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Hotel occupancy overall in March was 83%, while downtown's was 69%; those compared to 93% and 88%, respectively, in March 2019. The average daily room rate was $173.63 on the Strip in March, while downtown averaged $97.96. In March 2019, they $143.83 on the Strip and $74.94 in downtown; March 2022 room rates were up 17.2% on the Strip and a major 47.9% downtown over March 2019 pre-pandemic.
Siegfried and Roy's extravagant 80-acre Las Vegas estate and 500 of their unique possessions will be auctioned off at Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers in Los Angeles on June 8 and 9. The sale will take place a year and a half after Siegfried Fischbacher died from pancreatic cancer, which followed eight months after the death of Roy Horn from complications due to COVID. Many of the possessions are big-cat themed, such as leopard-print chairs, tiger stained-glass windows, an 18-karat-gold tiger-head pendant, and a leopard-patterned Tiffany & Co. tea service; also up for sale are the electric-blue stage costumes worn by S&R in the early days of the show. All proceeds from the sale will go to support the Sarmoti Foundation, S&R's personal charity that helps protect endangered species. Get a look at some of the items and furnishings at People.com.
According to celebrity website TMZ.com, Adele is "finalizing" the details of her replacement residency at the Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. TMZ says that the new residency dates will start toward the end of summer and run through the end of the year and that Adele will maintain complete control over the show. No word on the consequences of breaking her contract with Caesars Entertainment, but we're not worried about the singer; Zappos Theater has 2,900 more seats than the Colosseum at Caesars, all of which will sell out in a snap.
The March casino-revenue stats continue their march toward the ionosphere. Statewide, gambling revenue came in at second place all-time at $1.355 billion, only $40 million (a mere .03%) below the number-one record of $1.359 billion set in July 2021. It's also 27% higher than the $1.06 billion generated in March 2021. Downtown, however, did set a revenue record, collecting $86.4 million for the month, 23% more than the $70.5 million year over year and nearly 50% higher than March 2019, six months before the opening of Circa. Clark County also set a new record with $1.18 billion, an increase of 32% over March 2021 and higher than the previous record set last July. The Strip's $746.2 million, however, didn't approach the July record of $793.6 million, but was nearly 50% higher than March 2021's $501.3 million.
The Vegas Golden Knights were eliminated from the playoffs on Wednesday night after losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in a shootout. Better luck next year. At the same time, the NHL's annual Player's Association poll results were announced. According to the players, T-Mobile Arena has the fourth best ice in the league and best in the U.S.; the three above it are in Montreal, Edmonton, and Winnipeg. Also, not surprisingly, Las Vegas is the best NHL road city in which to spend a day off, crushing the competition; we received 31% of the votes, compared to New York (17%), Ft. Lauderdale (10.4%), and L.A. (10%).
This year's National Association of Broadcasters attracted approximately 52,500 people attending the world’s largest annual convention for broadcasters and the broader media, entertainment, and technology industries. Of those, 11,500 (22%) were international conventioneers representing 155 countries. NAB bodes well for the continuing recovery of both the convention and foreign-travel segments of the Las Vegas economy. March’s just-released visitation numbers reveal that convention attendance is nearing 500,000 for the month, estimated at 90% of capacity; the 494,200 attendees in March were an increase of such a high percentage over March 2021's 30,700 conventioneers that we can't figure it out.
The NFL draft being held in Las Vegas begins at 5 p.m. PST today and will run through Saturday. The Strip will be closed off to allow the expected huge crowds to congregate. Tune in to ESPN for a first-hand look at the wildness in front of Bellagio and near the LINQ Promenade.
The Palms reopened last night at 9 p.m. to a big crowd. It hasn't changed physically all that much, given that it had undergone a $650 million upgrade shortly before closing for the pandemic (the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians paid exactly that to buy the place). We were interested in the fast-food counters at the food court, which hadn't been announced, but were mostly the same: McDonald's, Freshii, Panda Express, Coffee Bean, and Earl of Sandwich, with Palms Pizza the new kid on the block. We'll be covering the property, the first in Las Vegas to be owned wholly by a Native American tribe, in depth and detail in the May issue of the Las Vegas Advisor.
Project63, the four-story retail center going up between the Cosmopolitan and City Center at the southwest corner of the Strip and Harmon Avenue, was topped off yesterday as the last steel beam was set into place at the peak of the roof. The ceremony took place one year to the day after the close of the sale by MGM Resorts of the two-acre property, previously occupied by the failed Harmon condo tower. The developer bought it for $40 million an acre, which is in line with what Tilman Fertitta is reportedly paying for the six-acre site directly across the Strip: $33.3 million. The first tenants are scheduled to move into the tentatively named Project63 in October as the rest is built out by February. The center is nearly 80% leased, though no tenants have been announced.
Billionaire Tilman Fertitta, owner of the Golden Nugget, Landry's, and the Houston Rockets, has purchased six acres of Strip property at the southeast corner of Harmon Avenue, across from Planet Hollywood to the north and the Shops at Crystals to the west, for $200 million. Though Fertitta and his media contacts, along with the seller of the site, have neither confirmed nor denied the report, the Las Vegas Review-Journal announced it in an article in this morning's edition. According to the R-J's sources, Fertitta is planning to build a Strip-size resort-casino, which would necessitate tearing down the Tex-Mex Tequila Bar and Grill, which occupies the old Harley Davidson Cafe, and the Travelodge next door.
