☰
“America’s Party″ returns in force to Las Vegas to ring in 2023, with another fireworks spectacular launching from the roofs of eight Strip casinos: Strat, Resorts World, Treasure Island, Venetian, Caesars Palace, Aria, Planet Hollywood, and MGM Grand. More details will be forthcoming from a news conference held tomorrow at the Convention Center.
Starting Jan. 1, the price for passenger vehicles to enter Red Rock Canyon will go from $15 to $20. For bicyclists, the price will be $8, up from $5. The fees for motorcyclists ($10) and pedestrians ($5) will remain the same. The BLM says the price hike is necessary to help defray the costs incurred from the growing number of visitors to the park: more rangers, trash pickup, maintenance (particularly removing graffiti), and upgraded signage. Red Rock visitation has exploded over the past 10 years: one million for the first time in 2012 up to 3.7 million so far this year.
Announced last January, Bally's will be officially rebranded Horseshoe Las Vegas tomorrow. Over the course of the year, Caesars Entertainment opened Jack Binion's Steak, replaced the sports book with the Arcade, moved the World Series of Poker there from the Rio, changed all the signs, carpeting, wallpaper, and paint, peppered the place with gold horseshoes, and expanded the casino. This will be the 10th Horseshoe-branded hotel-casino nationwide. The ninth held its grand opening in Lake Charles, Louisiana, two days ago, replacing the Isle of Capri; Mattress Mack christened the sports book with a million-dollar cash bet on the Houston Cougars to win the men's Final Four at 8-to-1 odds.
The 54th annual World Series of Poker will start on May 30 and run through July 18, according to yesterday's announcement. Like last year, it will be hosted by Paris and the (by-then) Horseshoe. The Main Event will take place July 3-17 and might break the all-time attendance record; last year's $10,000-buy-in World Championship attracted 8,663 players, second largest field in the tournament's history. The other big events -- Mystery Millions (May 31), Monster Stack, Millionaire Maker, Colossus, Seniors Event, and Ladies Championship -- will return as expected, while two new events will be introduced: Ultra Stack and Gladiators of Poker. The entire schedule will be released in the coming months.
In a panel discussion at the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States in Las Vegas late last week, a senior-policy attorney for the Administration Division of the Nevada Gaming Control Board shared information about cyberattacks on Las Vegas casinos, some of which has never before been publicly disclosed. MGM Resorts, Binion's and the Four Queens, the Dotty's chain, BetMGM, and Las Vegas Sands have all been hit, and hit hard, by "hacktivists" since 2019. The details are revealed in coverage of the conference on CDCGamingReports.com.
Station Casinos has filed plans with the city of Henderson to build a 600-room hotel-casino on a 45-acre parcel it has owned for 15 years in the sprawling Inspirada subdivision in south Henderson. It will be a major locals property, with an 80,000-square-foot casino, a number of restaurants and bars, a bowling alley and movie theater, and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The plans indicate that the property will be completed in three phases, with a construction start date of January 2024.
The New England Patriots are -2 favorites over the Arizona Cardinals in tonight's Monday Night Football game. The total is 44.
As it does every year during the holidays, South Point is running its “Pay Less with Your Points” promo, during which almost everything is half-price when you use club points. This includes all restaurants and bars, rooms, shows, bingo, bowling, spa and salon, movies, and the gift shop. Drinks at the bars are $2 ($1 with points). The promo runs through December 24.
The official attendance numbers for the National Final Rodeo have been released and they're up from last year. The 10 nights at Thomas and Mack Center hosted 173,350 paying spectators, up 2.2% from last year's 169,539. For Saturday's final, 17,788 spectators filled the arena to capacity, the largest single-day crowd at Thomas and Mack since 2014, when a renovation reduced the number of seats. Cowboy Christmas, the shopping event that coincides with NFR, also set a single-day record when 40,894 shoppers attended on Saturday December 3; a total of 279,465 took in Cowboy Christmas, up 13.6% year over year. Yesterday, Las Vegas' Golden Week began, traditionally the slowest time of year, from the end of NFR to the beginning of the end-of-the-year holiday week.
