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As the Caldor Fire crests Echo Summit, threatens South Lake Tahoe, California, and could cross into Nevada, the four casinos in Stateline have begun shutting down operations. The nightmare scenario continues to unfold, with the fire barely 15% contained, all 20,000 residents of South Lake Tahoe ordered to evacuate, US 50 in California jammed, cleared, then closed, Highway 89 out of Tahoe City still closed, and 37,000 firefighters on the scene. The Stateline hotels remain open to a certain extent, housing firefighters and some displaced residents, but the situation is evolving quickly and Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak has declared a state of emergency.
The Luxor buffet reopens tomorrow at 7 a.m. It will be open Wednesday through Sunday for brunch from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. According to the website, it features a 30-foot salad bar, stations for pizza, made-to-order omelets, international specialties, and desserts, and a carving bar. The prices are Wed.-Fri. $26.99 and Sat.-Sun. $29.99. When it opens, it'll be the 10th buffet in Las Vegas to return from the shutdown and the third at an MGM Resorts property, along with MGM Grand and Excalibur.
A first-of-its-kind “public-safety kiosk” has opened on the Strip. Located just north of Resorts World, the 570-square-foot kiosk “provides a space for officers to engage with the public, answer questions, and complete minor tasks.”
InsideAsianGaming.com reports this morning that in its second-quarter financial statement, Genting Berhard, owner of Resorts World Las Vegas, listed revenue of $14.9 million during the new resort-casino's first six days of operation in June, which were also the last six days of the quarter. Resorts World generated EBITDA (adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, a cash-flow measure that excludes one-time costs) of $3.9 million -- in other words, a gross profit of $650,000 per day for those six days. Hotel occupancy was 71.2% during that first week with an average daily rate of US$239. InsideAsianGaming writes that Genting Berhad has provided few details of Resorts World's performance since the end of the second quarter; more details will be forthcoming in the third-quarter financials, due in November.
The first and flagship "CSI" series, which premiered in October 2000, was set in Las Vegas and ran for 335 episodes over 15 seasons. "CSI: Vegas" was ranked among the 10 most-watched shows on television for 11 seasons in a row, spawned several other series ("CSI: Miami," CSI: New York," and "CSI: Cyber") that ran for nearly 800 total episodes, and launched CSI: The Experience, a traveling museum exhibit and interactive attraction at MGM Grand. In the spring, CBS announced that "CSI: Vegas" would be revived in a new season starting in the fall. The trailer for the new show can now be seen on YouTube and the premiere is scheduled for Wednesday October 6. The stars of the original show," William Petersen, Jorja Fox, and Wallace Langham, will reprise their roles in the new series.
A local Las Vegan playing Crazy 4 Poker at the Golden Nugget was dealt a royal flush on Saturday night, winning the progressive jackpot for $1,093,702. The jackpot had been growing for a long time, with the reset amount seeded by the casino and the rest accrued from wagers on the jackpot.
The Arizona Department of Gaming on Friday announced the awarding of sports betting licenses to pro sports teams and their sports betting partners and Native tribes. Ten tribes received sports betting licenses, two with partners: the San Carlos Apache are teamed up with WynnBET and the Fort Yuma Quechan joined forces with Unibet, a division of Kindred Group, an online gambling platform that operates in more than 100 countries. Though 10 sports teams applied, only eight licenses were issued; the two rejected weren't identified. The Mercury (WNBA) is partnered with Bally's, the Cardinals (NFL) with Bet MGM, the Diamondbacks (MLB) with Caesars, the Suns (NBA) with FanDuel, TPC Scottsdale (PGA) with DraftKings, Phoenix Raceway (NASCAR) with Penn National/Barstool, and Arizona Rattlers (IFL) with Rush Street. The Coyotes (NHL) were also awarded a license, but without a partner. Accounts with all approved operators and tribes can now be funded and daily fantasy sports began operating yesterday; sports betting will start on Thursday Sept. 9, the first day of the NFL season.
Cirque du Soleil's LOVE played to a sold-out crowd last night at the Mirage; it was the troupe's first performance in more than 17 months. It followed a "pop-up parade" through the property to celebrate the reopening, along with the show's 15th anniversary, which passed in June. It's the fourth Cirque show to reopen, following Mystere at Treasure Island, O at Bellagio, and Michael Jackson ONE at Mandalay Bay. Blue Man Group, a Cirque-owned show, has also returned to Luxor.
Edson Barboza is a -150 favorite over Giga Chikadze in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Bryan Battle is -200 over Gilbert Urbina.
An article in this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the Clark County Marriage License Bureau will issue its five-millionth marriage license sometime between December and Valentine's Day 2022 and is rolling out a new promotional campaign, "Five Million Love Stories," based on the milestone. The Marriage Bureau issued a little more than 56,000 licenses last year, down nearly 25% from 2019's 73,000, but so far this year, the count is up to 45,200 licenses, on a pace for a full recovery to pre-pandemic numbers.
After several weeks of seasonal temperatures, southern Nevada is looking at excessive heat today and tomorrow. Las Vegas could see 110, while Lake Mead and Laughlin will experience 115. These highs will be short lived; Monday will top out around 106 and Tuesday will barely break triple digits. The northwestern edge of a tropical storm that could turn into a hurricane might touch Las Vegas with rainstorms starting Tuesday, which would cool things down considerably.
For fans who don't want to spend $100 for an Allegiant Stadium tailgating spot or $40 for an offsite location before Raiders and UNLV football games, MGM Resorts has set up "Stadium Walk," a 130,000-square-foot beer park between Luxor and Mandalay Bay at the corner of Las Vegas Blvd, and Hacienda Avenue on the Strip side of the bridge over the freeway to the stadium. Admission is free and open to all ages; it will open four hours before the start of games and run through the end of the games. Entertainment will include interactive football challenges and life-sized Jenga and chess, a DJ, and food and drinks from International Smoke, Diablo’s Cantina, Public House, and Beerhaus. Fans can also park at Mandalay Bay, the Delano, Excalibur, and Luxor for Raiders games; prices are averaging $75 (but that could change -- i.e., go up -- depending on demand). Roughly 30,000 fans, nearly half the stadium's seating capacity, are expected to walk across the Hacienda bridge from the Strip to attend home games.
