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A 1.2-mile corridor on Maryland Pkwy. between Desert Inn and Flamingo has been officially designated “Filipino Town.” It’s Las Vegas’ second “cultural district,“ joining “Little Ethiopia” on Decatur Blvd. (Twain to Tropicana), which was established in 2023.
Get ready for yet another exasperating traffic disruption in the form of a two-year project to replace water lines on the Strip. That’s right, you can expect restrictions on the Boulevard at intermittent times between now and the scheduled completion in 2027, by which time city and highway planners will undoubtedly come up with the next in the seemingly neverending series of driving hindrances.
Mike Walters of VegasNews.com attended the unveiling ceremony of the iconic "No Ifs, Ands, or Butts" bronze sculpture that stood outside the Riviera starting in 1997 to advertise and commemorate the long-running Vegas jiggle show Crazy Girls. Derek Stevens rescued the statue from a storage unit where it had been collecting dust since 2021 to display it again, this time near the elevators at the entrance to the Legacy Club, Circa's rooftop lounge. (Combine a visit to rub the tushes for luck, a traditional Vegas practice, with our MRB coupon for two free glasses of champagne up there.) Eight members of the Crazy Girls cast also attended the ceremony, including three whose butts are, reportedly, among the seven in the statue. You can see what they look like now, in front of the statue, in a couple of photos here.
Dolly Parton, "The Queen of Country Music," will do six shows in Las Vegas during the National Finals Rodeo, her first here since 1993. Tickets for all six shows sold out in less than 90 minutes when they were first released a mere 48 hours after they were announced. Tickets are still available for the "Dolly: Live in Las Vegas" mini residency, but you'll need your Platinum card to buy them. A check on StubHub indicates that secondary-market tickets start at $1,342 (December 4) to $1,506 (December 7), while the highest-priced tickets are $12,790 and go all the way up to $19,777. We'd be happy to pay $19,777 to see Dolly Parton perform -- in our back yard.
THE PARTY is the newest show from Spiegelworld, which will replace Opium/OPM at the Cosmopolitan starting July 10. THE PARTY is a dinner show in the new Blue Room, a boutique restaurant-within-a-restaurant, "hidden" within Superfrico at Cosmo. It will be hosted by Laurie Hagen, an award-winning actor, dancer, clown, singer-songwriter, and cabaret/burlesque performer who seems to channel Liza Minelli. Only 50 seats per night are available and the three-course dinner and two-hour variety show will feature a rotating cast of "unusualists." What's for dinner? The menu has been announced and consists of a warm-olive warmup; an appetizer choice of tuna tartare, pepperoni arancini (rice balls), or a salad; branzino piccata, petite filet, rollatini, or mushroom gnochi; a wagyu ribcap ($25 extra), lobster tacos ($28), or a dozen oysters ($48); and tiramisu or rice pudding. Tables are available at 7 p.m. and tickets are on sale for $150, but there's a two-person minimum. Including $25.13 tax and a $54 autosuck gratuity, the total to see the show is $379.13.
Actor, comedian, musician, and producer Adam Sandler will appear for two nights at BleauLive at Fontainebleau on October 31 and Nov. 1. Best known for his movies, the biggest of which are 50 First Dates, The Waterboy, Big Daddy, Hotel T, The Wedding Singer, Mister Deeds, Grown Ups, and The Longest Yard, and more recently the gambling film Uncut Gems, Sander's performances include standup comedy, musical numbers (he plays the guitar), and special surprise guests. His last tours in 2022 and 2023 were sold out. Tickets for the Las Vegas shows on Sandler's 30-city "You're My Best Friend" tour are on sale now.
Ilia Topuria is a -430 favorite over Charles Oliveira in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Alexandre Pantoja is -235 over Kai Kara France.
Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez will fight for the unified super middleweight championship at Allegiant Stadium on September 13. Alvarez is 63-2-2 in his career and unified the division with a unanimous decision over William Scull in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 3. Crawford is undefeated at 41-0 and jumped from 147 pounts to 168 to go pound for pound against Canelo. The fight is part Alvarez’s reported $400 million minimum-four-fight deal with Riyadh Season and is such a big deal that it usurped the UNLV Rebels home opener against Idaho State, which was rescheduled to August 23.
Down down down. Almost every metric took a hit in May. Gross gaming revenue on the Strip was down nearly 4% from May 2024 and 2.2% statewide. Downtown plunged 11.3% and the Boulder Strip 8.3%. Only locals casinos were up, but barely: all of one-fifth of one percent. Visitation was down 6.5%, both for the month and year to date. The number of airport passengers was down 4% and vehicle traffic at the Nevada/California border fell 5%. Hotel occupancy was down 3%, the Strip down 3.2%. Amazingly enough, the average daily room rate on the Strip also dropped from $202.59 a year ago to $198.20. The one bright spot for the casinos was convention attendance, up nearly 11%. Has the relentless growth and gouge tide turned? It's starting to look like it has.
If you enjoy the LVA interview with Michael Kaplan, author of our book Advantage Players, and want to see another 25 minutes, tune into the discussion led by Colin Jones of Blackjack Apprentice with Michael and Anthony. A.C. starts out talking about what's happening in Vegas, mostly the Strip casinos finally suffering the slings and arrows of their own outrageous avarice. Then Anthony introduces the other new books that we're working on, a major lineup. Then Michael shares highlights from Advantage Players and the legendary gamblers and unconventional advantage players who use skill and creativity to beat the system, both in casinos and beyond. You can see it here.
