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If the CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix is to be believed (ahem), the traffic issues caused by the repaving of the Strip and construction of the Formula 1 infrastructure were completely unexpected. CEO Rene Wilm, speaking at a Preview Las Vegas event at Fontainebleau, said, and we quote verbatim, "Obviously, the traffic issues were challenging in a way that nobody expected.” Is that so? Nobody? Not one person with even average intelligence was able to foresee that narrowing the Strip to one lane, closing major tourist-corridor intersections, and moving heavy equipment around for nine months might impede the normally congested traffic in one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world? Well, we expected the "traffic issues," which lets out nobody. Meanwhile, she also told the audience that the buildout for this year's race will require "about three months," a third of last year's disruption time. The entire race course won't need to be repaved and, according to a story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "utility relocation, moving power lines underground, storm-sewer modifications, sewer-system rerouting, smart-pole installation, and sidewalk repairs, plus crews having to work around the Sphere being under construction for a portion of the buildout," were all first-year events that won't be repeated. That said, we might be justified in mistrusting, at least slightly, the predictions of anyone who claims that nobody expected traffic issues last year.
Los Bukis, a legendary grupera band, will play Park MGM for 15 nights this summer in the first all-Spanish residency on the Las Vegas Strip. Grupera is a Regional Mexican genre that launched in the 1970s doing covers in Spanish of '60s' English rock 'n' roll, but has expanded over the decades to include other genres, including ballads, rancheras, corridos, and boleros. Los Bukis ("The Kids" in Yaqui, an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Sonora) were formed in 1973, disbanded in the mid-1990s, and reunited in 2021 for a tour that sold out U.S. stadiums and was the highest-grossing Latin tour of the year ($50 million). The Dolby Live dates are May 3, 4, 8, 10, and 11; July 12, 13, 17, 19, and 20; and September 13, 14, 18, 20, and 21. The presale started yesterday; GP tickets will be available starting at 10 a.m. PT on Friday.
LegalSportsReport is estimating that betting on the Super Bowl will reach just under $1.3 billion, breaking the single-game record for a sporting event in the U.S. For the full story on this and other Big Game news, check out our Super Bowl blog page.
Today’s Las Vegas Review-Journal contains a full-page ad from the Longhorn that includes matchplay and a dining discount. Get the details in the 1/23 post below.
According to a survey by STR, which provides analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry, visitors coming to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl will pay the highest room rates in the history of the Big Game. STR pegs the average daily room rate at $573 (each for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights) compared to the $559 in Miami in 2020, just before the pandemic. STR also projects that the Strip casinos will earn an additional $504 in revenue per available room, surpassing F1's $390 by a full 25.5%. All in all, the Super Bowl is expected to generate $600 million in revenue for Las Vegas.
In order to start the process of building the 30,000-seat stadium for the Las Vegas Athletics, the Tropicana will close on April 2, two days short of its 67th birthday. The date is sooner than anticipated, but the hotel has stopped taking reservations after April 1. Las Vegas' first implosion in 14 years is expected to drop the Trop sometime soon. The A's move from Oakland to Las Vegas is far from a done deal, but Bally's, the Trop's owner, is sure acting like it is.
Super Bowl weekend is shaping up to be almost as big and busy as New Year's Eve. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is projecting 330,000 visitors showing up for the Big Game. Last year, according to a story in this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport sustained the busiest day in its history on the Monday after the Super Bowl at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. According to the R-J, "Reid officials offered no comparisons of the busiest days the airport has ever had, but monthly passenger averages suggest it won’t come close to the Phoenix record. Reid’s busiest month in 2023 was October when the daily average was 176,771 passengers. In November, the month of the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix, the average daily passenger count was 161,314. The daily average last February was 149,180." We're taking the over.
A recent QoD about where the teams playing in the Super Bowl here next month will stay noted that both hotels are way out at Lake Las Vegas. One commenter wrote, "Lake Las Vegas is 23.8 miles away. There have to be hotels closer to the stadium that meet the criteria." Well, the NFL has laid out those criteria, which are all about gambling and the reason the teams are staying in non-casino hotels 23-plus miles from the city. "While in Las Vegas, players participating in the Super Bowl are prohibited from engaging in any form of gambling, including casino games and betting on any sport.” Other NFL players in town for the game can gamble, but not make sports bets, or even be in a sports book, until after the Super Bowl. Another QoD commenter wrote, accurately we believe, "Secluding the teams away from the the madness that will overtake Vegas enables the NFL to control the narrative and actions of the players. Staying closer increases the chances for problems to arise."
Singer, dancer, and actor Justin Timberlake will make a stop in Las Vegas on his first tour in five years. He'll play T-Mobile on Friday May 10 to support his new album, Everything I Thought It Was. The presale starts on Monday; GP tickets go on sale tat 10:00 a.m. Friday Feb. 2. Timberlake performed a private show at Fontainebleau for the resort's opening-night party last month.
The San Francisco 49ers are -2.5 favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. The total is 47.5.
In today's NFC Championship the San Francisco 49ers are -7.5 favorites over the Detroit Lions. The total is 53.5.
In today's AFC Championship, the Baltimore Ravens are -4.5 favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs. The total is 44.
All Elite Wrestling, founded in 2019 by the owner of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the first serious competition for the WWE in decades, will hold an event at Dollar Loan Stadium in Henderson on Feb. 10, the day before the Super Bowl. The promotion, which features many previous big-name WWE wrestlers and commentators, will also be televised on TNT and serve as the AEW's weekly live "AEW Saturday Collision" TV show from 5 to 7 p.m. PT. Tickets to attend the live event start at $20.
Jannik Sinner is a -325 favorite over Daniil Medvedev in tomorrow's Australian Open men's tennis final. Medvedev is seeking his second Grand Slam title, while Sinner is playing in his first Grand Slam final. The match starts early, at 3:30 am EST.
Wanna see a song from U2's Sphere residency live from the comfort of your own home for free? The superstar rock group will perform from Sphere on the 2024 Grammy Awards next Sunday, Feb. 4, which is taking place at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. It's not known exactly when during the three-and-a-half-hour show U2 will appear, so tune in from 5 to 8:30 p.m. PT not to miss it -- and see for yourself if the venue overshadows the band. We've seen reviews on both sides of the issue.
The 2024 James Beard Award semifinalist nominations are in and Las Vegas is represented by six chefs and restaurants. In the Southwest category are DJ Flores from Milpa, a locals "modern-Mexican" restaurant on Durango near Flamingo; Brian Howard from Sparrow + Wolf, the "experimental" restaurant in Chinatown; and Steve Kerstler from Aroma Latin American Cocina in Henderson, specializing in Central and South American dishes. One semifinalist is in the prestigious Outstanding Chef category: Oscar Amador Edo from Anima by EDO, a finalist for Best Chef Southwest last year. Josh and Kimmie Mcintosh from Milkfish, a Filipino popup bakery, are nominated for a combined Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker award.
