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The Pittsburgh Steelers are -3 favorites over the Baltimore Ravens in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 51.
The new issue of the Las Vegas Advisor covers all things football in Las Vegas: free parties on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays in casinos and gentlemen's clubs; contests you can still participate in; 63 bars that follow specific teams (and attract locals and visitors from those cities, plus fans, for a rowdy ol' time); and the best football munchies in town. You can also read about Vegas’ only all-night buffet, a monster prime rib just off the Strip, the latest on the Boyd B Connected club rules changes, Las Vegas’ first $100 buffet, a high-end late-night happy hour, the departure of Celine Dion, two lunch comps for a $20 video poker buy-in, even a beer deal that just raised its price — to 25¢! It's all in the October LVA.
The Conservatory at Bellagio has unveiled its fall display, "Falling Asleep." The centerpiece is a 28-foot-long horizontal harvest goddess (a true sleeping beauty); other features include 10-foot-tall tigers, frolicking foxes, polychrome dragonflies and peacocks, the enchanted talking tree (brought back, we assume, by popular demand), and a huge pomegranate. The display, whose theme extends into the Bellagio lobby, runs through November 24.
The Raiders' stadium has reached a construction milestone: It's now reaching for the sky. Crews began the two-month process of installing 52 truss columns that will frame the stadium walls and ultimately support the roof 22 stories above ground. Though the truss assemblies weigh 65 tons each, the work is extremely precise; a quarter-inch off at ground level could result in a foot or more out of alignment at the top. You can watch construction progress in real time via our link to the Raiders Stadium webcam, which also gives you an instructive view of I-15 at Russell Road.
White Castle has opened its third location in southern Nevada on Interstate 15 in Jean. The popular and long-time fast-food burger place occupies part of Terrible's Road House, a huge travel stop that opened earlier this year. It's the only location of the Las Vegas area's three White Castles that has a drive-through.
It's getting harder to find and more expensive to rent an apartment in Las Vegas. The vacancy rate is among the lowest and rental costs are among the fastest rising in the nation, according to real estate research firm Reis. Average rents in the third quarter were $1,020, up 5.8% year over year; the growth rate was sixth highest among the 79 metropolitan areas the report covers. (Phoenix rents grew most quickly at 7.1%). Las Vegas' vacancy rate was 3.6%, the 10th lowest of 79 (Sacramento's was lowest at 2.8%).
Oasis Biotech has opened on Annie Oakley Dr., about six miles east of the Strip. It’s an “indoor vertical farm” that uses hydroponic watering and micro-climate controls for crop cultivation. Oasis will be able to supply Las Vegas restaurants with fresh produce within 24 hours of harvesting. A spokesman for Oasis called Las Vegas the city with the “highest-density of high-end restaurants,” which led to the building of one of the largest such facilities in the country.
The thermometer is expected to hit 100 today, but rain, and possibly a lot of it, is predicted for Monday and Tuesday with an accompanying drop in temperatures into the 80s. Rain hasn't been recorded at McCarran Airport since August 11 and a few days in a row of 80-degree temperatures haven't been seen here since early May. The rain, coming from strong storms off the Pacific, could reach an inch and continue through Wednesday and Thursday.
The 18,000-seat first-of-its-kind Sphere entertainment venue broke ground yesterday on the site on Sands Avenue just east of Koval Lane. The Sphere is a joint venture between Las Vegas Sands and Madison Square Garden; read a full description in our Question of the Day that covered it. The Sphere is scheduled for completion in late 2020/early 2021.
The Los Angeles Rams are -7 favorites over the Minnesota Vikings in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 49. There are two Las Vegas bars that follow the Rams and three that follow the Vikings. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
A House subcommittee hearing will be held today to consider whether or not the federal government should be involved in the oversight of sports betting. Several high-profile representatives from gambling companies, the professional sports leagues, and government are scheduled to testify and state their respective cases for what’s certain to be a lot of diverse objectives.
After first refusing to pay $82,000 on a winning sports bet in New Jersey because the bet was made on a mistake line, FanDuel reversed its decision and paid the customer. Additionally, FD added $1,000 to the accounts of 82 randomly chosen players to sweeten the PR effect. It’s the first high-profile gaff for a sports book in one of the newly legal wagering jurisdictions. For the whole story and an analysis, check out our blog, “Captain Jack on Sports Wagering.”