Las Vegas welcomed more than 3.3 million visitors last month, 11% more than the 2.97 million in June and the most since the March 2020 shutdown. Still, compared to July 2019, visitation is 10% below that month's 3.68 million. Hotel occupancy paralleled visitation: 80% for the month, with 88% on weekends, compared to 91% overall and 97% on weekends in July 2019. Room rates keep climbing: The average per night last month was $152, up nearly 20% from June's $128, which was also the average price in July 2019, even though demand that month was at least 10% higher.
The World Series of Poker has announced that all players in the in-person tournament, which starts at the Rio at the end of next month, must provide proof of a full vaccination prior to registration for the event. The final vaccine must have been administered at least 14 days prior to the start of the WSOP on September 30. The WSOP says that a negative COVID-19 test result will not be accepted. Also, under Nevada's current mask mandate, all players and staff will be required to wear face masks.
Single-game sports betting starts today in Canada. Though it's now legal to make a single bet on a sporting event (limited up until now to 3-plus-team parlays), the betting options look slow to roll out. In Ontario, Canada's most populous province, Proline+ is reportedly taking remote bets; it's operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation and has been taking parlay bets for more than 20 years. Ontario will allow branded sports books to operate there, but none looks likely to launch before 2022. Likewise, the British Columbia Lottery Corporation operates PlayNow.ca, Canada’s first online and mobile sports betting service and the only retail sports book in the country; single games are expected to be available today, but Canada's third-most populated province is not, so far, allowing competition from private sports betting companies. Manitoba residents can also make single bets on PlayNow.com. Quebec launches today; Alberta's launch date is vague, expected to be sometime in the late fall; and Saskatchewan and the four Atlantic provinces have yet to announce when full-scale sports betting will be available.
The Las Vegas update 10 is now posted on our YouTube channel. Anthony and Andrew show off our new studio and talk about a couple of our books, illustrated by their publishing posters in the background. They also discuss the mask situation and the evolving vax passport scene in Las Vegas -- what you're up against when you attend certain shows and try to get into many restaurants. They also cover the two new buffets opening (numbers 9 and 10), one of which might not fulfill the heightened expectations for it, and a fantastic deal at a locals bar: wasabi-shrimp tacos for $2 apiece or 3 for $5. It's a fast-moving and informative video that's well worth the 10 minutes of your time.
The Las Vegas Strip set an all-time record for gambling revenue in July, thanks in part to the first full month of Resorts World, which opened on June 24. July's $793.7 million in revenue marked a 30% increase over June's $610.6 million, a 46.5% increase over July 2019's pre-pandemic $541.8 million, and a 14% increase over the previous record of $696.1 million set in February 2013. July was also the fifth month in a row that Nevada surpassed $1 billion in casino revenue; the month's total of $1.35 billion was a 12% increase over June's $1.19 billion and a 9% rise from May's $1.23 billion. Downtown's $71.2 million in July was down 10% from June's $79 million, its own all-time record. Still, July revenue was 36% higher than in June 2019, thanks in part to Circa, which opened late last year.
The 2022 World Men's Curling Championship returns to Las Vegas next year. It will be the ninth time that the event has been held in the U.S. in the past 52 years; the last appearance was also in Las Vegas, in 2018. Thirteen teams will compete for the world title at the Orleans Arena from April 2 to 10. Sweden will defend the title it won last year in Calgary. Curling is like shuffleboard on ice; players slide heavy granite rocks on a sheet of ice toward a target area separated into four concentric circles.
The 13-year-old Indoor Football League (IFL) will have a Las Vegas team starting in March 2022. The name of and venue for the team were announced last night. The Las Vegas Knight Hawks will play their home games at Henderson's Dollar Loan Center. The team is owned by Bill Foley, also owner of the Golden Knights, in case you were wondering if there's a connection; Dollar Loan Center is under construction and will be the home of the Henderson Silver Knights minor-league hockey team, also owned by Foley. Team merchandise and season tickets are on sale now; season tickets start at $10, reservable with a refundable $20 deposit. The Knight Hawks join 17 other teams in the IFL.
Nevada AAA reports that prices for a gallon of gasoline throughout the state range from a low of $3.43 to a high of $5.40. In Las Vegas, the average gallon costs $4.02, up from $3.91 this time last month.
After last year's cancellation, the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend returns to the Orleans for a four-day run September 9-12. VLV is Vegas' longest-running music festival, as well as and the largest rockabilly event in the world. VLV will feature 55 bands, 20 DJs, and multiple events, including rockabilly and '50s music, a classic-car show, a burlesque showcase and competition, a vintage fashion show, dance lessons and competition, tiki pool parties, swimsuit contests, burlesque bingo, a pin-up contest, a bowling event, all-night record hops, and over 120 vendors. The headliner is JD McPherson and The Delta Bombers. Tickets range from $40 to $230; one-day tickets are available for the car show.
Lady Gaga has announced the dates for the resumption of her "Jazz & Piano" residency at the Park Theater at Park MGM. She'll perform nine shows, all in October and ending on Halloween: Oct. 14, 16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, 30, and 31. Tickets start at $90 and go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m. PT; concert-goers must provide proof of the full COVID vaccination or a negative test in the past 72 hours.
Sonny's Saloon, across Sammy Davis Jr. Drive from the rear of the Fashion Show Mall, a true dive bar that opened in 1973 and closed a while back, is being replaced by Star Piano Cocktail Lounge, which will open this Friday. From the press release: "The lounge will transport guests to the heyday of the Rat Pack era with its vintage light-tunnel entrance, nightly musical performances, and Champagne surprises around every turn." A number of Champagne cocktails will be featured, along with "special hidden features," such as an homage to the late Robin Leach and bar stools with name plates of celebrities; the live entertainment will consist primarily of crooners backed by rotating pianists playing a red baby grand.
We’re not talking about the big pastrami sandwiches. Rather, last week, the Nevada Gaming Control Board allowed Siegel’s Bagelmania to turn on bartop slots, video poker, and video keno at the new restaurant's full bar. Bagelmania opened in 1989 in its old location on E. Twain. In 2018, it was sold to long-time local, Bagelmania customer, and deli aficionado Stephen Siegel, who renamed it Siegel's Bagelmania, opened a second location at Terminal 1 at McCarran Airport, and relocated the flagship store to a new 10,000-square-foot 200-seat location at 252 Convention Center Drive, adjacent to the Convention Center expansion. We’re not expecting good VP schedules, but it’s the only place we know of where you can chow down on authentic latkes while shooting a twenty for lunch.
