Despite word back in November 2010 -- when she relocated to Venetian from Harrah's -- that veteran Strip comedienne Rita Rudner would likely be retiring to her California home, three years later comes confirmation of new dates for her show through mid-November of this year, while popular crooners from Down Under Human Nature will add a couple of extra dates to their regular perform a couple of extra dates this October to their regular Thursday-thru-Monday schedule this October, with Wednesday performances announced for Oct. 2 and 9.
In the wake of Monday's submission deadline, gaming authorities in New Jersey have announced that a total of 37 applications have been made for online-casino licenses. Included in this list are associated businesses, including payment processors, software companies, and networking companies, all of which must be licensed; online casinos themselves are only allowed if the owner already has a bricks-and-mortar casino presence in Atlantic City by November 23, when the system is scheduled to go live. Applicants include all 12 of the city's existing casinos, while at least three international aspirants are attempting to buy, build, or operate physical casinos in order to get in on the Internet action.
Maryland Parkway's 48-year-old Boulevard Mall is up for sale, reports the R-J. The last time the 1.2 million-square-foot property changed hands was in 2011, as part of a bankruptcy-reorganization plan; a price for the current sale has not yet been listed.
To celebrate Las Vegas' hosting of the Photoshop World Convention & Expo during the first week of September, downtown's Neon Museum is offering 12 amateur photographers the chance to roam freely, with whatever camera equipment they choose, for an hour on the evening of Sept. 5. For $75 ($60 for locals), the lucky first registrants will be able to immortalize the exhibit's iconic casino signage at their leisure; normally, a guided tour costs $18 but photo opps are subject to the schedule of the whole group and on a single camera with no accessories is permitted. and The Neon Museum is offering its own photo tour to coincide with the fun! These occasional exclusive tours sell out fast, so get your application in quick by emailing [email protected].
Some more details of Station Casinos' takeover of locals bar The Lift (see "Today's News" 07/03/2013) have been announced. Last call at the 5,000-square-foot video poker bar, located at Valley View and Sirius, will take place at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The doors will be closed and locked at midnight for the transformation into a Wildfire-branded casino to take its place. For more information, check out the newly released August issue of the LVA newsletter.
RockTellz & CockTails, the ongoing "live-documentary" format series of intimate rock-star showcases that's debuting this fall at Planet Hollywood, has announced Meat Loaf as the inaugural "host." Presents Meat Loaf will be performed inside the PH Showroom every Thursday, Saturday, and Tuesday from Sept. 26 through Nov. 5. The 7:30 p.m. show will feature the heavy metal legend performing a set of career highlights, plus an intimate Q&A session that will give Meat Loaf a chance to allow fans to share "in the crazy journey I’ve been on for the past 47 years." Tickets start at $69 and go on-sale Friday, Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. NOTE: From Friday, Aug. 2 at 10 a.m. through Sunday, Aug. 4 at 11:59 p.m., Total Rewards members can enjoy a pre-sale discount.
Today's Las Vegas Review-Journal offers an update on the progress of CET's Linq development, including more details about the layout (it will include three plazas in an outdoor retail environment inspired by The Grove and 3rd Street Promenade in California), confirmation that some dining outlets will be up and running before the end of the year, and word that 95 percent of the retail space has been let. Click the link (no pun intended) for more.
What may hitherto become known as "Chateau Station" is in the midst of undergoing a facelift, with enhancements enhancements already having been added to its meeting and convention space, plus the addition of "The Casino Bar," located on the gaming floor. Future property renovations are also in the works, with the planned addition next year of Santa Fe Station's Charcoal Room, as a replacement for the existing Broiler steakhouse.
Las Vegas Sands Inc., the parent company of Venetian/Palazzo, is appealing against a jury-decided settlement of $70 million, awarded to a former consultant in a breach-of-contract case in Macau. Hong Kong businessman Richard Suen claims that he was instrumental in negotiating a gaming license for the company in the Chinese enclave, but was subsequently stiffed out of contractually agreed compensation.
The inaugural Life is Beautiful (L.I.B.) Festival, the music, food, and arts showcase scheduled to take place downtown this Oct. 26 and 27, has added additional names to the roster, with the announcement that Vampire Weekend, Alabama Shakes, Janelle Monae, Cults, Joey Bada$$, Smith Westerns, Nico Vega, The Dig, and Dreamers will join a lineup that already includes the likes of The Killers, Kings of Leon, Beck, and Imagine Dragons, performing on four stages and at several indoor venues.
Having long-since overtaken Las Vegas to become the world's biggest gambling city, the Chinese enclave of Macau is now looking to compete on the entertainment front, with a series of the big-time boxing matches for which Sin City has become synonymous.