HowMuch.com has released a list of how much residents need to earn annually to afford to buy a house in the 50 top metro areas in the U.S. (assuming 20% down, principal, interest, taxes, and insurance add up to less than 28% of the annual gross income, and a 30-year fixed mortgage). Although Las Vegas has the nation's fastest increasing home prices, it's toward the low end on the affordability list at $59,551 per year, a few thousand less than the national median income ($61,400). Phoenix is the next closest in income at $55,939. The highest is San Jose, CA, at $274,623, while the lowest is Pittsburgh, PA, at $38,253.
Margaritaville has come to terms with the Culinary union, leaving only Treasure Island on the Strip and the D and Golden Gate downtown without labor contracts. The union has announced that a march with "thousands of hospitality workers" to protest the absence of contracts at the two remaining downtown properties will take place on Fremont St. tomorrow from 5 to 7 p.m.
We first heard the news from VitalVegas.com's man about town Scott Roeben: Dick's Last Resort restaurant at Excalibur is charging 75 cents per glass for tap water. We searched a little further and found a review on TripAdvisor from June 8 that confirms it -- "and it tasted bad," the reviewer wrote. Dick's charges 75 cents for refills as well. Alternatively, you can buy a bottle of Fiji water for $3 or a soda for $5. Ice isn't extra -- so far.
Now for the news you’ve all been waiting for. The new dolphin that was born last month at the Mirage’s Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat has been named Karli. It’s a nod to four of Las Vegas’ sports teams – Knights, Aces, Rebels, and Lights, with the “I” thrown in ’cause it’s a girl. Wonder if the Raiders are miffed for not getting the “R.”
The Oyster Bar at the Hard Rock is advertising a Tuesdays special offering $1 oysters, but there are some conditions. Most importantly, we're told that it's for locals only, so don't expect to get the deal without a Nevada ID. There's also a stipulation that you buy a drink. Kind of a strange set of restrictions for a promo, but at least thirsty locals can partake.
NoMad, the luxury boutique hotel that occupies the top floors of the Park MGM, is accepting reservations starting October 12, the date of its soft opening. Along with the 293 rooms, NoMad (which stands for North of Madison Square Park, a reference to the Manhattan neighborhood location of the New York NoMad) also features a high-limit casino, separate pool area, restaurant, and bar. Rates range from $299 for a 406-square-foot room with a king bed to $479 for a 690-square-foot room with two queens (add $37 resort fee).
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are -1 favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The total is 54.5. There are lots of good places to watch tonight, with six Las Vegas bars following Chicago and three following Seattle. While there are no Las Vegas bars that follow the Buccaneers, there are three following the Browns. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
Oysters on the half shell are 99¢ apiece, with no limit, starting at 5 p.m. at Rhythm Kitchen Seafood & Steaks (6435 S. Decatur). It’s a today-only special that coincides with a regular all-day happy hour that features $5-off appetizers and 50%-off beer, wine, and well drinks.
Celine Dion has announced that the final show in her second residency at the Colosseum at Caesars will take place on June 8, 2019. Celine's Las Vegas residency has spanned 15 years, logging 1,089 shows to date; she's performed for audiences that total 4.5 million. Tickets are on sale now for performances through January; tickets for Celine's final 28 shows in February, March, May, and June will be available starting this Friday, September 28, at 10 a.m.
If you're coming to Las Vegas this week, expect to sweat. High temperatures here will flirt with 100 degrees through Friday, up to seven degrees above normal for the end of September. The nights will cool down all the way to the mid-70s.
The New England Patriots are -7 favorites over the Detroit Lions in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 55.5.
The Thunderbird Lounge has reopened at the Thunderbird Hotel on Las Vegas Blvd. across from the Stratosphere. The bar is being marketed as a retro-bar at the venue that was once owned by Bob Stupak and has gone through several incarnations over the past 20 years.
A Chick-fil-A is planned for Planet Hollywood, the first to open in a casino. True to the chain’s policy, it will be closed on Sundays. An opening date has not been announced.
Thiago Santos is a -200 favorite over Eryk Anders in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Alex Oliveira is -475 over Carlo Pedersoli.
