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The Los Angeles Lakers are -5 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 217.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
Park MGM reopened to the public at 10 this morning after being closed for six and a half months. It's the last of MGM Resorts' Strip properties to come back from the shutdown. It's also the first Strip casino to reopen as completely smoke-free. You can read a discussion on the Park MGM's smoking ban in yesterday's Question of the Day.
In an announcement yesterday, Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak lifted the 50-person limit on public gatherings and issued new health and safety guidelines for public and private events. Showrooms and theaters can now accommodate up to 250 audience members or 50% of the venue's capacity, whichever is less, and social distancing of at least six feet must be enforced. As for large venues such as arenas and stadiums, they can petition the state for a variance of up to 10% of capacity, as long as separate sections of seats are limited to 250 attendees, each with its own staff and entrances/exits. Venues may resume ticketed events tomorrow, but must first have their safety plans approved, so live entertainment is expected to return slowly.
Big news comes in an announcement that the vaunted Estiatorio Milos will leave the Cosmopolitan and reopen at the Venetian. The timetable for the switch hasn’t been announced, but Milos will reportedly take the spot at the Venetian that was formerly Aquaknox.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal's longtime business reporter Richard Velotta reports today that people age 20 and younger will be permitted to go to a single location in the otherwise adult-only Circa when it opens in a month: Barry’s Downtown Prime restaurant. Owner Derek Stevens told the Nevada Gaming Commission at Circa's licensing hearing last week that chef Barry Dakake negotiated the exception in his lease. However, since Circa security will be checking IDs at all four entrances (20 hours a day), a company "escort" will deliver under-21s to the restaurant in the basement.
Sports betting behemoths DraftKings and FanDuel are booking action on tonight's first debate between the candidates for president of the United States. Though betting on the election itself is illegal across the country, this is different. First, it's a debate, not an election. Second, it's a free roll; it costs nothing to enter. Both companies are putting up a prize pool of $50,000; FOX Bet is also getting into the act with a $25K pool. Prop-type bets include things like: How will Biden and Trump greet each other; who will wear a mask; will Trump say "China" more than "fake news"; will Biden mention his Corvette; how many times will Biden say "Barack Obama"; and will either use the word "malarkey."
The Las Vegas Aces WNBA team prevailed in its semi-finals series against the tough Connecticut Sun on Sunday with an 84-75 win, tying up the best-of-five series at 2-2. The deciding game will take place tonight at IMG Academy in Florida, where the WNBA is playing in what's being called the "Wubble." The winner of tonight's game will face the number-two-seeded Seattle Storm in the championship finals. The Aces are the number-one seed in these playoffs.
In tonight's Monday Night Football game, the Baltimore Ravens are -3.5 favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. The total is 55.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -185 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 6 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5. Tampa Bay leads the series 3-2 and can win the Cup with a victory tonight.
The Los Angeles Lakers are -350 favorites over the Miami Heat in the NBA Championship. It’s the first NBA final ever to match two teams that didn’t make the playoffs the previous year. Game 1 is Wednesday. All games will be played in the Disney World bubble without fans in attendance.
Nevada's second longest "bridge," a half-mile flyover that connects northbound US 95 with the westbound 215 Beltway in northwest Las Vegas, opened to traffic an hour ago. The 13-span structure is part of the $73 million Centennial Bowl interchange project that has been ongoing since ground was broken in January 2019. The state’s longest bridge is 1.6 miles and connects I-515 with I-15 near downtown.
Las Vegas born and bred NASCAR stock-car racer Kurt Busch took first place in last night's South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He was 0-21 coming into the race, but beat the second-place finisher by .148 seconds for the win at his hometown track. The 42-year-old Busch, who won the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in 2004, was last in the standings coming into the race of 12; he's now the first with a guaranteed spot in the next stop in the playoffs, the Round of 8. Busch's younger brother Kyle, also a NASCAR stock-car racer, placed sixth in the race.
A major feature on Wired.com, "The Scandal that Tore the Poker World Apart," takes a very deep dive into a scorcher of an alleged cheating story involving a 42-year-old high-stakes poker player, Mike Postle, at Stone Gambling Hall in a Sacramento suburb. The writer interviewed all the principals, including several accusers, the inventor of the RFID-equipped table that enables livestreamed poker into which Postle was suspected of tapping, sources "familiar with" the Stones broadcast room, and Postle himself, who comes across looking suspicious at least. It's a long piece (20-25 minutes to read), but worth it for the excellent reporting on a complicated situation that doesn't, in the end, come to a definitive conclusion.
The New Orleans Saints are -3.5 favorites over the Green Bay Packers in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 51.5.
The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police have launched "Operation Persistent Pressure" on and around the Strip in response to an escalating level of violence, both targeted and random. We don't report on every incident that occurs, but a number of shootings, stabbings, and assaults started on Labor Day weekend, when a major brawl took place at the Wynn, and have continued throughout the month: two people shot in front of Paris, one shot in front of Aria, a wanted sex offender shot and killed by police near the Sahara, a man shot and killed at the Motel 6 on Dean Martin Drive south of Tropicana Avenue, a woman randomly attacked by a crowd, a man stabbed by another on a mobility scooter, and three people shot outside the Stage Door (on Friday night). Most have happened late on weekend nights and have involved people in their 20s, the predominant demographic during those hours.
The chain candy store It’Sugar filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Tuesday. The company's four Las Vegas locations, including at the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes and Bally's Grand Bazaar Shops, will remain open during the reorganization. It'Sugar closed its 100 stores in March at the beginning of the shutdown and hasn't recovered; it owes the Grand Bazaar Shoppes more than a half-million dollars in rent and $458,000 to the Grand Canal Shoppes, just two of 49 landlords that have issued the company default notices.