Aryna Sabalenka is a -650 favorite over Zheng Qinwen in tomorrow’s Australian Open women's tennis final. Sabalenka is the defending champion seeking her second Grand Slam title. Qinwen is in her first Grand Slam final. The match starts early at 3:30 am EST.
Anthony and Andrew will go live today at 4 p.m. for Beer Friday! The guys broadcast live from 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 a little 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!
Las Vegas Metro has named the 34 intersections around the valley with the most collisions in 2023. All but five concern local traffic, but the five in the tourist corridor are worth noting, both for safety and compliance, as Metro is stepping up surveillance at all the intersections. The five for visitors to be cautious around are: Koval and Tropicana, the Strip and Flamingo, Strip and Harmon, Dean Martin and Tropicana, and Flamingo and Linq Lane.
On Wednesday, we linked to a tweet with a photo of $24 nachos at the Tavern sports bar and grill at Fontainebleau sporting a total of six tortilla chips. (BTW, the initial information was wrong; they're "only" $21.) Today, here's a photo of the new and improved nachos plate -- with considerably more carbs. It doesn't appear that the price has been reduced, so that's still a consideration, especially compared to the big nachos box at Taco Bell ($5) and the loaded nachos at Allegiant Stadium (now the second-most expensive at $17). But you can't say that Fbleau isn't paying at least a little attention.
Downtown's "Excessive Celebration Bowl Bash" will take place over four days leading up to the Super Bowl, starting on the Thursday prior and running right up to game time. The four-day party will include 25 live performances on the three Fremont Street Experience stages. Two acts got our attention: the Offspring, the long-time southern California hardcore punk band, and the Starship, featuring the original lead singer Mickey Thomas. The Starship will play Thursday and the Offspring Saturday, both at 8 p.m. Country singer-songwriter Chris Lane will perform Friday, also at 8 p.m. All the events over the long weekend are free.
The signup for tickets to the Lovers & Friends 2024 music festival at the Las Vegas Fairgrounds (corner Sahara and the Strip) on May 4 starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT. This one-day extravaganza is very popular and it's not a mystery why; headliners will include Usher, Janet Jackson, Backstreet Boys, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg, Nelly Furtado, Mary J. Blige, Nas, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Ciara, and Lil Wayne and another 60-plus acts will join them throughout the day. The tickets range from $325 for general admission to $695 for VIP, with hotel-ticket packages (at Sahara, Strat, Resorts World, Wynn, the D, and more) starting at $678.
Here's one we missed somehow. About a month ago, the Miracle Mile Shops announced that it was planning Miracle Eats, a 10-outlet food hall, outlets to be named later, scheduled to open in about a year. Now, VegasChanges has a few photos of the site and a map pinpointing where it's going to be located: near the south entrance to the mall off the Strip. VegasChanges also notes that several stalls and dining venues have already shut down.
Billy Joel and Sting will co-headline one show at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 9. Joel is no stranger to the stadium; he did a solo show there a couple of years ago. Sting had his own residency at the Colosseum at Caesars for 18 months. Presale tickets will be available starting 10 a.m. on Wednesday; tickets for the general public go on sale Feb. 2 at 10 a.m.
Though the union has finalized contract agreements with the Westgate and Strat, 18 holdouts on the Strip and downtown remain in negotiations. Culinary will be out in front of Circa on an informational picket line on Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and 5-7 p.m. The strike deadline looms: a week from Friday, Feb. 2, at 5:00 a.m.
Fontainebleau has been open for five weeks and the fourth executive to leave (either termed or resigned) was reported this morning. At this rate ... well, never mind. Another detail about the place caught our attention, this one on X. The Tavern is touted as "the most elevated sports book experience in Las Vegas" and according to the tweet, that could refer to the food prices, along with the ... ahem ... spiritual nature of the minimalist food and the exercise in patience while waiting for it. The Tavern "adobo chicken nachos" are $24 and though the menu description (sans prices, natch) lists grilled chicken, cheddar cheese, black beans, salsa fresca, pickled jalapeños, jalapeño crema, guacamole, and cilantro, it turns out you get six chips. You can see a photo of the plate and read about the wait time here.
For those using the Plaza’s food offers in the MRB—Pop Up Pizza, Aloha Hawaiian Grill, and Fresh Mexican Grill—it’s necessary to bring those vouchers to the players club booth to activate before using. That requirement was inadvertently left off the printed vouchers, though it appears in the online Terms & Conditions.
Today’s LV Review-Journal contains a full-page ad from the Longhorn that includes four "$20 for $10 Slot Match Play” coupons and a 2-for-1 dinner entrée. We don’t know the particulars of the matchplay, but if it’s a straight play-$20-get-$10, that’s about $35 in expected win (play one per day). And even if the bonus is redeemed in a different way for reduced value, the dinner twofer is worth the $3 outlay for the newspaper. We also don’t know if this offer will run again, so get one today.
Billing itself as Las Vegas’ only gay-owned, adults-only, LGBTQ+ hotel, the Bent Inn and Pub opened yesterday at 11th and Ogden, one block from Fremont downtown. The Bent Inn advertises that it's open to everyone, but the prime directive is to "provide a safe, supportive, and comfortable environment for the queer community." It features 33 rooms, a year-round spa and heated pool, poolside food truck, 24-hour bar, overnight off-street parking, and fenced and controlled access. Rates start at $49 for two twins (plus tax and $22 resort fee) and go up to $149 (total $193) for a pool-patio king.
The Killers, founded by Las Vegas rockers in 2001, are now considered one of the biggest rock bands of the 21st century, selling more than 28 million records worldwide, nearly half in the U.S. They're no longer based in Las Vegas, but when they play here, it's a homecoming of sorts and they sell out every show. Tickets for a just-announced eight -date mini-residency in August go on sale Saturday Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. "The Killers: Live in Las Vegas -- Celebrating 20 Years of Hot Fuss" will play on Aug. 14, 16, 17, 21, 23, 24, 28, and 30. Reportedly, the band will play its iconic debut album, Hot Fuss, from start to finish. The album's hits include "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me," "All These Things That I've Done," and our favorite, "Smile Like You Mean It."
As it does every year, the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center will host a watch party for the Super Bowl. It starts at 11 a.m. and is free, but you have to be 21 to attend. The game will be shown on two 22-foot LED screens with a half-dozen food and drink vendors and private spaces available for rent.