Downtown is busy with the Life is Beautiful Festival that runs through tomorrow. Fremont St. from Las Vegas Blvd. to 6th St. and several surrounding roads will be closed throughout the weekend.
Rent prices for single-family houses in Las Vegas remain in the top two highest in the nation. CoreLogic, which tracks housing prices nationwide, reports that year-over-year, Las Vegas rents have risen 3% so far in 2018 and were up 5.7% in July, right behind Orlando, Florida (6.4%). Housing rentals in southern Nevada rose faster than the other 19 metropolitan areas in the survey through the first half of the year. Investors who scooped up bargain houses during the last recession are renting, rather than selling into the real-estate boom, thanks to strong demand from tenants.
The Vegas Golden Knights soundly defeated their division rivals the L.A. Kings in Los Angeles last night 7-2 in the VGK's third preseason game of 2018-2019. Vegas remains undefeated in preseason, outscored their opponents 19-5.
Cannabition, the world's first interactive cannabis museum, held its grand opening yesterday at Neonopolis in downtown Las Vegas. The 10,000-square-foot museum houses 12 installations, such as a room where people can lie down in a bed shaped like a marijuana seed, one that depicts an indoor growing facility, and another representing the rituals of the stoner culture. The main talking points are "Bongzilla,” the world’s largest glass bong (24 feet tall), Hunter S. Thompson's "Red Shark" Chevrolet Caprice convertible, and giant huggable foam buds. The museum also employs multisensory exhibits to impart lessons about botany, chemistry, and psychoactivity. You must be 21 or older to enter, the tour is designed to last up to an hour, tickets cost $24.20-$42, and the hours are still being finalized, but in October, they'll be 4 p.m. to midnight Tuesday-Sunday.
The final act in the two-year Lucky Dragon drama has been set in motion: A bankruptcy judge approved a motion by the Lucky Dragon's main creditor to shutter the nine-story hotel and sell the property via a foreclosure auction. The hotel is expected to close on October 2, nine months after the casino shut down last January, and the foreclosure auction could take place the third or fourth week in October. Several buyers have shown an interest in the only Las Vegas hotel-casino to be built from the ground up in 10 years.
The Cleveland Browns are -3 favorites over the New York Jets in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 41. While there are no Las Vegas bars that follow the Jets, there are four following the Browns. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
Plastic straws and drink stirrers have been phased out at all Caesars Entertainment properties across the U.S. In doing so, it joins MGM Resorts, which implemented the plastic-straw policy in May. You can still get plastic straws and stirrers at Caesars properties, but you have to ask for them; some locations offer sustainable alternatives, such as paper straws.
The three T-Bird’s Lounges in Las Vegas have been acquired by PT’s. It’s not clear if the bars will continue to be run as T-Bird’s, which is a known brand after 28 years of operation, or be converted to one of the PT’s labels. Whichever way they go, we’re rooting that they keep the T-Bird’s hamburger, which has always been one of the best in town.
With the Life is Beautiful Festival taking over Downtown and the iHeart Radio Musical Festival on the Strip, it's going to be a great weekend for Celebrity sightings, so keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready.
Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh was questioned about the possibility of his having a gambling problem because an email he wrote in 2001 referenced “… blowing still another game of dice.” Kavanaugh denied ever having gambling debts and said he’s never sought treatment for gambling addiction. So the dude shot some craps. Lighten up, boys.
In a unanimous vote, Clark County Commissioners voted yesterday to revive a plan to build a new Las Vegas Airport on 6,000 acres of federal land near Jean, roughly 30 miles south of Las Vegas on I-15. The environmental impact study approved by the commissioners could begin early next year; it's expected to be completed toward the end of 2020.
Brightline, a privately owned company with a growing rail operation in Florida, has acquired XPress West, the proposed high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and Victorville, California. The particulars of the deal are as yet undisclosed, but thanks to XPress West's 13 years of work on the project, including federal approval and state permits for the 185-mile right of way, Brightline has announced its intention to begin building the $7 billion line next year, with a projected completion date of 2022.
The University of Nevada - Las Vegas is now offering one of the first accredited cannabis courses in the country. In a joint venture with the Washington-state-based Academy of Cannabis Science, UNLV's online "Budtender" course ($99; 21 and older) teaches the history, regulation, and safety standards of the plant. UNLV is preparing three more courses for the spring semester: retail cannabis management, cannabis with pets, and replacing opioid treatments with pot alternatives. UNLV and the Academy say they're initiating a training program for careers in the marijuana industry.
