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On Wednesday, the high at the airport fell three degrees short of triple digits and yesterday, the official thermometer flirted with 100, but stayed at 99. Today, the forecast is for a high of 104, the start of a serious heat wave (that could reach 112 on Sunday), so we'll tie the record for the latest 100-degree day of the year set on June 30, 1965. Still, on Monday, Las Vegas broke the consecutive-day record, also set in 1965 of course, of 290 days of double digits, so the new record is now 294 days, which will be mighty hard to beat, given that the previous record stood for 58 years.
Tune in to this week's discussion on the new alternating livestream format for the videos, Richard Munchkin's new solo audio-only podcast "Life Is a Gamble" (the inaugural show with Darryl Purpose, one of the greatest all-time advantage players), the weather record of consecutive under-100 degrees (that was tied today), and a long segment on the new display of a million dollars in cash, with video to prove it, at Binion's, where you can take your photo like in the old days. Anthony and Andrew continue with comments on the July 4th fireworks, the ongoing disagreeable saga of the repaving of the Strip for F1, and a curious progressive video poker Jackpot of the Week (hit by an old friend of Anthony's) at the new Carousel Bar at the Plaza. It's a good one -- if we do say so ourselves!
Last night at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay, the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces crushed the New York Liberty, which came into the game with a 10-3 record, by a score of 98-81. The win puts the Aces' record at 14-1 for the season; they're undefeated at home. The G.O.A.T buzz is starting, given that this team looks invincible. They're being compared to the Houston Comets, which in 1998 went 27-3 and won the league championship, and the 2014 Phoenix Mercury, 29-5 and also won the title. In addition, three Aces players will start the WNBA All-Star game, which will be played in Las Vegas on July 15. Six-four forward A'ja Wilson, the reigning WNBA MVP, will be the captain after receiving nearly 100,000 votes, the most of any player. Guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young will join Wilson in the starting lineup. None of this is going unnoticed here; the Aces are averaging an attendance of 8,707 fans per game this season, third in the league, behind the Phoenix Mercury (9,507) and the Seattle Storm (9,019).
On the way out of town, a Las Vegas visitor playing a Wheel of Fortune Triple Double Emeralds machine in the Terminal 1 Esplanade lined up the winning symbols to take down a $1.3 million progressive. The player, who wasn't identified, most likely missed the plane, given how much time it takes to process the jackpot, but we can't think of a better reason to have to reschedule.
Pop superstar Madonna was hospitalized last Saturday with a "serious bacterial infection" and spent several days in intensive care. The news is that she's recovering, but her "Celebration World Tour," commemorating the 40-year anniversary of her career, has either been postponed indefinitely or canceled completely; we've seen both reported. The tour was supposed to kick off next month and two nights were scheduled at T-Mobile (October 7-8), but those dates are in abeyance.
Lifeguard Arena, which opened in Henderson in 2020 as the training center for the minor-league-hockey Henderson Silver Knights and a community ice center, has been renamed. The naming deal with LifeGuard Chemicals & Janitorial Supply has apparently run its course and a new rights deal has been inked with America First Credit Union. Based in Riverdale, Utah, America First is the sixth largest credit union in the U.S. in total membership and eighth largest in assets. The arena will be called America First Center in a "multi-year" deal, the terms of which haven't been announced.
With 4th of July right around the corner it marks one of the biggest weekends of the year for pool parties, but here are a couple of other things you can do to get your celebration started early
The two pools shut down by the Health Department at Planet Hollywood over water and safety issues have reopened 15 after being closed on June 12. They were inspected yesterday and the Southern Nevada Health District determined that sufficient corrective actions had been taken.
Zoox, a subsidiary of Amazon that's developing autonomous vehicles, has deployed its electric robotaxis with passengers in Las Vegas. It's the first time that autonomous vehicles without steering wheels or pedals have operated on public roads in Nevada. The test phase began on June 16, with vehicles driving a one-mile loop around the company's Las Vegas facilities in the southwest valley, making several turns and multi-way stops and navigating roads with cars, cyclists, and pedestrians at speeds up to 35 mph. Zoox employees can use the vehicles during work hours. After several years of rigorous testing, Zoox received authorization from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles to start using public roads; the company has plans to expand the deployment perimeter in the not-too-distant future.
A survey by USA Today's Blueprint financial-advice team lists Nevada residents behind only those in perennial bottom-dwelling Mississippi for the most financially stressed-out state population in the U.S. The survey was based on Census data concerning people claiming to be "very stressed by inflation." Among Mississippians, 57% are very stressed, while 54% of Nevadans are. Only 3% of Nevadans say they're not at all stressed by price increases, compared to 4% of those in Mississippi. More than 50% of residents of Alabama, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas said they're very stressed, while Vermont had the least number of very stressed (38%) and among the highest of no stress (8%).
The official thermometer station at Reid International reached 97 degrees yesterday, breaking the record for the consecutive number of days, 291, below 100. The previous record of 290 days was set in 1964-1965, from Sept. 13 to June 29. We'll have to go another five days, however, to break the record for the latest 100-degree day in the season, which was set on June 30 in 1965. It looks like that won't happen; a high temperature above 100 is forecast for Thursday the 29th, with the thermometer soaring to 108 on Saturday and 110 on Sunday. But we'll most likely achieve second place today, beating out June 26, 1988, for the second latest 100-degree since official records started being kept in 1937.