A horse in a race at Ellis Park Race Track in Kentucky saw its chance to escape and took it. The two-year-old horse lived up to its name, Bold and Bossy, by bucking its rider as she was being led onto the track for her first-ever race taking off for parts north along US 41. Along the way, she crossed the state line into Indiana and appeared to be heading to Evansville (maybe she wanted to visit the Log Inn, the oldest restaurant in the state). There was no time to call in the FBI, so a county sheriff and a few Good Samaritans corralled B&B and returned her safely to her owner. TriState.com has a couple of photos of the horse after capture and a video of B&B running up the highway. Thanks to LVA correspondent extraordinaire Roy for the story alert.
Mike Spinetti, founder of Spinetti's Gaming Supplies in downtown Las Vegas, died last year from cancer at the age of 70. A lifelong casino chip collector, Mike amassed the "world's largest collection of vintage chips" and started selling them online in the late '90s and into the 2000s and Spinetti's is still selling them. If you have any interest in the names of casinos in Las Vegas, around Nevada, and throughout the world and are the least bit curious about what the chips looked like (and the dates they were manufactured), you can't do better than to view the collection on Spinetti's website (they're also sold on eBay). There are more than 4,000 chips from casinos large and small, defunct and thriving, legal and illegal, on cruise ships and in brothels: house chips, wheel (roulette) chips, limited editions, commemoratives, tournament chips, and no-cash-value chips. And they're sortable seven different ways. Though we pride ourselves on knowing about a lot of casinos in Nevada, we didn't recognize all kinds of names on Spinetti's list, but the evidence of their existence is right there in the little circles. Fascinating.
Clark County Commissioners have approved a proposed project for a four-story retail and dining space on the Strip at the southwestern corner of Harmon Avenue. MGM Resorts sold the two-acre parcel, left vacant by the failed and deconstructed Harmon Hotel at City Center, for $80 million two months ago. The shopping center, tentatively named Project63, will have 21 leasable spaces and the developer, who plans to break ground by late October, says that it's already more than half leased. When it opens in October 2022, it will feature an indoor/outdoor dining venue on the top floor.
The answer: no beer. That's what happened at Allegiant Stadium last night during the WWE's SummerSlam, the second largest event of the year on the professional wrestling circuit. Shift4 Payments, the cashless-payment system at the stadium, experienced a credit-card processing issue that disallowed selling everything from the stadium's 76 concession counters; no cash is accepted at Allegiant. The outage was nationwide; San Diego's Petco Park and restaurants, bars, and other venues that use Shift4 went down as well. The Allegiant concessions gave away water, soda, and prepared foods, but no alcohol. The problems were resolved after a while and the beer flowed again.
Starting tonight and continuing through Thursday morning, the Strip will be down to one lane in each direction between Spring Mountain Road and Sahara Avenue. The closure, to do repaving and striping work on that stretch, will be in force 24/7 for the three-plus days. Access to the Sahara will be from Paradise Road.
The tiny far southern Nevada town of Cal-Nev-Ari, located on US 95 about 60 miles south of Henderson, has finally sold. Nancy Kidwell, who owned most of the real estate and the largest businesses in town and co-founded it with her late husband, had been trying to sell Cal-Nev-Ari for years. The Review-Journal reports this morning that a mining company, Universal Green Technology, bought 550 acres, including the whole town and surrounding desert, for $8 million in a deal that closed a month ago. Mrs. Kidwell, now in her 80s, started out asking $17 million for Cal-Nev-Air, then dropped the price once to $8 million, which she received.
Jared Cannonier is a -140 favorite over Kelvin Gastelum in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Mark Madsen is -170 over Clay Guida.
Manny Pacquiao is a -370 favorite over Yordenis Ugas in tonight's championship boxing match. The total is 10.5 rounds, with over the favorite at -235.
Only two weeks after scandal erupted over the proposal process for Yokohama's integrated resort, further aspersions are being cast over the same process for Nagasaki's IR. InsideAsianGaming.com reports that Nagasaki had long favored Casino Austria to build and operate its IR before it awarded them the contract. At the same time, it pressured the two other candidates to withdraw, even though Casino Austria has never managed a large-scale resort and another candidate, Oshidori, has decades of experience. Oshidori has wondered aloud whether "some kind of ‘black force’ is acting behind the scenes" in Nagasaki Prefecture's process.
Celebrity chef Todd English is the namesake of a new boutique hotel being built in the downtown Arts District. The four-story 74-room English Hotel is expected to open this fall and feature a Todd English restaurant called The Pepper Club that’s described as a “spicy, jazzy, loungey place with oysters, sushi, and the like.”
QAnon, the formerly fringe and now mainstream group that believes, among other things, that thousands of Hollywood actors, Democratic politicians, and high-ranking government officials conspired against Donald Trump during his term in office, will meet en masse at Caesars Forum, the new convention hall behind the LINQ, from October 22 to 25. The "Patriot Double Down" event is being touted as the “Great Awakening Weekend,” invoking another belief that former President Trump will seize power from the Deep State cabal and declare martial law. Caesars Entertainment issued a statement distancing the company from the convention organizers' convictions and declaring that the venue will "require guests to comply with local laws and mandates, including the current indoor mask mandate." Tickets for the weekend range from $650 to $3,000 for the “High Roller VIP” pass.
With no apologies to the late great Rick James, Spiegelworld, the producers of the super freaky Absinthe, Opium, and Atomic Saloon, will open its new restaurant concept, Superfrico, at the Cosmopolitan in the space formerly occupied by Rose. Rabbit. Lie. Superfrico will serve "Italian American psychedelic" and what that means, we're not entirely sure, though we suspect it has nothing to do with psilocybin, mescaline, or lysergic and more to do with the "recipes and traditions passed down by generations of Sicilian family cooks while taking fearless detours with ingredients and techniques," according to the press release. Which goes on to describe "an all-senses-overloaded take on Grandma’s favorites -- pizza, pasta, steaks, seafood, signature desserts, and late-night finales." If Spiegelworld's three shows are any indication, It'll be all in the fearless detours and we'll take a look soon after it opens on September 24. Frico, by the way, is an Italian dish made from cheese and potatoes.