The Las Vegas 51s Triple A baseball team has announced a new two-year player-development agreement with the Oakland Athletics. The 51s' 36-year run at Cashman Field ended a couple weeks ago; the team's new stadium, the Las Vegas Ballpark, will open in Summerlin at the start of the 2019-2020 season and coincide with the inaugural season of the Oakland A's affiliation.
Vegas' beloved NHL hockey team will host a Fan Fest tomorrow, Wednesday the 19th, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Downtown Events Center. The event is free, open to the public, and emceed by the VGK's broadcasters. Players, coaches, and front-office personnel will appear for fans to welcome the team back for the 2018-19 season. You can read Joe Pane's blog about the VGK's first home preseason game, in which they crushed the Arizona Coyotes 7-2.
The former Mandarin Oriental in CityCenter has officially changed its name to Waldorf Astoria. Signage updates are currently underway with more detailed rebranding and renovation efforts to follow.
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Chicago Bears are -4 favorites over the Seattle Seahawks. The total is 42. There are lots of good places to watch tonight, with six Las Vegas bars following Chicago and three following Seattle. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
Palace Station’s Feast has added a graveyard buffet. Running daily from midnight to 8 a.m., it’s the only all-nighter in Las Vegas and the first since the Palms offered one briefly last year. The price is $10.99, and only $6.99 with a Boarding Pass card. Palace Station now serves its excellent buffet -- ranked #2 in our Top Ten Values list -- all hours except 9 p.m. to midnight.
Bottles of tequila in the gift shops or spirits stores at Boyd properties are 20% off in September. Show your B Connected card to get the discount.
The Dallas Cowboys are -3 favorites over the New York Giants in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 41.5.
South Point is selling Budweiser products for $1 on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The offer is good at all casino bars, including the sports book bar, where all the NFL action airs throughout the day.
In the highly anticipated rematch following the first-contest draw, Gennady Golovkin is a -185 favorite over Saul Alvarez in tonight's championship fight. The total is 11.5 rounds, with over the favorite at -220.
Scratch off another one at the location that strip clubs go to die. The latest victim is the Legends Room, which lasted only a year at the Valley View location just north of the Rio. Legends’ gimmick was a focus on bitcoin transactions. Get the latest on the Las Vegas gentlemen’s clubs, including a rundown of viewing parties for tonight’s Golovkin/Alvarez boxing match, at ToplessVegasOnline.com. (NOTE: Topless Vegas Online is fully illustrated throughout and contains adult language and imagery.)
The sale of Gaming Today -- the magazine that’s distributed for free in the sports books -- to casino-industry veteran Bill Paulos didn’t seem like a big deal, but this does: The first two issues have been devoid of the magazine’s famous “3Girls” (photos of beautiful women on page 3). Prior to now, the photos have appeared in every issue for as long as we remember seeing the magazine, which has been published for more than 40 years.
A new coffee shop is coming to City National Arena, the training facility of the Vegas Golden Knights. Opening this month, The Breakaway is owned by the same company that owns the MacKenzie River Pizza, Grill & Pub, the venue’s other restaurant. If you're interested in the quality of the pizza at MacKenzie River, there's a review in our new book, Vegas Golden Knights, along with lots of other items about the team that you won't get from any other source.
A curious story in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Caesars Entertainment CEO Mark Frissora told investors at a New York conference that the company conducted a "free-parking test" at the LINQ throughout August and that there was "zero change," it had "no impact," and Caesars "just lost money," so they discontinued the test. The article quoted a spokesperson, who said the free parking was advertised on Caesars website and OTAs like Expedia. All we can say is, we track parking developments extremely closely and cover policy changes widely (fee increases, parking experiments at the Wynn and Park MGM, etc.), and we didn't hear a peep about free parking at the LINQ -- until today. We saw nothing advertised and no one contacted us about it, including anyone who actually stumbled into the LINQ parking garage and didn't have to pay. At the very least, CET did a terrible job getting the word out. And we'd wager they'd have seen plenty of difference if they had made customers aware.