Avelo Airlines, the ultra-low-cost carrier that launched in 2021, is opening its sixth U.S. base at Reid International. initially, Avelo will fly nonstop from Las Vegas to Bend (OR), Eureka and Sonoma (CA), Brownsville (TX), and Dubuque (IA), with fares starting at $49, which must be booked by July 4 and travel through October 31. LAS joins Wilmington (DE), Burbank (CA), Orlando (FL), Raleigh/Durham (NC), and New Haven (CT), where Houston-based Avelo also has bases.
Acres Manufacturing, the Las Vegas-based casino-technology company, is selling Video Poker Analyzer, software that allows casinos to "specifically market to high-value patrons with no risk of exposure to advantage players." VPA "evaluates every decision made in video poker" in order to "precisely identify the value of each video poker player on any game, paytable, and denomination." The result? Casinos can create individualized marketing campaigns "derived entirely from players' suboptimal decisions" by keeping track of "the sum of all error values over time." In other words, as in blackjack-play analyzers that have been in use for a long time to pick off card counters and other APs, casinos can track video poker decisions, hand by hand, in real time, to minimize compounding losses to highly skilled players via free play and comps. Casinos have any number of ways to identify video poker pros, but this is the first ad we've seen that spells out one system in detail. See it here.
Investor website InsiderMonkey has issued a list of the 16 most profitable malls in the world based on sales per square foot. The Forum Shops at Caesars came in third globally at $1,750 per square foot. The write-up adds, "More than 16,000 pairs of heels are sold annually, $4 million worth of engagement rings are purchased, and 2.1 million meatballs are served. The center’s restaurants pour over $300,000 worth of wine and their charity campaign has provided over 22,000 meals to the community." Second place goes to Yorkdale Mall in Toronto at $2,266, with first claimed by Bal Harbor Mall in Miami at $2,555, the "unrivaled pinnacle of luxury shopping."
Station Casinos has announced a significant redo of Green Valley Ranch. The changes will include a new restaurant row that will occupy the vacant buffet space, including new sushi and Mediterranean eateries from Blue Ribbon (which has locations at Red Rock, the Cosmopolitan, and Brooklyn Bowl), new high-limit table games and slots, and a remodel of the amenities (from the cafe seating area to the cabanas) around the pool. All in all, it's another example of Station's transformation from bargain locals joints to the high-end market.
Starting this morning, British Columbia casinos started checking the identification of everyone who enters the province's casinos. IDs are scanned by security; entrants are automatically checked against the database of people who have enrolled in B.C.'s Game Break self-exclusion program. The British Columbia Lottery Corporation states that the personal information taken from the IDs isn't archived. Though individual casinos can and do check identification at the door (Circa and El Cortez in downtown Ls Vegas come immediately to mind), British Columbia is the first U.S. state or Canadian province to enforce an ID requirement in order to enter any casino in the jurisdiction.
The 2022 WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces are on a hot streak for the ages. Last night at home, they won their 12th of 13 games since the start of the season, beating the Indiana Fever by a convincing score of 101-88. It was the second time this season the Aces broke 100 points; they're also averaging 93 points per game, third highest average in WNBA history, and have scored at least 90 in 11 of their 13 games. They're 7-0 in Western Conference games, 6-0 at home, and 6-1 away, and are riding a five-game winning streak.
Brian Rast won the prestigious Poker Players Championship at the World Series of Poker, defeating Talal Shakerchi in heads-up play to take the $1.3 million first prize. Rast has now won the PPC three times, the second to do so, joining Michael Mizrachi. Participation was down for the $50,000-buy-in event, with 99 players compared to 112 last year.
Personal-finance website FinanceBuzz has released the results of its annual survey of the busiest airports nationwide and for the fifth out of the past six years, Reid International boasted the least expensive average airfare at $264.24. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International took the top spot of most affordable from which to fly last year and ranked second in the current survey at $271.78. That was followed by Orlando International ($273.35), Oakland International ($288.23), and Chicago Midway ($303.05). The most expensive airport was Washington, D.C.'s, Dulles International at $494.78, nearly double Las Vegas'. San Francisco, Charlotte, Portland, and Detroit rounded out the bottom five.
Ilia Topuria is a -350 favorite over Josh Emmett in today’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Amanda Ribas is -220 over Maycee Barber.
The pools at Planet Hollywood failed the Southern Nevada Health District's inspection on June 12 and were shut down. The Health Department cited the casino for water-chemistry violations (maybe the pH was off, get it?), inattentive lifeguards, and "lack of managerial control over lifeguards.” Initially, the pools were expected to be closed for a week, so we let it pass. But it's going on two that they've been closed, so apparently, the issues were more serious than a quick fix could rectify.
An area of Las Vegas has been officially designated “Little Ethiopia.” The area, located near Decatur Blvd., runs roughly from Twain to Tropicana, where the majority of the city’s 50-plus Ethiopian-owned businesses are located. Little Ethiopia becomes Las Vegas' first designated "cultural district"; even “Chinatown” has been an unofficial designation all these years. It took more than four years to institute the district and could, if all goes according to plan, serve as the process for designating other cultural districts. An estimated 40,000 people of Ethiopian descent live in Las Vegas.
The Nebraska Racing and Gaming Commission (NRGC) yesterday authorized sports betting kiosks at WarHorse Lincoln, a tribal casino operated by Ho-Chunk, the economic-development arm of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska. The first bets were taken yesterday afternoon at 10 kiosks, with which Nebraska became the 34th state where sports betting is legal. Online and remote gambling remain prohibited and bettors must place their bets at WarHorse, the only casino allowed to accept them so far. Nebraska also prohibits betting on university and college home games.