The Springs Preserve, closed to the public since March 16, reopens this Thursday, October 1. According to officials of the Las Vegas Valley Water District, which operates the 180 acres of nature walks and displays, the botanical gardens and cafe will reopen when the Preserve does. You can read our description of this excellent outdoor attraction in our Question of the Day about it.
Israel Adesanya is a -170 favorite over Paulo Costa in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Dominick Reyes is -260 over Jan Blachowicz.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -170 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 5 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5. Tampa Bay leads the series 3-1 and can win the Cup with a victory tonight.
Planet Hollywood will reopen on October 8 at 10 a.m. The casino and race and sports book will be open 24/7, while eight dining establishments will return, though the hotel will rent rooms for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights only. That leave the Cromwell as Caesars Entertainment's only Strip hotel that remains closed.
Roughly 1.74 million people flew in and out of Las Vegas in August, a 7% increase over July's 1.62 million passengers, but a 61% decrease year over year. Year to date, McCarran has accommodated 15 million passengers, down 56% from the first eight months of 2019. International arrivals and departures are still almost extinct: less than 9,000 in August, down nearly 98% from August of last year.
The Professional Bull Riders World Finals, which have been held in Las Vegas for the past 25 years, will move for one year to to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the Dallas Cowboys. The event remains on schedule to be held November 12-15. Both the PBR World Finals and the National Finals Rodeo have opted to relocate to Texas in order to circumvent Nevada's stricter coronavirus limits. Both say they'll return to Las Vegas for the 2021 events.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -160 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5.
After canceling this season's complete schedule last month, the Mountain West college conference is now bringing it back. Last night, the conference issued a brief statement that the Board of Directors approved an eight-game conference-only schedule that will start on October 24, giving the teams three weeks of preparation. The conference championship game will be held on Dec. 19. This is great news for the sports betting industry and UNLV Runnin' Rebels fans. More details are expected today.
Virgin Las Vegas has announced its new grand-opening date of January 15. The Hard Rock closed on February 3 for a complete renovation and rebranding and Virgin was originally scheduled to debut on November 6, but that was postponed last month due to ongoing circumstances. Some new information emerged with the announcement: replacement of the lazy river with a "promenade of outdoor dining" and a shortened connection from the two towers to the pool.
Employees in Macau’s casinos are now required to wear face masks while on the job through March 22, 2021. The initial order by the Macau Health Bureau was issued on January 22, so the order has now been extended for 14 months; the city's Official Gazette reports that it could go longer, depending on conditions over the next six months.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are -3 favorites over the Miami Dolphins in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 49.5.
The results are in and the number of consecutive days without measurable rainfall in Las Vegas continues. Monday evening saw a hint of precipitation in various locations around the valley, but a tenth of an inch had to be recorded at the airport and only a trace was. Had rainfall been measurable on Monday, the streak would have ended at 153 days, three days longer than the 150-day record that was broken last Friday. But today it's at 156 days and counting; the forecast shows a zero-percent chance of rain through October 5 and a 20% possibility on October 7.
Subsequent to our Question of the Day on the new trend of young (and often drunk) people renting mobility scooters to joyride around town, local news channel KTNV aired a video of -- sorry, but there's no other way to put this -- a dumbass trying to ride down an escalator on a scooter. You can see it here, plus read Anthony Curtis' comments about and the police response to this disturbing new phenomenon.
Last Saturday night, a slot player hit a Wheel of Fortune jackpot for $3.8 million at the casino at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village, located at the south end of Crystal Bay up at north Lake Tahoe. The report is that it's Nevada's second largest WoF jackpot this year, but we couldn't find a bigger one. Last night, a WoF player at the Cosmopolitan won $437,540 on his 60th $2.50 spin, according to the casino’s Twitter account.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -150 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5.
More details are emerging about Resorts World, which will open next summer. Crockfords Las Vegas will be its hotel-within-a-hotel with 230 guestrooms and suites at the top of one of the towers. It’s part of Hilton Hotels’ LXR brand, a collection of independent properties worldwide. Along with Hilton Hotels and Conrad, LXR is one of three Hilton brands integrated into Resorts World as part of a deal announced in February, marking Hilton’s largest multi-brand deal in company history. Crockfords’ guests will have their own check-in and private access. The 550-square-foot guestrooms feature a king or two queens and minibar. The suites range from 1,100 to 3,000 square feet, with living and dining areas and a bar; en-suite bathrooms feature a soaking tub and glass-enclosed walk-in rain showers. The two Presidential Suites are located on the 64th and 66th floors; their 4,500 square feet boast media rooms with movie-ready seating and state-of-the-art audio-visual. Two Villas and three Palaces will offer two, three, and four bedrooms occupying 3,300 to 7,000 square feet. The Chairman’s Villa is a 6,000-square-foot space on the 65th floor with a private balcony overlooking the Strip. No room rates have been announced.
A misunderstanding over $20 in machine credits between two women slot players at the Fremont last November led to the handcuffing and detention of the accused woman, who suffered a 90-minute backroom ordeal, including attempts to force a confession from her, before surveillance determined that she was innocent. During the Gaming Control Board investigation of the incident, the security guards involved "contradicted what appeared in the surveillance coverage and were evasive in their answers to agents." A four-count complaint against Boyd Gaming was issued last week by the Control Board, through the state Attorney General's office. The complaint's conclusion: “The matter could have been resolved without even speaking to her, let alone detaining her for 90 minutes.” For the deep background on backrooming by casino security, take a look at our book The Law for Gamblers -- A Legal Guide to the Casino Environment by Robert Nersesian, who helped pioneer seven-figure settlements for such episodes.