A "wealthy race fan who did some home shopping while in town" for F1 wound up making an offer on the most expensive home on the Las Vegas market. The $34 million megamansion, in the exclusive MacDonald Highlands gated community in the hills of Henderson, is 15,000 ultramodern square feet, with a view of the entire valley from the huge picture windows, decks, and infinity pool. You can see photos and video of the property at KTVN.com.
Rumors are swirling and some evidence is appearing that Fontainebleau could be suffering "birth pangs." Behind-the-scenes drama has led to the resignation of two key executives and the termination of a third. Three others came and went before the place even opened. First- and second-hand experiences and reports indicate low foot traffic, mainly due to the north Strip location, and otherwise sparse patronage from drive- and fly-ins. Now a post on news and culture site Messenger.com, written by a local who lives in "a condo on the north Strip" that looks out at Fbleau’s porte-cochère, shines a spotlight and gives further details on another problem: arrogance and over-confidence. "Fontainebleau’s Multibillion-Dollar Vegas Gamble Looks Like a Bad Bet" is worth the five-minute read to get a glimpse of why the writer calls the shiny new megaresort a "ghost town."
In today's AFC playoff game, the Kansas City Chiefs are -2.5 favorites over the Buffalo Bills. The total is 46.
In today's NFC playoff game, the Detroit Lions are -6 favorites over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The total is 49.5.
The Culinary Union has reached a "tentative" contract agreement with the Westgate. It's the first deal out of the 19 hotel-casinos on the Strip and downtown still without labor agreements with the union, but it covers upwards of 1,000 out of the 7,000 workers at the other 18 properties. With the first domino falling, the rest are expected to drop into place before the strike deadline on February 2 at 5 a.m.
For some fine time-killing infotainment during today's playoff-game halftimes, tune into the "Anthony and Andrew Show." First, Anthony tries to explain something that's going on at the Mirage volcano through the Super Bowl called Paramount Mountain, then the guys touch on an update on the last remaining F1 bridge on Flamingo (hint: more road closures), the bagel-eating contest at Bagelmania, the LVA coupon book's imminent delivery, and Andrew's appearance at Jimmy Kimmel's Comedy Club. From there, they launch into the meat of the matter: resort fees all over town breaching the $50-per-night barrier. Find out which three casinos don't charge resort fees, one of which is on the Strip and doesn't charge for parking either. Finally, the Jackpot of the Week is quite the story and we'll leave it at that; you have to hear to believe it. Go Lions!
Dricus Du Plessis is a -125 favorite over Sean Strickland in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Mayra Bueno Silva is -170 over Raquel Pennington.
In today's NFC playoff game, the San Francisco 49ers are -10 favorites over the Green Bay Packers. The total is 50.5.
In today's AFC playoff game, the Baltimore Ravens are -10 favorites over the Houston Texans. The total is 44.
The year was 1957. Dwight Eisenhower began his second term. Sputnik, the first satellite, was orbiting the Earth. The Bridge on the River Kwai won the Academy Award for best picture. The Milwaukee Braves beat the New York Yankees in seven games in the World Series. Elvis bought Graceland. The Tropicana opened as the "Tiffany on the Strip." And the El Cortez in downtown Las Vegas offered two "Deflation Special" dinner deals in the restaurant: a 14-ounce steak with baked potato and rolls or a fried half-chicken with salad, whipped potatoes, and biscuit -- for the princely sum of $1.95. At this link, you can see the whole four-page menu, including the "sexy" (for the time) front and back covers, and the astounding breakfast, lunch, and dinner prices -- minus 67 years' worth of inflation. Give it a gander for a taste of the good old days in Vegas. (You can click on the pages to make them bigger and move them around with a cursor. Thanks, again and again, to Canada Roy for the link.)
Country music icon Reba McEntire will sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl next month. The 68-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer and three-time Grammy winner joins rapper-singer-actor Post Malone and R&B-soul singer Andra Day in performing in the pre-game ceremony. Usher, of course, will headline the half-time show.
The 2024 Member Rewards Books are in. We're distributing them now at our office and loading envelopes for mailing.
CBS Sports reported this week that the plans for the Oakland A's stadium on the site of the Tropicana are currently in a "general sense of stasis." A January 15 deadline for the release of "specific and actionable stadium plans and funding for the project" came and went without a word from the team. The deadline passing ostensibly jeopardizes the $380 million in public bonds the county and state have agreed to. However, CBS writes, "The missed deadline may not bring about the expected consequences." The CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, never one to miss a chance to turn lemons into lemonade if it concerns major projects that benefit the big casino companies, told the Associated Press, "The current tentative ballpark plans are enough to satisfy the league and the Players Association and secure the A's revenue-sharing status for 2024." Problem is, the "current tentative ballpark plans" are already being dismantled; one example is that the much-touted retractable roof is rumored now to be a fixed dome, greatly reducing both the price and footprint of the stadium. In addition, the San Francisco Chronicle sums up the "stasis": "Fisher and the A's have yet to release stadium plans, secure the very substantial amount of public funding, or even find a place to play games in 2025 after their lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires." Whatever game the Oakland A's management is playing, it seems to be much more than baseball.
Ahead of the second strike deadline in three months on February at 5 a.m., Culinary Union members will picket the Sahara and Strat hotel-casinos between 5 and 7 p.m. this evening. Though the big three employers -- MGM, Caesars, and Wynn -- signed 11th-hour contracts shortly before the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November, 7,000 more hospitality workers employed at 19 downtown and Strip casinos remain without contracts nearly nine months after the last one expired. The labor demonstration is an informational picket only, not a strike; it appears the union doesn't mind customers crossing the picket line. But traffic is sure to be disrupted in the vicinity.
For an extensive list of parties, events, and entertainment the casinos are putting on surrounding the Super Bowl, check out the Billboard page, "A Complete Guide to Every Super Bowl 2024 Party & Event." The action starts at the House of Blues on Wed. Feb. 7 and continues with a couple of dozen parties and events that culminate just before the Big Game. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
Singer-songwriters Jewel ("You Were Meant for Me") and Melissa Etheridge ("Come to My Window") will tour together this summer and fall. The tour will kick off on July 11 in Montana and hit Las Vegas for one night only on July 24 to play the Pearl Theater at the Palms. Tickets go on sale next Wednesday, with a pre-sale underway now; it looks like they'll range from $41 to $137, not including fees, and there'll be a limit of six tickets per customer.
VitalVegas reports this morning that resort fees have been raised $5 per night at Aria, Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, MGM Grand, and Vdara. It's now $50, breaching that psychological barrier for the first time. It's not, however, unprecedented; Fontainebleau opened with a resort fee of $51.02 and Durango $50.85. With the increase in parking fees and the new resort fee, both will cost guests at half of MGM Resorts properties an extra $68 a night. Resort fees at the rest of MGM properties were raised $2-$3. You can see all the resort fees citywide on our RW page.