The off-Strip 826-room Westin Hotel and former casino has been sold again. The Westin has had a long and circuitous ownership history since the Maxim closed in 2001; most recently, it was bought in a foreclosure auction in 2016 by Fortress Investment Group, which flipped it earlier this month for $195.5 million to hotel-company Highgate. No other details have been released.
The Cincinnati Bengals are -1 favorites over the Baltimore Ravens in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 43.5.
If you're a Baltimore fan, the Ravens are followed at Crab Corner on Rainbow. There are no bars that follow the Bengals. Get locations in our complete list of team bars.
It's hard to believe, but today marks the 22nd anniversary of the murder in Las Vegas of rapper Tupac Shakur. If you're not familiar with the story surrounding his still-unsolved slaying, check out The Killing of Tupac Shakur (now in it's Third Edition) by Las Vegas crime reporter Cathy Scott.
It's a multi-cultural, musical, and festival filled weekend, so no excuse to be bored! Check it out:
One’s closed and another is open in Rhode Island. The Newport Grand slots parlor has closed, replaced by the $140 million Twin-River Tiverton casino. Tiverton is a complete casino, with 1,000 slots and 32 table games, plus five restaurants and a bar.
The Las Vegas Strip's first permanent zipline will open on November 9. Riders on the FLY LINQ Zipline will launch from a 114-foot-tall tower, then zip above the LINQ's promenade for 1,000 feet at speeds up to 35 miles per hour, landing at the base of the High Roller observation wheel. FLY LINQ will be open 24 hours a day. Tickets for seated zippers will cost $25 daytime and $30 after dark; Superman-style tickets will be $35/$40.
A post on bisnow.com titled "Vegas, Baby: Gambling, Entertainment, Elvis Weddings, and Weed" covers what's shaping up to be the biggest legal pot event the world has ever seen -- the opening of Planet 13, "the biggest pot store on the planet and the country’s first cannabis entertainment complex and dispensary superstore." The piece goes into detail about Planet 13, the first 40,000-square-foot phase of which will open in November, with a couple of photos, a sneak-peak promo video, and a quote by Tick Segerblom, the "godfather" of legal cannabis in Nevada: “We know it will establish Las Vegas as the marijuana capital of the world.”
MGM Resorts International has offered to make $500 contributions to charities for every victim of the mass shooting who waives official notification of its countersuit (or has their lawyers accept the legal notice). MGM sued more than 1,900 plaintiffs in July and must serve legal notices on all of them. Instead, the company is offering the $500 donation to a charity of the victim's choice. "The money spent on personal service of process could be better directed to do some affirmative good," MGM's attorneys wrote in the letter to the victims. A lawyer for the victims accused MGM of "trying to spin its attempt to save money on serving legal notices."
An instructive article on Forbes.com by David G. Schwartz, director of UNLV's Center for Gaming Research (and friend of LVA) is titled "How Las Vegas Casinos Are Getting More with Fewer Employees." Since 1990, Las Vegas hotel-casino employees involved directly on the gaming side dropped from 32% overall to 23%, due mostly to technology, but also more pressure on fewer employees. "In 1990, the average casino employee produced about $53,000 in revenue. By 2017, that number had grown to nearly $105,000, a 158% increase, well over the 97% increase attributable to simple inflation." Meanwhile, however, "Payroll costs (which include wages, benefits, and taxes) per employee only increased 118% since 1990. The 40-point gap between rising casino revenues and employee payroll represents a significant boon to casinos."
The 2019 Electric Daisy Carnival will take place May 17-19. Tickets for one of the largest events in Las Vegas, which attracted 400,000 participants to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway venue this year, will go on sale on September 28 at edclasvegas.com.
According to gaming research firm Eilers & Krejcik, New Jersey’s incipient sports book market "should" surpass Nevada’s by 2021 and possibly earlier, if New York's market continues to stall. The research report praised the Atlantic City casinos and New Jersey racetracks for "making all the right moves" since sports betting began in New Jersey in June, noting that it was New Jersey's legal challenge of PAPSA that led to the Supreme Court decision to allow the states to decide on legalizing sports betting. New Jersey's population is almost five times bigger than Nevada's and Atlantic City remains a significant tourist destination. In addition, 14 million people live within an hour's drive of Meadowlands Racetrack and Sports Book in the northern part of the state.
In tonight's second Monday Night Football game, the LA Rams are -6 favorites over the Oakland Raiders. The total is 47.5.