An immense four-year-old single-family house in the Seven Hills subdivision in Henderson has been listed for $32.5 million, the highest price in the Las Vegas area since the real-estate bubble. It's a three-story, 14,000-square-foot, four-bedroom nine-bath property on .88 of an acre; each square foot costs the equivalent of the monthly wage of a Las Vegas housekeeper (just under $2,300 per). It features a glass elevator, basketball court, game room, 13-seat movie theater, wine cellar, 37,000-gallon pool, 10 gas fireplaces, nine-hole miniature-golf course, rock-climbing wall, 20,000 square feet of heated indoor/outdoor tile flooring, 12-space garage, and of course a car lift that brings the vehicle to the second-floor owner’s suite. Nice views of the Strip, too. Google the address, 2738 Carina Way, Henderson 89052, to see a bunch of photos on Zillow (even the car lift) of the next love shack for you, your spouse, and the dog. Actually, the current owner, a local businessman, lives there alone with two dogs. He says he's downsizing.
Potawatomi Hotel-Casino in Milwaukee analyzed Google searches across the country to determine which gambling movies rank at the top of the must-watch list in all 50 states. Nationwide, The Adam Sandler flick, Uncut Gems, is the most-searched movie about gambling in the U.S., followed by Ocean’s Eleven (the remake) and Casino Royale starring Daniel Craig. Ocean’s Eleven is the most-searched gambling movie in the most states, lucky 21. Molly's Game is second (15), The House third (6), the original 1960 Ocean's Eleven is fourth (4), and Ocean's Thirteen fifth (1). To see the full report, click here.
A 13-story thrill ride is coming to the Area15 parking lot this fall. Riders (may, but apparently don't have to) select a drink (alcoholic or non) at a bar at the base of the "tethered balloon structure" and then are strapped into a 16-seat gondola, "with their feet dangling in the air," for a 360-degree ascent, which looks to us from the renderings like a kind of spiral escalator. The gondola apparently rises to 131 feet for a great view of Interstate 15 (and beyond). The ride lasts seven minutes and will cost $12 for children (must be at least 42 inches tall), $18 for adults, and $26 for the drink-and-ride package.
SIAL Network (Salon International de L’Alimentation), "a world benchmark for food industry players that hosts thousands of companies from over 109 countries and attracts a live community of more than 365,800 buyers, including 100% of the retail industry," will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its trade shows by making its U.S. debut at the Las Vegas Convention Center March 22-24, 2022. SIAL hosts 10 international food events in Canada, France, India, China, Algeria, United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia that attract more than 700,000 attendees and 16,000 exhibitors annually; the Paris show attracts 350,000 attendees. The Las Vegas show could draw as few as 5,000 the first year, but evidently, SIAL will make a "multi-year commitment" to the Las Vegas Convention Center.
This just in: The Rampart Market Place Buffet will reopen on Thursday August 26. Two meals will be available: Thursday-Monday prime-rib dinner from 4 to 8 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday champagne brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Both meals will cost $29.99 retail and $24.99 with a players card. Add $7.99 for all-you-can-drink beer and wine.
Add Circa to the list of 1,721 out of 27,000 AAA-inspected and approved hotels to receive the Four Diamond designation. Circa is downtown's only Four Diamond hotel-casino. To achieve four diamonds, hotels must be "committed to providing every guest with a high degree of hospitality and attentive service in upscale surroundings." Twenty-two Strip, neighborhood, and Henderson hotels also achieved Four Diamonds. Five Diamonds is the highest designation; Aria, Bellagio, Wynn, Four Seasons, and Waldorf Astoria are on the 2021 list of slightly more than 100 properties in the U.S.
The classic-rock band Journey, which has 25 gold and platinum albums and 19 Top 40 singles to its credit, will appear at the Theater at Virgin for six shows in December: 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, and 11. The group has one original member, Santana alumnus Neal Schon. Tickets go on sale Friday Aug. 20 at 10 a.m. at AXS.com and start at $69.50 plus fees.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation issued a first-of-its-kind Lake Mead water-shortage declaration yesterday for 2022. Based on water-level projections, states in the Lower Colorado Basin (Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and northern Mexico) will have to scale back their allocation of water next year by 613,000 acre-feet, the equivalent of eight feet of elevation in Lake Mead. Nevada must cut its water usage by 21,000 acre-feet, 7% of its allocation. The Las Vegas metropolitan area receives 90% of its water from Lake Mead.
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak yesterday exempted large venues (greater than 4,000 seats) from the mask requirement as long as they verify that guests have been vaccinated. Attendees who can't show proof must wear masks. The exemption is not a decree; venues are free to opt in or out. The Raiders organization immediately opted in with an even stricter policy. Starting with the opening home game on September 13 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Raiders will require all guests to show proof of vaccination through CLEAR’s free mobile app and Health Pass feature. Non-vaccinated fans will not be allowed to enter, though the Raiders will offer fans the opportunity to receive vaccinations right at the stadium prior to Raiders home games, permitting newly vaccinated fans to enter wearing masks. The Raiders are the first NFL team to adopt the policy. In addition, the Consumer Technology Association announced that CES 2022 will require in-person attendees to provide proof of vaccination.
MGM Resorts announced yesterday that vaccinations will be required for salaried employees who don't work exclusively from home as a condition of continued employment; the deadline for upwards of 6,000 employees nationwide is October 15. MGM becomes the first Nevada-based casino company to mandate vaccinations. In addition, all new hires, salaried and hourly, must provide proof of vaccination before beginning employment, starting August 30. MGM says it plans to require vaccinations for hourly employees, but given that the union will be involved, issues need to be resolved first. MGM is the largest private employer in Nevada, with 42,000 employees at 10 properties.
Binion’s marked its 70th anniversary on Saturday, having opened on August 14, 1951. Benny Binion fled Texas ahead of the law (for various infractions) to the gamblers' promised land of Las Vegas in 1946. He bought into and sold out of two downtown casinos before purchasing and rebuilding the old Apache Club and the adjacent Eldorado Casino and opening Binion's Horseshoe. The Binions bought the Mint Hotel next door in 1988, finally giving the place a respectable (for Vegas) 365 hotel rooms and an entire city block of property. Benny passed in 1990 at the age of 85; various members of the family ran the casino and hotel (into the ground) until 2004, when it was sold to Harrah's, then MTR Gaming Group, then TLC Casino Enterprises in 2007, which still owns it, along with the Four Queens across the street. Though it's a shell of its former self, Binion's still serves great cheap food at its Deli and Benny's Bullpen bar and barbecue and opened the refurbished Apache Hotel, with 81 rooms, in July 2019.
A story in this morning's Review-Journal by Mick Akers, the RJ's traffic-beat reporter, tells a lethal tale: Between New Year's Day and July 31, Nevada recorded the most traffic fatalities in 10 years. So far in 2021, 208 people have died in automobile accidents in the Silver State, compared to an average of 165 in the same time period since 2011. Last year, there were 159 and the year before 157. Clark County's 122 deaths accounted for nearly 60% of the total, a 37% increase year over year. Most of the fatalities were due to impaired drivers, excessive speed, occupants not wearing seat belts, and motorcycle accidents.
The "boundary-breaking" hologram concert, An Evening with Whitney: The Whitney Houston Hologram Concert, featuring the voice of one of the world’s greatest entertainers performing virtually along with a live band, backup singers, and dancers and cinematic special effects will make its North American debut with an extended residency at Harrah's Las Vegas starting on October 26. Ticket prices and times haven't been announced.
Caesars Entertainment has been saying that the company intends to sell off at least one Las Vegas Strip casino next year and if changes are any indication, it could be Bally's on the chopping block. BLT Steak remains closed, though that's supposedly temporary; the Sterling Brunch at BLT hasn't, perforce, returned either. Nobu has closed and moved back to Virgin. Buca di Beppo and Tequila Taqueria both closed earlier this month. Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in the Grand Bazaar Shops out front closed last month. For dining options at Bally's, that leaves Burger Brasserie and the food court (Nathan's, Sbarro, Nosh Deli, and Lavazza) inside and Wahlburgers and Giordano's outside at the Grand Bazaar Shops.
Major League Soccer (MLS) and LIGA MX have chosen Allegiant Stadium to host the 2021 and 2022 Final of Leagues Cup, the official annual single-elimination tournament that features clubs from MLS and Mexico’s top leagues. The 2021 Leagues Cup Final will be played on Wednesday, September 22. And international rugby will make its debut at the Allegiant on October 30 for the inaugural Las Vegas Rugby Cup. The USA Men’s National Rugby team, the Eagles, will host Ireland this year; the event is expected to take place annually in Las Vegas.
Cult-favorite rock band Barenaked Ladies will play a free concert on Fremont Street on Saturday October 9 as part of the Downtown Rocks free summer-concert series that returned in late June after being canceled last summer. And on Wednesday November 24, Fremont Street Experience will throw a block party encompassing the entire pedestrian promenade with its inaugural "DrinksGiving" celebration and a free concert featuring Mötley Crüe front man Vince Neil, who has a long connection with Las Vegas.
Canada will launch its legal single-game sports betting market on August 27, in time for the start of the NFL season (Sept. 9) and well ahead of the start of the NHL season (Oct. 12). Canada has long allowed sports lotteries and daily fantasy sports, but has limited betting on games to 3-plus-team parlays and only in six of the country's 10 provinces and through provincial-run agencies. Starting in two weeks, Canadians will be able to make single bets on games. Province-run lottery corporations in Ontario and British Columbia are reportedly ready to launch single-game mobile sports betting on August 27 and Ontario, the most populated province in Canada, is expected to be first to open up its sports betting market to private operators. Projections put Canada's betting handle at upwards of $30 billion a year by 2026.
Who says Friday the 13th is unlucky? A Texas woman yesterday hit a jackpot for $1.02 million on a Wheel of Fortune Double 3X4X5X Pay machine at the Venetian. It was the second million-plus jackpot hit at the Venetian in two days; on Wednesday, a player won $1.58 million on a WoF Wild Red Sevens machine.
The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) announced that 25 applications for "event-wagering operator licenses" (a.k.a. sports betting) were submitted by the deadline on Monday. That's five more applications than licenses, which are limited to 20 -- 10 dedicated to tribes with casinos and 10 to professional sports franchises. Of the 25, 10 came from the tribes, while 15 were from pro sports teams; none were identified. The ADG will announce which applicants are qualified for licenses on Monday. Then the department has another 10 days (Thursday August 26) to award the 20 licenses. Sports betting is scheduled to launch on September 9 in time for the NFL's first game of the regular season.
The population of Nevada grew by 13% between 2010 and 2020, according to results released yesterday by the U.S. Census Bureau. The state added 400,000 residents in the decade, going from 2.7 million to 3.1 million. Clark County accounted for 314,000 of the 400,000, growing by 16.1% with 2.2 million residents. Reno's Washoe County added 15.4%, roughly 65,000 people, for a total population of 486,000. Nevada is now the U.S.' third most diverse state, ranked 7.7% higher in diversity than the national average. Only Hawaii and California have more diverse populations.
The original Arizona Charlie's sign, with the likeness of Abram "Arizona Charlie" Meadows, has been adopted by the Neon Museum. The sign was in place throughout Arizona Charlie's Decatur's history, starting when the locals casino opened in 1988 until a new sign was put in its place. The old sign will make its way to the museum later this summer for refurbishing and displaying.
The major Life is Beautiful music, art, and food festival is scheduled for September 17-19 and is going on as planned, but attendees will be required to show proof that either they received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine no later than Friday August 13 or Johnson & Johnson’s single dose by Friday Sept. 3 or a negative COVID test 72 hours before the festival.
Coinciding with Pablo Picasso’s 140th birthday this October, MGM Resorts and Sotheby’s will present a first-of-its-kind auction of masterworks by the artist from the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection. The auction will be conducted live at Bellagio on Saturday October 23 and is expected to earn MGM up to $100 million; it's not only the largest fine-art auction ever to take place in Las Vegas, it's also believed to be the most valuable auction of Picasso's work that has ever been held. MGM says it's "reshaping its public fine-art portfolio, deepening its focus on diversity and inclusion." Sotheby’s will broadcast the sale around the world via a livestream viewable on Sothebys.com. The 11 works for sale include five paintings, some of which were viewable in Bellagio's Picasso restaurant, which will continue to display 12 original works from the iconic Spanish artist.