TastingTable.com, one of the largest sites serving modern food and drink enthusiasts, has put together a list of the 15 best doughnut shops in the nation, from Honolulu to Miami and Austin to Boston. Las Vegas' own Pinkbox Donuts made the grade, with TastingTable writing, "Pinkbox Doughnuts were deemed the Best in Las Vegas from 2017 to 2020 via the Las Vegas Review-Journal and we're not surprised. Whether you choose to fill up your pink box with their OG classics, good fellas, fancy pancys, doughcros, show offs, or a combination, you're in for a treat." Pinkbox just opened a new storefront at the Plaza downtown and has seven other locations around the city, including at Allegiant Stadium, plus one each in Primm and St. George, Utah.
The new $20 million flagship of Ocean Prime opened on Tuesday on the top floor of 63, the four-story mall at City Center (next to Cosmopolitan). It's the 18th and largest location of the national chain at 14,500 square feet and 400 seats; it also houses three private dining rooms, three bars, and a 2,500-square-foot rooftop terrace. It serves lunch on weekdays, a weekend brunch, and dinner nightly. This place is dear; the least expensive items on the lunch menu are French onion soup and smoked Gouda tater tots for $16; the eight-ounce filet mignon is $65. For dinner, expect to pay $22-$32 for appetizers, $50-$75 for seafood entrees, $65-$125 for steaks, and $16-$20 for sides. Brunch is basically the lunch menu, plus some breakfast dishes (French toast $28, omelet $32, crab-cake Benedict $37, steak and eggs $42). Beers are $10-$12, cocktails $18-$42, and wine don't even ask.
We're only five days away from breaking the record for the latest 100-degree day of the season. That record stands at 290 days, set in 1964 (September 13-June 29) and today is the 286th day since the last time the Vegas thermometer hit triple digits (Sept. 8). The forecast calls for highs of 97 today, 92 tomorrow, and 99 on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday., which would tie the record. Tuesday is iffy, but Wednesday should reach 102. The typical first day for 100-degree temperatures is May 24 (the earliest was on May 1 in 1947). The second-latest date was June 26 in 1988; it seems likely we'll break that record. According to the National Weather Service, the first 20 days of June were 4.4 degrees cooler than normal, possibly due to the El Niño pattern currently setting up over the Pacific.
Las Vegas Spaceport, Inc., has quietly acquired 240 acres roughly 50 miles west of the city near Pahrump to build a hotel-casino-astronaut-training-center-spaceport -- words that don't often appear together. I know, right? The idea is to get a jump on space tourism, while locating the spaceport near major military bases and their pilots and technicians, plus rocket scientists. The company is raising capital and the SEC has given the go-ahead for LV Spaceport to begin selling stock. With enough investment, the CEO told News3LV, "We're looking probably at five, six years to get to the point where you're coming out there, jumping on a spacecraft, and going to space." I know, right?
Anthony and Andrew will reprise the wildly successful inaugural Beer Friday video from a couple of weeks ago tomorrow at 4 p.m. Vegas time. The guys broadcast live from the couch in the Huntington Press conference room and you can comment and ask questions in real time using the feature on the side of the screen. Click the white arrow during the podcast (or an hour before to set up in the waiting room) to join. It's a good time and a chance to interact with Las Vegas' YouTube superstars!
The summer solstice occurred in Las Vegas at 7:57 this morning, when Earth's northern pole tilted most toward the sun, which reached its highest point in the northern sky. Today is the longest day of the year and here in Las Vegas, sunrise was at 5:23 a.m. and sunset will be at 8:01 p.m., four hours and 55 minutes longer than the winter solstice on December 21. For you photographers, golden hour will start at 5:45 and end at 6:21 p.m. Today's high temperature will be 97 degrees, still slightly less warm than usual, with an overnight low of 71.
Awakening, the uber-expensive yet so far ill-fated extravaganza at the Wynn, will reopen on June 30. It "paused" on April 15 for a second reboot after opening originally on November 5 and closing for two weeks on January 31. This retool lasted two and a half months and will return to the Awakening Theater, one of the most immersive and technologically advanced entertainment venues on Earth, as a "restaged and reimagined" 80-minute show, which includes "new couture costumes, comedic moments, stunning puppetry, and grand illusion" and will go on Fridays to Tuesdays at 7 p.m. and Fri.-Sun. at 9:30. Tickets start at $99, plus tax and fees, and are on sale now.
Are the Tropicana's days numbered? Unless the Oakland A's have a completely hidden agenda, it looks like the team's stadium will be built on property occupied by the Trop, which would necessitate demolishing the venerable hotel-casino. If it is torn down, that would leave the Sahara as the only 1950s' hotel-casino to remain in Las Vegas. Insider.com has posted a neat little retrospective on the aging beauty, covering its opening, celebrity appearances, the Folies Bergere, and more, complete with photos, here. It's worth the four-minute perusal. And thanks, as always, to Canada Roy for the link.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo has signed an omnibus cannabis-reform bill that loosens the existing laws to a certain extent. First, it more than doubles the amount of marijuana that individuals can legally buy and possess from one ounce to two and a half ounces, while possession and purchase of cannabis concentrates doubled, from an eighth-ounce to a quarter. The bill also consolidates the dispensary license; a rec license now includes medical sales. Nevadans with a medical-marijuana card remain exempt from the state excise tax at rec retailers. Finally, application and renewal fees for licensees will be reduced. So far, six months into his first term as governor, Lombardo is living up to his cannabis-friendly campaigning.