The temporary bridge on Flamingo over Koval erected for the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be dismantled starting Sunday evening at 9 p.m. The project will wrap up at 9 p.m. Thursday February 1 and until then, the two roads will be closed for several blocks in all directions to traffic. We highly recommend you avoid that whole area during this time if you can; we'll run another note in early February recommending you avoid that whole area if you can then, since it will immediately be impacted by the Super Bowl.
The ever-alert folks at VegasChanges.com have found two free shows at Le Cabaret Lounge at Paris. According to the press release posted on VegasChanges, La Femme "embodies a playful, girly, and authentically French atmosphere," in which the performers "don elegant pink costumes, promising an evening of pure delight." That one goes on at 9 and 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The Red Show evokes the "sultry charm" of the Moulin Rouge era and "transports guests to the heart of Paris, with talented artists bedecked in mesmerizing red and black cancan-style costumes"; that takes place at 10 p.m. and midnight. No word on drink minimums or prices, but we assume there's at least a one-drink minimum and the drinks are tres cher. If these shows last, we'll check them out.
Here's a strange and different Las Vegas story of which strange and different Hunter S. Thompson, author of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, would be suitably proud. Though the Mint tower, where Thompson and his 300-pound Samoan sidekick, Dr. Gonzo, stayed during the initial research for the book, has been closed for 35 years, apparently you can still access it, as the story explains, and the writer went up there to make a pilgrimage to the infamous room in the tower (encountering bats and evidence of squatters along the way). It's a two-minute read that includes a few fine photos; fans of Thompson and the book will get a kick out of it. Also, it goes a long way toward explaining why the 300-room Mint tower won't be refurbished and reopened in the foreseeable future. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
The newest Nevada state park opens on Saturday at 8 a.m. The Ice Age Fossils State Park is 315 acres of paleontological and historical significance for fossil and Ice Age enthusiasts. This area was home to mammoths, lions, camels, dire wolves, ground sloths and other extinct mammals 8,000-20,000 years ago, at the tail end of the last of four great ice ages of the Pleistocene Era when great lakes and lakeshore grasses and woodlands supported the abundance of fauna. The discovery of a treasure trove of fossils in this vicinity prompted extensive and intensive scientific research, including a "Big Dig" in 1962; the park has been in the works for the past seven years. The park is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; tickets are $3, children under 12 free. It's located at 8660 N. Decatur Blvd. in North Las Vegas, a couple of miles north of the Bruce Woodbury Beltway.
Ole Red, the four-story 27,000-square-foot country-themed restaurant in front of the Horseshoe in the Grand Bazaar Shops, opened yesterday at 11 a.m. Owned by country star Blake Shelton, Ole Red touts itself as "providing the whole country experience," encompassing the food, drinks, and live entertainment on two stages; the outdoor patios also overlook one of the most exciting intersections in the world. The restaurant can seat 700 diners comfortably, tucking into menu choices such as fried pickles, wings, tacos, sliders, burgers and sandwiches, salads, and a few entrees (ribs, ribeye, salmon, mahi mahi, and chicken 'n' waffles). The hours are 11 a.m. till "late night."
In celebration of the Year of the Dragon, which launches on February 10, the Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Garden has unveiled its new display. As it always does to commemorate the Chinese (Lunar) New Year, the display has an Asian theme (the usual pagodas), but this year, the creators went all out on the dragon symbolism. The Year of the Dragon is widely believed by Asians to be the most powerful and prosperous of the 12 Zodiac signs. Those born in its years are said to be destined for good fortune and greatness, which is why more babies are born during Dragon years than any other. Thus, the display features lion dogs (guardians of sacred places that ward off malevolence and bring fortune), a money tree, Caishen (the god of wealth), children dancing on a wooden bridge over a lotus pond, and of course dragons of all shapes and sizes from fierce to friendly. The exhibit runs through March 2.
Online sports betting is now active in Vermont, with DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics the licensed operators. Vermont is the 29th state, along with Washington, D.C., to permit mobile wagering.
In today’s second NFL Wild Card Playoff game, the Philadelphia Eagles are -3 favorites over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The total is 43.
In the first of two NFL Wild Card Playoff games today, the Buffalo Bills are -10 favorites over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The total is 38.5.
Canteen Food Hall will open this Friday, Jan. 19 at the Rio in the space formerly occupied by the Carnival World Buffet. There are six food outlets. Southland Burrito Company specializes in Sonoran-style (Southwestern) burritos with six varieties: chicken, brisket, pork, mushroom, vegetarian, breakfast, and build your own, $11-$13, with fries, chips, and salsa $6-$12. Shogun Ramen is a partnership between a master ramen chef (with 600 varieties of ramen created) and a Japanese restaurateur; three broths, two kinds of noodles, and a variety of toppings go for $12-$14, with steamed buns ($10) and mochi ice cream ($5). Tony Luke’s, a south Philadelphia cheesesteak chain, is making its west coast debut, serving 10 different cheesesteaks and hoagies (chicken, pork, steak, pizza, vegetarian) for $13-$15 and gourmet toppings ($2-$3). Tender Crush is the New York-style chicken-tenders outlet, offering three naked crispy or grilled tenders ($10), a half-dozen choices of sauces ($12), a dozen add-on sauces ($2), kale, beans, and mac 'n' cheese sides ($7), fries ($5), New York drafts ($9), and a "Coney Island cooler" (vodka, tequila, and rum $15). Nama Nama sushi comes from the creators of Tekka Bar (at the Cosmo's food hall), with ngiri ($7), cut rolls ($8-$15), pokie bowl ($21), and sake ($12-$18). Finally, Attaboy Burger serves single, double, and Texas toast cheeseburgers ($10-$12), fries and rings ($6), and root-beer float ($7). All in all, there's more variety here than at the typical food hall outlets, especially the ones at Aria, Cosmo, and UnCommons, and the prices seem more reasonable, though we'll have to see if the food lives up to the value. Which we will, since the Canteen is a two-minute drive from our office.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman made her 13th and final State of the City speech on Thursday night. It marked the beginning of the end of the Goodman era, which started in 1999 when Carolyn's husband Oscar won the seat and proceeded to serve for three terms; the mayor of Las Vegas is term-limited and can't run a fourth time. Together, the Goodmans have been mayor for six terms and 25 years; they've been notable residents of Las Vegas since 1964, as far back as the Rat Pack and Mob-associated years. The mayoral election takes place on June 11, with a runoff, if necessary, on Election Day, November 5.