In our monthly interview series, Anthony and Andrew talk with Michael Kaplan, author of our hot new book Advantage Players. Kaplan is the most successful mainstream writer covering gambling, especially from the point of view of people who win. He explains that advantage players aren't limited to professional casino killers; they also encompass disrupters in other industries -- phones, art, financial dominating, even a mini sex section, all advantage players in their own domains who figure out how to win a variety of manners that other people haven't done before. Michael is self-professed as the "most neurotic writer who ever lived," which makes for a lively and fasinating discussion, one not to miss.
Beginning July 1, Grand Prix Plaza, the Formula 1 fan experience, is offering free access to the F1 SIMS attraction. This is a simulator that
combines advanced motion technology with immersive audio-visual effects for a real-life racing adventure. Essentially, you're in the driver's seat, enjoying the illusion of straightaways and hairpin and chicane turns, surrounded by other race cars, all at speeds of up to 230 mph. Access is complimentary and available on a first-come, first-served basis—no booking required. (The minimum height is 48 inches.) This freebie continues for the entire month of July. Grand Prix Plaza is open Sun.-Thur. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., till midnight Fri. and Saturday.
How popular is Dolly Parton? Here's how popular: At 10 a.m. yesterday, a mere 48 hours after her six-show residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace was announced, more than 70,000 fans were waiting in the online queue to buy tickets. Only 75 minutes later, Ticketmaster had sold all 26,000 tickets. Of course, tickets immediately started showing up on the secondary market, starting on at least one site at $1,600, three times the face value. If you don't have tickets and really want to see the country icon perform, get ready to pay through the nose.
Sorry to pile on, really we are. Har. But FieldofSchemes.com reveals that all the construction equipment at the A's "groundbreaking" ceremony on Monday consisted of "props rented for the occasion." In addition, the "ground" being broken was "just some dirt on a table, which made for a super-weird visual"; you can see it here. FieldofSchemes is the companion website to the book Field of Schemes: How the Great Stadium Swindle Turns Public Money Into Private Profit; since 1998, the authors/sysadmins "have been casting a critical eye on the roughly $2 billion a year in public subsidies that go toward building new pro sports facilities." The article concludes, "We’re still right where we were all along: Fisher has a nine-acre plot of land, dreams of a spherical armadillo, and a $1.1 billion budget hole to fill. And now, a one-day backhoe rental bill to pay." Some of the comments were equally critical. The best one: "My cat treats her litter box with more dignity." To which the sysadmin replied, "That’s totally going to be the new euphemism around my house: 'Where’s the cat?' 'She went to ‘conduct a groundbreaking.'”
Every year, the Las Vegas website VegasChanges posts its "Ultimate Guide to Las Vegas 4th of July Firework Displays + More," a comprehensive annotated listing of 20 or so fireworks displays commemorating Independence Day in southern Nevada. This year's guide ranges from Boulder City to Pahrump, Mesquite to Laughlin, with 15 shows around the Las Vegas Valley. There's also a list of places from which you watch the displays. If you're going to be around, you won't find a better guide to the fireworks, which you can see here.
First Watch, a major restaurant chain with 580 locations in 31 states, will open its first venue in North Las Vegas on August 25 on E. Craig Road near the Cannery. Till then, the closest First Watch restaurants are a half-dozen in the Phoenix metro area. Two others are planned for Henderson: one West Horizon Ridge Parkway, the other at 550 N. Stephanie Street. Both are slated to open by the end of the year or early 2026. Founded in 1983 in Pacific Grove, California, First Watch serves eggs, pancakes, waffles, French toast, tacos, chili, bowls, wraps, salads, and sandwiches all in the $14 to $16 range, along with fresh-squeezed juices and iced coffee ($4-$7). The Vegas locations are expected to be open 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Holsteins Shakes & Buns, which opened with the Cosmopolitan in 2010 and closed a year ago, has resurfaced in the Arts District at 1216 S. Main Street, a block and a half south of E. Charleston and right next to the Velveteen Rabbit. Along with its extravagant Big Bun burgers and inventive milkshakes, Holsteins also serves steak and salmon entrees, root beer floats, and a full menu of beer, wine, and cocktails, and has a happy hour with discounted food and $5 selected alcohol. Holsteins is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.- Thur., till 11:30 p.m. on Fri. and Saturday.
The Canadian singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor whose stage name is the Weeknd has canceled his July 4th show at Allegiant Stadium due to "load-in issues." These have to do with transporting, unloading, and setting up all the necessary equipment and gear for the concert at the venue. Apparently, the equipment can't make it to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, where the Weeknd is performing four shows culminating on June 29, in five days, though it can in six; the Weeknd's July 5th show remains on schedule. Full refunds will be issued at the point of sale and a new makeup date could be announced.
On the heels of collecting hefty fines -- $10.5 million from Resorts World, $8.5 million from MGM Resorts, and $5.5 million from the Wynn -- over money-laundering violations and unsuitable methods of operation, the Nevada Gaming Control Board now has nightclubs, dayclubs, and pool parties in its sights. The GCB sent a letter to the major Vegas casinos yesterday with concerns about sexual assaults, underage guests, drug use and distribution, prostitution, unspecified criminal activity by entertainers and their associates, and lax security screening. The letter cautioned that the Board "continues its focus on this critical matter and licensees will be held accountable for breaches of this responsibility.” Basically, it was a don't-say-we-didn't-warn-you admonition and that violators will pay up if they're caught.