The last of the Strip's major poker rooms, at Encore, will reopen on Wednesday September 30 at noon. It happens nearly four months after Wynn/Encore reopened on June 4. Back then, the Wynn determined that its poker room wouldn't return until conditions were safer. Twenty-four of the room's 28 tables will operate eight-handed games with plexiglass dividers separating players.
The Cosmopolitan changed its smoking policies a couple weeks ago, but the news is just filtering out. Smoking is now prohibited "in all public walkways and resort corridors" (we're not sure what the difference is). Smoking is still allowed at slots, at table games that have plexiglass dividers, in the sports book, and in the lounges. Masks, of course, are mandatory, but can be lowered or removed while inhaling and exhaling burning tobacco products. Other casinos, such as the Venetian and Wynn, are actively discouraging smoking, but haven't made it official.
The Life is Beautiful music, art, and food festival was supposed to take over downtown last weekend, but was canceled in April. Festival organizers announced yesterday that it will return next year on September 17-19. The event, which attracts upwards of 175,000 participants, was supposed to celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2021, but that will have to wait till 2022.
It turns out that the new season of ABC's hit entrepreneur show "Shark Tank" was produced at the Venetian. We knew it was being taped at an unnamed Strip hotel (you can read about that, along with the taping of the show "Love Island" at the Cromwell and Rio, in our Question of the Day about them), but according to Christopher Lawrence, the Las Vegas Review-Journal's TV and movie reporter, ABC confirmed yesterday that the Venetian provided the quarantine bubble for the show, which begins airing on October 16.
In tonight's Monday Night Football game, the New Orleans Saints are -4 favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders. The total is 47.5.
While the shutdown has precluded us from doing our usual research on team bars, we called around to places that were Raiders bars last year. Jackpot Bar and Grill, Chanclas Cantina, and Aces and Ales Tenaya confirmed that they are running parties supporting the Raiders tonight.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -160 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5.
Las Vegas' bars opened on schedule just before midnight, but it didn't produce the scene that many anticipated after the ending of another two-month shutdown. Still, it's a big development for the city, and just in time for tonight's nationally televised debut of Allegiant Stadium. Read the details in the new post on our ongoing blog, Vegas and the Virus.
The first day of autumn usually coincides with the unveiling of the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden’s new fall display and this year is no different. "Into the Woods" features the familiar talking tree, a reflecting pool with a family of foxes in a rowboat, four gowned fairies and their woodland fairy house, bears around a honeypot, a spiral staircase leading to a treehouse, floral mushrooms, dragonflies and birds, pumpkins and gourds, and more. “Into the Woods” will remain through Nov. 28, when it will be replaced with the winter display.
Basketball giant Shaquille O’Neal has bought a house "a few miles south of the Strip in a guard-gated community." It's unclear if he's moving to Las Vegas to be close to his two-year-old fast-food restaurant Big Chicken, but he's also selling his Florida mansion. The Vegas home is a two-story five-bedroom four-bath at 5,400 square feet; reportedly, he's paying $765,000. By contrast, the Florida house is 31,000 square feet with an indoor basketball court and 95-foot pool that's on the market for $19.5 million. Maybe he's downsizing, so to speak.
The big news here is the debut of Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders' first home game against the New Orleans Saints tonight on Monday Night Football. All the bars are open for fans to gather and watch the game, local superstar band the Killers is performing at halftime (taped last week on the rooftop of the Nobu Villa at Caesars Palace overlooking the Strip), and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will do a flyover at 5:15 p.m. as the last notes of the national anthem are played. Of course, all 65,000 seats will be empty, but otherwise, it's almost a normal event. The Raiders are 1-0 for the season, having beat the Carolina Panthers last week 34-30.
The Las Vegas bars are allowed to open tonight at 11:59 p.m. Customers will be allowed to sit in chairs at the bar to drink and play bartop machines for the first time in more than two months.
The Seattle Seahawks are -4 favorites over the New England Patriots in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 44.5.
Going into today's final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament, Matthew Wolff is the +150 favorite to win. He’s followed by Bryson DeChambeau at +235, Xander Schauffele at +800, and Louis Oosthuizen at +1000.
Taking advantage of the decreased passenger volume, McCarran Airport is upgrading its Terminal 1 C Concourse, the gates for Southwest Airlines. Terminal 1 recently underwent a $30 million renovation, with new flooring, smaller ticket counters, new wall panels and more; the $13 million makeover of the C Concourse brings it up to the improved quality of the terminal. Planned to take around a year, the project will render the concourse more spacious and easily navigable, with new flooring and enlarged waiting areas.
An investigation conducted by Nevada disease experts has identified the venues with the most possible coronavirus transmissions in Las Vegas and it's probably no surprise that casinos top the list. Two surveys were taken, one in July and one in August, and found that casinos "ranked higher as possible exposure sites than any other category of business in Clark County." The list was released by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services after repeated requests for the public records by the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Reno Gazette Journal and shows that the most possible exposures over the summer have taken place at the Cosmopolitan. Bellagio, MGM Grand, the Venetian, and Caesars Palace also placed in the top six; the Clark County Detention Center ranked fourth overall.
Colby Covington is a -370 favorite over Tyron Woodley in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Niko Price is -150 over Donald Cerrone.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -150 favorites over the Dallas Stars in tonight's Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup finals. The goal line is 5.