A Boeing 747 jumbo jet that appeared on the sands of the Black Rock Desert at the 2016 Burning Man Festival has been purchased by Fisher Brothers, the New York-based real estate company that owns Area15. The jet will be moved to Area15 in pieces, then reassembled on the property; it's half the length of a football field. In the press release, the possibilities for the jet, which flew for a Brazilian airline and is currently being housed at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, "are endless." We'll see what develops.
When it opened, Circa resurrected the 99-cent shrimp cocktail made famous over decades at the Golden Gate across the street. It has been available at Saginaw's Deli, with the purchase of an entree, between 3 and 5 a.m. (it’s $11 at all other times). Rumor has it that Saginaw has sold seven of them in the past year and a half. Some luster has finally been returned to the deal, which is now available starting at midnight. It still ends at 5 a.m., but we can see how a lot more people having a midnight snack will take advantage. Ourselves, if we're downtown at midnight, we'll pop into Saginaw's, enjoy the shrimp cocktail, and take the pastrami sandwich home. Also, we understand that a bowl of matzo ball soup ($10) qualifies as the entree. Chicken soup and a shrimp cocktail for $11 -- now that's a fine midnight snack. (And thanks once again to Canada Roy for alerting us to this change.)
Our next professional sports team unveiled its name and brand yesterday. Las Vegas' National Lacrosse League (NLL) team will be called the Desert Dogs, which was chosen from 2,500 submissions submitted by fans on the team's website. In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the team CEO said, "We believe the Desert Dog is a perfect embodiment of Las Vegas — fast, scrappy, and powerful alone, but unstoppable as a pack.” The owners include Brooklyn Nets owner Joseph Tsai, along with Nets head coach Steve Nash, the NHL's Wayne Gretzky, and the PGA's Dustin Johnson. The Desert Dogs' new coach, when the team debuts in December at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay, will be NLL Hall of famer Shawn Williams.
As of Sunday May 1, the name of Greektown Hotel-Casino in Detroit will be changed to Hollywood Casino at Greektown. Greektown will be the 19th of Penn's 44 properties in 20 states that has been rebranded with the "Hollywood" name. These include the original three Hollywood casinos in Aurora (Illinois), Tunica, and Shreveport, which Penn bought in 2003.
The Plaza's new live-music and craft-cocktail venue, the Sand Dollar Lounge, will be rocking the casino floor starting May 26, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. The venerable and iconic local Las Vegas bar will put on free nightly entertainment, from local bands to national headliners, accompanied by original handcrafted cocktails, pizza, and pool. The second location for the blues bar, the Sand Dollar Lounge Downtown will remain true to the vibes of the original, but with more room, hosting a crowd of up to 300 guests in the 4,000-square-foot space adjacent to the casino. The additional space allows for significant upgrades, including a larger stage area, more dance space, and expanded booth seating.
Buddy Valastro, star of the hit TLC series "Cake Boss," has opened the Jersey Eats food truck at the Linq. The menu includes a "ripper" hot dog and a cheesy "sandweech." Any day now, Valastro will also launch the Boss Café by Buddy Valastro inside the Linq. It will serve a variety of fresh-baked bread, sandwiches, pizza, and pastries. The highlight of the restaurant will be the Mozz Bar (pronounced "mootz"). Patrons can top the fresh house-made mozzarella on warm bread with basil pesto, roasted and/or spicy peppers, tomatoes, tomato-olive relish, fresh basil, and balsamic. Sounds good. Valastro has a pizza place, Pizza Cake, at Harrah's, with his signature cake vending machine.
Circa Sports has inked a multi-year "jersey entitlement partnership" with the Vegas Golden Knights for the team's jerseys worn during the home games played at T-Mobile Arena. The home jersey patch, which will begin being worn at the start of next season, is the Golden Knights' first official jersey-entitlement partnership. From the very beginning, Derek Stevens, owner of Circa (and the D and Golden Gate), has been an avid supporter of the team; the D was one of its first sponsors. No financial details have been announced (but we wonder if Stevens might've gotten a lower price after last night's loss all but eliminated the VGK from the playoffs).
With the National Association of Broadcasters Convention in town currently, some attention is being focused on the entertainment possibilities of the world's first MSG Sphere, slated to open here sometime next year. An article in the Hollywood Reporter mentions the usual "immersive filmed entertainment and live events including concerts," but also floats one intriguing idea: live action. The Reporter cites the Sphere's creative team, which has confirmed that they have "already placed cameras — newly developed systems that look like 3D rigs on steroids — in Antarctica, with plans to place one on the International Space Station." A real-time surround-view live hookup to a working space station 250 miles above the Earth? We'll be there.
With the Las Vegas Raiders officially "hosting" the NFL Draft, the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign will be adorned with the Raiders colors. A ceremony will be held at the sign tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. and county officials will join Raiders president Dan Ventrelle in "coloring" the sign silver and black. By the way, the Raiders first draft pick will be the 86th overall; they traded their first two picks this year to the Green Bay Packers as part of their acquisition of superstar wide receiver Davante Adams.
We've seen all of one lone estimate for the number of people likely to attend the NFL Draft, which runs Thursday through Saturday, and it's almost incomprehensible. Rick Velotta, the long-time business writer for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, calculated that if the size of the crowd at the last live NFL Draft (600,000, Nashville, 2019) is any indication, Las Vegas could top a whopping one million "NFL OnePass app check-ins" over the three-day event. Even considering that the same person can check in several different times next weekend, that will still add up to more people than Las Vegas has ever seen at one time in one place, including the busiest New Year's weekend in history. To further complicate matters, at least at the airport, the National Association of Broadcasters convention is taking place between now and Wednesday, with an estimated 75,000 attendees; Wednesday's a good day to avoid the airport if you can.
Last week we warned about likely traffic snarls on Flamingo crossing the Strip and, unfortunately, we confirmed it yesterday -- first-hand. The big problem is heading east on Flamingo, where it took nearly a half-hour to travel from I-15 to the corner of the Strip. Once across, things opened up; traffic was flowing normally heading west. While it’s not clear what the specific cause of the slowdown is, it has something to do with the building of the All Star set for the NFL Draft outside of Bellagio and at the LINQ Promenade. Hence, it figures to remain a trouble-spot into the first week of May, when the set is dismantled. Avoid this one if you can.
This morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the low-rise Travelodge, wedged between Circus Circus and the Sky Tower condo high-rise, is for sale. The asking price for the 100-room motel and a gift shop occupying 1.8 acres is, in a word, laughable; the owners are asking $52 million, nearly $29 million an acre. First of all, they paid $7.4 million less than four years ago. Second, 12 acres across the Strip just sold for $75 million, $6.25 million per. And third, though the north Strip is gaining traction, it's still the redheaded stepchild to the center and south Strip. We put the over/under at $10 million and we'll take the under.
Fox5Vegas reports that the Las Vegas Aviators, the minor league affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, are drawing more fans to Las Vegas Ballpark than the A's are to Oakland Coliseum. Though a AAA team's gate being higher than its MLB team is rare, it's no surprise: The Oakland Coliseum is a pit that no one wants to spend an afternoon or evening at; there's no love lost in Oakland for the A's, embroiled in a political dispute with the city and probably moving to Vegas; and Las Vegas Ballpark is new, fun, and inexpensive. On Tuesday, the turnout in Oakland was the lowest in 40 years and the Aviators attracted nearly 2,000 more fans. On Wednesday, the A's set a new record low and the Aviators doubled the fan count. And on Thursday, 4,429 fans attend the A's game, while 7,255 turned out for the Aviators. Come to Vegas, Oakland. You'll do better here.
In the latest episode of our Weekly Update video, the fellas hit on the end of the mask mandate at airports and on airplanes (not breaking news, but big for Vegas), another new development on the north end of the Strip, the closing of the Strip for the NFL Draft next weekend, the Downtown Rocks free concert series, a shoutout to Daniel Arias, one of two chefs at Peyote (a new favorite hang), and even the Jackpot of the Week by none other than our very own -- drum roll, please -- Jean Scott. Turn on, tune in, and don't forget to like and subscribe.
BestOdds.com, employing ticket-sales data from Billboard magazine, compiled the top-five-grossing Las Vegas residencies in history. Interestingly, the top five involved only three performers, with Elton John occupying rankings 5 and 3 and Celine Dion taking numbers 1 and 2. Over the seven years of his "Million Dollar Piano" residency (2011-2018), Elton grossed $131.2 million, while over the five years of his "Red Piano" stint (2004-2009), it was $166.4 million. "Celine," which ran from 2011 to 2019, earned $292.2 million, while appropriately, the original "A New Day" (2003-2007), which launched all the residencies that followed, took in $385.1 million. All four residencies happened at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Placing in the fourth slot was Britney Spears' "A Piece of Me" (2013-2017) at Planet Hollywood, grossing $137.7 million.
Reports out of Britain say that Adele has sacked the creative team that had worked on her canceled show at the Colosseum at Caesars. Disagreements over design and production values between the singer and the team are believed to have imploded the residency schedule and the Telegraph claims that a documentary crew taping the show’s development and rehearsals have footage of the final blow-up. The Las Vegas Review-Journal's John Katsilometes writes that "the grand staircase, onstage lake setting, aerial rigging, band riser for 20 musicians, and rain curtain that filled the blackened pond are all long gone," while the fate of the 60-member choir is unknown. Adele has reportedly hired a new design team, so that she can fulfill her 24 dates sometime this year.
In advance of the Palms reopening next Wednesday, a press release IDs the whole list of dining options. Along with the previously announced A.Y.C.E. Buffet, Mabel's BBQ, and Scotch 80 Prime, the dim sum room Tim Ho Wan will return; Send Noodles will offer ramen bowls. In addition, the Serrano Vista will be the coffee shop (Serrano will also be the name of the player club), while it looks like Palms Pizza will occupy the vacant Side Piece Pizza location. Poolside dining will be available from the Pool Cafe. No word yet on what the food court will look like, but apparently, Greene Street Kitchen won't return. Too bad.
Low-cost startup Breeze Airways is launching eight new routes from New York's Westchester County Airport in White Plains, 30 miles north of Manhattan. The one flying to Las Vegas begins September 8 with daily round-trip non-stop flights and fares starting at $149 for Nice class, $239 for Nicer, and $249 for Nicest. Breeze will also connect Las Vegas to Hartford, Connecticut, starting on September 7 and flying Wednesdays and Saturdays with the same fares.