The big hoopla yesterday was the ceremonial groundbreaking at the site of the putative Las Vegas A's stadium on the old Trop site. We've seen a lot of self-congratulatory events around here in the past five decades, but this one ranks right up there with the best (worst). What caught our attention, however, were a couple of details. First, MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle channeled Alfred E. Newman: Parking problem? What parking problem? He cited the MGM Grand's 8,000 parking spaces and the 11-acre vacant lot adjacent to Excalibur and Luxor to make up the shortfall from the stadium's own 2,370 spaces for a possible 30,000 cars. Okay. Oh, and those tens of thousands of cars will all be crowding around one of the busiest intersections in the world 81 times a year. Second, Bally's is conspicuous by its silence on its plans, announced eight months ago, for a casino-resort on the site. A's owner John Fisher was quoted as saying about the casino, "I think those conversations need to sort of happen with them," which certainly fills us with confidence about those prospects over the next 30 months until the stadium is supposed to open. As is sometimes the case, groundbreaking ceremonies raise more questions than they answer.
It's being reported that the show Miss Behave's Mavericks at the Plaza will close after the July 6 performance, a little more than eight months after it premiered. We reviewed this show and liked it, so we're sad to see it go. As in many things downtown, the "Vital Vegas" blog has the inside scoop and writes that personalities and money are to blame (when aren't they?) and that the announcement is that Mavericks is on "hiatus," and the Plaza "would like" to bring back the show in September. We hope this turns out to be the case.
Resorts World has, since it opened, been the highest-tech casino on the Strip and it has introduced a new innovation. Hotel guests can now unlock their room doors and access other hotel facilities by using their Apple Wallet app. Previously, a property- or brand-specific app was necessary to access the room, but now, it can be done through the user's omnibus Apple Wallet, by holding an iPhone or Apple Watch up against the door's "near-field communication" reader. This greatly streamlines the app process; in addition, the room key can be shared with other iOS users through a messaging app or AirDrop.
Country music superstar Dolly Parton will make a rare appearance in conjunction with this year's National Finals Rodeo, performing a six-show mini-residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. "Dolly: Live in Las Vegas" will be "a hit-driven concert" -- and hits there are from seven decades of Dolly's singing career, including "Jolene," "Coat of Many Colors," "I Will Always Love You," "Here You Come Again," and (our favorite) "9 to 5." The 79-year-old country icon stopped touring nearly 10 years ago and has performed sporadically since and not since her husband of 57 years died in March; the last time she had an extended run in Las Vegas was at the Mirage from 1990 to 1993. The shows are scheduled for Dec. 4, 6, 7, 10, 12, and 13 and tickets go on sale on Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT, with no fan presale. Will Dolly extend and announce more shows? We call it a pick 'em.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -6.5 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 216.
If you're looking for a cool place to get wet, you probably wouldn't think immediately of TopGolf, the driving-range attraction on Koval Lane just south of E. Harmon to the side of MGM Grand. But the aptly named Hideaway Pool there is open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (21 and older) and, believe it or not, it's totally free. Show your ID and make a splash. The lockers are free, there's a swim-up bar, and you can rent cabanas for $650 ($500 in F&B spend). Didn't bring a swimsuit or want a new one? The shop sells them, along with sunscreen, goggles, flip flops, and more. Sounds fun. And thanks to Canada Roy for pointing this out to us.
This morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal's Weekender magazine is dedicated to what it dubs the top 100 restaurants in Las Vegas. It's broken down into three sections: Strip, Off-Strip, and Hall of Fame. The only restaurant on the Strip list that's not in a major casino is the Peppermill; we'd quibble a bit with the selections of Diner Ross (which we didn't like), Netflix Bites (which is a few weeks old and kind of a gimmick), and Pinky's by Vanderbuilt (if Pinky's made the list, why didn't Martha Stewart's The Bedford?). The Off-Strip list is much more informative, at least to us, and egalitarian, with 14 in Chinatown, five in the Arts District, and everything from Caribbean and African to Filipino and pizza (Yukon, Solamente). The Hall of Fame ("beyond the top 100") includes four that aren't on the Strip: Ferraro's, Golden Steer, Lotus of Siam, and Piero's. Mostly, it's an advertising supplement, but worth a scroll if you can access the R-J.
Jamahal Hill is a -120 favorite over Khalil Rountree in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Ignacio Bahamondes is -150 over Rafael Fiziev.
The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay is celebrating its 25th anniversary this week. It opened on June 20, 2000, a little more than a year after MBay debuted, and has been a mainstay attraction for Vegas visitors, especially those with children, ever since. It features a 1.3-million-gallon main tank, two underwater tunnels, and a touch pool, hosting 2,000 animals, including sharks, rays, sea turtles, Komodo dragons, and lots and lots of fish; the main tank, one of the largest in North America, houses more than 30 sharks. It's advertising a series of "fintastic" events to mark the milestone, though the only details we could find were "fun activities, special opportunities, and unique experiences" to commemorate the milestone. Tickets start at $36, with child and senior discounts.
Only a few weeks after pausing parking fees until Labor Day weekend, Resorts World has also rescinded resort fees through September 11. That subtracts $55 from the nightly room rate, along with the $18-per-day parking charge. Resorts World joins Casino Royale as the only Strip casinos that don't charge resort fees.
It’s "Beer Friday.” Join Anthony and Andrew for a YouTube livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys to start the weekend. Log in to join at LVA YouTube live channel.
Bottled Blonde, the Scottsdale-based bar brand with three locations in Texas, will open its fifth venue in the Grand Bazaar Shops at the Horseshoe next to Ole Red. The soft opening is next Thursday and a red-carpet grand opening on Friday. Bottled Blonde is a cross between a sports bar, Italian restaurant, German beer garden, and nightclub. The $50 million three-story 20,000-square-foot venue features an open-air rooftop lounge, along with a 38-foot LED wall, 40 HD TVs, and multiple 360-degree bars. One-man bands and DJs will perform nightly. Dining hours will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
In the works for more than two years, the Hall of Excellence museum opens today on the second floor of Fontainebleau. The display "honors some of the greatest moments in sports and entertainment history" and the backers include Tom Brady and sportscaster Jim Gray. The Hall is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and tickets are $35 adults, $20 ages 5-15, and $30 for seniors, locals, and military.