The iconic sign from the dearly departed Moulin Rouge Casino has been successfully restored and illuminated in the Neon Museum's Boneyard. The restoration required 300 hours and more than 800 feet of neon tubing; each letter weighs as much as 1,200 pounds. The Moulin Rouge, Las Vegas' first desegregated casino, operated in Las Vegas' Westside neighborhood for only five months, from May to October 1955, but its impact on Las Vegas lives on to this day. Now, its name, and what it represents of Las Vegas history, will be long remembered in lights.
The South Point 400 triple-header race weekend, held next weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, will go off with empty stands. No fans will be allowed for the biggest race event of the year at LVMS. "We must adhere to Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s directive that limits gatherings due to COVID-19. While we disagree with this policy, we have no choice but to oblige," said LVMS President Chris Powell in a statement. Anyone holding tickets for the races will be contacted by the Speedway ticket-services department to discuss refunds or credits. All three races will be televised live, two on NBC Sports Network and the third on Fox Sports.
The Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area is launching a reservation system for visitors who want to drive into the park between October 1 and May 31. This year, in order to introduce the new system, it won't become mandatory until Tuesday November 3. Capacity rather than coronavirus issues prompted the new policy; the park is often overrun during the fall, winter, and springs months and this is a way to control the crowds. In addition to the $15 entry fee, visitors will pay a $2 processing fee when they make reservations at Recreation.gov. You can reserve up to 30 days in advance and will have to enter the park at the reserved time, but you can stay as long as you like during park hours.
Pent-up demand for sports betting? You bet. New Jersey sports bettors wagered a record $668 million in August, breaking the previous high of $614 million in Nevada in November 2019 and shattering the New Jersey record of $562 million that same month. In August, sports bettors finally had some events to sink their bankrolls into after the lockdown: professional baseball and the hockey and basketball playoffs.
A Hawaiian woman named Louise, a familiar face at the Fremont, was playing a Buffalo Inferno slot around 8:30 Wednesday morning when she hit a jackpot of $789,062. While she was waiting for her payout, she started playing a nearby (unidentified) machine and hit a $5,000 jackpot. Now that's what we call some fortuitous fate for the Fremont frequenter.
Nevada is one of six states that have been removed from the COVID-19 travel advisories of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. For the first time since the end of June, travelers from Nevada will not have to quarantine for 14 days after they arrive in the Northeast. In addition to Nevada, Hawaii, California, Minnesota, Ohio, and Maryland have also been removed from the three advisories.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -200 favorites over the Dallas Stars to win the NHL's Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Saturday in Edmonton and will be played without fans in attendance.
Today's Question of the Day deals with a new trend here: People (mostly young) who don't need them are renting mobility scooters for joyriding, often recklessly, on Strip sidewalks -- for example, two people on one scooter or the driver texting while moving, scooters riding side by side, speeding (5.5 mph is the limit for scooters), even using them to commit crimes. Coincidentally, also this morning KVVU-TV, the local Fox station, did a story on the problem and reports that Metro police "will start increasing their enforcement surrounding scooters" and "companies are working with officers to stop young people from renting." In the meantime, it's definitely something to be aware of and watch out for.
Dustin Johnson is the +850 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by Jon Rahm at +1000, Justin Thomas at +1400, and Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy, both at +1600. Tiger Woods is +5000.
Nevada's COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force has voted unanimously to allow all bars, taverns, breweries, wineries, distilleries, etc. to open in Clark County. They will be allowed to open on 11:59 p.m. Sunday evening, Sept. 20. It's welcome news to bar owners and patrons after those that don't serve food have been closed for 10 weeks after reopening briefly in July.
The Cleveland Browns are -5.5 favorites over the Cincinnati Bengals in tonight's Thursday Night Football game that opens the 2019 NFL season. The total is 44.5.
It was way way WAY back on April 20 (in coronavirus time) when Las Vegas received any measurable precipitation (two-tenths of an inch). Today 149 days later, we haven't seen any measurable rain since, which ties the 61-year record for dry days in a row (1959). With a 0%-10% chance of rain forecast for the next 10 days at least, a new record will be set every day for the foreseeable future.
Yesterday, OYO Hotel-Casino reopened, six months minus one day after the shutdown in March and one year to the day after converting to OYO from Hooters. The casino, hotel rooms, and pool area are open, along with Hooters restaurant, open 11 a.m. to 6 a.m. and Splash Cantina opposite hours, 6 a.m. to 11 a.m.; the bars and lounge, Steak ’n Shake, Southside Eatery and of course the showroom remain closed. Today at 10 a.m., next door to OYO on the Strip, the Tropicana reopens. The usual social and sanitizing precautions are in place; the only food options are Starbucks and a limited menu from Trop & Go. The spa and pool are reopening, but valet isn't.
Oak Grove Racing, Gaming, & Hotel is scheduled to open on Friday. The $200 million resort will open with four restaurants, an event center, and an odd casino that offers betting on “historical racing machines.” Opponents claim the machines are video slots, which are illegal in Kentucky, but they’ve been cleared by the state. Still to come is a hotel, equestrian center, amphitheater, and RV park.
A month after being fined $250 for hosting an Evangelicals for Trump event at his Ahern Hotel (the former Lucky Dragon) and Las Vegas business-licensing officials and Metro police officers stormed the hotel to shut down the Mrs. Nevada beauty pageant for violating social-distancing rules, owner and local billionaire Don Ahern hosted a rally at his XTreme manufacturing facility in Henderson at which an estimated 5,500 people gathered for an appearance by Donald Trump. He now faces a fine of $3,000 imposed by the city of Henderson for ignoring warnings before the event and violating six COVID-19 emergency directives. Ahern said, “My goal was to continue the great American traditions of the right to assemble and to free speech."