Veteran astronaut Shane Kimbrough snapped a photograph of Las Vegas from the International Space Station yesterday and posted it on Twitter. It's a cool look at the bright lights of the Strip, downtown, Boulder Highway, and Las Vegas Blvd. N., plus the black V-shaped airport and the darkness on the edge of town caused by the surrounding mountain ranges, all from 250 miles out in space. A number of websites have posted the photo, but this is the biggest one we found.
A slot player at the Venetian hit a jackpot for $1,578,584 on Tuesday evening on a Wheel of Fortune Wild Red Sevens machine.
An observant LVAer, Rick, noticed that the Westgate Fresh Buffet is open and, knowing that it wasn't on our list of open buffets, alerted us about it. No one here had heard that it was back; it obviously reopened to no fanfare whatsoever. When we called, we found out why: It reopened on August 1 and dinner will be served Mon.-Fri. only through this Saturday. From the 14th until the 31st, breakfast and lunch will be available, but then the buffet will close completely for renovations. For now, hours and prices are: breakfast (Mon.-Fri): 7-11 a.m., $19.99; lunch: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., $22.99; dinner: 5-10 p.m., $26.99; brunch (Sat.-Sun): 7 a.m.-2 p.m., $22.99. Show a players card and get $3 off.
Back in May, VividSeats.com reported that tickets to the Las Vegas Raiders' regular-season home games were the most expensive on the resale market, averaging around $700. Another reseller site, TickPick, now says that the average $270 per ticket for the Raiders first home game, a preseason match against the Seattle Seahawks this Saturday, is "the most expensive NFL preseason resell ticket on record." The second most expensive ticket is $100 for the game between the New England Patriots and the Washington We Still Haven't Named Our Team Yets.
It looks like the Evel Knievel Museum, which opened in Topeka, Kansas, in 2017, and houses the largest collection of authentic Evel Knievel memorabilia in the world, is moving to Las Vegas. According to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, a local developer is working with a Los Angeles-based owner of a number of properties in the Arts District to relocate the museum to downtown. Though the founder of the museum that commemorates the life and stunts of Knievel, who died in 2007 at the age of 69, called the announcement "premature," with the deal "not completely done," he also indicated that it makes sense to move the museum to Las Vegas, where Knievel had a long history of performing motorcycle jumps.
Did someone mention pent-up demand? According to the American Gaming Association, the revenue from commercial (non-tribal) casinos in the United States hit $13.6 billion between April 1 and June 30 of this year, beating the previous record of $11.1 billion set in the third quarter of 2019 by more than 22%. For the first six months of the year, the commercial-gambling industry generated just under $25 billion, only $5 billion less than 2020 in its entirety and on a pace to overtake 2019's record total of $43.6 billion. The AGA reports that second-quarter gaming revenues in 22 out of 25 commercial-casino states increased compared to the second quarter of 2019, while 19 of the 25 outperformed their results over the first half of 2019.
Believe it or not, the Centers for Disease Control is worried about more than the delta and lambda variants of COVID-19. They, like millions of ordinary Americans, are concerned about zombies and a page on the CDC website goes into some detail on how to be prepared for an infestation of the walking dead. Inspired by that page, LawnLove.com, a lawn-care site, ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities for zombie preparedness, applying 23 metrics, including public health, mobility, infrastructure, survival supplies, and vulnerability. Las Vegas places 61 out of the 200, with an overall score of 37.54 (very high on infrastructure, very low on mobility). Reno ranks 114. Number one is Huntington Beach, California at 52.15, while number 200 is Laredo, Texas, at 19.41. We're not sure if LawnLove took this into account, but the Zombie Apocalypse store a block from our office on Spring Mountain Road has closed, perhaps due to pessimism over our inevitably zombified future.
In news that will please many LVA readers, Boyd Gaming has announced the date on which Main Street Station will finally reopen for the first time since the shutdown that ended 14 months ago. Drum roll, please: September 8 at 6 a.m. The hours of the Triple 7 brewpub will be open 5 p.m. until midnight Thursday through Monday only. But the best news of all for buffet fans is that the Garden Court, contrary to everything that Boyd has been hitherto touting, will be open daily for brunch from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner on Friday and Saturday 4-9 p.m.
The SuperBook at the Westgate is hosting Super Karaoke on Thursdays beginning at 10 pm. If you want to sing, text first name, last initial, song title, and artist to 702-588-2513 and you’ll be added to the list. If you want to just watch, all you have to do is show up, grab a seat, and watch the performances on one of the world's largest indoor LED video walls, taking karaoke to a whole new level. You can also eat and drink from Drafts Grill and the SuperBook Bar.
For the first time since the Raiders arrived as Las Vegas' pro football team, fans were allowed in Allegiant Stadium to watch the team go through a training camp practice. The crowd of invited season-ticket holders was estimated at 20,000 and the players and coaches were reported as enjoying it as much as the fans; they interacted as much as COVID protocols allow. The event built excitement for the Raiders' first exhibition game this Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks, which is sold out; 65,000 fans will attend the game.
The New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors kicked off the 2021 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas yesterday, the first pro basketball teams to play a game since the Milwaukee Bucks won their first championship since 1971 in June; the Knicks lost to the Toronto Raptors day 89-79. The Summer League is an off-season competition organized by the NBA to showcase rookies, sophomores, unsigned free agents, and affiliate-player rosters; the largest of the various summer leagues (Orlando, Utah, California Classic), Las Vegas' League has been taking place since 2004, though it went on hiatus last year due to the pandemic. This year, it continues through August 17, with games played at Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion, the multi-purpose indoor arena connected to the T&M where the UNLV women's basketball and volleyball teams plays. All 30 NBA teams are participating, with up to eight games per day. The League averaged more than 12,000 fans a day in 2019 and this year, general admission tickets are $40 adults, $30 kids and seniors, with the best seats reserved for $140 per game and $1,300 for the entire Summer League season. COVID protocols are in place and one game was canceled yesterday due to contact tracing for the Washington Wizards.