Pancho’s on Lavender Hill Dr. and Timbers on N. Rancho are Rams bars. Legends on Boulder Hwy., Lucy’s on Civic Center Dr., BJ’s on S. Decatur, and Good Timez on W. Charleston are Raiders bars. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
Allegiant Airlines and the Vegas Golden Knights have announced a multi-year partnership, designating Allegiant the “Official Domestic Airline Partner of the Vegas Golden Knights.” Allegiant is an ultra-low-cost Las Vegas-based airline that has served 80 million passengers since it was founded in 2001.
In the first of tonight's Monday Night Football double-header, the Detroit Lions are -7 favorites over the New York Jets. The total is 44.
Crowbar on W. Flamingo is a Lions bar. There are no bars currently following the Jets. Get details from our complete list of Team Bars.
Yet another attempt to bring back the Cal Neva on Lake Tahoe’s north shore is underway. Work has begun on the demolition of some of the old cabins, apparently in preparation for a complete makeover, though whatever plans may be in place have not been disclosed.
The Green Bay Packers are -7 favorites over the Chicago Bears in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 44.5.
Novak Djokovic is a -225 favorite over Juan Martin del Potro in today's U.S. Open tennis men's final. Djokovic has won 13 major championships to del Potro’s one.
Entry for most of the football contests with season prizes is closed, but you can still play weeklies today and for the rest of the season. The best is Pick the Pros at any Coast casino. There are also two interesting free contests at Rampart and one at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur. You have until kick-off today to get your picks in. Check our Football Contest listings for all the options.
Darren Till is a -115 favorite over Tyron Woodley in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jessica Andrade is -475 over Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Serena Williams is a -300 favorite over Naomi Osaka in today's U.S. Open tennis women's final. Osaka is in her first major final, while Williams is going for a 24th major singles win, which will tie her with Margaret Court for most all time.
Las Vegas ranks fourth out of 140 metropolitan areas for flipping houses, according to Attom Data Solutions, a California-based company that tracks housing trends. Attom estimates that 7.7% of second-quarter house sales in Las Vegas were flips, defined as selling a house less than a year after buying it, compared to 5.5% nationally. In Las Vegas, flippers profited by $54,600, for a gross return on investment of 27.6%.
At least for a while, Las Vegas figures to hold onto its claim for having the world’s tallest observation wheel. The 550-foot-tall High Roller was first threatened by the prospect of a 689-foot wheel in Dubai that hasn’t materialized. And now comes word that a planned 625-foot wheel in New York City has been indefinitely stalled and a decision on whether or not to build it will be made this month. It’s apparently not so easy to build a big wheel.
The deadline to enter most of this year's major football contests is Saturday or Sunday. Most of the free contests can be played at any point in the season, but you'll be shut out of the pay contests if you don't sign up in time. Get all the details in our complete listing of all the Football Contests running in Las Vegas casinos and bars.
Making sure that Las Vegas isn’t left behind in the sports betting frenzy, Derek Stevens has revealed plans for a three-casino state-of-the-art sports book project downtown. New sports book facilities will be built at the Golden Gate and the D and will serve as prototypes for a giant “stadium-style” sports book at the 18 Fremont casino being built on the site of the former Las Vegas Club. That complex will feature the city’s largest viewing screen and include a studio that will host VSiN broadcasts. During the process, Stevens’ casinos will transition from William Hill-operated books to an in-house operation headed by bookmaker Matthew Metcalf, who comes from Jay Kornegay’s stable at Westgate Las Vegas. The GG and D books are expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2019.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons are are pick 'em in tonight's Thursday Night Football game that opens the 2018 NFL season. The total is 44.5.
If you're Philly fan, the Eagles are followed at Madison Avenue and Torrey Pines Pub. There are no bars that follow the Falcons. Get locations in our complete list of team bars.
The poker room at Arizona Charlie’s Decatur has closed. It was a small low-limit room, but it had been in operation for several years dealing to local players.
The casinos along the Mississippi coast that were closed last night in anticipation of Tropical Storm Gordon reopened this morning. The storm hit farther east than expected, resulting in the Biloxi- and Gulfport-area casinos being closed for less than 24 hours.