Fox 5 News reports that according to GasBuddy.com, a gallon of gasoline in Las Vegas costs 23 cents less this week than last. The average price of a gallon now stands at $4.14, GasBuddy found after surveying 649 stations around the valley. That's 83 cents lower than a month ago, but still 32 cents higher than a year ago. It's also 11 cents lower than the average statewide, but 93 cents higher than the national average of $3.21. The price around town ranges from $3.77 to $5.19 per gallon.
The Miami Dolphins are -3 favorites over the Los Angeles Chargers in tonight’s Sunday Night Football game. The total is 54.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
If you don't have to be out and about, today's a good day to stay put. Eight to 16 inches of snow are predicted for the mountains surrounding Las Vegas and winds of up to 60 mph and lashing rain are probable in the city through this evening. Then it clears up, but turns cold: high temperatures of 52 tomorrow and 48 on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday, the low could go down to 32 at the airport, with freezing temps here and there around the valley.
Every year, the restaurant-reservations service Open Table analyzes reviews on its site (13 million this year) to rank the top 100 eateries nationwide that "continuously serve up creative dishes, unparalleled hospitality, and one-of-a-kind dining experiences for all occasions and leave a lasting impression." Only Chicago, with 12, garnered more listings than Las Vegas' 10. They're not ranked numerically, simply in alpha order: Amalfi (Caesars Palace), Beauty & Essex (Cosmopolitan) ,Delominco Steakhouse (Venetian), Eiffel Tower (Paris), Golden Steer (W. Sahara), Hell’s Kitchen (Caesars Palace), Javier’s (Aria), Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab (Forum Shops), Nobu (Caesars Palace), and TAO Asian Bistro (Venetian).
Magomed Ankalaev is a -370 favorite over Jan Blachowicz in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Paddy Pimblett is -240 over Jared Gordon.
Quarterbacks have won college football’s Heisman Trophy 9 of the last 11 years and that trend is certain to continue when the winner is announced tonight, with all four nominees playing the position. Caleb Williams (USC) is the solid favorite at -1600, Max Duggan (TCU) is +1400, Stetson Bennett (Georgia) is +4000, and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) is +5000.
In this week's LVA YouTube update, Anthony and Andrew discuss details revealed this week about the transformation of the MIrage into the Hard Rock over the next few years, New Year's Eve room rates ($200-$2,000), an obscure but excellent restaurant with a $5.99 steak and eggs breakfast special and one of Vegas' best bargain burgers, our line of books about the Mob in Vegas, and a sweet Jackpot of the Week that launches Anthony into a discourse on the evolution of video poker and players clubs. Click and groove with the guys.
A marketing emailer from the Plaza includes the announcement that the fireworks the casino traditionally launches from the roof of its hotel tower at midnight on New Year's Eve will go off as planned again this year. No plans for the Strip's America's Party 2023 fireworks have been announced by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority yet, but eight casinos participated last year (after the pandemic hiatus): Strat, Resorts World, Treasure Island, Venetian, Caesars Palace, Aria, Planet Hollywood, and MGM Grand. We expect at least seven again this year. We'll post the news here as soon as it's verified.
Hilton has announced that its Waldorf Astoria brand will replace the vintage Tahoe Biltmore in Crystal Bay on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. The 76-year-old Biltmore closed last April and is scheduled to be demolished in the spring. The Waldorf Astoria will be built on the 15-acre property, with 76 guest rooms and 61 branded residences. It will feature an "upscale" casino, according to the announcement, as well as several food and beverage outlets, including a poolside restaurant and a lounge, Peacock Alley, named for the one at the original Waldorf Astoria in New York City. There will also be a "community grove" with shopping and more restaurants, a spa and fitness facility, and access to a three-acre lakefront beach club. The property is expected to open sometime in 2027.
Wayne "Mr. Las Vegas" Newton wraps up his 2022 schedule in the Wayne Newton Theater in Bugsy's Cabaret at the Flamingo at the end of this month. He'll then launch into 70 more "Up Close and Personal" shows, starting January 16 and running through June 28, appearing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 7 p.m. The 80-year-old Newton appeared at the Flamingo as a 21-year-old and hadn't returned till he began his residency early this year. Tickets start at $69.
We're currently running a poll related to the recent all-time-record $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot, whose winning ticket was sold in Altadena, California, on November 8. The single winner now has to make the choice between, In round numbers, taking the lump sum of nearly $1 billion ($630 or so million after taxes) or the annuity payments of $63 million ($42 or so million after taxes) for 30 years. If that choice were yours, which way would you go? Let us know by casting your vote and adding your comment here!
The four teams in the College Football National Championship are, in seed order, Georgia, Michigan, TCU, and Ohio State. In the two semi-final games, Georgia is a -6.5 favorite over Ohio State and Michigan is -7.5 over TCU. Both games will be played on New Year’s Eve.
The Las Vegas Raiders are -6 favorites over the Los Angeles Rams in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 43.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
If you missed KNPR yesterday, Anthony Curtis will be a guest on "Pushing the Limits with Brian Shapiro" today, along with professional sports bettor and radio personality, Bill Krackomberger. A.C. and “Krackman” should make for some interesting discussion. The show airs at noon on 1400 AM.
We have a Member Rewards Online coupon for the Million Dollar McGraw show at the Orleans. The show, a tribute to country superstar Tim McGraw performed by Nashville recording artist and Las Vegas entertainer Adam "Vegas McGraw" Tucker, is playing in the Venue at the Orleans today through Sunday at 3 p.m. for $19.95/$29.95. Our $5-off coupon is open to all and you can use it with the redemption code LVA when buying tickets at the Venue's booking site.
In a four-hour meeting with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, Hard Rock International Chairman of the Board and CEO of Seminole Gaming Jim Allen presented a preview of what the new Hard Rock Las Vegas will look like. The Control Board voted to approve the transfer of ownership from MGM Resorts for $1.075 billion in cash; the Gaming Commission is expected to rubber-stamp that at its December meeting, after which the deal can close. The property will stay open for at least 18 months, but closing it beyond that remains an option; it will be called the Mirage until the transformation to Hard Rock is complete in 2025 at the earliest. That plan involves gutting and redeveloping the existing Mirage hotel towers, plus building an all-suites guitar-shaped tower for a total for a total of 3,640 rooms. The casino, restaurants, and public areas will, likewise, be completely stripped and rebuilt from scratch. The casino will nearly double in size, from 94,000 square feet to 174,000, with the number of slots going from 850 slots to 2,000 and table games increasing from 51 to 212; BetMGM will remain the sports book operator. There will be a minimum of 21 restaurants, most (if not all) of them new. Another 83,000 square feet of convention space will be added, with a new ballroom for high-end events. The pool area will be completely rebuilt, with a “pool experience” in front of the guitar tower. In perhaps the biggest news, the theater will nearly double in size, from 3,278 to 6,265 seats (which doesn’t bode well for Beatles' LOVE beyond the current extension into 2024). There will also be a music museum and high-tech show out front. The transition to Hard Rock ownership is expected to take place on December 19.
All 7,000 employees, full-time and flex, regardless of seniority or job description, received a $1,500 bonus yesterday from Apollo Global Management, which acquired the property from Las Vegas Sands earlier this year. The $11 million total was part of a $620 million distribution reflecting "higher-than-expected financial results in the hotel, casino, food and beverage, and meetings and convention business" since Apollo took over operations. The distribution was approved by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission (necessary because Apollo is privately held and regulators wanted assurances that the distribution wouldn't impact performance) and announced at yesterday's company town hall meeting that included entertainment and dinner from the property's restaurants. Apollo plans to invest $1 billion in upgrading the suites and casino floors at both the Venetian and Palazzo in the next few years.
With the rodeo still in town, there is no shortage of country entertainment this weekend.
If country isn’t your thing, don’t worry! There’s still plenty to do.
Anthony Curtis will be a guest on KNPR's "State of Nevada" show today as part of a discussion on the crowds of visitors here in Vegas and gaming in the past year. Tune in at 9 a.m.
The median price for a single-family home in the Las Vegas metro area dipped again in November, this time down to $430,990, according to the monthly report from Las Vegas Realtors. That's a decrease of 2% from October's $440,000 and 10.6% from the record median price of $482,000 set in May. It's still up from November 2021's $420,000 (2.6%). Sales are way down, 53% year over year for houses and 46% for condos. And inventory is way way up, with 161% more houses and 223% more condos on the market compared to November of last year.
Two Spanish tennis stars, one veteran and one youngster, will meet each other for the third time at MGM Grand Garden Arena to continue what's being called "a rivalry for the ages." Rafael Nadal needs no introduction (but we'll give him one anyway); the 36-year-old Spaniard hold's a men’s-record 22 Grand Slam titles, including two in 2022, the first at the Australian Open in January, the second at the French Open in June. His 19-year-old countryman Carlos Alcaraz won his first major trophy at the U.S. Open in September. In addition, the duo finished number one (Alcaraz) and number two (Nadal) in this year's Association of Tennis Professionals rankings and Alcaraz is the youngest-ever number one, while Nadal is the oldest-ever number two. It's the first time two countrymen have led the ATP rankings since 1996 (Americans Pete Sampras and Michael Chang). The exhibition match between the two will take place on March 5 and tickets go on sale on Friday.
Oregon State will play the University of Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday December 17 at 4:30 p.m. local time. The OSU Beavers will be making their first Las Vegas Bowl appearance since 2009 when they lost to Brigham Young 44-20; they defeated New Mexico 55-14 in the 2003 Las Vegas Bowl. The Florida Gators finished the season 6-6 after losing their final two games of the season, while the Beavers went 9-3 with wins in their final three games. It will be the first bowl game between Oregon State and Florida and the second time an SEC team has played in the Las Vegas Bowl. ABC will broadcast the game, the 31st in Las Vegas. Tickets are on sale, with plenty available, from $150 to $150.
A 21-year-old Phoenix resident hit a jackpot worth $1,100,075 while playing blackjack at Gila River Lone Butte in Chandler. It was the largest table-game jackpot in Arizona history. The new King of Cards table-game progressive links 75 table games at all three Gila River casinos. Resetting at $1 million, it's the largest table-game progressive jackpot in the state. The player was down to his last hand when he bet $15, plus $5 on the progressive. He plans to buy his parents a new house, along with a new car for himself and other in his family. The winning hand wasn't reported.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are -3.5 favorites over the New Orleans Saints in tonight's Monday Night Football game. The total is 40.5.
Every year, American music and entertainment magazine Billboard posts its Year-End Boxscore, listing the highest-grossing artists, tours, and venues between Nov. 1 and Oct. 31. In this year's Boxscore, Allegiant took top honors in the Stadium category, with $182.5 million in ticket sales, more than a million attendees, and 24 music (and soccer) events. SoFi Stadium in L.A. came in second, but wasn't even close, at $107.8 million in tickets, 546,000 fans, and only 11 events. In the 5,000-seats-or-fewer category, Resorts World Theatre came in at number one: $55.2 million, 362,510 attendees, and 87 events; and in the 5,001-10,000 category, Dolby Live at Park MGM also placed first: $114.4 million, 477,737 attendees, and 98 events. The Colosseum at Caesars placed third in that category, while T-Mobile came in fourth for 15,001-or-more seats. The six venues hosted nearly three million music fans in the time period.
International beer brand Brewdog opened its bar, restaurant, and microbrewery on Friday at the top of the Showcase Mall. It's a two-story 30,000-square-foot pub; the fourth-floor level is a patio with a 360-degree view. The 14-year-old brand, founded and based in Scotland, owns and operates more than 50 similar bars around the world and had a TV show on Esquire Network for three seasons (2013-2015). The company produces various types of ales and lagers and the pub has nearly 100 beers on tap, including its own and "a rotating line-up of top American guest breweries." This venue is the company's largest and features a 4,000-square-foot LED cube on the rooftop with a custom 30-foot sign, which you can't miss if you're looking up on the south Strip. There are three menus -- third floor, rooftop, and oak-fired -- but it's mostly typical sports-bar fare: burgers, sandwiches, wings, tacos, and salads in the $7 (tacos) to $35 (lobster chip boxty) range; there's also a burger topped with haggis, the Scottish national dish ($22). The rooftop menu is a little fancier, with more lobster dishes and steaks. BrewDog is open Sun.-Thurs. 10 a.m.-1 a.m., Fri.-Sat. till 2.
Thanks to a foot of snow falling on the upper reaches of the Spring Mountains in the past month, plus enough snowmaking to open the main trails, Lee Canyon’s 2022-2023 ski season will launch on Wednesday. Two of the three lifts, along with the Bighorn Grill, Bristlecone Bar, and Brewin’ Burro Coffee House, will open at 9 a.m., closing at 4 p.m. The season's accessibility of the third lift and snow play areas will depend on further snowfall.
The Dallas Cowboys are -11 favorites over the Indianapolis Colts in tonight’s Sunday Night Football game. The total is 44.
George Thorogood will commemorate his 50th anniversary as a touring rocker with the 22-date "Bad All Over the World – 50 Years of Rock" tour that, in the 72-year-old wild-man's tradition, will play 20 of the dates in two months. Thorogood and the other original Destroyers band member, drummer Jeff Simon, will appear at the Palms on March 25. With a string of hits, including "Bad to the Bone," "I Drink Alone," "You Talk to Much," "Move It on Over," "Who Do You Love?", and especially "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer," Thorogood has sold 20 million albums since the band first started performing on December 1, 1973. Tickets are on sale now, starting at $51 and topping out at $524.
When country star Carrie Underwood wraps up her "Denim and Rhinestones" tour in the spring, she'll return to Resorts World Theater to reprise her sold-out residency here for 18 new shows called "Reflection Las Vegas." The first residency, which launched around a year ago, was extended once into last spring; it ended as the singer was preparing for her "Denim" tour to support her album of the same name. The new dates are: June 21, 23, 24, 28, and 30; July 1; Sept. 20, 22, 23, 27, 29, 30; and Nov. 29. Tickets go on sale on Friday December 9 at 10 a.m.
This week's YouTube LVA update is a couple of days later than usual, but it's definitely worth the wait. Anthony and Andrew are feeling no pain, indulging on camera in some Ellis Island egg nog, which packs a wicked wallop. Anthony tells a personal story about his family and waxes nostalgic as he discusses the December Las Vegas Advisor, which is the last issue of the nearly 500 (40 years' worth) of the printed newsletter; it will be online only from now on. From there, the guys launch into the December room rate survey and the second year in a row that it's the worst ever; the best way to avoid the hours-long wait to get into the super-popular Palms Wednesday lobster buffet; the latest on Circa Survivor; why professional Brian Zembic got breast implants 30 years ago (and still has them) and became The Man with the $100,000 Breasts; and a Jackpot of the Week that Anthony personally stumbled across on his way to Hugo's Cellar at the Four Queens, which he extols. Turn on and tune in.
Kevin Holland is a -185 favorite over Stephen Thompson in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Rafael Dos Anjos is -425 over Bryan Barberena.
The Budweiser Clydesdale team of horses will make an appearance in Downtown Summerlin in its annual holiday parade starting at 6 p.m. today. Guests can meet the Clydesdales and take photos with them before the parade, from 4 to 5:30 p.m., at the public viewing area in the northwest parking lot of the shopping center on a first-come first-served basis.
The Downtown Events Center will once again host what it's touting as the "biggest football party of the year" on Super Bowl Sunday. As in the past, admission will be free, though you can reserve a table or mancave at a beverage minimum. Watch the game on the stadium screen with booming sound and live odds (Circa Sports), while indulging in food, drink, and beer pong. The party starts early on Super Bowl Sunday February 12 and lasts late into the evening.
