettor X and the record offensive output that favored the public's prop-bet wagering. The official numbers will be released later this week.
The New England Patriots are -4.5 favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles in tonight's Super Bowl. The total is 49.
Get your phones ready to time the singing of the Super Bowl's National Anthem. The over/under number on how long it will take Pink to sing it is 2:00, with over a -150 favorite.
The Strip sports books are heaving, with long lines at the betting windows and at party destinations. Get there now if you want to make a bet, or stick with the betting apps if you have them.
The parties will be on all over town today. If you don't have plans, check out the list on our Vegas With an Edge blog. And watch this space the rest of the day for the line on the length of the National Anthem and the closing line on the game near kick-off.
Eryk Anders is a -265 favorite over Lyoto Machida in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Valentina Shevchanko is -1000 over Priscila Cachoeira.
A mysterious player who's being called "Bettor X" has built a huge position on the Eagles for tomorrow's Super Bowl. Those in the know say he's bet in the neighborhood of $10 million at sports books all over the city, mostly on the Eagles money line, which means he's betting them to win outright. This is the same player who crushed the books during the World Series and has also won betting the UFC. We know he's been in touch with the media, so more will be known if it goes his way.
Ellis Island has completed a renovation of its 289 rooms and 12 suites. The rooms have been outfitted with new flooring and furnishings, plus USB chargers, mini-refrigerators, and safes. They also come with a complimentary growler filled with EI beer.
Earn 300 base points ($600 coin-in) today or tomorrow at Downtown Grand and get a beer cooler. The casino has recently improved its video poker inventory that now includes Super Aces Bonus Poker returning 99.94%. Points can also be earned on table games.
In the annual “Middle Seat” study by the Wall Street Journal, Delta was ranked the “top carrier” in a comparison of seven operational metrics, pushing Alaska/Virgin to number-two after Alaska held the top spot (before merging with Virgin) for the past four years. JetBlue finished last in the eight-airline study.
The American Gaming Association estimates that $4.76 billion will be wagered by U.S. bettors on Sunday’s Super Bowl. However, only $138.5 million is expected to be bet legally in Nevada, leaving $4.6 billion in illegal wagers. The AGA estimates that $150 billion is bet illegally on sports annually.
Here’s an interesting development we learned about from Vegas Eater. Nevada has apparently outlawed the serving of shark’s fin soup, due to the threat its preparation poses to the shark population. Eater says that 14 restaurants in Las Vegas served shark’s fin, including Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast, Jasmine at Bellagio, and a few Chinatown restaurants.
Nevada sports books had a record win of $248.7 million in 2017, which was 5.1% of a record handle of $4.8 billion. The recent buzz around sports betting and the proliferation of mobile betting apps are behind the increases. Football continues to be the most-bet sport, with $1.7 billion wagered on combined college and pro games generating a hold of 5.2%. Basketball is closing the gap with $1.4 billion wagered with a hold of 6.2%. Baseball had $1.1 billion wagered with a hold of 3.3%. And while the sports book handle increased for an eighth consecutive year, the race book handle decreased for the fourth year in a row to $280.3 million, holding 15.7%.
Tuscany has completed a $5 million renovation of its 716 suites. Tuscany is a good under-the-radar lodging play. All of its rooms are suites, but they were a bit weathered. This renovation remedies that deficiency.
It's a pretty quiet one, as everyone gears up for their Big Game parties (watch this space for party details and recommendations). Still, "quiet" in Vegas is definitely a relative term and there's still plenty to keep you from being bored. Here are some of the highlights: