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Villanova is a -5 favorite over Kansas in today's second Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 155.5.
Michigan is a -5.5 favorite over Loyola of Chicago in today's first Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 129.5.
There’ll be a crowd at the D for today’s Michigan/Loyola of Chicago game, with a watch party scheduled for the Long Bar starting at 3 p.m. Owner Derek Stevens is holding a ticket that will pay $1 million if Michigan wins the championship on Monday, but they have to get through Loyola first. Stevens has lots of celebrity friends, so this should be a good people-watching opportunity.
Casablanca/Virgin River in Mesquite is dealing -105 lines for the college basketball tournament. We don't know for sure, but it's likely sides only as it is at South Point.
Russia has approved a fifth casino zone that will be located in Crimea. Scheduled to open in September 2019, it’s being touted as the “Russian Las Vegas,” despite only a single casino being referenced. However, the announcements hint that there will be a concentrated effort to make it an “attraction point” that will lead to a bigger casino presence.
Richard Branson, 67-year-old billionaire and founder of the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies, announced yesterday that Virgin has purchased the 1,500-room Hard Rock. The hotel-casino will continue to operate as the Hard Rock through the end of 2019, when Virgin has completed "hundreds of millions of dollars" in renovations to upgrade the 23-year-old property. Virgin owns one other hotel in the U.S., the Virgin Chicago.
The gaming floor at the Venetian has been completely reconfigured. The makeover was never mentioned in the press, but the changes are significant, making it like walking into a whole new casino.
The Fremont Street Experience’s “Downtown Rocks Summer Concert Series” line-up has been announced. The free concerts that run mostly on weekends throughout the summer will feature Candlebox/Cracker (5/25), Everclear/Marcy Playground (6/30), Billy Ray Cyrus (7/4), The Cult (7/14), Molly Hatchet (8/11), Halestorm (8/25), and RATT/Sebastian Bach (9/29).
International Market Centers has announced plans to build a $76 million 350,000-square-foot expo next to its five-million-square-foot World Market Center furniture showcase. Las Vegas Market, the semi-annual home-decor trade show, will move from World Market to the new center, which will also host other trade events. It will be much smaller than most Las Vegas convention centers, but it’s a big project for downtown. No timetable has been announced.
Station Casinos will serve special Passover buffets for lunch and dinner April 1-7. The selection will include matzo ball soup, charoset, noodle kugel, and other Jewish specialties at all Feast and Festival buffets.
The Major League Baseball season begins today. The Houston Astros are the favorite to win in the American League at +235 and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to win in the National League at +320. The Astros are the favorite to win the World Series at +490.
The band Blink 182 has announced a residency deal at the Palms. The Kings of the Weekend show will play in the Pearl Concert Theater May 26-27; June 8-9, 15-16, 23-24; Oct. 26-27; Nov. 2-3, 9-10, 16-17. Tickets start at $59 base.
Apologies to those who experienced problems playing the Comp City Slots app yesterday. There was a system-wide glitch connected with Facebook that affected both Apple and Android users. The problem has now been resolved. Download the app for free to play slots and video poker with 100%+ returns while accumulating “comp tickets” redeemable for LVA products.
The Westgate SuperBook solidifies its position as Las Vegas’ top contest spot with the city’s only baseball contest. The entry fee is $200 (max three) for the Baseball Season Wins Challenge, with 100% of the money collected returned to the first three places. Participants will choose win totals for the 30 Major League Baseball teams; the entry deadline is 10 p.m. today.
Classic Cher has added nine dates at Monte Carlo. Adding to previous dates of May 2, 4-5, 9, 12-13, 16, 18-19, Cher will also perform Oct. 31 and Nov. 2-3, 7, 9-10, 14,16-17; tickets start at $60 base.
Las Vegas Premium Outlets North, the factory-direct shopping mall near downtown, is now charging for parking. The fee is $5 for out-of-state visitors (no charge for locals). In a statement, owners Simon Property Group said that the fee is being implemented “because of customer demand and to improve the customer experience.”
The Las Vegas Golden Knights qualified for the 2017-2018 Stanley Cup playoffs tonight after beating the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 at T-Mobile. The Golden Knights are the first expansion team ever to clinch a playoff spot in their inaugural season. The VGK are also the quickest expansion team to reach 100 points. It took the 1981-82 Edmonton Oilers three seasons to break 100 points with 111 points and the 1975-76 New York Islanders reached 101 points in their fourth season. Vegas actually has 103 points, with six games to go. By comparison, the 100-year-old Toronto Maple Leafs reached 103 points only once in the century, in their 2003-2004 season. Read all about it in Joe Pane's VGK blog.
The 2018 line-up for the Junefest music festival has been announced. Rick Springfield will headline, with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas and Berlin featuring Terri Nunn also appearing. The show will be held on June 9 at the Sunset Station Amphitheater, with tickets starting at $29 base.
The elevated tram between the Mirage and Treasure Island has been taken offline and will be out of order till November at the earliest. Details are sketchy, but we're told that the line is being "renovated," so that it will be completely automated; though the cars are driverless, an employee apparently had to oversee its operation.
The cover story in today’s USA Today is titled “Confessions of a Lottery Scammer,” and details the rigging of several drawings by a lottery employee that took down more than $24 million in prizes. While short on technical details, it’s an interesting story that’s reminiscent of Nevada Gaming Control employee Ron Harris’ rigging of slot machines and keno in the ‘90s.
According to John Katsilometes’ column in today’s LV Review-Journal, Dirk Arthur Wild Magic will close at the Westgate at the end of the month. That's unwelcome news for the bargain sector, as it was among the least expensive production-show tickets. The show never got traction after the live-cat component was taken out to appease animal-rights groups. Kats also teases that Criss Angel will land at Planet Hollywood with a new show after concluding his run at Luxor.
We’re hearing some amazing things about the technical level of vision and sound planned for the MSG Sphere, the performance venue that will be built behind the Venetian. The technology allows sound to be directed with such precision that different languages can be sent to specific seats without the use of headphones or wires. Rock Vegas author Pat Christenson says “bands won’t want to play anyplace else.” Las Vegas’ will be the first sphere venue created by Madison Square Garden Co., with the second planned for London.
As has become tradition, the casinos on the Strip will turn off their outdoor lights tonight in observance of Earth Hour, which was created to bring attention to the challenges of climate change. The darkening of the Strip will take place from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Westgate Las Vegas has debuted its new players club. WOW Rewards points are earned at a rate of .1% on video poker, .2% on slots, and 1% for retail purchases. Points can be redeemed for free-play or comps at the same rate. There’s also a $100-rebate offer for new members, though the redemption terms are geared to locals and quick-return visitors.
The nominees for the James Beard Foundation awards, among the culinary world’s most prestigious, have been announced. Las Vegas had only two direct nominees. Lotus of Siam was nominated for “Outstanding Wine Program” and Sheridan Su from Fat Choy (Eureka) and Flock & Fowl, was nominated for “Best Chef West.” Several restaurants with Las Vegas ties—e.g. restaurants from Jose Andres, David Chang, and Michael Mina—were nominated in other parts of the country.
The inaugural Hoops Madness Challenge at the Westgate drew 161 entrants, creating a prize pool of $16,100. Three players tied with records of 20-8, with the winner decided by a game-total tie-breaker. The first prize was $8,000.
Add SLS Las Vegas to the list of openings and upgrades on the north end of the Strip. The new owner of the resort says it will spend $100 million over the “next couple of years” to upgrade rooms, redesign the pool, and improve the casino floor. There are no plans to change the name at this time, though a study will be conducted to determine the brand value of the current name, with a change possible pending the findings.
The Skyline has debuted its players club. It’s the first time the video poker-friendly casino has had a players club and we don’t have details on point schedules and perks yet. However, we do know that you sign up by inserting your driver’s license into a kiosk. No booth to deal with; it’s all done on the machine screen.
Esports Arena Las Vegas opens tonight at Luxor in the space that used to be the LAX nightclub. Admission into the venue is free and the public can pay to take part in competitions or just observe. The food concession is being overseen by big-time chef Jose Andres, who is said to be an esports enthusiast.
All of Celine Dion’s shows from March 27 to April 18 have been canceled while she undergoes a surgical procedure for an inner-ear problem. She’s expected to resume here schedule on May 22.
Reversing last year's result when he went a dreadful 10-19-3, the D owner Derek Stevens was 16-14-2 (including an unintended double wager on Loyola of Chicago) and booked a $16,000 profit after betting all 32 games of the opening round of the March Madness tournament. The always-promoting Stevens will now sweat a $25,000 bet at 40-1 odds that will net $1 million if Michigan wins the tournament.
The Beatles LOVE opened at the Mirage in April 2007 in a brand new $100 million 2,013-seat custom theater-in-the-round and since then, the Cirque du Soleil show has been performed more than 5,000 times for more than 10 million people.
in the —there are 6,400 speakers, i
The “Comedy Cellar” is opening its first west-coast location at the Rio in April. The long-running New York City comedy club will attempt to recreate its Greenwich Village look and vibe, as well as its reputation for fielding top-level talent, inside the casino’s former King’s Room. Tickets will start at $45.
Dipping a little into politics, it’s being reported that the firing of President Trump’s personal assistant, John McEntee, was due to his being a “frequent gambler whose habit posed a security risk." McEntee reportedly objected, stating that he’d done nothing wrong. Details regarding his play weren’t revealed, but last we checked, gambling with your own money wasn’t a crime.
Station Casinos has increased the budget for the Palms renovation by $135 million, bringing the total price tag to $620 million. The additional funds will be used to accelerate the third phase of the project, which includes casino upgrades, a dim sum restaurant, an enhanced casino connector with Palms Place, and a new marquee. It’s a big financial infusion, given that the acquisition price of the resort was only $313 million. All elements of the overhaul are expected to be implemented by 2019.
The spring display is up at Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens. The display features a Japanese garden with more than 65,000 flowers, lanterns and birds made out of seeds, a koi pond, and a tea house. It’s open 24/7 and admission is free.
The plug has been pulled on Renegades at Caesars Palace. The experimental show that was essentially a rap session with former sports bad boys, e.g. Jose Canseco and Jim McMahon, closed without warning prior to the end of its originally planned run.
It’s not just Vegas. Walt Disney World Resort hotels have begun charging overnight guests for parking. The rates range from $13 to $24 per night. The fees won’t be charged to those staying at Disney Vacation Clubs (timeshare) or campsites.
Westgate Las Vegas has installed a system on its machines that allows players to order drinks without having to wait for a cocktail waitress. The order is relayed to the bar where the drink is prepared and delivered. As an added feature, the menu presented lets players know what they can be comped, with higher-tier players offered a bigger selection. It will be interesting to see how this goes over. The process has been put in place in Atlantic City and its prompting complaints from cocktail waitresses who don't like being reduced to cocktail retrievers and, we presume, are getting fewer tokes.
Two new triple-zero-roulette wheels have been spotted. One is at Planet Hollywood and the other is at New York-New York, meaning that both Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts have joined in the gouge that had belonged solely to the Venetian before now. The extra zero raises the casino edge from 5.26% to 7.69%.
According to a MarketWatch report, there are no perfect brackets remaining in any of the major March Madness challenges, including ESPN, Yahoo, CBS Sports, Walt Disney, Bleacher Report, and Capital One. Numbers weren't included, but ESPN alone had something like 19 million entrants. The barrage of upsets ensured that all the brackets were busted by the end of the first weekend of play.
Golden Entertainment, the giant slot-route operator and owner of the PT’s bars that recently purchased the Stratosphere, says it will invest $140 million in a large-scale renovation of the tower. Plans call for a renovation of about half the rooms, the addition of a gastro-brewery and new dining options, and the conversion of unused areas into meeting space. The project is expected to be completed by 2021. A new players club that will incorporate PT’s is also in the works.
Las Vegas’ second Steak ‘n Shake and the largest in the chain has opened at Hooters. Whereas the South Point Steak ‘n Shake is open only till midnight, the Hooters location will be open 24/7 beginning in April.
Flowing Tide Pub has opened at 4580 S. Decatur in the space that was formerly Cozy’s. This is the first Las Vegas location for the bar that has four locations in Reno.