LifeAndMyFinances.com, a personal-finance site, crunched some numbers and found that the average price of a single-family house in Nevada has increased nearly 170% since 2013, from just under $160,000 to nearly $427,000. Only Idaho (184%; $153,266 to $435,726) and Florida (175%; $144,184 to $398,378) registered higher-percentage increases.
Alaska Airlines is adding a daily roundtrip flight between Reid International and San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport that will start on December 14. The flight will leave SBP at 9 a.m., arriving in Las Vegas 75 minutes later. The plane, operated by SkyWest, will depart LAS at 7:55 p.m. and arrive at 9:10. Startup ultra-low-cost-carrier Breeze Airways is also introducing three flights a week from Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, on Thursdays, Sundays, and Tuesdays starting September 7. The flights will leave LAS at 9:40 a.m., arriving just before noon, then return at 12:40, arriving just after 8 p.m.
A 27-year-old Indonesian visitor to the Marina Bay Sands casino in Singapore stumbled on eight slot tickets worth a total of $24,000 Singapore dollars ($18,000 U.S.) that had fallen out of a slot-department manager's folder onto the casino floor outside the Sands' VIP room. He picked them up, cashed them at the cage, and hastened to the Changi Airport, where he tried to catch a plane for the two-hour flight to Jakarta. Unfortunately for him, he had to spend several more days in Singapore waiting for the next available seat, but by then, the lost tickets were discovered, the Indonesian was identified and flagged, and immigration caught him just before he got on the airplane. He was sentenced to four months in prison after pleading guilty to a single charge of "dishonestly misappropriating money," but could have been punished with up to two years in the Singaporean clink. For a deeper look at why it's a bad idea to cash slot tickets that don't belong to you, especially for large amounts, read our recent Question of the Day on the subject.
A New York Times story posted today, titled "The Tropicana, a Relic on the Las Vegas Strip, Could Be Demolished," is getting a lot of play here and elsewhere (in syndication), but in an interview with KTNV, the local ABC affiliate, the chairman of Bally's Corp., which owns the Tropicana, said that now that the uncertainty over the political process has ended, "the real work begins." He noted, however, that they had plenty of time: "I can't imagine that we'd be touching the property for two years." He also floated the idea that the Trop could remain open during stadium construction and that a new hotel-casino could be built, which it could include a "sports-themed attraction" or "memorabilia museum." Currently, the plan is for the A's to run out their lease at the Oakland Coliseum, which expires after the 2025 season, then play at Las Vegas Ballpark for the '26-'27 seasons and debut at the new stadium in 2028. Still, a lot of water has to flow under all those bridges between now and then.
To celebrate its 39th birthday, Cirque du Soleil is holding its biggest promotion of the year. Through June 26th, you can buy discounted tickets for select seats at pretty good discounts. For KÀ (MGM Grand), Mad Apple (NY-NY), Mystère (Treasure Island), and the Beatles LOVE (Mirage), it's 30% off; for Michael Jackson ONE (Mandalay Bay), it's 15%. (No discount for O at Bellagio.) Seats are in the upper sections, but start at $45 and are available, from what we can tell, for shows pretty much through the end of the year. But they must be purchased by next Monday.
Going into today's final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament with several big names near the top and a two-way tie for the lead, at one stroke off the lead, Rory McIlroy is the +225 favorite to win. He’s followed by Rickie Fowler at +275 and Wyndham Clark at +300.
Aside from special meals all over town, the Vegas casinos remain in stingy mode and deals are all but non-existent for Father’s Day. Maybe there was no room for offers in the newspapers with all the VGK coverage, but the fact remains that the casinos are still refusing to market in the traditional holiday fashion.
Do you have Golden Knights fever? If yes, be sure to get today’s LV Review-Journal, which sets a new standard for over-coverage for just about anything we’ve ever seen. Start with the headlines, of which there are several, along with columns, opinions, and photos galore. Then do it again in the “Sun” section of the paper. Oh, yes, then comes the “Sports” section, where you can relive it all one more time. Did we say “one more time”? Check that! Also included is a three-part special section with 80 more pages of articles, photos, and dozens of ads. Are we done? Ah, heck, when in Rome. If that’s not enough, pick up a copy of our book, Vegas Golden Knights—How a First-Year Expansion Team Healed Las Vegas and Shocked the Hockey World. We’ll let you know if anything else turns up before the weekend’s out.
The million-dollar display has returned at Binion’s. Customers can pose in front of the display and press a button to take a souvenir photo for no charge. Unlike the display at Horseshoe Las Vegas, the bills at Binion’s, though not 10,000 bills like the original, are real, and there’s a cool video to prove it. Check out our video of the unveiling.
Marvin Vettori is a -135 favorite over Jared Cannonier in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Arman Tsarukyn is -1650 over Joaquim Silva.
The parade celebrating the Vegas Golden Knights victory in the Stanley Cup Finals earlier this week will take place on the Strip starting tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the corner of Flamingo Road. It will continue south, winding up at Toshiba Plaza and the Park District in front of T-Mobile Arena by 9 p.m. or thereabouts. Both sides of the Strip between Flamingo and Tropicana will be closed during that time as fans are expected to line the sidewalks cheering for the hometown champs.
Great Canadian Entertainment, the biggest casino company in Canada, will open its long-awaited $1 billion Casino Resort Toronto on June 20, at 5 p.m. Casino Toronto will be not only the largest casino in Canada by far, but among the largest in North America, with 328,000 square feet of gaming space hosting nearly 5,000 slot machines and 145 table games, plus a 400-room hotel, nine restaurants, numerous bars and lounges, and a 5,000-seat theater/concert venue. Great Canadian Entertainment last week inked a deal with Live Nation, which will promote big-name entertainment there.
We wouldn’t be proud locals if we didn’t put the Golden Knights Stanley Cup Parade at the top of this weekend’s events! The parade will start on Las Vegas Boulevard and will end at Toshiba Plaza. It starts at 7 PM and ends at 9 PM (06/17)
Be among the first 50 players to sign up for today’s mini blackjack tournament at the Downtown Grand and get a free copy of our book Vegas Golden Knights—How a First-Year Expansion Team Healed Las Vegas and Shocked the Hockey World, signed by Deryk Englland, who was a key player on the team. The tournament starts at 3 pm and the entry fee is $25.
Scottie Scheffler is the +600 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by John Rahm at +1000 and Brooks Koepka at +1100.
The special session of the Nevada Legislature ended yesterday when the state Senate voted to approve Bill 1, which helps to fund the 30,000-seat stadium where the Oakland A's will play, currently situated on the Tropicana property at the corner of Tropicana Avenue and the Strip. The state Assembly approved its version of the bill on Tuesday. It now goes to the governor, who will sign it into law. Then it needs to be greenlighted by Major League Baseball sometime next month. The passage of the $380 million funding plan was in doubt up until the end; state lawmakers were skeptical of the A's intentions until the notoriously stingy team loosened its purse strings, ever so slightly, to offer a pittance in return. Best of luck to the Las Vegas Athletics.
The governor of North Carolina, the ninth most populous state in the nation with 10.6 million residents, has signed legislation that allows betting on horse races and sporting events to begin as early as January 8, but could be delayed until mid-June 2024. The law allows for 12 online sports betting licensees and eight retail locations connected to race tracks, golf courses, arenas, and stadiums. The state is the 28th that will have online sports betting; race betting will be via separate licenses. Currently, North Carolina has three tribal casinos that accept in-person sports bets; the only other gambling allowed in the state is a lottery that was approved in 2006. The state tax will be 18% of net profits.
Sphere Entertainment's Big Dome has been getting some coverage lately. Located in Burbank, California, near the airport, it houses Sphere Studios, a 28,000 square-foot production facility with a 100-foot-tall dome with a screen a quarter of the size of the one at the Sphere itself, used for developing content that will be seen in Las Vegas. Sphere Studios is in the process of rolling out "immersive imaging technology" to support Sphere and the first is Big Sky, a combination camera and screen. The camera captures large-format images "without the need to stitch together images from multiple cameras, as has often been the case with other would-be immersive screen experiences dating all the way back to three-panel Cinerama"; the display is "the world’s highest resolution LED screen." “Postcard from Earth,” the first manifestation of Big Sky tech, premieres at the Sphere on October 6; tickets are on sale now at the Sphere's website.
Forbes.com has posted a long feature on Area15, which it calls "the mall of the future" and cites AI data that claims the attraction drew nearly three-and-a-quarter-million visitors in 2022 (and they were all there the last time we were; that's how loud it was). The perspective piece tells the whole story with photos -- background, description, interviews with a couple of principals, and future plans. Worth the eight-minute read.
The World Series of Poker’s Gladiators of Poker tournament got off with 23,102 participants, second-largest field in WSOP history. The
no-limit hold ’em event has a $300 buy-in, the least expensive for a bracelet tournament, and a $3 million guaranteed prize pool. (It also has the highest rake ever seen, as reported in the June issue of the Las Vegas Advisor: 18%!) The number-one-largest event took place in 2019, another no-limit hold ’em tournament, the Big 50, with 28,371 players.
Celebrity chef and TV personality Guy Fieri's Chicken Guy! has debuted at the Forum Food Hall at Caesars Palace. It's the 12th location of the chain in eight states and the first in Nevada. Chicken Guy!'s menu consists of fried and grilled tenders (three for $10.99, five for $17.99) with a choice of two out of 22 different sauces, from curry mayo and wasabi honey to bourbon brown-sugar BBQ and habanero. The tenders also come in sandwiches ($14-$16) and salads ($17-$19), with fries, mac-n-cheese, and fried pickles ($5-%8) and Fieri's Flavortown shakes ($8.99). It's a good center Strip late-night play, open daily at 11 a.m. and closing at 2 a.m. Sun.-Fri., 4 a.m. Sat. and Sunday.
The Vegas Golden Knights are -200 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
TravelMarketReport.com, in a story about the Sahara, makes the first mention we've seen of turning one of the hotel towers into a boutique hotel-in-a-hotel. The AAA Four Diamond Alexandria Tower, which was completely remodeled 10 or so years ago during the SLS era according to designs by renowned French architect Philippe Starck, will be reimagined again, then remodeled and upgraded to become "a standalone hotel-within-a-hotel, though still under the Sahara umbrella." We'll keep an eye out for more details on this development, brought to us by Canada Roy.
LVA correspondent XY sent us a link to a video with a couple of minutes of Las Vegas newsreel footage from 1954. Most of the 26-minute video is about Arizona, but the Las Vegas portion, which starts around the 23:40 mark, has some interesting views of the early Strip, including a cool segment on the Last Frontier Village, the Old West theme park that opened with and next to the Last Frontier Hotel-Casino. Check it out here.
The Denver Nuggets are -8.5 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 209.
CarBuzz.com reports that Caesars is now offering an F1 room-food-and-beverage package for the Las Vegas Grand Prix at a cost of $5 million, a mere five times the previously highest-priced package at the Wynn. The "F1 Nobu Emperor" deal includes five nights at the Nobu Sky Villa in Nobu Hotel, the hotel-in-a-hotel at Caesars Palace, 12 paddock club tickets, two tickets to "Weekends with Adele," spa services for six, personal driver, VIP host, and a private dinner for 12 "created by" celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa (whether or not he cooks it himself remains to be seen). We seriously considered it -- until we saw that it included only two tickets to Adele. For us to pay that kind of money, we'd need at least three.
Though Las Vegas is approaching the record for the latest date to register a 100-degree day, a new study shows that the city is tied with Boise as the second-fastest-warming city in the nation. Climate Central, a nonprofit news organization that analyzes and reports on climate science, analyzed 53 years of summer temperatures in nearly 250 U.S. locations and found that 95% of them have experience increased temperatures in June, July, and August, since 1970. Cities in the west registered the largest increases. Reno placed first on the list, with average temperatures over the three months topping out at 11.1 degrees hotter, while Las Vegas and Boise came in at 5.8 degrees warmer, followed by Salt Lake City (5.5 degrees) and El Paso (5.3 degrees) The top two rankings didn't change from Climate Central's 2022 study, when Reno ranked highest and Las Vegas second.
Novak Djokovic is a -500 favorite over Casper Ruud in today’s French Open men's tennis final. Djokovic is seeking his 3rd French Open title and 23rd major championship, which would make him the all-time leader. Ruud is seeking his first Grand Slam championship.
And now for something a little different. This week's LVA YouTube video is a departure from the typical 15 minutes of footage from the studio upstairs. Anthony and Andrew are trying a little experiment, having some beer downstairs in the conference room (right off the lobby) in a more casual and relaxed setting. In addition, it was live on YouTube on Friday afternoon and the chat function was enabled, allowing viewers to chime in in real time, with Andrew fielding questions from the gallery and Anthony answering them. It's a fun format and apparently successful, so here's hoping they bring it back at least every couple-three weeks.
The Nevada Taxicab Authority has approved a rise in taxi fares. The flag-drop rate will leap a significant 66%, from $3.50 to $5.25. Then it will be 37 cents for every eighth of a mile traveled, up from 23 cents twelfth of a mile (from $2.76 per mile to $2.96). The waiting fee will stay the same, $32.40 per hour. The fixed fares for the zones from the airport will go from $19 to $21 for Zone 1 (Tropicana Ave.), $23-$25 Zone 2 (to Flamingo), and $27 to $29 for Zone 3 (Strat). The increases are tied to inflation. When the new fares will go into effect hasn't been announced; they need to go through the remaining regulatory paces, then the taxi companies need to update their meters, which will be inspected by the Authority.
Amanda Nunes is a -350 favorite over Irene Aldana in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Beneil Dariush is -150 over Charles Oliveira.
The Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights are pick ’em in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
The current odds for today’s Belmont Stakes make Forte the favorite at 2-1, followed by Angel of Empire at 7/2, and National Treasure at 5-1. The long shot is Il Miracolo at 20-1.
Iga Swiatek is a -835 favorite over Karolina Muchova in today's French Open women’s tennis final. Swiatek is going for her fourth Grand Slam title and third French Open Championship. Muchova is playing in her first Grand Slam final.
The Denver Nuggets are -3 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 211. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
The premier of "Beers With Anthony and Andrew" will stream live today at 4 p.m. PST. It's an altered format of our weekly news show during which A&A will answer questions from the viewing audience in real time. Join in at Las Vegas Advisor on YouTube.
County commissioners have approved plans for a 19-story 340-room non-casino hotel to be built at the corner of Polaris and Quail avenues, roughly three-quarters of a mile south of the main entrance to Allegiant Stadium. The $275 million Nuance Hotel will occupy two acres and feature a restaurant, spa, and convention space with a ballroom. A parking garage will occupy levels two through five, the convention center on six, seven, and eight, the restaurant on the ninth, and the guestrooms on 10 through 19. The top floor will sport an outdoor deck and penthouses. Ground is scheduled to be broken in early 2024; no completion time has been announced.
Station Casinos will be hosting fireworks on July 4th again on opposite ends of the valley at Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch starting at 9 p.m. Viewing parties will be held at the pools, $35 for admission only, with food and drink for sale. Doors open at 7:30.
The Florida Panthers are -120 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights in tonight's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
Hockey fans can get together and watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs from the field and stands on the massive digital scoreboard, one of the largest in sports, at Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin on Saturday night. Tickets are a bargain $5, all seating areas will be open, and the gates and concessions will open at 4 p.m. for the game in Miami that starts at 5 Vegas time.
It's been a couple of very sad days around the office since hearing that our colleague, author, frequent contributor, and old friend Arnold Snyder passed away Tuesday morning at age 75 after a months-long battle with an acute infection. We'll shortly be posting a tribute to the charter member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame, author of multiple books on blackjack, and publisher of the long-running Blackjack Forum, the quarterly trade journal for professional gamblers. But for now, we just wanted to impart the news of the loss of one of the most vital voices in the all-time ranks of advantage players.