Juan Luis Londoño Arias, known professionally as Maluma, is a globally known singer, songwriter, actor, and activist from Colombia. Maluma "and friends" will take over Resorts World for what's being billed as a one-of-a-kind weekend, Maluma Land, full of Latin music performances and events. Maluma will headline, along with Becky G, DJ Snake, Zion & Lennox, Blessd, and other special guests. VIP upgrades provide entry to the special events, including a mariachi brunch hosted by Maluma at Fuhu and a private event at the Resorts World speakeasy, Here Kitty Kitty. Tickets are limited to hotel packages starting at $2,200 for two and go up to a listed price of $50,000 for the Super VIP Experience for eight.
In addition to the regular sign-up bonuses at Ellis Island, if you play a mere $200 coin-in, you can get the Top Ten top sirloin steak special.
It's available for new players club members on the same gaming date as you sign up for the club.
A story by the Review-Journal's excellent transportation reporter Mick Akers in this morning's paper runs down the situation for mask wearing around the valley. Masks are not required at Reid International, on Uber and Lyft rides, in taxicabs, on the RTC buses, and on the Las Vegas Monorail. That about covers all the transportation options here. Masks are optional, of course, and Uber/taxi drivers can refuse to take unmasked riders and riders can refuse to ride with unmasked drivers.
For several years, the Las Vegas North Premium Outlets charged $5 to park for zero-three hours and $10 for more than three and up to 24 hours. LVA correspondent Canada Roy reports that the $10 charge has been dropped and now it's $5 to park all day. There is no in-and-out privilege, though Nevada residents get to park for free.
According to a survey by the gaming division of investment firm Truist Securities, hotel-room rates in Las Vegas showed year-over-year "growth" (meaning higher dollar amounts) of 82% in January, 87% in February, and 77% in March. Rates are trending 74% so far in April, with projections estimated at 66% in June and all the way up to 82% in July. In addition, now that conventions are returning in force to Las Vegas, Truist analysts expect midweek rates to rise in the second half of 2022. As an aside, Truist also predicted that Caesars Entertainment's much-anticipated sale of a Strip hotel-casino is now expected to happen in July or August.
By analyzing UFO- and ghost-sighting reports across the U.S., a new report from GreatLakesStakes.com reveals the locations that possess the greatest chance of seeing something spooky. Nevada reportedly experienced almost 1,580 extraterrestrial sightings, ranking it in 34th place among the 50 states; its 366 ghost sightings places it at ninth lowest. California was crowned the Extraterrestrial Capital with 15,072 UFO encounters since records began. Florida and Washington followed, with 7,513 and 6,270 sightings, respectively. North and South Dakota residents sit at the bottom of the list with only 264 and 355 sightings reported. Texas was home to the most spirit sightings (7,382), followed by California and Ohio.
A federal judge in Florida yesterday voided the federal mask mandate, saying that it exceeded the authority of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and not only failed to justify the order, but didn't follow proper procedures. Almost immediately, the Transportation Security Administration ended the mask mandate at all airports and other transportation hubs, including Reid International. Masks are also no longer required on airplanes, though the individual airline companies, along with airports and transportation companies, can require them and, of course, anyone is free to wear a mask at their discretion.
Hang onto your hats and skirts: Winds of up to 50 miles an hour are blowing around Las Vegas today. It's the third windstorm in a week; last week's gusts of up to 70 mph ripped the Beatles Love sign on the Mirage marquee to shreds. NV Energy has shut down all electricity to the Mt. Charleston residences in a "public-safety management outage" due to extreme wildfire danger. The National Weather Service's high-wind advisory runs through 9 p.m.
Red Rock Resorts, parent company of Station Casinos, lost yet another round to union organizers late last week. Red Rock lost a court decision, then an appeal to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court, then a National Labor Relations Board ruling, and now, a finding from NLRB administrative law judge over the three-year-old lawsuit stemming from the company's "unlawful conduct and numerous unlawful statements and threats made to employees in mandatory and captive-audience meetings by high-level managers." The judge ordered the company, in no uncertain terms, to "recognize and negotiate with" the Culinary and Bartenders unions.
Last year, the Vegas Golden Knights pro hockey team was the first in the entire league to clinch a playoff berth; it was the fourth year in a row the expansion team made it out of the regular season. This year, they're in danger of missing the Big Dance entirely. With six games left to play, they trail the L.A. Kings for the fourth spot in the Western Conference and are behind the Nashville Predators and Dallas Stars, whom they play on April 26 in Dallas, for the two wild-card spots. It's going to be a photo finish for Vegas between now and the last game of the regular season against the St. Louis Blues (second in the Western Conference) on April 29.
If you saw this week's LVA YouTube, you caught a short segment about the Lucky Club (formerly Speedway) in North Las Vegas, which is "going Latino." More details have emerged about what that means. In a feature in this morning's Review-Journal, business reporter Richard Velotta writes that the Lucky is developing "the first U.S. hotel-casino dedicated to the Latino community." Primarily, it's going into partnership with Ojos Locos (Crazy Eyes) Sports Cantina and will host the nation's largest venue, for which the property is undergoing renovations slated for completion by the end of the year. The Latino sports bar brand boasts 18 restaurants in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, showing sports in Spanish. The Lucky Club will be renamed again, but the new name has yet to be announced.