In the midst of March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day parties are in progress all over town today, and sometimes the two events blend together well. For example, Downtown Grand is offering unlimited green beer from noon to midnight for $20. Buy a wristband at the cashier, then take in the games at the bar or in the sports book. Check out our Vegas With An Edge round-up for more St. Patty’s options.
History was made yesterday in the NCAA basketball tournament when No. 16 seed Maryland-Baltimore County beat No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54. It was the first time that a No. 16 beat a No. 1 after 135 previous match-ups. UMBC was 20-1 on the money line and an alumnus of the college reportedly bet $800 to win $16,000 at a CG Technology book.
The restaurant roster is changing at the Palms. A new Asian fusion restaurant called Send Noodles has opened next to the buffet. It’s also been announced that Nove Italiano will close in April, replaced with Vetri Cucina out of Philadelphia.
Farmers Market at the Park runs today in the commons between NY-NY and Monte Carlo. The market will feature locally sourced fruits, vegetables, and other specialty items. It runs from 4 to 8 p.m. and admission is free.
The Essence Vegas marijuana dispensary is offering a year’s supply of cannabis for filling out a perfect March Madness bracket. Never mind that Warren Buffet is offering $1 million a year for life or that the approximately 1-in-9.2 quintillion event has never been accomplished before, they must be confident that the essentially-no-chance-to-win-free-weed-offer will resonate with someone.
Keep an eye out later today for our St Patrick's Day event roundup; here are the highlights as far as everything else is concerned:
Downtown’s Corduroy rock club is debuting “BoozyBingo Thursdays” today. Starting at 8 p.m. buy a drink and get a bingo card to play for free drinks and up to $100 in Corduroy bar bucks. Sounds cool.
The American Gaming Association estimates that $10 billion will be wagered in the U.S. on this year’s NCAA basketball tournament, with only about $300 million of it wagered legally in Nevada sports books. The AGA puts out the numbers to support its push for expanded sports betting legalization and it did the same for the Super Bowl. It’s interesting to make the betting comparison between the two events, with the Super Bowl coming in at less than half of the March Madness handle.
Zippy's, the 52-year-old Hawaiian restaurant chain with 24 locations on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island has announced that it will open its first mainland restaurant in Las Vegas, often called Hawaii's ninth island (for its popularity with island visitors and transplants). Zippy's is known for its Hawaiian take on chili (its signature dish), fried chicken, oxtail soup, saimin, loco moco, mahi sandwiches, and Zip Pac bentos, and is open 24 hours a day. The Las Vegas location hasn't been announced, but the new Zippy's is scheduled to open in early 2019 in a standalone 9,000- to 10,000-square-foot restaurant.
Throughout March, Texas Station is running a promo called “Crazy Days,” with some sort of giveaway almost daily. For example, the first 500 Boarding Pass members who visit the Rewards Center starting at 8 a.m. today will get a free bag of potato chips. On March 17 it’s 2-for-1 corned beef & cabbage from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the Grand Café, and on March 24 it’s 2-for-1 cocktails at the Martini Bar. Check at the Rewards Center for each day’s offer.
A new “attraction,” for lack of a better way to describe it, has been announced for the Strip. Kind Heaven, a 100,000-square-foot Southeast Asian-themed entertainment zone in the LINQ Promenade, will feature "virtual and augmented reality experiences," live music, street-vendor-style dining, and retail. At least a portion of the attraction, created in part by former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, will be ticketed and transactions will use a cashless payment-tracking system that accepts cryptocurrencies. The $100 million project is scheduled to debut in 2019.
Sunset Station is holding a basketball-betting seminar today at 6 p.m. The Cosmopolitan will run one tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Both will feature a panel of experts and are free to attend.
With the first play-in games going off today, Villanova is the favorite to win the NCAA basketball championship at +450, followed by Virginia (+575), Duke (+700), and Michigan St. (+915). The long shots are Long Island, MD Baltimore County, North Carolina Central, Radford, and Texas Southern, all at +50000 (500-1).