Zippy's, the Hawaiian hearthrob restaurant chain, has two locations in Las Vegas, the only ones outside of Hawaii. Its first Vegas venue is near Rainbow Blvd. and the 215 Beltaway; the second opened in March on Hualapai Road near Tropicana Avenue. Now, a third location has been announced for Henderson at 9570 S. Eastern Ave., just north of St. Rose Parkway. The Henderson Zippy's is slated to open "this fall."
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -6 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 222.5.
In another round of proposals for a hotel-casino in the center of Las Vegas' historic Westside, the City Council rejected the plan in a 6-1 vote. Previously called Harlem Nights, the new proposal dubbed it the Jackson Hotel Resort & Casino, which the developer still hopes to open at the corner of Jackson Avenue and F Street. The meeting revealed that the community, which has voiced opposition based on the height of the hotel, traffic concerns, and other neighborhood disruptions, hasn't been involved in the process. The project, initially proposed for 60 stories, has been reduced to 22, but that still exceeds the seven-story height restriction for the area, though the developer argued that with so few rooms, the project couldn't be profitable. The mayor encouraged the developer to rethink the plans again.
A slot player firing up $250 per spin in the high-limit room at Palazzo hit a jackpot for $1,142,215 yesterday on a Dragon Link machine.
... the naysayers continue to wonder if it's all a charade. A post on a baseball site, BleedCubbieBlue.com, about the Chicago Cubs is titled, "They’re holding a groundbreaking ceremony in Las Vegas ... but that doesn’t mean the A’s stadium gets built." The writer notes that the $1.75 billion for the stadium, less the $1 billion from Fisher and his family, less the $380 million of public funding, less the $100 million supposedly promised by Aramark still leaves $370 million unaccounted for. "With inevitable cost overruns, this stadium is likely to cost more than $2 billion if it ever gets done." And that assumes the Fishers can come up with a billion, which remains in question. The writer quotes the Sacramento Bee: "It’s no secret that Vivek Ranadivé, who owns the Sacramento Kings, would love to buy the A’s and build a stadium for them in Sacramento." Why doesn't he? Time will tell.
Netflix House is the latest "immersive story-driven attraction" to be announced for a location in Las Vegas. Building on Netflix Bites, the food venue at MGM Grand based on the the company's programming, Netflix House will be a 100,000-square-foot experience related to such shows as "Bridgerton," "Money Heist," "Stranger Things," "Squid Game," and "The Perfect Bite." This will be the third location for the House; the first near Philadelphia and the second in Dallas are slated to open before the end of the year. The Vegas venue at the BLVD mall on the Strip will open sometime in 2027.
According to a new report from Redfin, $6.99 billion worth of residential real estate was sitting unsold on the Las Vegas market at the end of May. It's the highest dollar amount ever recorded and matches the record $698 billion worth of homes sale nationwide, up 20% from a year ago and the highest dollar amount in history. The number of homes for sale here constitutes four months of inventory, the most in nearly a decade, as prices and mortgage interest rates remain high and buyers are waiting for both to come down.
Social media is blowing up this morning over a bill from Aria that, including tax, charged a guest nearly $26 for a bottle of Fiji water from the in-room minibar. The guest paid $280 for the night, so the water constituted nearly 10% of the room charge. We all know that items from the minibar are marked up ruthlessly, but a look at the menu, also posted, shows that the other drinks -- Coke, Sprite, Red Bull, Perrier -- are "only" $13.75. The Fiji bottle was marked up 400%. One posted commented, "You'd think that a hotel charging $55 a night plus tax for the resort fee might include a bottle of water with the room, or at least put a reasonable markup on it." You'd think?
The Edmonton Oilers are -165 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 6 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.5.
Two Las Vegas chefs were finalists in the 2025 James Beard Foundation Awards: Sarah Thompson (Casa Playa/Encore) and Eleazar Villanueva (Restaurant de Joël Robuchon/MGM Grand) for Best Chef Southwest. Cristie Norman (Delilah/Wynn) was the third finalist for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. The winners were announced yesterday at the awards ceremony in Chicago and alas, none of our three won the coveted "Oscar of the food industry." Maybe next year.
One of Las Vegas’ most iconic statues is making its grand return. The “No Ifs, Ands, Or Butts” bronze sculpture from the long-running Crazy Girls show at the Riviera, which has been collecting dust in a storage unit since 2021, will become a triumphant parade of one float up the Strip to Circa, where it will be displayed permanently (the location will be revealed at a media event at Circa on June 25). The 4,500-pound sculpture was created by a Santa Fe artist in 1997 to celebrate Crazy Girls' 10th anniversary and was on display for the next 24 years. It cost $325,000 originally and the bronze itself is worth around $100,000. But it's a treasured piece of bygone Las Vegas and we commend Derek Stevens for rescuing it from obscurity.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -9.5 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 224.
According to a study by Lending Tree based on information gleaned from the 2023 U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service National Food Expenditure Series, Nevadans spend an estimated $6,752 annually on dining away from home. That's second per capita on the nation; first in per-capita spending on dining out is the District of Columbia at $10,291 per person. That comes to $20,500 per year for a couple, or almost $400 a week in the capital. Nevadans at number two, $13,504 for a couple, spend "only" $260 a week. The lowest spend is by West Virginians at just under $2,600 or $100 per week for a couple.