Tesla recently completed a giant solar electricity-generating facility outside Boulder City. Arevon Townsite Solar and Storage consists of 528,084 solar panels and a 90-megawatt/360-megawatt-hour Tesla battery pack. When fully engaged, Arevon has the capacity to power 60,000 homes, while avoiding 400,000 tons of carbon-dioxide emissions annually. Construction took a little more than two years to complete. Ten percent of Boulder City's energy will be supplied by Arevon; surplus will go into the grid via a 230-kilovolt substation tied into the Mead Substation just outside the city limit.
Vicente Luque is a -180 favorite over Belal Muhammad in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Caio Borralho and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev are pick ’em.
The United States Football League opens its season today. While multiple attempts have been made to launch a football league that can compete with the NFL, the USFL has the advantage of the proliferation of legal sports betting and the league says that sports books in 15 states, including Nevada, can accept bets on its games. In today’s inaugural game in the eight-team league, the Birmingham Stallions are -3 favorites over the New Jersey Generals. The total is 40. Three games will be played tomorrow.
Café Lola, the European-style café featuring breakfast, brunch, and afternoon tea all day long with locations in Summerlin and Henderson, is opening this summer at the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. Café Lola was named "Nevada's most Instagrammable café" by the Food Network for its pink-hued floral walls and velvet couches. The Strip location, slated to open in the next few months, will feature patio seating, a frosé walk-up window, and (of course) a secret photo room.
LVA correspondent Michael wrote to tell us that Cook E. Jarr finally got his star for the Walk of Stars on the Strip. It's located right outside Paris by the Eiffel Tower. Michael says, "Congrats to the Jarrman, a Vegas fixture since 1982." We second the sentiment. And if you're interested in the backstory on the Cookster, we wrote him up in a 2018 Question of the Day. If you'd like to learn more about the Walk of Stars, we also did a QoD on that.
After last year's cancellation, the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend has returned to the Orleans for a four-day run through Sunday. VLV is Vegas' longest-running music festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary this weekend, as well as and the largest rockabilly event in the world. VLV is featuring no less than 80 bands, 20 DJs, along with 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. Tickets range from $40 to $230; one-day tickets are available for the car show.
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, a sports bar with an underdog culture, Louisiana-inspired menu, and family-friendly atmosphere, has opened at Harrah’s. Based in Baton Rouge, Walk-On's was founded in 2003 by Brandon Landry, a former walk-on basketball player at LSU. The sports theme is in overdrive here, with 82 TVs, Drew Bress a co-owner, and a Number-One Sports Bar in America nod from ESPN. Open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., Walk-On's serves Louisiana classics, such as crawfish etouffee, duck and Andouille gumbo, and red beans and rice ($7.99/$14.99), po'boys ($20), catfish Atchafalaya ($28), and shrimp and grits ($29). The Harrah's location is also the first to feature a full breakfast menu, from beignets ($7.99) to the French toast bacon double cheeseburger ($23).
Brenden Theatres will reopen on Friday April 29, only two days after its host casino the Palms finally returns from the pandemic shutdown. The theater has undergone a "dramatic upgrade in technology and customer experience," according to the press release, including a renovated lobby and lounge, a new bar, and graffiti-lined hallways. All that is in addition to the fully reclining leather seats and three large-format theaters featuring JB-X, IMAX, and Dolby ATMOS with state-of-the-art immersive sound systems. The reopening takes advantage of such summer blockbusters as Doctor Strange, Top Gun Maverick, Jurassic World, and Thor.
Another week, another great LVA YouTube Weekly Update. In this one, Anthony and Andrew discuss the proposed new $3 billion resort-casino-arena announced for south of the Strip near Silverton, specifically tackling the question: How many sports arenas can Las Vegas support? There's also news about a North Las Vegas casino, the Lucky Club, switching to a Latino theme (we're not sure what that means, but we'll be checking it out), the Dionne Warwick situation, a shoutout for one of Anthony's favorite bars (and bartenders), and two jackpots of the week (the second one Andrew's first royal). Click for Slick and his Sidekick! And don't forget to like and subscribe.
Based on the monthly internet-browser search volume from 34 members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OPEC) for the six most popular gambling games, a Betway.com analysis concludes that the most popular casino game worldwide is poker. Poker garnered an average of 567,900 searches per month during the study period, more than twice the number of the second-most popular game, blackjack, with 267,000. Fully 31 out of the 34 countries studied valued poker as their favorite game, with the U.S. first (141,000 searches). Third on the list is roulette (193,800), followed by baccarat (159,800), the specific poker game Texas Hold 'em (30,870), and slots (28,890).
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has announced that it will opening up its parking lots for the NFL Draft, which takes place here April 28-30. Hearty hikers can hoof it the two-plus miles from the Convention Center itself to the main stage that will be set up in back of the LINQ; everyone else can catch the Monorail from the Convention Center station to the LINQ-Harrah's station. Monorail tickets start at $5 for a single ride; for a three-day pass that will cover the entire Draft event, they're $29.
Our newest release, Weighing the Odds in Sports Betting by King Yao, is in the house and shipping out as of this moment. It's not a new book, but it has stood the test of time, given that Yao takes an analytical approach to betting sports that is, essentially, timeless. The book covers all the common wagering options, along with middling, scalping, hedging, key numbers, betting pools, risk management, the sports betting market, and other professional-level considerations.
Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist John Katsilometes caught a rehearsal earlier this week of the new show at the STRAT, Rouge, produced by the same company that does Wow at the Rio and Extravaganza at Bally's. Kats writes that Rouge "looks like topless dancers added to Wow and Extravaganza" and bills itself as the sexiest show in Vegas by trying "to fill the void left by the closing of Zumanity." Rouge is a variety show like the other two, though the ladies in the cast of 19 sometimes go topless. It features acrobats, a skating duo, hand balancers, aerial artists, jugglers, a bedroom scene, "and a water number in a giant martini glass." The show goes on at 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, 10 p.m. only Wednesday through Sunday; tickets start at $49.
Even with the pandemic slowdown and the trickle of travelers from abroad, Reid International Airport placed 10th on the list of the world's busiest airports in 2021, according to trade association Airports Council International. Reid handled 39.7 million passengers last year, down from a record 51 million in 2019. The numbers-one-through-seven busiest airports were Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Chicago (O'Hare), Los Angeles (LAX), Charlotte (NC), and Orlando. Eight and nine were in China.
As crews start to build the NFL Draft's red-carpet stage over the Bellagio fountains tomorrow, traffic at the intersection of the Strip and Flamingo Road will be impacted. Flamingo Road, especially heading westbound, is typically the worst thoroughfare for crossing the Strip without the lane closures that the Draft is necessitating. At least two lanes will be closed through April 27. Then that whole area will be shut down during the Draft April 28-30. The lane restrictions will also be in place Sunday May 1 through Friday May 6 for the teardown and cleanup. So if you're driving across the Strip between now and May 6, we strongly advise that you use Harmon to the south and Spring Mountain to the north, or even farther away on Tropicana and the Desert Inn Arterial.
One flew east, one flew west, one flew over the cuckoo's nest. In other words, here we go again. Due to another COVID surge in the Northeast and less than six weeks after dropping its last mandate on March 2, Philadelphia has reinstituted the regulation that masks must be worn indoors citywide starting next Monday. That includes both casinos, Live! Philadelphia and Rivers Casino. How far the mandate, and COVID itself will spread this time, is anyone's guess.
In the latest sign that things are getting closer to normal, Magnolia's, the classic coffee shop at the Four Queens downtown, is now open from 7 a.m. to 3 a.m. It previously closed at 2 p.m., then went to 11 p.m. for a little while. Prior to the pandemic, it operated 24 hours a day and it looks like it's moving in that direction.
Chalk up another immersive entertainment experience for the Area15 Millennials mall. This Friday, Illuminarium will open the company's flagship venue at Area15, along with Lumin Café & Kitchen, run by James Beard Award-nominated husband-wife team Elizabeth Blau and Kim Canteenwalla. The press release calls Illuminarium a “VR-without-the-glasses cinematic experience: Illuminarium places visitors inside the story as it unfolds around them." Tickets for each experience -- Space, Safari, and Georgia O'Keeffe Flowers -- start at $40 (standard) and run to $60 (includes souvenir, flex entry, and $10 voucher for the cafe or gift shop); a ticket for Wild After Dark (the Safari show) is $80 and includes a drink.
Famous Foods Street Eats at Resorts World continues to diversify its list of food and beverage offerings with the debut of four new counters. Adding to the lineup at the 24,000-square-foot Asian hawker-inspired venue are Fuhu Cha Chaan Teng (dim sum, congee, rice, noodle, and soup options), Famous Pho, Burger Barn (with an Asian twist, such as teriyaki sauce, Tobanjan slaw, cheese and kimchi mayonnaise), and Harajuku Ramen. Famous Foods now boasts 17 food stalls, the center bar, and a hidden speakeasy; it's the only destination in the country with the most Michelin Plate- and Bib Gourmand-recognized eateries under one roof.
A study by RealEstateWitch.com, "The Best Weed Cities in the U.S.," ranks Las Vegas fourth out of 50 U.S. cities. The report is based on analyses of public data from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Google Trends, Price of Weed, and others; it weighted the findings, among others, by the legality of cannabis (30x), Google Trends data for 13 common marijuana search terms (10x), the price of a high-quality ounce (9x), the price of a medium-quality ounce (8x), the number of dispensaries per 100,000 residents within 25 miles (7x), and of course the number of Taco Bells per 100,000 residents (4x). Denver is the best city for stoners with nearly 10 dispensaries per 100,000 residents; the average city on the list has 1.4. California boasts six cities in the top 15 and Sacramento has the least expensive weed prices of all 50 cities studied. Oklahoma City placed highest for “pot passion,” with residents searching Google for cannabis-related terms more than twice the national average. Las Vegas placed fourth overall, behind Denver, Portland (OR), and Sacramento, ranking number one for head shops (2.5 per 100,000 residents), 212% more than the average at 0.8.
The new LVA Weekly YouTube Update is up and is a really cool episode, if we do say so ourselves. Anthony gives his in-depth take on the reopening of the Palms in 12 days (not that we're counting). He also provides the inside scoop on Mattress Mack's March Madness $10.26 million winning bet, reveals where you can find him every Sunday (and why), promotes a great new dining app for Vegas, and even describes an old-school video poker trick with an ashtray. You'll enjoy the 12-plus-minute video and that's a guarantee! Don't forget to like and subscribe.