In a survey of the best hamburgers in all 50 states, MSN.com has selected Las Vegas' Fukuburger as number one in Nevada. "There are so many burger places in Las Vegas that it's hard to stand out," MSN writes, "but Fukuburger does just that with its eponymous burger. The all-beef patty is topped with standard fare and given an Asian twist with the seasoning in the patty, as well as wasabi mayo and Fuku sauce." Fukuburger is located at the Hawaiian Marketplace on the Strip and has a roving food truck.
With last night's win in Philadelphia over the Flyers, the Vegas Golden Knights remain atop the Pacific Division with a record of 45-19-5 and 95 points, 12 points in front of the second-place San Jose Sharks. Vegas won four of the five games on their east coast road trip that ended last night. For veteran goaltender Marc Andre Fleury, it was the 400th win of his career. He's only the 13th player in NHL history to achieve this lofty statistic and he did it in 728 games, second fastest to this mark. The VGK return home tomorrow night against the New Jersey Devils.
The long-awaited Klondike Sports book has opened. It’s another William Hill satellite, so nothing exciting there. But it’s also another addition to the cool little slots casino with excellent food deals. The book is next to the bar, so you can watch the games while playing some video poker and having a drink.
We’ve been informed that the -105 betting lines at South Point for the March Madness tournament will begin in the Sweet Sixteen round and be offered through the championship game. Normal -110 pricing will be in place up to that point.
The Salvation Army of Southern Nevada has put out an emergency call for bottled water needed to distribute to the homeless who come to its North Las Vegas shelter. The shelter accommodates more than 300 overnight visitors and up to 1,000 per day. Cases and pallets of water can be donated at 35 W. Owens Avenue.
Here's some advance notice on a good betting play for the March Madness tournament. In a follow-up spot to the VSiN segment just referenced, South Point bookmakers Chris Andrews and Jimmy Vaccaro indicated that the SP book will be dealing -105 lines on sides for the tourney. That's an excellent deal for bettors that probably won't be matched elsewhere in town. On a related note, Andrews' book Then One Day is in its final edit at Huntington Press and will be published this summer. Stay tuned.
With the field and brackets set, the March Madness rush is on. Derek Stevens, owner of the D casino, is betting $10K per game ($11K to win $10K) and divulging his picks on the VSiN sports betting network, which you can listen to live now online, and likely access from the archives after. Good entertainment.
Word is the next high-profile Las Vegas residency will be Gwen Stefani. The former No Doubt lead singer and regular on “The Voice” TV show is expected to take over for Britney Spears in the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. No official confirmation has come from Caesars Entertainment, so timetables and other particulars remain unknown.
Don't forget to move your clocks forward one hour for Daylight Saving Time. The time change is significant for sports bettors, especially when there are early games.
Joining in a barrage of resort fee increases, Venetian and Palazzo have raised their daily rate by $6. Already equal to the highest in town before the increase, the RFs are now the highest at $45 per night. The two casinos have raised their fees by $20 in the last three years; however, both continue to be among the few Strip casinos that don’t charge for parking.
Gambling author, theorist, and all-around interesting character, Paul Magriel, has died at the age of 71. Magriel was for many years considered the world’s best backgammon player before transitioning to poker where he often played under the name X-22. His multiple books and articles on backgammon are still considered among the best ever written. A New York Times article paying homage provides a fascinating glimpse into Magriel’s odd (to say the least) persona.
Las Vegas Sands Corp. has sold Sands Bethlehem in Pennsylvania for $1.3 billion to the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The tribe also has casinos in its home state of Alabama and the Caribbean, racetracks in Alabama and Florida, and manages the Wa She Shu Casino in Gardnerville, Nevada.
It’s beginning to look like there may be a change in priorities for Wynn Resorts under its new management. Specifically, the company may proceed with the building of Wynn West before the formerly presumed lead project, Paradise Park. If that happens, it may mean that Paradise Park will never be built. For more insight, see David McKee’s coverage in Stiffs & Georges.