The first Nevada location of Jet’s Pizza has opened at 1321 W. Sunset Road. Detroiters know about the ongoing debate about which has the best Detroit-style pizza: Jet’s or Buddy’s. But one thing's for sure. Jet's is in the top two.
The Nevada Cannabis Compliance Board yesterday issued 40 provisional licenses for marijuana consumption lounges around the state, though a full 36 of them will be in southern Nevada, 15 in Las Vegas and 21 in unincorporated Clark County. So the consumption lounges will open soon? Let's see. The Compliance Board now has to issue instructions, scheduled for the "coming weeks." Then the selected businesses will have four months to provide the information required for the suitability investigations, for which there's no timetable. Then the applicants will need approval from the city of Las Vegas and Clark County, neither of which have finalized their regulations. Then inspections of the lounges will have to be conducted. Though it's been announced that the lounges are expected to open in "the first half of 2023," that seems optimistic to us. The 40 licensees were selected in a lottery out of 79 applicants; 20 will be standalone lounges not connected to a dispensary and 10 of those were "social-equity" applicants who could prove that they were negatively affected by marijuana laws before legalization.
A report issued by the American Gaming Association on Wednesday estimates that illegal gambling is a $511 billion business in the U.S., costing legal operators $44.2 billion in the 36 states where casino gambling is legal and states $13.3 billion in taxes collected. The study was based on a poll of nearly 5,300 U.S. adults concerning their gambling habits in the past year, both legal and illegal. Sports betting was a major piece of the illegal pie, accounting for nearly $64 billion, compared to the $100 billion in legal sports bets that will be placed this year. As for online-casino gambling, the survey estimated that illegal igaming operators win $13.5 billion, almost three times the estimated legal $5 billion annually. Almost one out of two adult Americans, according to the report, has played slots or table games at illegal igaming sites, which we find a bit hard to believe. But we can believe the survey's estimate that there are nearly 600,000 illicit slot machines throughout the nation, compared to 870,000 machines in regulated casinos and on slot routes.
The average daily room rate (ADR) for a Las Vegas hotel room in October was a smidge below $210, highest in history. The previous record was set in September at a smidge more than $187; October's new record was 10% higher than September's old record. It was also 20% more than October 2021's ADR and a full 50% higher than October 2019 pre-pandemic. Not surprisingly, the Strip's ADR was $225.69, 6.7% higher than citywide, while downtown's was almost half of that at $117.51. Given that October also set a record for airport traffic, it's clear that demand remains through the roof and the casinos are taking full advantage of it. People are coming in droves and paying in spades and why wouldn't they? They are, after all, visiting casinos.
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo starts today at Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV. The rodeo takes place for the next 10 nights at the arena to standing-room-only crowds of nearly 17,000, as contestants compete for a prize pool of $11 million (it was $1 million when NFR was first held in Las Vegas in 1985). The Cowboy Christmas western expo and shopping event takes place throughout the tournament at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Casinos host country & western acts in their lounges and showrooms, along with other rodeo-centric events. Good targets for rodeo fans are the D, Plaza, Virgin, South Point, and Orleans.
December Fools! Reid International set an all-time record for the number of flyers passing through the airport in October: 5.17 million. It was the first time in airport history that it handled more than five million passengers and it was an increase of almost 25% compared to October 2021. And if you think international travelers made the difference, think again. Domestic visitors at 4.8 million nearly broke the record by itself; the previous record total of 4.86 million was set just two months earlier in July and the 286,000 travelers from abroad made up a roughly half-percent of the total. And another nearly 100,000 people came in via private planes and helicopters.
The Buffalo Bills are -3.5 favorites over the New England Patriots in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 44.
Normally, the month of December has a very narrow temperature range. The average highs start out at 59 and spend a few days at 58 and 57 before settling down at 56 through the rest of the month. Similarly, the lows are 41 to 39 through the first 13 days of the month, then stay at 38 through New Year's Eve. The record highs and lows, of course, have a much broader range: from 78 (Dec. 2, 1940) all the way down to 11 (Dec. 23, 1990). Average precipitation is .6 of an inch.