Starting in the next couple of weeks, 64 parking meters will be installed on streets and in parking lots within the Arts District downtown. If you're going to any of the art galleries, antique and vintage shops, bohemian bars, hair salons, and restaurants (including Soulbelly, Las Vegas' best barbecue) that stretch from a couple of blocks south of E. Charleston Blvd. bordered by I-15 to as far north as Fremont Street, expect to pay $2 per hour with a four-hour time limit. The meter fees will help pay for a $20 million parking garage slated to open in the District in 2025.
Going into today’s final round of the Masters golf tournament, three-stroke leader Scottie Scheffler is a -235 favorite to win. Cameron Smith is +215, Sungjae Im is +1650, and Justin Thomas is +5700.
Alexander Volkanovski is a -820 favorite over Chan Sung Jung in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Petr Yan is -535 over Aljamain Sterling.
Steve Siegel, principal in the Siegel Group, has acquired right around 10 acres of vacant land on the Strip and along Convention Center Drive for $75 million. The Siegel Group owns all the Siegel Suites motel-cum-short-term-rental complexes throughout the city, along with Siegel's Bagelmania on Convention Center Drive and two acres around the restaurant, for 12 acres altogether on and right off the north Strip. The Strip acreage is directly across from Resorts World and just south of the Convention Center's West Wing parking lot; it hems in the Silver City shopping center on the corner of the Strip and Convention Center Drive (Walgreen's, Ross Dress for Less, Denny's) on two sides. Siegel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he's in no hurry to build out the site, but that's he's "eyeing" the possibility of a hotel-casino, condo, and retail development.
It always happens in April and even May: Temperatures in the 90s drop tens of degrees suddenly. And so it will next week. From a predicted high today of 93, the thermometer will plunge to a predicted low on Tuesday and Wednesday of around 43. The cold front moving in will bring with it a chance of rain, which would also be unusual; April typically sees nary a drop of precipitation. Temperatures will return to seasonal norms in the high 70s and low 80s starting on Thursday.
Will Korean pop-band BTS' four-show appearance this weekend and next be remembered 60 years from now, like the Beatles' concert at the Convention Center in 1964? Time will tell, but the hoopla surrounding the first concert tonight is certainly reminiscent of Beatlemania. All four shows, 260,000 seats worth, sold out during the band’s fan-club presale (no tickets made it to the general public) and resale tickets for the good seats, though dropping a little as show times get closer, are still going for five figures. The Strip, City Hall, and even Reid International turned up the violet lights in a tribute to BTS' color. The Bellagio Fountains are featuring two of the bands hits, “Butter” and “Dynamite,” with fans going nuts over life-size cardboard cutouts in attendance. BTS-themed pop-ups are selling authorized merchandise everywhere and the bands' merch company is actively going after the unauthorized knockoffs. All four shows will be broadcast live to ticketless fans at MGM Grand Garden Arena in a “live play” event and MGM Resorts has been selling BTS-themed hotel rooms that come with "exclusive keepsakes," including special note cards with messages from band members and BTS Do Not Disturb door hangers. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, you can catch the last performance, Saturday the 17th, which will be streamed live worldwide.
After only six performances at the Stirling Club at Turnberry Place, Dionne Warwick has called off all remaining shows, scheduled to run through December. Reports are citing "unforeseen circumstances," which could include a fall that caused a leg injury. Warwick also missed being honored, along with Paul Anka, at this week's UNLV College of Fine Arts Hall of Fame Induction Dinner.
In a lot of ways -- cashless gaming, Asian food court, 100,000-square-foot West Tower LED display, 50-foot-diameter interior globe, even robotic-puppy greeters -- Resorts World marches to its own drummer. Now comes word that the 10-month-old property released more than 100,000 ladybugs on Wednesday to help control pests throughout the exterior landscaping. Ladybugs prey on plant-destroying insects, such as aphids, mites, mealybugs, whiteflies, small caterpillars, and insect eggs and pupae. In addition, ladybugs not only help reduce the need for insecticides on the property, but when they're done cleaning up RW's horticulture, they'll travel up to 75 miles to look for more food. In that way, they'll benefit vegetation all over the valley.
The Downtown Rocks free concerts that take place every spring-summer-fall will continue this year, starting on April 23 and winding up on November 19 with the Stone Temple Pilots. In between will be 13 shows, mostly on Saturday nights, with acts (that we like or at least have heard of) including the Starship (May 29), Molly Hatchet (July 4), Sebastian Bach (July 23), Rick Springfield, Men at Work, John Waite (Sept. 23), and Slaughter (Oct. 22). For the full schedule, go to vegasexperience.com/downtown-rocks-free-concerts.
In a story in this morning's Review-Journal, business writer Richard Velotta reports that room rates during three large events in the next three weeks are "four to five times higher than April 2021’s average rate. Some hotels are asking more than $1,000 a night for a stay." During the Korean boy band BTS' four shows at Allegiant Stadium, the average nightly rate among the major and minor hotel-casinos is $476.38, while over the course of the National Broadcasters Association trade show, it's $339 and for the NFL Draft, it's $403.25. These prices compare to $109.36 a night throughout April 2021. Which proves yet again that if you're looking for value, it's always best to avoid the large events; also, that Tik Tok's mega K-Pop sensation means big big money everywhere they go.