Everyone knew it was coming, but no one quite expected this. Dubbed the “Main Event,” the third and final phase of the massive "Project Neon" roadway reconfiguration is underway and creating havoc on the interstates, especially during prime travel times. Giant chunks of I-15 have been narrowed to two lanes and several exit ramps have been closed. As a result, traffic is almost always backed up going south from D Street to Sahara and going north from Tropicana to the Spaghetti Bowl interchange. Work is also being done on U.S. 95 in the downtown area. Get ready to follow detour signs or be creative with alternate routes. Variations on the disruption are expected to last until November.
For the second time in a week, one of our Top Ten Values has sustained a 50¢ price increase. The shrimp cocktail at the Skyline in Henderson is now $1.99. We checked it out and the quality is the same, so it's still an excellent value. The price hike follows last week's increase for the breakfast special at Klondike Sunset that's described earlier in this space. Thanks to an LVA member who called in the Skyline change; keep the information coming, folks.
Station Casinos is upgrading several of its movie theaters, including Texas Station, Boulder Station, and Palms, while a new theater is being added at Palace Station. Targeted for improvement are the bar and concession areas, along with the addition of larger reclining chairs. The work is expected to be completed before the end of the year.
Westgate has unveiled a new March Madness handicapping contest. The “Hoops Madness Challenge” will run only for the Thursday and Friday games on opening weekend, so you’ll get a result pronto. The entry fee is $100 with a maximum of three, and 100% will be paid to the top three places.
The Rampart has added a table-games instacomp for new players club sign-ups. Play one hour on any table game with a $25 average bet and get a comped buffet. The expected loss is only about $5 if you play perfect basic strategy, but the risk is relatively high. Play at crowded tables where you’ll be exposed to fewer hands. Get complete details at the club booth.
In its first six months of legal recreational marijuana (July-December 2017), Nevada's retail pot outlets grossed a little more than $195 million. This generated $30 million in tax revenues (on a 15% tax on wholesale and a 10% tax on retail cannabis). Cannabis analytics firm New Frontier projects that Nevada’s marijuana market will reach annual sales of more than $600 million by 2020.
The Mob Museum and the National Atomic Testing Museum are offering a discount when you visit them in tandem. Show a receipt from either at the other and get 25% off the second admission. Since the Mob Museum costs $26.95 and $16.95 for locals and Atomic is $22/$18, you’ll save a little more by going to Atomic first. No expiration time between visits is specified.
The price of Klondike Sunset’s Top Ten-ranked bacon or sausage & eggs has been raised by 30¢ to $1.79. Still the lowest price in town for a full breakfast, it’s served daily from 7 to 11 a.m. in Sarah’s Kitchen.
Nevada’s 12-member Gaming Policy Committee took less than an hour in a recent meeting to issue a unanimous resolution affirming the separation of marijuana and casinos. At least for the foreseeable future, there will be no pot-smoking lounges or marijuana shops in casinos, or financial transactions that benefit both a casino and pot provider — in short, nothing that might run afoul of the federal Controlled Substances Act. The only association allowable between the two industries will be when casinos host marijuana conventions, conferences, and exhibitions. A related issue that wasn’t addressed was how casinos should deal with employees who test positive for pot. As of now, that’s up to the properties themselves, though the state legislature might have to establish standards for employers.
Station Casinos is running a Last Man Standing contest for the March Madness basketball tournament. The entry fee is $25 and 100% of money collected will be paid as the winner-take-all first prize, with a $50,000 guarantee. Buy four entries and get a fifth free. Must enter at a Station, Fiesta, or Wildfire property by 9 a.m. on March 15.
The Palms has extended its instacomp for the A.Y.C.E. buffet through March, though the days have changed to Mondays and Thursdays. Earn 200 same-day points ($200 coin-in) for a comped breakfast, 400 for lunch, and 600 for dinner. The points are not deducted from your account.
The $40 million Point Place Casino has opened in upstate New York. The third owned by the Oneida Indian Nation, the 65,000-square-foot casino has 20 table games and just under 500 slots.
In tonight's Academy Awards, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri is the favorite for Best Picture at -170, with The Shape of Water at +150. The other major categories have prohibitive favorites. Gary Oldman is the night’s biggest fave at -3600 to win Best Actor for Darkest Hour. Frances McDormand is -2025 to win Best Actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. Sam Rockwell is -1920 to win Best Supporting Actor for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. And Allison Janney is -1100 to win Best Supporting Actress for I, Tonya.