Joey Chestnut, the number-one-ranked competitive eater, showed up for the second annual -- and his first -- bagel-eating contest at Siegel's Bagelmania just off the Strip yesterday and to no one's surprise walked away with the win, plus half of the $10,000 prize pool. But he just squeaked by the number-two-ranked eater, Geoffrey Esper, by a half-bagel. Miki Sudo, the number-one-ranked woman competitor, just missed the top five by a quarter-bagel at 10. The bagels were slathered with cream cheese and contestants ate for eight minutes. Five hundred people spectators attended the event, rooting for Chestnut and Sudo all the way.
In today’s second NFL Wild Card Playoff game, the Detroit Lions are -3 favorites over the Los Angeles Rams. The total is 53.
In the first of two NFL Wild Card Playoff games today, the Dallas Cowboys are -7 favorites over the Green Bay Packers. The total is 51.5.
With more than 350 flights delayed and 64 canceled at Reid International so far this weekend due to the huge storm in the northern U.S., one traveler on Friday probably welcomed whatever hold-up was happening -- in order to collect a jackpot for $1,031,199 on a Wild Wild Buffalo slot.
Magomed Ankalaev is a -550 favorite over Johnny Walker in today’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jim Miller is -155 over Gabriel Benitez.
In today’s second NFL Wild Card Playoff game, the Kansas City Chiefs are -5 favorites over the Miami Dolphins. The total is 43.5.
In the first of two NFL Wild Card Playoff games today, the Cleveland Browns are -2 favorites over the Houston Texans. The total is 44.5.
It's the same tired argument that was used here until well after no one believed it: "This is new territory." As if recreational cannabis hadn't been legally available in California, Colorado, and other states for many years before Nevada legalized it. Now, it's being used for cannabis lounges, legalized three full years ago, with only one open -- on the Paiute reservation that's not regulated by the state, so Big Gaming, which opposes the lounges, has little to no influence over it. Lounges are open in Alaska, California, Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts, but Nevada continues to pretend its breaking entirely new ground. The latest: Cannabis leaders told 8 News Now last week that they're "confident" there will be "movement" in the next "few months." The county commissioner who spearheaded the rec legalization when he was a state senator, however, said he's confident "this will be the year." We'll take the over. For the whole sordid, but wild, story on cannabis in the Silver State, including the lounge situation, you can read our new book Weed & Loathing in Nevada. (We recommend clicking on the link if only to see the fabulous book cover.)
Now that Fontainebleau, Durango, and the heavy initial work for the inaugural F1 are in the past, the Southern Nevada Building Trades Unions will have new jobs on the high-speed Brightline rail connection between southern California and Las Vegas. Representatives from the Department of Labor were in Las Vegas last week to discuss recruiting 11,000 workers to build the 220-mile line, 3,000 of whom will be responsible for the 50 miles from south Las Vegas to the border at Primm. Construction will begin at the site of the Las Vegas train station, in the Silverton vicinity, and work south from there, while the 8,000 or so workers on the California side will launch the project at multiple sites at once, or so California officials contend. (If their assurances about even starting construction on widening I-15 between the state line and agricultural inspection station are any indication, Nevadans will be standing at the end of their side of the line, waiting for the track to arrive, for years. That said ...) Brightline is slated for completion by summer 2028, in time for the Olympics in Los Angeles.
A representative for numerous businesses that were disrupted nearly to bankruptcy by construction for Formula 1, including the temporary bridge that remains, appeared at a Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority board of directors meeting to ask for redress. The rep implored the board to remove the bridge, as well as to establish a "small-business recovery fund" to reimburse nine businesses that lost an estimated $23 million, sacrificed involuntarily for the good of the Grand Prix. "Giving our public streets to a private enterprise that closed roads, put up five million orange cones, and redirected traffic that visitors for years have relied on to get to Ferraro’s, Battista’s, Ellis Island, and Jay’s Market [created] a mess. Reservations were canceled, gas wasn't pumped, and casino floors weren't full,” she insisted. Ferraro's, a long-time Italian restaurant on Paradise Road, lost "an excess of $2 million in revenue." The Stage Door Casino and Battista's Hole in the Wall claim losses of "about $5 million in revenue," due to road closures. The rep also complained about the lack of involvement of the small businesses in the planning process and no traffic studies to gauge the impact of the plans. Will the LVCVA and Las Vegas Grand Prix respond? Time will tell and we'll be on the lookout for any developments.
In this week's YouTube, Anthony and Andrew start out by talking about another strike deadline against indie casinos on the Strip and downtown set by the Culinary and Bartenders unions in the runup to Super Bowl. Then they delve into the new Member Rewards Book, including the date it's due back from the printer, the results from the Circa Survivor football contest, including a big win for a buddy of Anthony's, a national bagel-eating contest at the great Strip deli Bagelmania, some trash talk in answering the Question of the Week, and a second-in-a-row Jackpot of the Week on Triple Double Bonus. Catch it all right here.
U-Haul's annual ranking of growth states for 2023 has been released. Each year, U-Haul compiles its Growth Index by calculating "the net gain of one-way U-Haul trucks arriving in a state or city, versus departing from that state or city." These migration patterns are aggregated from more than two million one-way U-Haul moving-truck transactions. Not surprisingly, Texas took the top growth-state honor for the third year in a row; it's also the state's sixth first-place finish in the past eight years. Florida ranked second for the third consecutive year; it's been in the top three for the past eight years. Nevada climbed two places, from 13th in 2022 to 11th in 2023. North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Idaho, Washington, Colorado, and Virginia placed third through 10th, while Michigan (46), New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts, and California (50) are the bottom five states for growth in 2023. California had the highest out-migration for the third year in a row, according to the survey.
That would be Luxor, wrapped in a huge Doritos sign as Super Bowl-related advertising. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Delano will be similarly festooned with a Pepsi ad. Sphere hasn't released any details about ads on the exoskeleton, though the company has indicated "a ton of interest" in the possibility. Building wraps used to be popular in Las Vegas, but have been missing in action the past few years; you can read all about them in this Question of the Day.
A long-time landmark on I-15 coming into Las Vegas is being demolished. Terrible's (originally Gold Spike) and its 142 acres were sold by the Herbst family two years ago to a Reno-based development company, which started the demolition in December. All the buildings will be razed in the next couple of months to make way for a massive three-million-square-foot eight-building industrial park, with the first buildings slated to open a year later. The park will, in part, allow truckers from southern California to unload their cargo and return to base in the same day, without having to stay overnight in Las Vegas and contend with the traffic.