Tomorrow evening, the Harlem International Film Festival will present the world premiere of the one-hour-long documentary film In the Footsteps of Mad Dog Coll, based on our book about the the infamous Roaring Twenties New York gangster. The virtual festival will make the film available starting on September 17 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time, with tickets priced at $7.99. You'll have 24 hours to start watching, then another 24 hours to finish the film.
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An article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal suggests that, while Park MGM will be Las Vegas' first smoke-free casino, it won't be the last. Business reporters interviewed several analysts who make three points: 1) MGM Resorts can absorb any losses incurred by Park MGM becoming a non-smoking casino; 2) whether it's a "transformative trigger" for change up and down the Strip or a temporary measure, the long-term trend toward smokeless casinos, even in Las Vegas, is clear; and 3) what's not clear is how Park MGM will enforce the smoking ban, especially with its high rollers.
Yesterday and today, Circa is holding a "casting call" to "audition" prospective employees for its Stadium Swim pool amphitheater. It's looking to hire 100 cocktail and food servers, bartenders, barbacks, assistants, lifeguards, pool hosts, and box-office cashiers. Tomorrow, Circa will interview "high-energy go-go dancers" to be casino dealers. Evidenced by the audition attire, bikinis and face coverings, no dealing experience is necessary; dancers hired will undergo a four- to six-week training program.
In tonight's second Monday Night Football game, the Tennessee Titans are -3 favorites over the Denver Broncos. The total is 41.
In the first of tonight's Monday Night Football double-header, the Pittsburgh Steelers are -6 favorites over the New York Giants. The total is 44.5.
HotelNewsResource.com reports that the Four Seasons Las Vegas will reopen on Friday September 25. It's the only information we could find about the 424-room hotel-within-a-hotel at the top of the Mandalay Bay tower, but we have no reason to doubt it. Assuming that Four Seasons does open, when Park MGM opens five days later, all MGM Resorts properties in Las Vegas will have returned from the shutdown. Caesars has yet to reopen Planet Hollywood, the Cromwell, and the Rio.
So much for the giant overlay in the two Circa football contests. As we predicted, a rush of entries at the deadline took both contests over the breakeven point. Circa Million II needed 3,000 entries and drew 3,148; Circa Survivor needed 1,000 and drew 1,390. There's no overlay, but both contests pay out 100% of entry fees and the prize pools were increased accordingly.
The Las Vegas Aces Women's National Basketball Association team secured the number-one seed in the 2020 playoffs with a hard-fought 86-84 win yesterday over the Seattle Storm. Both teams ended their regular seasons with 18-4 records, but the Aces beat the Storm in both meetings this year. The Aces and Storm now get to sit out the first two single-elimination rounds on September 15 and 17. The Aces will start the best-of-five semifinals on September 20. All the games are being played at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Rumors circulating for weeks have now been confirmed: MGM Resorts announced this morning that when Park MGM reopens, smoking will be prohibited. An MGM spokesperson told the Associated Press that MRI believes there's a lot of pent-up demand for a no-smoking casino in Las Vegas and that Park MGM has been "prepared for a smoke-free experience." Carpeting and wall coverings have been replaced “to make sure it’s a brand-new experience for the customers walking in that door.” As part of the non-smoking announcement, MRI revealed Park MGM's reopening date, Wednesday September 30.
The Los Angeles Rams are and Dallas Cowboys are pick ’em in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 52.
Dominic Thiem is a -370 favorite over Alexander Zverev in today's U.S. Open tennis men's final. Both players are seeking their first Grand Slam championship.
The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina, today in the regular-season opener for both teams. it's a significant moment in Las Vegas sports history, even if overshadowed by the pandemic and the fact that no fans will be watching the game at Bank of America Stadium. It's the culmination of the long and winding road the Raiders organization has taken to Las Vegas and Las Vegas has taken to legitimacy as a viable pro-sports city, especially in the eyes of the formerly gambling-allergic National Football League. The Raiders are -3 favorites over the Panthers.
Angela Hill and Michelle Waterston are pick ’em in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Khama Worthy is -125 over Ottman Azaitar.
Naomi Osaka is a -200 favorite over Victoria Azarenka in today's U.S. Open tennis women's final. Both are seeking their third Grand Slam title.
Las Vegas home prices hit a new record in August for the median sale price of an existing house: $335,000. It was up $5,000 from the median price in July, itself a record. Meanwhile, in a monthly survey by RealtyHop, a website that caters to real-estate investors, Las Vegas placed 48th out of the nation's 100 largest cities with the least-affordable housing. Reno, however, ranked in the top 20 with the least affordable housing, just behind Denver and San Jose. RealtyHop found that Reno households with an annual income of $52,100 (the median for northern Nevada) needs to spend 47% of their earnings to afford it. The median price of an existing single-family house in Reno is now $439,900, up from $425,000 in January. In Las Vegas, a homeowner earning $53,129 a year needs to spends 34.3% of the income on housing. The federal government's threshold for affordable housing is 30% of income.
Cowabunga Bay, the jumbo water park near the Galleria Mall in Henderson, has won a USA Today popularity contest for the U.S.' best water park. Readers selected Cowabunga from a list of 20 nominated water parks. The park has nine water slides, four surf and swim pools, the largest lazy river in Nevada, an kids play area with 10 little slides, heated swimming pools, and food and retail concessions.
We follow the progress of coronavirus cases closely on a daily basis, but haven't written about them for a long time, since there was nothing good to report. Until now. Statewide, a total of 2,094 new positive test results was reported for the week ending yesterday, down 60% from the more than 5,000 cases reported for the week ending on August 14. In addition, the number of deaths attributed to the illness was down nearly 50%, from 125 to 64 month over month. And the number of hospitalizations has declined nearly 60% since hitting a high on July 31. But the best news of all is that the positivity rate, closely watched by health officials and considered the critical metric, dropped by .07% from Thursday to Friday, the heftiest one-day decline in three months (when it went down .1% on June 15).