The Plaza will sponsor a "bigger and brighter" version of its weekly Welcome to the Weekend Friday Fireworks Show on the Fourth of July this year. As in past years, it will be the only fireworks show in downtown on the 4th. Staged from the top of the South Tower on Friday July 4 at 9:15 p.m., the public can watch the fireworks for free from in front of the Plaza on Main Street, which will be closed to traffic from Carson to Ogden avenues. Guests can also watch the fireworks from a free viewing party on the Plaza’s rooftop pool deck; doors open at 7 p.m. Also on July 4, the Plaza will host a Buffalo wing-eating contest at the Carousel Bar at 6 p.m. This preliminary contest will be a qualifying event for the Plaza’s main Wing Bowl event on Feb. 7; the person who eats the most Buffalo wings in 10 minutes will win $1,000 on July 4 and first and second place will earn entries into the Wing Bowl.
Going into today's final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament, Sam Burns with a 1-stroke lead is the -170 favorite to win. He’s followed by Adam Scott at +300 and JJ Spaun at +350.
Here's what we wrote on May 4, 2019, a mere six years and one month ago: "The Hat World Famous Pastrami, a 69-year-old restaurant with 11 locations in southern California, has announced plans to build a 4,000-square-foot branch in southwest Las Vegas. The Hat, which serves a pastrami dip and pastrami burger, roast beef, barbecue beef, and steak sandwiches ($10.49), eight other burgers ($4.79-$6.29), cold sandwiches, and three kinds of fries ($5.29-$7.19), will open on S. Rainbow Blvd. between Russell and Sunset roads. No opening date has been announced." Well, the Hat is now 75 years old, having opened in early 1951, prices are a bit higher, and an opening season, if not specific day or month, was just hinted on Instagram: spring 2026.
VooDoo Steak has occupied the "50th" floor (actually the 39th) of the Rio since 1997 when the Masquerade Tower opened. The restaurant will close after dinner on July 5; when it reopens sometime in October after a $3 million makeover, local celebrity chef James Trees of Esther's Kitchen fame will be in charge of operations and the room will be renamed High Steaks.
Joaquin Buckley is a -240 favorite over Kamaru Usman in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Rose Namajunas is -235 over Miranda Maverick.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are pick ’em in tonight's Game 5 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.5.
Steve and Matt Bourie are known as "The Jackpot Gents" on YouTube and Steve was the force behind The American Casino Guide for decades. On their channel, they demonstrate the long-term potential of strategic video poker play and as of June 9, the father-son duo are ahead just under $20K for the year. Their average bet is $25 and they run through approximately $2 million annually. Steve says, "When you're wagering approximately $2 million per year at $25 per hand, even small percentage advantages compound significantly over time. Our multi-year results prove that skilled video poker play can overcome the house edge." They came out ahead by just over $1,000 in 2023, then lost $7,770 in 2024. When analyzed against their total action, their loss rate for 2023 and 2024 combined was less than 1% and including their 2025 results, the Jackpot Gents are net winners after almost three years of daily video poker play. You can access the video that covers these results and check out the rest of the channel here.
"A master thief must pull off a dangerous casino heist when his nemesis kidnaps his lover. Caught between rival criminals and FBI pursuit, he risks all to save her and score big." That's the high concept of the plot of High Rollers, a new movie starring John Travolta, Gina Gershon, and Lukas Haas. It didn't look particularly promising when we first heard about it preceding a limited release in March and then a review came out with this intro paragraph: "High Rollers is a heart-slowing work of staggering stupidity and charmlessness, ineptly made and quite frankly dull, except when its flaws become so egregious you can’t help but guffaw." It gets worse: "The air of tawdry cost-cutting pervades every level of the film, from the casting and costumes to the paste jewelry that’s supposed to stand in for posh gemstones. There are tons of holes in the plot, but those are too tedious to parse." The locations don't come near Las Vegas; thankfully, the casino that has to be heisted is in New Orleans. If you want to check it out, High Rollers will be streamed starting Monday.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -6 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 227.
Stoney’s Rockin’ Country has announced that it'll close its current location at Town Square just south of the Strip and move to Sunset Station. Stoney's will remain open through the end of the year, then reopen in a new 19,000-square-foot venue in Henderson in early 2026.
Another day, another expensive New York restaurant showing up here. Sartiano's Italian Steakhouse, a reportedly popular restaurant on Prince Street in the SoHo district of Lower Manhattan, will open this winter at the Wynn. It will be adjacent to another expensive New York-based venue, the social club Zero Bond, which is also slated to open this winter, both in a space overlooking the Wynn Golf Course. According to the New York menu, salads (Caesar, chicory) are $21-$23, appetizers (baked clams, octopus, meatballs) are $22-$28, pastas start at $28, steaks are $64-$235, and sides (beans, carrots, potatoes) are $14 each. So plan on $250 for two and more if you partake in the high-priced alcohol. Unless someone shows up with a comp and twists our arm, we won't be reviewing Sartiano's.
The Florida Panthers are -145 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
Scottie Scheffler is the +300 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by Bryson DeChambeau at +750 and Jon Rahm at +1350. Tiger Woods is not in the field.
The premiere of the Wizard of Oz, remastered for the giant screen in Sphere, will take place on August 28. Showtimes are 5 and 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2, 5, and 8 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are on sale now and start at $114, rising to $349, including fees, but not taxes. Seats in only the middle third of the arena are available. You can read about the process of transforming the 1939 classic for Sphere's unique requirements in our Question of the Day on the subject.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -5 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 3 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 226.5.
The latest food hall to open on the Strip kicked off Monday on the Grand Colonnade at the Venetian. The Via Via, which as far as we can tell is more about the sound of the words than their meaning, features seven high-end fast fooderies: All’Antico Vinaio, the second location in Las Vegas of this famed sandwich shop; B.S. Taqueria, from the chef of ¡Viva! at Resorts World; Howlin’ Ray’s for Nashville hot (hot HOT) chicken); Ivan Ramen, with locations in Japan, Manhattan, and the UK; Scarr’s Pizza out of New York City; Turkey and the Wolf, an award-winning "luxe fast-food counter" out of New Orleans; and the bar Close Company.