The 27th annual four-day Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly music festival returns to the Orleans April 18-21. It bills itself as the longest-running music festival in Las Vegas and the largest rockabilly event in the world. It attracts upwards of 10,000 revelers from 20 countries, plus another 10,000 people for the Saturday Classic Car event. The weekend features 75 bands, 25 DJs, a burlesque showcase and competition, vintage fashion show, dance lessons and competition, tiki pool parties, vintage swimsuit contests, pin-up contest, tattoo lounge, bowling, record hops till 7 a.m., special meetups, and the enormous classic-car show with 800-1,000 vintage cars, all pre-1964. More than 120 vendors are also expected. Tickets are available now at $60-$195 for the four days or $40 for the car show and $50 for the bowling tournament.
The NFL playoffs are here and we'll know who's playing in the Super Bowl in a few weeks. As of this moment, the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens are the favorites to face each other in Vegas on February 11. Both are number-one seeds and have byes in the wild-card round this weekend. Whichever the two teams in the Big Game are will be allotted roughly 11,000 seats each. The other 29 teams get 750 seats apiece, just under 22,000 total, and as the host team, the Las Vegas Raiders get 3,000 seats. That leaves around 15,000 seats for everyone else, including the general public. Currently, seats for sale on Ticketmaster, the NFL ticketing partner, are currently ranging from $10,250 to $36,750, depending on where in the stadium they are. Those prices should come down the closer the game gets; tickets for last year's Super Bowl in Glendale, Arizona, settled between $5,500 and $6,000 at game time, but that was in a stadium with 11,000 more seats than Allegiant. Also, walking distance from the Las Vegas Strip is a much bigger draw than the boonies of the Valley of the Sun. So prices aren't expected to drop too much from current levels.
Sales of single-family houses, townhouses, and condos in Las Vegas for 2023 were the lowest in at least a decade and, according to Las Vegas Realtors. A total of 29,069 existing properties changed hands in 2023, the fewest sales since 2014 (35,096 total). The record was set in 2021 with 50,010 total sales, so this year was off by 17% from 2014 and 42% from the record. The median sale price of single-family homes in December was $449,000, up nearly 6% from December 2022. The median sale price of local condos and townhomes was $270,000, slightly more than 9% year over year. Supply remains extremely tight; 3,766 single-family homes and 1,133 condos and townhomes were listed at the end of the year, a decline of nearly 40% and 18.5% from 2022, respectively.
A renowned sandwich shop from Florence, Italy, that at least one journal has named among the best in the world, will open at the Sundry Food Hall at the UnCommons on January 26. All’Antica Vinaio, which means “At the Ancient Wine Merchant” and describes the location of the first shop that opened in Venice in 1991 across from a wine bar, features freshly baked schiacciata (skia-CHA-tah), a chewy Tuscan flatbread, sliced meats like capocollo and Tuscan prosciutto, gorgonzola and stracciatella (mozzarella soaked in cream), tomatoes and spicy eggplant, and other Italian specialties. They'll be molto costoso; the menu for the two shops in New York, the only others in the U.S., list prices from $12 for the Caprese, basically cheese and a slice of tomato, all the way to $20 for the Toscana, with Tuscany salami, pecorino, and truffle honey. However, on opening day, the first 100 sandwiches will be free (limit one per guest, so the first guest doesn't order all 100 sandwiches). The UnCommons is a mixed-use community (apartments, office space, restaurants including the new food hall, and entertainment) located at S. Durango and the Beltway, directly across the street from the new Durango Hotel-Casino. Combine visits if you're interested in either.
The second Sphere, announced several years ago for a five-acre lot in east London, has been canceled. Madison Square Garden Company bowed out when the project turned into a "political football" between the mayor of London and a national secretary of state. The mayor rejected Sphere as a “bulky, unduly dominant, and incongruous form of development” for the neighborhood that would have an "unacceptable negative impact on local residents.” The national minister represented a coalition of local employers who welcomed plans for the arena, larger than the Las Vegas venue by 6,000 seats, which would bring "thousands of technical and creative jobs and other benefits and a fairer and greener economy” to east London." The next possible Sphere expansion? Pundits say that it's only a matter of time before one lands in Dubai.
The ginormous winner-take-all Circa Survivor football-contest grand prize, $9,267,000, was split among the last four survivors, known as Circus Master, IndianaJet, Jax Jags, and LAJoneser. All four finished the season with a perfect 20-0 record, the only ones out of the 9,267 entrants whose team picks didn't lose a single game. The pot had been chopped among the four finalists, who agreed to split $7 million and play for the remaining $2,267,000, but since they all finished first, they each receive an equal amount of $2,316,750.
The Culinary and Bartenders unions have set Friday February 2 as the deadline for a strike by upwards of 7,000 workers at 21 properties on the Strip and downtown that are still without contracts. The unions are negotiating for the same deal that they received from MGM, Caesars, and the Wynn shortly prior to the Formula 1 race in November, plus the Tropicana and the Mirage shortly before Christmas: a 32% wage hike, along with increased benefits and job protections. The hotel-casinos include the Sahara, Circus Circus, Virgin, Rio, Binion's, Circa, and Golden Gate. The deadline is slightly more than a week before Super Bowl Sunday.
In the college-football National Championship, Michigan is a -5 favorite over Washington. The total is 55.5.
It's widely believed that just-opened casinos are lucky for gamblers. Fontainebleau has proved to be exactly that, at least for two slot players. A $1.2 million jackpot on an unspecified progressive machine was hit on December 23, 10 days after opening. Then a $1.1 million jackpot on a Wheel of Fortune machine Triple Double Stars game was nailed on January 5.
GeoComply, which provides geolocation and fraud-detection services for online sports books and casinos, logged 201 million visits to illegal offshore sports betting sites in the first three months of the NFL season alone, mainly from bettors in states without legal options, but also line shoppers in legal states. Bettors in the 13 states that haven't legalized it yet also attempt to access online books in neighboring states. GeoComply said it blocked 1.5 million attempts by Georgians to bet across state lines between September and November and 1.7 million by Nebraskans, which has a total population of just under two million! Extrapolating Nebraska from Oklahoma's 400,000 attempts from 380,000 customers, it would still equate with ... lots and lots of Cornhuskers. Bovada was the main offshore recipient of bettors with more than half of the 201 million visits, followed by MyBookie and BetOnline.
CBS, this year's Super Bowl broadcaster, will launch a week-long "residency" in front of Bellagio in anticipation of the Big Game next month. The multiplatform coverage will include sports, news, and entertainment originating from four outdoor sets on the sidewalk overlooking the Bellagio fountains shared by the likes of the pregame show "The NFL Today," "CBS Mornings," "Super Bowl Live," "The Talk," "CBS Evening News With Norah O’Donnell," even "The Drew Barrymore Show," and more. If you'd like to see the staging set-up, there's a rendering here. Also announced: "Homecoming Series and Taco Bell Innovation Summit," a weekend-long party will take place on the vacant lot across from the Wynn (and owned by the Wynn) where the Frontier used to be. On four nights starting at 9 p.m. (Feb. 8-11), a live performer or DJ will provide entertainment for 2,500 to 4,000 guests in a 41,000-square-foot main tent and a 12,000-square-foot Taco Bell sponsor tent. Details on how to attend forthcoming.