The Denver Nuggets are -3.5 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 3 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 212.5.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has reconvened the legislature two days after the biennial session ended to consider the public-funding proposal for a Major League Baseball stadium (neither team specific nor site specific). State senators and assembly members are meeting starting at 10 a.m. this morning to address the $380 million package, of which $180 million would come from the state in the form of transferable tax credits, $25 million in credits would be issued by Clark County, and the rest would be covered by in bonds sold in advance of the proposed entertainment district around the stadium.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival, taking place at T-Mobile Arena Saturday-Sunday September 22-23, will feature the following headliners: Foo Fighters, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson, Lenny Kravitz, Lil Wayne, Public Enemy, Kane Brown, and more. A presale for Capital One credit card holders will begin next Wednesday June 14 at 10 a.m. PT; tickets for the general public go on sale Friday June 16 at 10 a.m.
As of today, it's been 272 days since the thermometer in Las Vegas has hit 100 degrees. The last time was on September 8 at 105. We fell just short of the century mark on Sunday and Monday and below-normal temps are predicted for the next 10 to 14 days. The longest stretch between 100-degree days was set in 1965 at 290 days; that year, the first triple-digit temperature was recorded on June 30. The typical first 100-degree day is May 24. So far, this year is the seventh-longest period; If 100 isn't hit by June 20, it'll be the third latest in Las Vegas history.
The Vegas Golden Knights crushed the Florida Panthers in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Tuesday night 7-2, after winning Game 1 by a score of 5-2. With the VGK up 2-0, the series now moves to Florida Live Arena in Miami for two games on Thursday and Saturday.
The Nevada Legislature adjourned its biennial four-month session on schedule yesterday evening without voting on the tax incentives for the proposed Oakland Athletics' stadium. Any vote on the proposal before February 2025 when the new session begins will require approval to reconvene by two-thirds of legislators or the governor to call a special session. Governor Joe Lombardo favors the stadium, though not necessarily the A's; according to CBS Sports, "the funding package isn't specific to the Athletics, and could be used for any other major-league franchise -- relocation or expansion -- should the A's be unable to finalize plans to move to Las Vegas." And with the disarray with which this team has presented itself to the state powers that be, that remains a possibility.
The Formula 1 company is reportedly building three temporary auto bridges near the paddock building at Koval and Flamingo. One bridge will be at that intersection, a second at Harmon and Audrie a block closer to the Strip (where the Monorail crosses Harmon), and the third will be near Top Golf (presumably across Koval slightly south of Harmon). All provide access to the paddock area.
The Vegas Golden Knights are -135 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
If the Vegas Golden Knights bring home to Stanley Cup (they're 1-0 in the Finals), they'll be the second Las Vegas team to win a national championship. The Las Vegas Aces last year beat the Connecticut Sun three games to one to become the best team in the WNBA and with a come-from-behind road win against the Indiana Fever yesterday, the Aces set a franchise record for consecutive wins to open the season at six. The final score, 84-80, broke a five-game streak of scoring more than 90 points. The Aces next game is tomorrow against the Sun in Connecticut.
According to the Robb Report, Bucherer, the Swiss luxury-watch brand owned by Europe's biggest watch retailer, Bucherer AG, will reopen its store in the next few weeks at the Forum Shops at Caesars after an 18-month closure for renovations and expansion. The new store, dubbed Bucherer 1888 TimeDome, will occupy two stories and a total of 18,500 square feet; the 1,000 square feet more than the previous space will make it larger than the company's flagship TimeMachine venue on 5th Avenue in New York City. The facade alone is worthy of description: 21 glass panels that are 22 feet tall, each "transitioning from clear to opaque gold." The new venue is reportedly the largest watch store in the U.S.
With casinos raking in record profits partly due to reduced staffing, we're not surprised that a survey by Planetware.com, analyzing eight million TripAdvisor reviews of 9,000 hotels in 95 U.S. cities, found that Las Vegas is the 11th worst for hotel service. The survey looked at the reasons that the reviews gave hotels one or two stars out of five, zeroing in on negative comments about staff and customer service. At the top of the list was Miami Beach, with nearly 20% negative reviews, followed by Montauk (NY), Cape May (NJ), Siesta Key (FL), and New York City, all with more than 16% negative comments about unhelpful or rude employees. Detroit, Vail, Atlantic City, South Padre Island, and Key West rounded out the top (bottom) ten, with Vegas next in line. Seven out of the 11 worst are small towns; Las Vegas placed fourth of all cities of substantial size. In the second part of the survey, Vegas placed 56th out of 95 for the worst hotels overall, while Reno placed 65.
The Denver Nuggets are -8 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 216.5.
Undercutting the Wynn's $1 million race package, Resorts World has rolled out its "888" package for $888,000 (presumably to appeal to its Asian market, where 8 is the lucky number, as opposed to 7 for Westerners). The all-inclusive experience includes private round-trip domestic air travel or international first-class air reimbursement; limos to and from the airport; a three-night stay in a Palace Suite at Crockford's complete with butler, plus an Entourage suite and four deluxe hotel rooms for the entourage; four tickets to Rose Rooftop, the banquet patio over the southeast wing overlooking the Strip; $20,000 in resort credits and another $20K in free play; two tailoring and styling sessions; and limo rides to and from the Paddock Club and a private courtyard before the start of the race. Book now! These packages are going fast!
In the aftermath of the deaths of 12 horses in the past month at Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, racing operations have been suspended for the remainder of the spring meet. The track and Churchill Downs Inc. (CDI) are in the midst of conducting a "top-to-bottom review of safety, integrity, and track-surface protocols and closed Churchill Downs in "an abundance of caution." The meets have been moved to Ellis Park, another CDI operation in Henderson, Kentucky.