Last year, according to the number of driver's licenses surrendered by incoming residents, just under 39,000 Californians moved to Nevada. That's up from 36,500 in 2023, but down from the highest recent total of 47,400 in 2021 at the height of the pandemic. Storage Cafe, a nationwide storage-space marketplace, analyzed Census Bureau statistics to find that Millennials constituted the highest percentage of migrants (27%), while Boomers came in second at 20%. Twenty-two percent of all Californians moving to Nevada came from L.A. County, followed by Orange and San Bernardino counties, and moved to Clark County. Apparently, Henderson absorbed more than its fair share of newcomers. Las Vegas' neighbor was the third fastest growing city in the U.S. (per capita) over the past decade. The population grew by 22% through 2023; only Irvine, California (34%) and Orlando (25%) grew by a higher percentage.
Readers of Question of the Day know Kevin Lewis for his intelligent observations, acerbic wit, and clever wordplay. His quip in today's QoD might be the best combination of the three we've ever seen. We're running a two-part series on the tiny town of Nipton, about an hour south of Las Vegas just across the California state line that Spiegelworld bought as a retreat for its performers and management. Kevin's comment: "It's inevitable. In ten years, there will be a casino out there. It will, of course, be called Nipton Nipton." Get it? Hahahahahaha!
The Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics will hold the groundbreaking ceremony for its stadium on the former site of the Tropicana at 8 a.m. on June 23. The Las Vegas Review-Journal explains, "Crews began early work on the stadium site in late April, so this is more of an event for the A’s and state and local politicians to celebrate the work they put into the project leading up to construction beginning." The story also mentions that financing for the project is far from complete. So far, we know about $350 million in bonds issued by Clark County and the state and a $300 million construction loan from U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs, leaving a mere $1.1 million (at last count; the $1.75 billion price tag hasn't been updated for at least a year, so it's no doubt higher by now) yet to come. "The A’s would [italics added] be responsible for the remainder of the project’s cost," writes the R-J. "The team is also actively looking to bring in investors into the ballpark project for minority shares in the MLB club." Same old song and dance, 8 a.m. groundbreaking notwithstanding. We saw an interesting comment that made sense: "The MLB wants the team in Vegas and baseball fans do travel, so Vegas wants it too. I'm guessing that in the end, MLB will find someone else to run or actually buy the team. Part of me thinks that there have been no offers, because anyone thinking of participating is being politely told to bug off."
The Florida Panthers are -140 favorites over the Edmonton Oilers in tonight's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.5.
Yesterday's high temperature was 105, today's is predicted to be 107, and tomorrow could tie the record of 109 set in 2022. Wednesday cools off all the way back down to 107. It's the second major heat wave of the season and official summer doesn't start for nearly two weeks. Drink plenty of water!
Another very hot summer is predicted for Las Vegas and the question is, will we set a new high-temperature record? If we do, the thermometer will have to hit 121 degrees to surpass last year's record-setting 120 on July 7, three degrees hotter than the previous record of 117. In order to help combat the rising temps, Clark County recently gave away several hundred young trees to eligible residents, who scooped up the saplings in less than an hour. Eligibility was based on living in an urban heat island, caused by the lack of shade from trees. This year's legislature passed a bill requiring the state's largest cities and counties to "create heat mitigation plans" by next summer and in southern Nevada, one of the goals is to plant 60,000 trees in the next 25 years, right around 2,000 trees every year. Every little bit helps.
The Destination Jackpot YouTube channel's Shannon sat down with our very own Anthony Curtis the other day for an hour-long interview. This channel "turns spins into suites, points into perks, and credit into cash, sharing casino play and comps, credit card hacks, travel gems, and how to fly for free." Natch, Anthony is a catch -- and talks about maximizing comps, blackjack strategy, what it's like knowing and working with Jean Scott and Bob Dancer, and much much more. Check it out at Destination Jackpot.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -11.5 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 228.5.
Sir Rod Stewart has canceled six shows at the Colosseum Theater at Caesars Palace and one at Lake Tahoe Amphitheatre at Caesars Republic at Lake Tahoe due to the flu. He didn't appear on June 1, 5, and 7 at the Colosseum, and won't tonight and Tuesday, nor will he at Stateline on June 14. The 80-year-old crooner apologized profusely, but it's hard enough to travel with the flu, let alone sing. The dates will be rescheduled and tickets will be honored.
The rumors and speculation have been circulating for several weeks, but now it's official: Wrestlemania 42 will return to Las Vegas. It'll be the second year in a row that the massive event will be held at Allegiant Stadium and the third time it will be hosted here (Wrestlemania 9 was here in 1993) and only the second time in 42 years that it will be held in the same venue in consecutive years (the first was in Atlantic City in 1988-1989). It was originally scheduled for New Orleans a week earlier in 2026 and this is the first time that the WWE has changed venues in mid-stream. The reason given was money; this year's event at Allegiant was the most successful in Wrestlemania history and the WWE wants to repeat the feat.
Jannik Sinner is a -120 favorite over Carlos Alcarez in today’s French Open men's tennis final. Alcarez is seeking his 5th Grand Slam championship, Sinner his fourth.
Merab Dvalishvili is a -260 favorite over Sean O’Malley in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Kayla Harrison is -635 over Julianna Pena.
The current odds for today’s Belmont Stakes make Journalism the favorite at 2-1, followed by Sovereignty at 5-2, and Baeza at 7-2. The long shot is Heart of Honor at 19-1. Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby, Journalism won the Preakness. Intriguing duel coming.