The Buffalo Bills are -3 favorites over the Miami Dolphins in tonight’s Sunday Night Football game. The total is 48.
The first LVA YouTube Update of the new year is live and rockin'. Anthony and Andrew launch right into the developments coming up in 2024, starting with a discussion on the new law that prohibits stopping on pedestrian overpasses. Then they take a look at what's next in casino progress (Mirage, Rio, Tropicana) and upcoming special events in Las Vegas, news about California sports betting, and the finished LVA Member Rewards Book (yahoo!). Anthony tells a couple of good stories about the Circa Survivor winner-take-all football contest, down from 9,257 entries to the final four, including the chop among the survivors, and answers the Question of the Week: pointspread or money line on the college championship football game? Finally, stick around for the Jackpot to find out the size of the comeback enjoyed by the video poker player of the week. It's all right here with the click of your cursor.
Norse Atlantic, a Norwegian low-cost long-haul airline founded in 2021, has announced non-stop flights between London's Gatwick Airport and Las Vegas' Reid International on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. No details have been announced, but it's another indication of the city's resurgence as an international travel destination since the long decline of COVID. When Norse does begin flying here, it will be the third airline from the UK, along with Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. Currently, 1,972 international flights are scheduled to and from Reid, operated by 17 carriers; Canadian low-cost WestJet is number one, with a 26% market share (520 flights). Air Canada is second with 300 flights.
The press release was a little unclear on the logistics, but in an interview with Fox News, illusionist Nathan Burton said that the Flyover attraction on the south Strip (between MGM Grand and the Showcase Mall) has "built a theater" for him to stage his performances. The photos show a small (140-seat or so) venue with a stage and all the production effects. The 70-minute show goes on Friday through Tuesday with ticket prices from $22 to $52 available on NathanBurton.com. Burton has been performing at various Strip venues for nearly 25 years and it appears that he's found a new long-term home at Flyover.
These will be short stretches of time and during overnight hours, but traffic will be disrupted again on the Strip from Sands to Harmon avenues, Harmon from the Strip to Koval, and Koval to Westchester from 9 p.m. on Tuesday night to 6 a.m. Thursday morning. Deconstruction continues on temporary structures put up for the race last November.
Ocean One Bar & Grille, well known for its breakfast and lunch specials, has shuttered all six of its locations in south Florida. As far as we know, the Las Vegas location at the Miracle Mile Shops and the flagship of the fleet at 15 years old is the last Ocean One in existence. It remains open and continues to offer all $5.99 lunches (and some $5.99 breakfast specials), plus dinner daily. It also has a 3-for-$12 cocktail deal. We'll keep an eye out to see if this one closes as well.
An AI-powered Elvis Presley show, titled Elvis Evolution, will debut in London, then move on to Las Vegas, sometime this year. The virtual performances will incorporate "holographic projection, augmented reality, live theater, and multisensory effects." We reviewed a show that sounds similar to this one, An Evening with Whitney Houston, in LVA 1/22 and wrote, "The technology that creates Houston as a computer-generated three-dimensional light field projected onto a mostly opaque scrim mid-stage is remarkable. It feels a bit strange, however, especially after the first few songs, to be applauding a computer image — as if you can impart enthusiasm to a hologram. But as the show goes along, with hit after hit, several costume and hairdo changes, and that incredible (remastered) voice coming through the sound system, you stop having to pretend that you’re at a real concert. The audience’s response is real. The artifice fades. And in the end, Whitney Houston, one of the most successful recording artists of all time with more than 200 million albums sold, is back from the Great Beyond, right there in front of you, singing her heart out." We suspect the Elvis show will be a cut above technologically, while imparting the same strange sensations.
Casino.org conducted a poll that garnered 3,000 responses, with people voting for who's on their Sphere-residency wish list. There were three questions: artist, top-streamed artist, and genre. For artist, Lady Gaga placed first, beating out Beyonce at #2 and Coldplay at #3 (that surprised us, though they got our vote), followed by Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Bon Jovi, Harry Styles, and Kiss; Dead & Company (with three former members of the Grateful Dead and rumored to be in line for a residency) placed last at #9. As for top-streamed artist, only Taylor Swift (#1) could bump Lady Gaga (#2) out of first place, with Bruno Mars, Eminem, and McCartney following. The genres in order were pop, rock, hip hop, punk/heavy metal, and R&B. U2 finishes its four-plus-month residency in February; Phish plays four shows in mid-April.
Announced in September, "the first-of-its-kind fantastical immersive" Play Playground will open at Luxor on Thursday Jan. 18. The 15,000-square-foot facility on the second-floor Attractions level features more than 20 "larger-than-life nostalgic games that require zero skill but a whole lot of soul," two bars, VIP mezzanines, and private event spaces. Nostalgic? Play Playground is advertising no VR, AR, or arcade games; rather, the activities consist of "over-the-top physical games, plus memory, puzzle, and team games all in a magical high-energy environment designed for friendly competition and sharing on social media as players scale the leaderboard." It purports to cater to all ages during the day, but only adults (over 21) after dark, though all will "manifest some mayhem." The entire experience is supposed to last 90 minutes. Tickets start at $37; hours are Sun.-Thurs. noon-midnight., Fri.-Sat noon-2 a.m.
The shopping at the new Fontainebleau encompasses 90,000 square feet on two levels and, like the rest of the resort, caters to the ultra-high-end crowd. The flagship is Chrome Hearts, selling all American made fine jewelry, accessories, shoes, and perfume and touting products selected specifically for Fontainebleau's clientele. Luxe Italian footwear brand Giuseppe Zanotti and Italian luxury-fashion store Missoni are nearby, along with Ora, selling designer bags, jewelry, perfume, and upscale sunglasses. Similar is Morris & Co. with more designer jewelry, accessories, gifts, and accessories. Wichita-founded Cocoa Dolce specializes in premium handcrafted chocolate created exclusively for Fontainebleau. Finally, FB Express sells sundries, snacks, drinks, and Fbleau merchandise. More high-end stores are in the offing.
CES, a.k.a. Consumer Electronics Show, will arrive early next week and fill 2.4 million square feet in the Las Vegas Convention Center, the Venetian Expo Center, and Aria's convention space with an estimated 130,000 attendees. If projections are realized, it will be the largest show since 2019, which attracted 182,000. People from 150-plus countries will attend to view tech in 41 different categories put on display by more than 3,500 exhibitors. It's the 26th year in a row that CES has been held in Las Vegas, this time Jan. 8-12.