The Vegas Golden Knights are -125 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
Anthony and Andrew sit down for their weekly video and talk about the first outdoor video poker in Anthony's memory (which has always been excellent and remains so, even at his advanced age ...) and a couple of the problems at this al fresco bar. Tune in to find out where it is and what they are. Then, they discuss one of their predictions coming true: the pivot on paid parking at the STRAT. Anthony sums it up best: "Some places can gouge. Others can't." From there, it's on to the World Series of Poker, which got underway last week and did someone mention the gouge? Listen in for the outrageous rake percentages this year. The Downtown Grand's hot dog cart is up and running, proving that deals do still exist here; the Vegas Golden Knights are playing for the Stanley Cup again, with the city going rightly VGK crazy; and the Question of the Week tackles the one perpetually on the minds of a lot of LVA readers: Why are the casinos making so much money? Finally, an LVA subscriber hit so many Jackpots of the Week that all his royals were an afterthought! That's a lot! Click the arrow for a fast 15-minute vicarious Vegas adventure.
As we've been reporting in the Las Vegas Advisor for some time, the Downtown Grand has been going all out in offering the kind of value that we haven't seen hereabouts since before the pandemic. Now, DTG has introduced "Welcome Back to Downtown," a promotion that highlights some existing bargains and introduces new ones. First, the new hot dog cart is selling a Nathan’s Famous hot dog and a draft PBR for $2 (can't be bought separately). In addition, parking is free with validation, the crap tables have $5 minimums with 10x odds, the roulette minimum is $5, and the excellent three-course lunch at Triple George for $20 continues. The mini-blackjack tournament on Thursdays will also be familiar to anyone who watches the LVA YouTube Weekly Update; Anthony Curtis plays almost every week. Good on ya, DTG!
Resorts World has submitted plans to Clark County for a 370,000-square-foot convention center with 250,000 square feet of meeting and public space. The new center would be located at the northwest corner of the property between the north parking garage and Sammy Davis Drive. No timeline or budget have been released, but it would comprise a substantial portion of the property and could be marketed to Genting-related businesspeople from all over the world.
A very lucky slot player hit a $2,198,173 on a Wheel of Fortune Gold Spin Triple Gold MegaTower machine at Aria last Friday. When he called his wife to report his good fortune, it took longer to say the name of the game than it did to receive the payout. (Kidding.)
Global superstar signers Enrique Iglesias, Ricky Martin, and Pitbull will go on an arena tour together this fall and "The Trilogy Tour" will make a stop at T-Mobile on Friday November 24. The three will do separate sets, consisting of the reggaeton, salsa, pop, dance, and electronic music the trio are known for. Ticket buyers can register for the obligatory Verified Fan presale now through Sunday at 11:59 p.m.; the presale itself starts on Wednesday. General-public tickets go on sale Friday June 9 at 10 a.m. PT.
There are several other video previews out there, but this one, from EA Sports F1, provides the best simulation we've seen of how things will look the night of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. It starts automatically at 4:04. After 30 seconds, it moves on to other things and you can stop the video manually at the 4:33 mark. Thanks, as always, to Canada Roy for the link.
The Denver Nuggets are -8.5 favorites over the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 219.
Though Las Vegas' first day of 100-plus degrees often happens in May, this year so far, the thermometer has yet to break into triple digits. It hit 98 on April 30, but since then, it hasn't even threatened to reach 100. The latest 100-degree day in Vegas history was in 1965, when it went all the way to the last day of the month, very unusual. Normally in June, high temperatures creep up from 95 on the first to 100 on the 14th and don't go back down to double digits until fall. The record high for the month is 117 (June 20, 2017, and June 30, 2011), with 116 achieved twice and 115 six times. Normal lows range from 71 on the first to 80 on the 30th, with records dropping into the 40s (48 in 1993, 49 in 1955 and 1938). June is the driest month of the year, with a scant eight-hundredths of an inch on average, as southern Nevada awaits the summer monsoons.
The New York Post is reporting that the partnership between Wynn Resorts and the Related Companies, a New York-based international real estate company, has proposed a $10 billion two-skyscraper complex at Hudson Yards, Manhattan's newest neighborhood on the west side by the Lincoln Tunnel. It would comprise a three-million-square-foot Wynn megaresort, featuring a whopping 250,000-square-foot casino and a 1,700-room hotel tower, along with a two-million-square-foot office tower, hundreds of condos, and park. It appears at this point that the Wynn-Related development has a good chance of being awarded one of three casino licenses in downstate New York, given that, as also summarized by the Post, other proposals for casinos in Times Square, at the top of Saks Fifth Avenue, and near the United Nations in Manhattan, at a Trump golf course in the Bronx, on Coney Island in Brooklyn, next to Citi Field where the Mets play in Queens, and next to the Nassau Coliseum out on Long Island all face "stiff resistance" from local officials and residents.
The second-annual Concours at Wynn will take place the weekend of November 10-12. On Saturday, an exhibition of more than 250 unique cars from around the world be on display on the greens at Wynn Golf Course. This year's event will feature four categories of vehicles: Concours, Hypercar, Electric, and Concept and Culture. Concours is the judged category of pre- and post-war automobiles, while Hypercar will showcase ultra-elite vehicles from the world’s greatest manufacturers; Electric will comprise the latest in energy efficiency and the Concept and Culture category highlights famous and limited-edition cars. On Sunday morning, the Tour D'Elegance motorcade will parade down the Strip. Tickets are on sale now at lasvegasconcours.com: $100 for general admission, $250 with cocktails, and $600 with food. Various room and ticket packages are also available.