If you want to play one of the pay contests, you have only a couple days till the deadlines. There are hardly any free contests this year, but a few are running. Get the details on both the pay and free options in our football contest listings.
Las Vegas Blvd. will be closed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sun.-Thurs. for the next three weeks between St. Louis and Bob Stupak avenues, as work continues on the gateway arches to downtown. Though the Boulevard will be closed for only one long block from the south to the north ends of the Strat property, if you're traveling between the Strip and downtown, you will be delayed and detoured. Downtown's new gateway consists of a pair of 80-foot tall decorative and illuminated arches that cross over the Boulevard with a sign hanging from the top reading “City of Las Vegas.” It's being built by YESCO for $6.5 million; the sign company is installing wiring, finish sheet metal, and the sign itself overnight, requiring the road closures.
At their weekly Thursday meeting, the state’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force ruled that bars, including taprooms and breweries, in Washoe and Nye counties will be allowed to reopen as early as next week. However, citing ongoing elevated cases of coronavirus and a high positivity rate (11.2%), the task force disallowed Clark County bars from reopening. The bars in Elko County (12.6% positivity rate) in northwestern Nevada are also not allowed to reopen yet.
A statement issued by MGM Resorts announcing the reopening of MGM's Empire City casino in Yonkers, New York, on September 21 also indicated that Park MGM would reopen "within the next 30-45 days." That means it could open as early as October 9 and as late as the 24th, if the announcement holds true. When Park MGM opens, the Four Seasons at Mandalay Bay will be MRI's only domestic property that remains closed.
The Kansas City Chiefs are -9.5 favorites over the Houston Texans in tonight's Thursday Night Football game that opens the 2019 NFL season. The total is 53.5.
As a result of the pandemic-caused season interruptions and restarts, for the first time ever all four major sports are playing games today, including the opening of the NFL season. There’s also a college football game, a PGA tournament, U.S. Open tennis, WNBA, soccer, NASCAR, and probably a ping pong tournament somewhere. And it’s Thursday! The books should be jamming with all the action, not to mention the rush of deadline football-contest sign-ups.
One of the largest conventions of the year in Las Vegas, the National Association of Broadcasters, has been postponed. Its annual scheduled in April has been moved back to October 9-13, due to uncertainty about the recovery from the pandemic.
The LINQ's 2,250-room hotel opens today, two months after the LINQ casino opened on June 12. Stays will be limited to weekends, at least at first. That leaves the Cromwell, Planet Hollywood, and Rio as the three Caesars Entertainment hotel-casinos that remain completely shuttered.
According to a new survey by the American Gaming Association, enthusiasm for the NFL football season that starts tomorrow (Texans vs. Chiefs, 5:20 p.m. PT) is somewhat subdued: 42% of American adults claim they're less excited about this season than last, citing "increased political activism around the league (36%), absence of fans in stadiums (19%), and inability to gather with friends to watch games (17%)" as the main factors contributing to their reduced interest. However, the survey estimates that 33.2 million adults will bet on NFL games this year, with at least 20% (6.6 million people) placing their bets at legal sports books, up from 18% last year; 34% (11.3 million) will place a bet through legal and illegal online platforms, up from 29%; 18% (6 million) will wager with a bookie, either in person or via a mobile platform, up from 12%; 26% (8.6 million) will bet casually through pools, fantasy contests, and squares, down from 31%; and 50% (16.6 million) will bet casually with friends, family, or coworkers, down from 53%.
The National Finals Rodeo will take place this December as scheduled, but not in Las Vegas. Instead, NFR is moving temporarily to the brand new Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, home of the Texas Rangers baseball team. The PRCA’s contract to host NFR in Las Vegas runs through 2024.and it's likely that it will be extended through 2025 due to this relocation this year. But it doesn't help this year; losing the rodeo is another major blow to the Vegas 2020 economy. But holding the event without fans was going to cost the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association too much money (a major portion of ticket sales go toward the prize pool).
Station Casinos has listed for sale the last two pieces of real estate it owns in Reno: an 89-acre vacant lot near the junction of Virginia Street and Mt. Rose Highway in south Reno and eight acres near the Reno-Sparks Convention Center where, in 2005, Station announced a plan to build a $500 million 900-room hotel-casino. Though the company looks to be raising capital in an effort to stem the coronavirus impact on its balance sheet, Station also has a nearly 20-year history of fits and starts concerning its Reno real estate portfolio.
The Las Vegas Monorail Company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, part of the grand plan to be taken over by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority. The 3.9-mile electric transit system, which cost upwards of $650 million to launch in 1995, fetched $24.26 million from the LVCVA. The monorail shut down in mid-March and hasn't reopened, and it's unclear what the LVCVA plans to do with it. It could keep it mothballed, start it up again (with strict capital limits placed on the use of taxpayer money), or tear it down. Our prediction: It will be torn down. The LVCVA wanted to control the non-compete clause built into the Monorail's operating agreement, given that it's put its weight behind the Boring Company's underground people mover. In addition, Bombardier, the company that built the rolling stock, has discontinued the cars, so the system will be obsolete in no more than 8-10 years.
A bar in Long Island, New York, is under investigation for offering betting squares on the number of shootings there would be in New York City and Chicago over the Labor Day weekend. This one probably won’t go well for the bar. Even though bars in New York aren’t licensed to conduct gambling, the authorities often look the other way, but they aren’t likely to do that on this one.