Wheel of Fortune, the TV program, is the longest-running syndicated game show in television history, 46 years old and approaching 7,500 episodes, and was ranked the number-two greatest game show ever by TV Guide. So it stands to reason that Wheel of Fortune, the wide-area progressive slot machine, is the most popular slot game in existence. IGT launched WoF in 1996, so it's observing its 25th anniversary this summer. When it was created, WoF was the first branded slot machine and today, upwards of 250 variations of the game appear on casino floors, with thousands of installs across the country. The game has also launched a veritable feeding frenzy among slot manufacturers for licensing deals for celebrities, TV shows and movies, and other intellectual properties (and you can read a little more about the slot-branding process in a QoD on the subject). Today's Las Vegas Review-Journal published some statistics about the game, including: 1,100 millionaires produced by WoF jackpots; the largest progressive jackpot at $14.4 million (hit in Biloxi); and $3.3 billion in jackpots paid out since the game's introduction.
A federal judge has rejected Station Casino’s suit to stall an order that requires the company to bargain in good faith with Culinary Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165. Station lost this latest round of the long and contentious clash with the unions, after losing the previous round that this appeal attempted to overturn. The judge ruled that Red Rock LLC, Station's parent company, "had not shown it could convince the Ninth Circuit that the injunction violated its First Amendment or due-process rights or that the order to bargain would irreparably harm the casino." The three-week clock that started after the previous ruling for Station to comply with several orders presumably starts up again, so we might know soon how the locals-casino giant responds to this latest drubbing.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has extended the deadline for proposals from casino companies to build a resort-casino in downtown Chicago. The original deadline of August 23 is approaching and, though no news of applications has been released, the deadline extension till October 29 seems to indicate a distinct lack of interest. Most of the major casino companies have bowed out of the running, citing Illinois' high tax structure, competition from video gaming terminals and sports betting, and thin projected profit margins. A couple of local companies have expressed interest, but at least one would raise ethical questions of patronage. Even so, Lightfoot is putting a happy face on the process, saying that she looks forward to all the "robust, impactful, and transformative proposals rolling in."
Ciryl Gane is a -350 favorite over Derrick Lewis in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jose Aldo and Pedro Munhoz are pick ’em.
The United States is a -17.5 favorite over Japan in tonight’s Olympic women’s basketball final. The total is 160.
The shock-rock band Kiss, ranked by MTV the "greatest metal band of all time" and one of the best-selling bands ever with 30 Gold albums, 14 Platinum, and three multi-Platinum, will do a residency at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. The shows are part of the band's "End of the Road" tour, scheduled for when the band members are home (three live in Las Vegas, including frontman Gene Simmons). They kick off on December 27 and run through February, but the official dates haven't been announced; watch this space for when they are.
Only a couple of days after the head of the port at Yokohama declared that he'd kill himself on the day that an integrated resort opened there, Oshidori International Development, the leading contender to develop an IR in Nagasaki, abruptly withdrew its application, citing "ethical irregularities" in the Request for Proposal (RFP) process; "independent sources" told InsideAsianGaming.com that the fix is in for an Oshidori competitor. Oshidori had spent a lot of money on its application, hiring several high-profile casino executives and enlisting the participation of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment. AIG reports that of the more than 20 casino companies that were initially interested in Japan, including Las Vegas Sands, Wynn Resorts, SunCity, and Hard Rock, only six remain in contention for the four IR locations and three are long shots at best. AIG wonders, "The question many have been whispering now needs to be asked loud and clear, 'Has the IR process in Japan failed?'" MGM Resorts, on the other hand, recently submitted its RFP to develop the IR in Osaka; MRI is the sole bidder for the Osaka license and expects to be named that IR's "designated operator" in the next few months.
The United States is a -13 favorite over France in tonight’s Olympic men’s basketball final. The total is 175.5.
For the we've-lost-count month in a row, the median price of a single-family house in Las Vegas set a new record -- and surpassed $400,000 for the first time in history. Last month, the median price hit $405,000, $10,000 higher than the previous record of $395,000 set in June and 23% higher than the median price of $330,000 in July 2020. And if you'd like to read the background story of the $25 million house that sold in June, smashing the previous record-high price for a house in Las Vegas, it's all laid out in Forbes.
Arizona casinos are launching new table games that are, at long last, permitted in the state, thanks to the new gaming compact signed by Gov. Doug Ducey last April. Craps and baccarat are already available at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino in Maricopa, southwest of Phoenix. Gila River Wild Horse Pass in Chandler debuted craps, baccarat, and roulette this morning and will launch a high-limit area with blackjack, roulette, and midi baccarat soon; Gila River's other two casinos will add the new games within a few weeks. More slots and higher betting limits are also part of the compact, along with fantasy sports, which will go live on August 28, while sports betting will follow two weeks later. The compact extension is due to expire in 2041.
A 22-year-old Las Vegas man scaled the outside of the 600-foot-tall Aria tower yesterday to "peacefully protest" the latest mask mandate. He said he'd been scouting the building for nearly a year while deciding to make the urban climb to honor his grandfather, who committed suicide during the 2020 lockdown. Police arrested the climber at the top of Aria and charged him with trespassing and disorderly conduct (though we have to say that since he was ropeless and didn't fall to his death, his conduct was anything but disorderly); he was released a couple of hours later and said he had "no regrets."
The most influential power broker at the Port of Yokohama vowed to commit seppuku (also known as harakiri, the ritual suicide part of the samurai code of honor) if an integrated resort is built somewhere in the harbor of Japan's second largest city and most prominent port. Ninety-year-old Yukio Fujiki, chairman and managing director of Fujiki Transportation & Stevedoring, chairman of Yokohama Port Harbor Resort Association, and chairman and managing director of Yokohama FM Broadcasting and known as “The Don of Yokohama," emphasized his opposition at a press conference on Tuesday. "I will not let them build an IR in the port," he said, adding, "If a casino happens, I will commit seppuku and die on its opening day.” It's unclear if Fujiki was saying it for effect or not, but it was certainly meant to discourage casino companies from bidding on the integrated resort that has been approved for Yokohama.
Prices and times for Las Vegas' few buffets have been changing as they all try to find their level. Dinner at the Wynn has been bumped up $5 to $69.95 for dinner at the Wynn, while MGM has reduced prices from $27.99 for breakfast and $36.99 for brunch to $25.99/$29.99. See our listings here for all the current prices and schedules.
The former Parasol Up at Wynn Las Vegas has reopened as the Overlook Lounge. Parasol Down is expected to close soon to also get a makeover and likely a new name.