This week's LVA YouTube returns to its roots, the once-a-month update on what's going on in fabulous Las Vegas. And the question on everyone's mind around here these days is, has the Gouge run its course? Anthony thinks it might, since the reaction to high prices and table minimums, fee after fee after fee, and reduced service seems to have arrived. But! Anthony says, "When things get bad for the casinos, they get good for the customers." And as LVAers know, we're all over the great deals that Vegas offers all the time, but especially in times like these, and Anthony mentions a few. He and Andrew also discuss the closure of a casino buffet and some other restaurants and bars, new rules and the increasing rake at this year's World Series of Poker, the giant guarantees for the Circa football contests, and more. Tune in for an informative and entertaining 25 minutes.
Gaming revenue and visitor totals are down noticeably year over year, dealers are getting laid off (Fontainebleau and Resorts World so far), and the real estate market is "stabilizing." The median price of a single-family house in May was unchanged from April at $480,000, down from the record high of $485,000 in January, February, and March. The median price of condos and townhomes was $307,000, down from the record of $315,000 set in October. More than 6,600 houses were for sale without an offer, up 71% compared to a year ago, and the 2,500 condos were up 90%. Sales are down 13% for houses and 19% for condos since May 2024. Home buyers are starting to enjoy a bit of an upper hand for the first time since 2018.
Aryna Sabalenka is a -250 favorite over Coco Gauff in today's French Open women’s tennis final. Sabalenka is seeking her fourth Grand Slam title. Gauff her second.
The Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers are pick 'em in tonight's Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
A magnitude 3.3 earthquake occurred yesterday morning around 7 a.m. roughly 25 miles northeast of Las Vegas in the Apex area. There were no reports of injuries or damage, but the quake was felt by residents and commuters in North Las Vegas. And in what so far is an unusually wet June, Las Vegas has emerged from a couple of days of rain that caused flash flooding in some areas and delays at Reid International. Up to a half-inch fell over parts of the metro area, surpassing the historical total for the entire month of 0.08 of an inch.
The STRAT is promoting an "All-In Summer Stay" deal. Rooms are $49 (Sun.-Thurs.) and that includes both resort fee and taxes, plus a $25 food credit. The weekend rate is $99. You also get complimentary tower admission for two and parking is free for hotel guests. Travel must be completed by August 27. Down the Strip, we're hearing reports that MGM Resorts is now charging for connecting rooms (two rooms with an interior door between them). We've seen one mention that the fee is $25 per room, $50 total. This is unconfirmed, but MRI announced months ago that it planned to raise existing fees and add new ones (such as the previously reported $25 charge for room service plates and silverware), so we wouldn't be surprised by this add-on.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -10 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 230.
The Casino Chip and Collectibles Show, the world's largest exhibition of casino collectibles, returns to South Point next week, June 12-14.
Go and you'll see the most casino memorabilia ever assembled in one location: chips and tokens, dice, slot cards, matchbooks, swizzle sticks, playing cards, and much more. Admission is $10 on Thursday and $5 Friday before noon, but free the rest of the time (the early birds pay). You can get more details and register here.
The biennial six-month session of the Nevada Legislature ended on Tuesday. A bill was introduced for the umpteenth time (the 11th in a row, we believe) that would have ended the statewide ban on automated traffic cameras. These cameras monitor intersections and are used for traffic enforcement; run a red light, the camera snaps a photo of your license plate and you shortly receive a duplicate of the photo, along with a hefty fine, in the mail. For the umpteenth time, the bill failed to make its way to the floor of the lege for a vote. Back in February, we were asked to predict the outcome, which we did in a QoD. We were right.
The Edmonton Oilers are -120 favorites over the Florida Panthers in tonight's Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.5.
We finally took a look at the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority's "2024 Las Vegas Visitor Profile Study." On the Strip, we see fewer and fewer Boomers, those of us who remember the good old days before, well, everything. So we went to the Profile Study to compare the average age of visitors over the past five years (since the pandemic). Not surprisingly, younger folks are present in abundance, while elders are staying away in droves. Since the 2019 survey, the 60-and-older crowd has dropped precipitously, from 24% of visitors to 9%, while the 21-49 demographic has gone from 59% to 71%. (The 50-59ers make up the other 20%). Nearly half of visitors these days are Millennials (29-44) and GenZ (13-28). This is the latest reinvention of Vegas: residencies and concerts aimed at the pipsqueaks, sporting events (average age of football fans attending games 35-44 and hockey 18-35), and nightlife experiences. Just another example of the difference between the devil-may-care whippersnappers and the wisdom of old age (ahem).
It’s not a buffet, but Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Sports Kitchen at the Horseshoe has a $19.99 all-you-can-eat brunch Mon.-Thurs. from 8 am to 2 pm. You mix and match off the menu and keep eating until you bust. The items include French and avocado toasts, chicken and waffles, bacon and eggs, biscuits and gravy, Caesar and house salads, chili, club sandwich, and brisket mac n’ cheese. Add $10 for steak and eggs and $29.99 for bottomless mimosas, Marys, and margaritas.
Conde Nast Travelers has an informative and entertaining piece called "15 Unwritten Rules of Visiting Las Vegas," penned by a 10-year local. In the brief intro, she writes, "Las Vegas is a collection of contradictions. An oasis of hospitality; a labyrinthian casino. A poolside cabana; heatstroke on a sidewalk. A jackpot; an empty bank account. It’s the greatest night of your life; it’s the worst mistake you’ve ever made. Still, most people come here in search of the same thing: a good time." She then goes on to recommend "how to navigate the secrets and myriad hustles of this strange and beautiful city." Here are the 15 tips in order: respect the tipping culture; hydrate; don’t underestimate the walkability of the Strip; what happens here doesn't necessarily stay here ("Cameras, security, and police are everywhere and in the harsh light of day, consequences"); get into nature; have a meal in Chinatown; get into the Arts District; don’t expect pool weather year round; the locals will correct you if you pronounce Nevada incorrectly; avoid mobile check-in; not everything is 24 hours; avoid fake cannabis dispensaries; use a nightclub promoter; for hard-to-get reservations, talk to a concierge; and you don’t have to do Vegas like a local—at least not the entire time. You can see the whole article here if it's not paywalled for you. It was for us and thanks, as always, to Canada Roy for the link and the copy/paste job.