The twice-weekly free-play promo at Jackpot Bar and Grill (4360 S Decatur) has been reinstated. Play $500 through the machines on Mondays and Thursdays and get $50 in free-play disbursed immediately.
The big race of NASCAR weekend is today's Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Kevin Harvick is the favorite at +350, followed by Kyle Larson at +450 and Brad Keselowski at +600. The race starts at 12:30 p.m., which means you should expect heavy traffic on I-15 up till then and again when the crowd lets out around 5 p.m.
The championship rounds of the USA Sevens rugby tournament are today at Sam Boyd Stadium, with play beginning at 11:30 a.m. The United States will play Fiji in one semi-final, while South Africa meets Argentina in the other. The championship game will be aired on ESPNews, with coverage starting at 3 p.m. PST.
Cris Justino is a huge -1850 favorite over Yana Kunitskaya in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Frankie Edgar is -155 over Brian Ortega.
The USA Sevens rugby tournament runs today and tomorrow at Sam Boyd Stadium. Several games will be played today, with matches lasting only 14 minutes. In yesterday's play, the U.S. team went 2-0, beating Australia and Samoa. A portion of the action will be televised today at 3:00 p.m. PST on ESPNews.
Seven NCAA basketball tournaments are being played in Las Vegas, running through March 10. The women’s West Coast Conference tournament at the Orleans and the men’s WCC tournament at T-Mobile are underway. The women’s Mountain West Conference tournament begins March 5 and the men’s MWC tournament begins March 7, both at the Thomas & Mack. The men’s Pac-12 tournament begins March 7 at T-Mobile. The women’s Western Athletic Conference tournament begins March 7 and the men’s WAC tournament begins March 8, both at the Orleans
Today is apparently National Blackjack Day (March 2 is 3/2, get it?). We didn’t know about it, but the Rampart did, and is celebrating with free lessons, plus pastries and a special cocktail for $3.20 each. The Rampart does indeed deal a 3-2 payoff for naturals on all of its games, the best being the double deck with a .40% casino edge against basic strategy.
The hits just keep on coming. Following the raising of resort fees at MRI and two Stations properties, Caesars Entertainment has raised its parking fees. At Bally’s, Cromwell, Flamingo, Harrah’s, The Linq, and Paris, the rates have been raised by $2 to $9 for 1-4 hours and $12 for more than four hours. Rates at Caesars Palace are up $2 to $12 for 1-4 hours and by $3 to $15 for more than four. Parking remains free for stays of less than one hour, and is free for any duration at Planet Hollywood.
One month after a record-breaking year at the eighth busiest airport in the country, the passenger count at McCarran Airport rose 2.7% over January 2017. More than 3.77 million passengers flew in and out of Las Vegas in January. Domestic passengers rose 2.4%, while international passengers increased 3.4% year over year. The increase puts McCarran on a pace to break last year’s record of 48.5 million passengers.
MRI isn’t alone. It’s being reported that Station Casinos is raising resort fees at Red Rock Resort and Green Valley Ranch by $4 to $39 per night, also effective today.
Oops, they did it again. MGM Resorts International has raised resort fees, effective today, at 10 of its properties. We haven’t done our own research yet, but reports indicate that RFs were raised by $2, to $37 per night, at Delano, MGM Grand, Mirage, Signature at MGM, Mandalay Bay, Monte Carlo, and New York-New York; by $2, to $30, at Circus Circus; and by $5, to $35, at Luxor and Excalibur. MRI CEO Jim Murren commented, “We are lagging the market. Caesars properties have higher resort fees, which is a great change since they started with no resort fees not long ago, but welcome to the party.” Hmm. There was no change at Bellagio, Vdara, and Aria, where RFs are $39.
Win Cards are now available at Railroad Pass. Win Cards provide information about how to properly play blackjack, craps and roulette, but they’re also a positive expectation purchase, since they cost $20 and come with $30 in non-negotiable (play-till-you-lose) chips good in the casino. The offer is limited to one per person per year.