The Clark County Commissioners have passed an ordnance that makes stopping on pedestrian bridges over the Las Vegas Strip for anything but “incidental and fleeting viewing” a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and six months in the county's lovely Gray Bar Hotel. It's not only on the bridges; the prohibition against stopping, standing, and/or congregating will also be enforced up to 20 feet from where the overpasses connect to Strip sidewalks. Apparently, the police have had to respond to a proliferation of disorderly-conduct calls on the bridges over the past five years and now they have the authority to ask people -- including sightseers, photographers, street performers, panhandlers, selfie-takers, friends bumping into each other, anyone who's had too much to drink or is overcome by the heat, you if you pause to tie your shoe, and by the way fans trying to get a glimpse of the F1 practices or races -- to move or face the consequences. We like what a UNLV law professor had to say about it: “If someone says, ‘Excuse me, could you please stop and give me directions?' 'Excuse me, could you please take our picture as we stand here with a view in the background?’ These actions would be criminalized under this law. Officers’ discretion may lead to 'selective prosecution,' so it's impossible for an ordinary person to know when they're in compliance with the law.”
The Vegas Vipers spring-league football team has become a victim of the merger between the XFL and USFL. The Vipers played at Cashman Field, wound up their inaugural and only season with a 2-8 record, and posted the lowest attendance totals in the XFL, though the average of 6,000 fans actually showing up at the abysmal Cashman was, to us at least, pretty impressive. All (bite) for naught; the merger eliminates the Vipers (whose motto was, for some reason All Bite). The new league, to be known as the United Football League (UFL), incorporates five XFL teams and three USFL teams and the first game will be played by the XFL's 2023 champion Arlington Renegades and the USFL champion Birmingham Stallions.
A story in Monday's Wall Street Journal went behind the scenes to the "trading desks" at FanDuel on a recent Sunday and we gleaned some interesting details. First, FanDuel’s algorithm "simulates each play of a football game 10,000 times to try to predict the outcome" and it takes about a second and a half to "receive the data point, or what happened on the field, then about one second for its model to process the data and push out new odds." Also, in a comparison to financial markets, which operate "within set trading windows," FanDuel and other highly automated online sports books "add new markets — additional betting offerings — around the clock." If a trader steps away for any reason, even just to stretch or get a breath of fresh air, that chair is immediately occupied by another. And FanDuel follows the action from around the world: "On the recent Sunday when several NFL games were scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET, traders in FanDuel's offices in Dublin took the first shift. They monitored pregame news from 2 a.m. ET and began adjusting the day’s odds. Traders in Jersey City then took over and by Sunday Night Football, the sports book was in the hands of traders in Melbourne, Australia." According to the story, FanDuel holds about 11.5% of the handle. By the way, "trader" is a European term for oddsmaker/bookmaker, of which at least a few American sports book directors or our acquaintance aren't fond, to put it mildly. And thanks, as always, to Ken M for supplying the link.
Michigan opened as a -4.5 favorite over Washington for the College Football National Championship. The total is 55.5.
Lane disruptions at the intersection of the Strip and Flamingo will start tomorrow in preparation for the Super Bowl on February 11. CBS, which will air this year's Big Game, will require two southbound lanes for the load-in of construction materials and broadcast equipment; 100 hours of Super Bowl weekend programming will emanate from atop the Bellagio fountains on four stages. The sidewalk will also be closed, though at some point, one of the traffic lanes will reopen to pedestrians. Road closures around the stadium begin next Monday, but go into full gear toward the end of the month, with full roads closed to traffic through February 15.
A total of 85 new laws went into effect yesterday in Nevada, making numerous small and a few large changes to the Nevada Revised Statutes on the books. Only a few are relevant to visitors; most relate to things like the practice of naprapathy (a body-manipulation technique similar to chiropractic), powers of attorney, industrial insurance, contraception, paid leave and child care, forestry, solitary confinement, donation of birth tissue, and the use of pesticides. The biggest for visitors is that individuals may now legally possess up to 2.5 ounces of cannabis, double what it was, so if you're a toker, you can now smoke a total of 220 joints on your long weekend in Sin City. Have fun!
The month of December has gone into the record books as the warmest ever in Las Vegas. The average daily temperature, adding the high and low and dividing by two, reached 53.2 degrees, a half-degree higher than the previous record, set in 1980. The high temperature hit 60 or higher on 22 out of the 31 days. The official recording station at Reid International registered 4.59 inches of precipitation for the year, .41 inches higher than normal. More precipitation is on the way to start 2024; rain is forecast for Wednesday and Sunday, with temperatures more in the seasonal range. Snow could fall, finally, up at Lee Canyon, where only the bunny slope is open on 100% manmade snow.
In today’s Sugar Bowl, the second of two semi-final games in the college-football National Championship playoffs, Texas is a -3.5 favorite over Washington. The total is 61.5.
In today’s Rose Bowl, the first of two semi-final games in the college-football National Championship playoffs, Michigan is a -2.5 favorite over Alabama. The total is 46.
In today’s Fiesta Bowl, Oregon is a -18.5 favorite over Liberty. The total is 71.
In today’s Citrus Bowl, Tennessee is a -4.5 favorite over Iowa. The total is 36.5.
In today’s Reliaquest Bowl, LSU is a -9.5 favorite over Wisconsin. The total is 56.5.
This week's abbreviated LVA YouTube Weekly Update was recorded yesterday, so the guys "took a coupon," our term for short-cutting the task at hand. You can check out Anthony and Andrew's plans for New Year's Eve and hear a quickie update on the Member Rewards Book for the first 3:30. Then, for the next three minutes, watch a handful of bloopers from the video-recording sessions. These are often run at the end of the regular weekly vlogs, but in honor of New Year's Eve, they've been compiled. If nothing else, you get a glimpse into how much fun A & A have making the Weekly Updates and the obvious chemistry between the two.
"America's Party 2024" went off without a hitch. The fireworks show, launched from the tops of nine hotel-casinos (one more than last year, with Fontainebleau in the mix), was by all accounts a spectacular success. Upwards of 1,000 police kept the peace and reported no major incidents (DUI and arrest stats will be released later today). As soon as the fireworks ended, the officers began moving people off the Strip, so 10 tons of trash could be collected by 20 street sweepers and 60 sanitation workers in order to reopen the Boulevard to cars by around six this morning. Today, traffic will be returning mostly to normal, as a record crowd estimated at 400,000 clears out and I-15 to southern California becomes its usual parking lot. Otherwise, everything is open and cooking with gas at the casinos, so plan on long waits if you don't have reservations for dining.