With the property somewhat torn up during its remodel, Ellis Island is running a “Pardon Our Dust” special, with 50%-off anything on the menus at all restaurants, Mon.-Thurs. from 4 to 7 pm. This is a Top Ten-worthy special, if not for the short hours; expect crowds. Note that the steak special is not on the menu, so doesn’t get the discount. On the same days from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., get pancakes for $4.99, a burger for $6.99, or steak & eggs for $8.99.
Battista's Hole in the Wall, across Flamingo from the Horseshoe, closed Sunday night without any forewarning. VitalVegas reports that the iconic 50-year-old Italian restaurant posted on social media it's "closing for a short remodel. We’ll be back better than ever.” An unconfirmed report states it will reopen on June 23. Also closed recently is the Eatwell fast-food counter at the Cromwell and closing later this month the Yacht Club at Treasure Island, to be replaced by a wok concept. Too bad: We ate at the Yacht Club and liked it.
When it hits the Las Vegas Review-Journal, you know word is not only getting out and around, but also superceding big casino-advertising bucks. A story this morning reports on a social-media post on X with a receipt that shows a charge of $60 plus tax for early check-in at the Flamingo. The receipt was reposted by Las Vegas Locally and VitalVegas, whence it went viral. Caesars didn't respond to the R-J's requests for a comment, but the story cites the common option for early check-in at a charge of $20-$50 offered during the online reservation process, "although the fee is frequently waived upon arrival," it claims. But the $60 fee at the mid-tier Flamingo approaches what the Wynn/Encore charge, $75, and seems to have created a social-media uproar -- "for a room that’s just sitting empty anyway." The Review-Journal concludes, "The 'nickel-and-diming' of Las Vegas visitors appears to have reached a tipping point."
ActionNetwork.com put together a number of interesting odds records to put the NBA Championship series into historical context. When the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference championship series, they became the team with the worst odds to make the Finals in the last 40 years at 66-1. Six teams have played in the Finals after being 30-1 or higher and all six have lost the series. In fact, if the Pacers beat the Oklahoma Thunder, they'll pay off at more than double the odds of the next closest team (in 2014-15, the Golden State Warriors won the Finals after being 28-1 at the beginning of the season). Even more amazing, the Pacers entered the playoffs an 80-1 dog to take the title, the third worst odds of any team to make the final series since 1977. All five other teams to make the Finals at 20-1 odds or higher have lost in six games or less. Par for this course, the Pacers are huge dogs at +500, with the Thunder at -700. In the past 40 years, 33 teams have entered the Finals at -400 or higher and have been upset only three times. At -700, the Thunder are the 11th team at -600 or higher in the NBA Finals over the last 50 years, with only one upset. So the Pacers definitely have their work cut out for them when the series starts on Thursday at 5:30 PT.
If you have large quantities of coins, you can change them for free at the Silver Sevens cage. This is the best news we've heard about cashing in coins since Gold Coast, the old standby, discontinued the service around a year ago and installed a coin machine with a 10% takeout.
According to Billboard, "Thanks to its massive video screen, its booking of superstar acts, and its aggressively high ticket prices," Sphere is the top-grossing entertainment venue in the world for the second half-year in a row (Oct. 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025). It grossed $165.3 million, more than Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, and Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, the world's highest-grossing stadium. What's more, Sports Business Journal calendar year. Sphere's average ticket price is $238, nearly twice that of Madison Square Garden ($133). Yet Sphere reported an operating loss in the first quarter of 2025 of $143 million, with a debt load of $1.5 billion. That's a predicament: Sphere's ticket prices are already the world's highest by a long shot, superstar acts are dwindling (a recent dustup with Beyonce is evidence), and some analysts have stated that bankruptcy is Sphere's only alternative. We'll see.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -600 favorites over the Indianapolis Pacers in the NBA Championship. Game 1 is Thursday in Oklahoma City.
When it hits CBS News, you know the word is getting out. The headline of Friday's story on CBS Evening News is, "Las Vegas may still dazzle, but its sparkle is coming at a steeper price: No longer a bargain vacation." The gist of the story is, "Inflation has brought on higher prices for visitors and has hit Sin City hard." Visitors interviewed claim Vegas is "20% more expensive this year than last" and complain about the traffic caused by all the road construction. Steve Hill, president of the LVCVA, blames "a drop in consumer confidence" (of course); it certainly can't have anything to do with Gouge City. In fact, he states that though occupancy is down from the pre-pandemic peak of 88%, the hotel-casinos are "comfortable in that 85% range at a little higher price." In other words, fewer people are coming, so let's gouge those who do show up even more. Still, the story concludes, "The summer calendar is full of concerts, festivals, and sporting events, and Hill believes the city will be resilient. 'Las Vegas is gonna respond to this,' Hill said. 'We're going to have a great summer.'"
Check out the new blog post by Bobby Vegas, concerning his bargain-seeking ways at home in Raleigh, North Carolina. Just as advantage play applies to all walks of life, as illuminated in our new book Advantage Players, a thrifty lifestyle is germane wherever you are, not just Vegas (of course). In the post, "Living Well Anywhere Anytime," Bobby solicits comments from LVAers on their favorite local deals. Join in the conversation here.