Performing together in Las Vegas at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace since 2015, Reba McIntyre, Kix Brooks, and Ronnie Dunn have announced the final dates of what's being billed as "the longest-running country residency in Las Vegas." The trio will appear for nine more shows on December 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, and 15. Tickets go on sale the Friday August 6.
In the latest game of Las Vegas Monopoly, Vici Properties, the real estate investment trust (REIT), is acquiring the entire portfolio of its closest competitor, MGM Growth Properties. Vici is the real estate company that was spun off from Caesars Entertainment as part of its bankruptcy reorganization in October 2017; it owns the land under 29 (mostly Caesars') hotel-casinos and racetracks around the country, along with four golf courses, from which it collects $630 million in annual rent. MGM Growth Properties is the REIT for MGM Resorts and is selling the land under Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, MGM Grand, New York-New York, Park MGM, and the Mirage in the deal, which is valued at $17.2 billion. Vici is also the landlord for Caesars Palace and Harrah's and will collect rent from the Venetian/Palazzo when that deal closes in the next few months. Altogether, Vici will own 660 acres of the Las Vegas Strip. It took only three and a half years for the tables to turn completely; in early 2018, MGM Growth tried to buy Vici for just under $6 billion, but Vici turned down the offer and went public instead.
Kang's Kitchen has opened at the Rio. The Korean restaurant specializes in beef, pork, chicken, and seafood that you prepare yourself at gas grills in the middle of each table, plus "traditional and contemporary" Korean side dishes, such as soups, stews, rice, noodles, dumplings, and bibimbap. The website says that it's not just a meal; "you’ll have an exciting, satisfying, social experience." Kang's Kitchen is open Wed.-Sun. 4 p.m. to midnight.
MGM Resorts is donating two acres in the northeast section of the Las Vegas Village fairgrounds, near the corner Reno Avenue and Giles Street, for a permanent memorial of the mass shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. No designs for the memorial have been approved yet, as a second planning survey, open for public comment, is posted on the Clark County website and will run through August 15; it's a follow-up to the first survey, which was completed in March. A sign will soon be installed at the site announcing the future memorial. The concert site has not been used since the shooting.
According to AAA, the average price for regular gasoline in Las Vegas hit $4.02 per gallon on Saturday. It's a 7.5% increase since this time last month and 34% higher year over year. It's especially notable, since the national average dropped a nickel from last week's average, down to $3.22 per gallon.
Yesterday, we had unofficial word that paid parking would go into effect today at Miracle Mile Shops. Today, it's official. As of this morning, the first hour in the garage off Audrie Street is free, 2-4 hours is $12, and more than four hours is $15, which is also the daily rate. If you're staying at Elara and using timeshare points, we understand that the parking fee is waived, but if you pay retail for your accommodations, you'll also owe for parking. We couldn't confirm the cost of valet parking, other than the $30 daily rate (getting anyone on the phone at Miracle Mile management would take the patience of Job), so we'll have to visit in person and report back on the valet hourly rate after we do.
Work has begun on a makeover of the main entrance to Caesars Palace. The cost of the project wasn’t revealed, but changes will include a raised dome ceiling, a 15-foot-tall Caesars statue, and redesigned casino and bar areas. Completion is scheduled for December.
The Nevada Gaming Control Board has released its report of gaming revenue for fiscal year 2021, which ended on June 30. Statewide, the hold percentage of nearly 115,000 slot machines in 330 locations was 6.95%; by location, downtown Las Vegas' percentage was highest at 8.47%, while Reno was lowest at 5.47%. Laughlin was second highest at 8.06%, with the Strip third, holding 8.03%. In southern Nevada, Clark County casinos, cumulatively, held 7.25%, with the Balance of County lowest at 6.08%, Boulder area 6.19%, and North Las Vegas 7.17%. For table games, the statewide win was 12.92%, with 3 Card Poker the highest at 31.72% and blackjack lowest at 13.4%. Sports betting was the only listing of the 16 in the Table, Counter, and Card Games category in the single digits at 6.38%. North Las Vegas blackjack players stink; the casinos there held nearly 24% of the drop, while those on the Strip are the "best," losing at a rate of "only" 12.2%. (The mathematical expectation for a perfect basic strategy player is in the half-percent neighborhood, depending on rules.) You can have a look at the Gaming Control Board's spread sheet here.
We'd heard that paid parking at the Miracle Mile Shops would launch sometime in early July and we've been awaiting word that the gates installed in June were down and free parking was a thing of the past. Well, the word was a little delayed, but it has, in fact, arrrived. A correspondent with a timeshare at the Elara, which uses the garage for parking, tells us that the Miracle Mile Shops garage, the last great free-parking play near the center Strip, will go into effect tomorrow. We'll check it out and report back with first-hand confirmation.
That cheering sound you hear is the eruption of schadenfreude in Las Vegas over allegations that Evander Kane, the enforcer for the San Jose Sharks, is a "a compulsive gambling addict who's obviously throwing games to win money." Kane, for whom no love is lost in Vegas, often went head to head against the Vegas Golden Knights' enforcer, Ryan Reaves (who was just traded to the New York Rangers to play for the VGK's ex-coach Gerard Gallant). The accusation was posted in an Instagram note from Kane's wife Anna, who claims their house is being "taken by the bank" while Kane is partying in Europe. It's no secret that the Sharks' left-winger has a gambling history; in 2019, the Cosmopolitan sued Kane, alleging he failed to repay a $500,000 gambling debt he accrued during a playoff series against the VGK. And even if Anna Kane's denunciation turns out to be the fury of a woman scorned, it does no favors for a guy considered a villain in Las Vegas.
Railroad Pass Hotel-Casino opened on August 1, 1931, thus is celebrating its 90th anniversary today. Boulder (now Hoover) Dam was only six months into construction when Railroad Pass opened as the closest casino and speakeasy to Boulder City, a federally owned and operated company town where gambling was, and still is, illegal and hard liquor wasn't allowed until 1960. Actually, alcohol of any kind wasn't allowed anywhere in the U.S. until two years after Railroad Pass opened when Prohibition was repealed, but that didn't stop the fledgling casino from serving bootleg booze, from a back room, of course. And because the casino was situated on a failed mining claim, the feds couldn't close it (for their potential interference with dam construction), like it did others in the area. Since then, Railroad Pass has passed through a long succession of owners, but has kept the same gambling license, Number 4, that it was issued mere months after wide-open casinos were legalized in Nevada.