In a traffic jam reminiscent of pre-shutdown Vegas, motorists returning to southern California after the long holiday weekend caused a 22-mile stop-and-go situation from the agricultural checkpoint just inside the California state line all the way back to just south of the city. The worst of it was at 1:30 p.m.; it had shrunk to around 14 miles around 5:30 and eight miles by 7:30. The Nevada Highway Patrol aggressively went after people trying to skirt the traffic by driving on the shoulder; one shoulder driver hit a tow truck on the shoulder.
The results are in and the heat wave over the weekend broke a doozy of a record. The high on Sunday was the hottest temperature ever recorded in September: 114 degrees, a full four degrees hotter than the previous record of 110 set in 1955. The day before, Saturday's high hit 112 degrees, breaking the record for the day of 109 set in 1977. Sunday also shattered records around southern California; the high of 125 in Death Valley was six degrees hotter than ever before (119 in 2017). Yesterday's high was "only" 106, two degrees below the record set in 1955. A brief cold front is moving through the area; the high today is expected to squeak into the 80s and tomorrow and Thursday will be similarly cool before the thermometer starts to climb back up to triple digits over the weekend.
In tonight’s unofficial start of the college football season, BYU is a -1.5 favorite over Navy. The total is 48.5. Note: this line was posted with the game in progress.
It’s not a typical Labor Day with specials and promos prevalent, but the expected visitor boost appears to have materialized. Large crowds have been reported both downtown and on the Strip. The downside is concern that the bigger crowds might lead to a spike in positive COVID-19 tests, which has been the case after long weekends earlier this year. City officials continue to hammer home the need to enforce and follow safety protocols.
The first Strip tram has begun operations since shutting down six months ago. The short hop between the Mirage and Treasure Island is running again, though with somewhat reduced hours (noon to 9 p.m. Sun.-Thurs, till midnight Fri. and Saturday). All the other track transportation systems on the Strip -- between Bellagio and Park MGM, which remains closed; Excalibur to MBay; and the Monorail) remain closed.
On Saturday night, a Pai Gow Poker player from Connecticut was dealt a seven-card straight-flush (the 4-10 of diamonds with one wild card) at Paris to win $552,282. The player said that the winnings will be invested in a retirement account.
The Vegas Golden Knights are -260 favorites over the Dallas Stars in the NHL Conference finals. The Golden Knights are also the +140 favorites among the remaining four teams to win the Stanley Cup. Check out our "Knights on Ice" blog for background and game-by-game summaries.
Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist John Katsilometes reports that the 12-date residency by Usher announced yesterday will fill the Colosseum at Caesars. Tickets for all 4,300 seats in the theater will be sold starting Thursday, an indication (or at least wishful thinking) that Caesars is optimistic about hosting closely packed crowds in 10 months (the residency starts on July 16). Kats also notes in today's column that the Reba and Brooks and Dunn residency is selling tickets for December and Sting's residency is still scheduled to start in January. He comments, "Both residencies, right now, seem ambitious, considering there is no time line for ticketed shows to reopen."
Southwest Airlines has announced nonstop flights from McCarran to Palm Springs, which will launch before the end of the year, based on approval from the Federal Aviation Authority. The direct flight will be a relief for commuters. Currently, the 180-mile trip, which will take approximately 30 minutes gate to gate, now requires at least three hours (with a 40-minute layover in Phoenix) and can take up to 13 hours (with a seven-hour layover in Dallas). Southwest has also announced nonstop flights to Miami, which pending approval will also begin by the end of the year.
Allegiant Stadium will be the first venue in American pro-sports history that will not accept cash as a form of payment at any stadium-controlled location, including parking and within the stadium. When fans are allowed inside (as of now, starting sometime next year), they will have to pay for merchandise, food and beverage, and services with debit and credit cards or mobile wallets, such Google, Apple, and Samsung Pay. Numerous kiosks around the stadium will be available for fans to exchange cash for prepaid cards. Cutting out cash, it's believed, will increase the speed of service and cut down on waiting times in line.
Usher, the eight-time Grammy Award winner, songwriter, dancer, actor, and businessman, announced on "Good Morning America" yesterday that he'll launch a residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace starting on July 16, 2021. He'll play eight dates in July (16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30, and 31), three in December (28, 29, 31) and one on New Year's Day 2022. The shows in the 4,300-seat theater will be a departure for Usher, who usually plays arenas. Tickets will go on sale to the public Thursday (Sept. 10) at 10 a.m. PT; prices haven't been revealed. It's the first new residency announced since the shutdown; here's hoping it happens.
Circa Sports will expand beyond downtown for the first time next year when it opens a satellite sports book at Tuscany. It looks like Tuscany will not only rebrand its existing sports book into a Circa book, but will also move it to a different location; it's expected to open by March 2021. It will be Circa's fourth location after the D, Golden Gate, and Circa itself. Circa Sports also has a sports betting app available to anyone located in Nevada.
After a major remodel, the Treasure Island big new sports book has been relocated and expanded and is now open. The old book was small and sedate, tucked away in a corner of the casino, while the new book is five times the size and centrally located. Note that the Treasure Island sports betting app hasn't returned after being discontinued when the casinos closed in March. If you have any money in a TI app account, it's recommended that you withdraw it all.
The current odds for the Kentucky Derby make Tiz the Law the favorite at 5-8, followed by Honor A.P. at 5-1 and Authentic at 8-1. The long shot is Winning Impression at 100-1. Due to the pandemic schedule shuffling, for the first time, this is the second race in the Triple Crown series.