Bloomberg.com is running an interesting story called "Ten Things I Never Knew about Las Vegas until I Ran a High-Roller Suite," written by a guy who served as a butler-bartender in one of the Cosmopolitan's 20 Boulevard Penthouses, which you can't rent for any price. "The only way in," writes Brandon Presser, "is by invitation, which means fronting over a million dollars (and preferably two) at the Reserve, the hotel’s private three-room casino on the 75th floor. It’s a gaming experience so exclusive that not even James Bond could charm his way through the door." Presser revisits ground covered in our book Whale Hunt in the Desert -- hosts, welcome gifts, exotic requests, superstitions, hookers, huge tokes, etc. -- but it's definitely worth a read.
The new food court at the Cosmopolitan is open, with five of the six eateries operating. Cosmo is marketing Block 16 as "a culinary destination like no other on the Strip" and it has eschewed the typical chains in favor of smaller regional imports. Hattie B's Hot Chicken hails from Nashville and serves spicy Southern food; Lardo is a sandwich shop from Portland, Oregon; Pok Pok Wing, also from Portland, is the Asian place; Las Vegas-based Tekka Bar has the sushi and sake; and District from New Orleans is all about donuts and desserts. Manhattan's Ghost Donkey will open in the next couple of months for Mexican and tequila. Block 16, on the second level, is named after the red-light district a block off Fremont Street in early Las Vegas, though we can only speculate as to the actual connection.
By order of the Mississippi Gaming Commission, casinos located on the coast were closed today, due to the approach of Tropical Storm Gordon. Hotel guests are being allowed to stay in their rooms, but the casinos are shut down until further notice.
Flavor Flav is returning (again) with a new restaurant called Flavor Flav’s and Vinneys Chicken & Pizza in Henderson. Flav has had a coupla go-rounds with his chicken concept in Las Vegas. Maybe setting up in Henderson is the answer.
Mississippi has passed a law authorizing a lottery. Officials say it will take a year before it goes live, at which time there will be only five states—including Nevada—without a lottery.
If you’re curious about the comment earlier in this space about no one knowing what players club points are worth at Boyd properties, it’s due to revamped rules for the B Connected card that has the company's customers up in arms. You can get up to speed with a preliminary analysis and good first-hand reports on Jean Scott’s Frugal Vegas blog.
In what's likely to be his last turn at the top, Steve Wynn led the list of highest-paid casino executives in 2017, with $34.5 million in total compensation. He was followed by Sheldon Adelson ($26.1 million), CET boss Mark Frissora ($23.9 million), MRI’s Jim Murren ($14.6 million), and Boyd’s Keith Smith ($8.6 million).
Labor Day isn't a big casino-promotions day. Boyd casinos are advertising 11X points, but there’s a lot of discussion about what that means since new point-accumulation rules have been put in place. Today marks the last day of Rehab pool parties at Hard Rock after a 15-year run that started the Day Life craze; tickets are $30 for men and $20 for women. El Cortez is handing out free White Castle burgers to players at slots and table games from noon to 6 p.m.
A new steakhouse called Cleaver—Butchered Meats, Seafood & Classic Cocktails will open this month on Paradise Rd. near Silver Sevens. Since Ruth’s Chris closed in that location, two other steakhouses have opened and closed; however, Cleaver comes from the owners of Herbs & Rye, which has been a locals favorite on Sahara for more than a decade.
The windows are open in West Virginia. The state’s first legal sports bets were placed Thursday in the Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, where the new sports book is run by William Hill. All five of the state’s casinos and specified mobile apps have been approved for sports betting.
In response to analyst predictions that Resorts World Las Vegas might not open until 2021 and possibly later, owners Genting Group said that it’s sticking with its timetable for a late 2020 debut. The 3,400-room resort was originally scheduled to open in 2015.
Station Casinos will celebrate the “Grand Reopening” of Palace Station following its $192 million renovation with a fireworks display tonight at 9:30. It should be worth a look, as Station has put on good fireworks shows at previous openings. An accompanying musical score will play on FM 97.1.
About 315,000 visitors are expected for the three-day Labor Day weekend. With 60% driving in, the Interstates will be busy, especially Monday between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., when up to 70-minute delays are expected as southern Californians head home.
Indian gambling revenue from 494 casinos was $32.4 billion in 2017, up 3.9%. Revenue isn’t delineated by state, but California is the clear leader with about $9 million in win.