The median price of a used single-family house in Las Vegas went up again in March. It was the 11th of the past 12 months that the price set a new record. March's median of $460,000 was $10,000 more than February's record (2.2%), $97,000 more than March 2011 (27%), and $141,000 more than March 2020 (31%). Similarly, the median price of a condo/townhome was $270,000 last month, up from $194,000 year over year (28%) and $185,000 in March 2020 (31%). With mortgage interest rates hovering around 5% for a 30-year-fixed, demand was expected to slow down, but last month at least, it didn't. In addition, houses are selling faster than ever; 83% of the houses that sold in March were on the market for 30 days or less, up from 77% February and 74% year over year, according to the Las Vegas Realtors trade association.
John Rahm is the favorite at 10-1 to win golf's Masters tournament. He’s followed by Justin Thomas at 12-1 and Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, both at 16-1. Tiger Woods, playing his first major since a career-threatening auto accident, is 60-1.
If you live in Canada and your Las Vegas Advisor has been slow to arrive in the mail, you’re not alone. We’ve gotten several reports of extremely slow service to Canada, apparently due to the newsletter being mailed without an envelope. We’re using envelopes for Canadian addresses beginning in May, but in the meantime, LVA members can read each new edition online no later than the first day of every month.
In this week's video, Anthony and Andrew discuss the results of the Las Vegas Advisor’s annual ticket-price survey. For the first time ever, the average price is above $100. The good news is, there are plenty of discounts and alternative entertainment options with lower price tags. Also discussed is the Formula One Race that’s now set for the Strip, including a description of the course. This week’s jackpot is sweet dealt straight flush. No big deal, you say? It was dealt on a 100 Play machine! And don't forget to like and subscribe.
Online sports betting, poker, and casino gambling went live yesterday in Ontario, Canada. Considered one of the potentially most lucrative markets in North America, there are already 25 different operators and more are pending approval.
At last, the Palms has set a date. The resort will reopen under the ownership and management of the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians on April 27 and reservations are being accepted for stays beginning April 28. The resort has been shuttered since March 2020.
Kansas is a -4 favorite over North Carolina in the NCAA Basketball Championship game. The total is 152.
Tonight’s NCAA Basketball Championship will be played at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, marking yet another step forward in gambling’s burgeoning presence in sports. Whereas professional sports leagues have been quicker to embrace casino advertising, the NCAA has been less enthusiastic. However, there’s no way to keep the Caesars name out of tonight’s game, given that it paid $138 million for the naming rights to the arena. But it's not a total victory. Caesars Entertainment advertising inside the arena has been covered up throughout the Final Four by contractual agreement.
The NFL draft will bring lots of business to Las Vegas, but it will also cause traffic problems. Portions of the Strip will be shut down beginning April 13 to allow the event set-up and continue in varying degrees through May 6. The Strip will be closed completely from Flamingo Rd. to the Bellagio entrance from 10 p.m. on April 27 to 9 p.m. April 30, with some access opened late-night on those dates.
South Carolina is a -4.5 favorite over Connecticut in today's NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game. The total is 125.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards will take place at MGM Grand tonight. It’s the first time the Grammys have been held in Las Vegas, following a postponement from its originally planned January date in Los Angeles. The show isn’t open to the public, but will be broadcast on CBS. An aside: There are rumblings of grumblings related to the scarcity of certain assets in Vegas, such as “expert tailors” and “luxury cars” to transport the stars.
Duke is a -4 favorite over North Carolina in today's second Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 153.5.
Kansas is a -4 favorite over Villanova in today's first Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 132.
The 18th International Conference on Gambling and Risk Taking has been announced for May 23-25, 2023 at Park MGM in Las Vegas. Generally considered the premier gathering of gambling experts and academics, the conference is held about every three years (the most recent in 2019) dating back to 1974.
Convening in the Black Rock Desert 90 miles north of Reno for the first time since 2019, Burning Man will take place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 5 this year. Talk about pent-up demand: Tickets went on sale Wednesday at noon and sold out in one hour. Even more remarkably, there were no reports of glitches in distributing 20,000 tickets (10,000 main-sale sold for $575, up from $425 in 2019, while another 10,000 vehicle tickets sold for $140, up from $100). Approximately 80,000 people are expected to attend the dustfest over Labor Day weekend.
April is a gorgeous month weather-wise hereabouts. It's dry (average rainfall just a tenth of an inch) and mostly sunny, with daily high temperatures rising from around 74 degrees on April 1 to around 82 on April 30 and lows ranging from 52 to 61. A record high of 99 degrees was set on the 24th in 2012, the 27th in 2000, the 29th in 2013, and the 30th in 1981. A record low of 31 degrees was set on the 2nd in 1975 and the 3rd and 4th in 1955. Typically, April is the second driest month of the year, receiving an average .15 of an inch of precipitation; June is driest with .08. Last year saw zero precipitation for the month.
Foodie website Mashed.com has issued a list of the 17 "Absolute Best Korean Restaurants in the U.S." and one in Las Vegas made the grade. Mashed didn't indicate its selection process, but predictably, L.A. (with four) and New York (with three) led the pack; Chicago came in with two and the usual suspects -- San Francisco, Houston, D.C., Denver, and Seattle -- each had one. Las Vegas' entry is Moo Woo Korean BBQ, way up in Centennial Hills near the Santa Fe. Moo Woo is "the happy noises made by cows" and one reviewer wrote, "We lived in Seoul for eight years, and this tastes like home." If you're not familiar with the Korean barbecue scene, the survey gives a little background on it. And thanks to intrepid Google explorer Canada Roy for the link.