Alistair Overeem is a -180 favorite over Augusto Sakai in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Alonzo Menifield is -155 over Ovince Saint Preux.
The Vegas Golden Knights are -220 favorites over the Vancouver Canucks in tonight’s deciding Game 7 of their second-round series of the NHL playoffs. The goal total is 6.
The Wynn announced yesterday that it will close its buffet until further notice after dinner on Monday. According to a spokesperson, the decision was based on negative feedback from patrons about the reimagined buffet experience (which was more like a sit-down restaurant than a traditional buffet). That leaves just two buffets in Las Vegas, at the Cosmopolitan and South Point. The Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace was supposed to open last month, but that's been postponed indefinitely.
A new Mexican restaurant opened yesterday in the building at 807 S. Main Street that hosted the El Sombrero for more than 50 years. Letty's is owned and operated by local chef Leticia Mitchell, who also has a Leticia’s Cocina at Fiesta Henderson (currently closed) and has had two other restaurants in the city over the years. Letty's isn't a full sit-down restaurant. Instead, it's fast-casual for three meals, serving Mexican oatmeal, chilaquiles, and huevos rancheros for breakfast and street corn, tacos, tortas, and enchiladas for lunch and dinner. It's open 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, till 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Nevada’s COVID-19 Mitigation and Management Task Force announced today that the Las Vegas bar restrictions will remain in place for at least one more week. Restrictions on restaurant counter tops, however, will be rescinded as of September 9, so you'll be allowed to sit at sushi bars, diners, and other restaurants with seating at bars that don’t have gambling machines. The delay until next Wednesday on the counter top ruling means that restrictions on all bar seating will remain in place through the Labor Day weekend.
The Henderson City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to take a vacation from granting licenses for short-term vacation rentals in the city limits. Responding to numerous complaints from residents about excessive noise, traffic, trash, and strangers, Henderson is reconsidering its regulations for vacation rentals in its jurisdiction. Existing rentals are grandfathered, but no new applications will be approved for at least 90 days. Coincidentally, LVA.com is currently conducting a poll on short-term home-shares, such as Airbnb and VRBO. Click and vote!
Tuesday's high of 98 degrees ended a 61-day streak of triple-digit temperatures, falling five days short of the record of 66 days, set in 1944. Wednesday was back above 100 and another heat wave is on the way, with temperatures of up to 110 through Labor Day weekend.
Area15, the epic new-age art, entertainment, retail, dining, and event space right off I-15 in a big black building, will open two weeks from today, September 17. The entire complex won't be accessible and we don't know which parts will (we understand that 40,000 of the 200,000 total square feet will open), but it'll be the first time the public will be allowed inside since the installation was announced in 2018. You can read a description of Area15 in a QoD we ran about it this time last year.
Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (formerly the Hard Rock), which is scheduled to open in November, has announced its complete lineup of restaurants and bars. The big names are Todd English's Olives, late of Bellagio (it was replaced a couple years ago by Spago); Nobu and MB Steak (two returnees from the Hard Rock); and Night + Market, a Thai street food restaurant with five locations in the L.A. area. Money, Baby! will be the sports bar with an outdoor patio overlooking the pool area. Casa Calavera is the Mexican eatery, while Pizza Forte will serve everything from slices to Italian entrees. Kitchen at Commons looks like a fancy 24/7 coffee shop, while Funny Library will be the coffee bar. Afters Ice Cream will be familiar to southern Californias (with 28 locations). Kassi Beach Club will be a Continental restaurant and an ultra-lounge at the pool and the other announced bar is the ultra-British Shag Room.
After a couple year’s delay, work has begun on the demolition of Trump Plaza. The property has been fenced off and preparations are being made for an implosion expected to take place early next year. The building, owned by Carl Icahn, has been shuttered since 2014.
The 25th annual Veterans Day parade, supposed to take place downtown on November 11, has been called off. The parade has been a major event in Las Vegas since 1995 and is now considered the largest Veterans Day parade west of the Mississippi. The 2019 parade featured more than 5,000 marchers, with thousands more lining the sidewalks. But that's impossible this year.
It's been rumored for a month or so and the buildup to today's vote by the board of directors of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority was believed to be a foregone conclusion. And it was: The LVCVA will buy out the Monorail for a price not to exceed $24.26 million. It's a complicated deal that involves the Monorail declaring Chapter 11 bankruptcy and going to auction. We'll fill in the details as they become available.
According to a report by travel-planning app TripIt, Las Vegas is Americans' number-one destination for the Labor Day holiday weekend. TripIt's data show that Sin City has the most round-trip flights originating in the U.S. of any city in North America, outpacing Orlando, Cancun, and other popular destinations, such as Denver and Chicago, which placed first and second last year. Chicago, Hawaii, and New York, among others, have travel restrictions in place, mandating quarantines for visitors from a long list of coronavirus hotspots. Las Vegas doesn't. In addition, room rates reflect the demand; a survey by the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicates that they're up around 100% compared to a weekend in mid-August, with rooms at Caesars and the Wynn coming in at $499.
'Tis the season, but it's not like any we’ve seen before. To say the contest situation is a jumble is an understatement, but we took it on anyway and found some potentially high-yielding opportunities in both the pay and free contests. You can find out which, along with a report on flying the ultra-low-cost airlines, a round-up of outdoor dining on the Strip, comped rooms during football season, two powerful prime rib plays, the just-completed Harmon flyover, a high-end happy hour, Basque dining, all-you-can-drink beer and well cocktails for $20, a batch of “COVID comps,” a drinking strategy when the bars are closed, our new sports betting book, even a combination hamburger-joint drive-in theater — all in the new September Las Vegas Advisor.