The concept kicked off earlier this year with the "Fists of Gold" fight that saw a victory for Chinese two-time Olympic gold medalist Zou Shiming at the Cotai Arena; the next big event will come courtesy of fellow Asian fighter Manny Pacquiao, whose "Clash in Cotai" match, scheduled for November, will be the biggest professional boxing match ever held in China.
An accident earlier this morning, involving a single-vehicle rollover, closed three lanes of US 95 in the vicinity of Eastern Avenue. One lane has since been reopened and the other two will follow shortly, but expect a knock-on effect of traffic delays in the area for some time.
The latest topless female review concept to come from veteran Vegas producers Matt and Angela Stabile, which was announced last week, will debut in King's Room at the Rio Aug. 29, it's been confirmed. Sticking with their winning formula of sexy dancers and an edgy rock-hits soundtrack, the production will also feature the comedy and magic of illusionist Chris Randall, a.k.a. Scandal, and general admission tix are due to start at $35.05, plus tax and fee.
Rocky Wirtz, owner of the NHL champion Chicago Blackhawks and Wirtz Beverage in Las Vegas, is coming to town today to show off the Stanley Cup trophy. The trophy will be displayed first at the Gold Spike during an invitation-only event, then at the Bellagio this evening before leaving for a stop in Reno tomorrow. It's unclear how accessible the Cup will be at Bellagio since times and other specifics weren't announced.
July 29 is the auspicious date, and Hooters, which has two Las Vegas locations, is celebrating with all-you-can-eat wings for $12.99 all day today. That's the only promo we've heard of to date, but we'll keep you a-breast of any other chicken deals we hear about.
CityCenter's Vdara, an all-suite gamingless hotel and spa, is the latest of Las Vegas' growing list of accommodations to go actively pet-friendly. The new "V-Dog" program here allows guests to bring up to two pets for a fee of $50 per night, with amenities including an edible welcome treat for your pooch, eco-friendly waste bags, a 24-hour dog park, an in-suite doggie dining menu, and the option of hiring a pet-sitter.
Station Casinos is following the likes of Cantor Gaming and William Hill with the launch of a mobile sport-betting app in time for football season. Station Casinos' app will be tied in to its Boarding Pass program, with members receiving players points for wagers made.
Get Dos Equis in the bottle for $2 at the Gold Coast. The offer is good at all casino bars, likely till the end of the month.
LVH has opened its new "Poker Pit," named so because the games are on the casino floor, rather than in a separate poker room. WSOP Main Event champion Tom McEvoy is the host and will be a frequent player there. A new room at the Plaza has also opened.
Notices on remote TV screens in the Cantor sports book at the Palms warn customers that they are prohibited from "using personal communication devices (including, without limitation, cell phones) for gaming related communications." This is the first time that we've seen such a notice since the ban on cell phone use in sports books was lifted.
Demetrious Johnson is a -550 favorite over John Moraga in tonight's UFC Main Event. In the other featured match, Rory McDonald -235 over Jake Ellenberger.
Today begins a series of tapings at Venetian for the "Wheel of Fortune" TV show. We don't know the status of tickets, but if they're available, admission is free. Inquire at the Rock of Ages box office.
Airline traffic in June was up 1.8%, marking the second consecutive monthly increase. Despite being down during the first four months of the year, the year-to-date total is up .1% and expected to continue to increase.
We've eradicated the problem on the website and everything is back to normal. We'll resume posting Today's News items and Question of the Day will be back tomorrow with details about the interruption.
A 5,400-square-foot high-tech Disney Store will open on August 17 at the Fashion Show Mall. It's one of a new mode of Disney operations that features projected images of Disney characters, virtual fireworks, and other digitally created effects. Each day at 10 a.m., the store will open with music and the unlocking of a giant padlock to allow customers to enter.
We're experiencing problems as a result of a sophisticated injection attack. We've made big strides since yesterday and feel that the most pressing issues have been resolved; however, we haven't yet gotten everything under control to our satisfaction. Consequently, we've suspended Question of the Day and most Today's News posts until we get the situation fully resolved, which we will do as quickly as possible. We apologize for the interruption and for any inconvenience this situation has caused.
Vegaschatter.com reports that the Golden Nugget has changed the name of its "Fremont Street Experience Fee" to the "Downtown Destination Fee. The amount of the fee is unchanged at $5 per night when you stay at GN. Bottom line: It's a low resort fee, nothing more or less.
The amount of unclaimed slot vouchers from Ohio casinos is now over $800,000. These are often vouchers with only pennies on them that customers don't bother to redeem. The problem is there is no process in place for distributing the money and it's currently sitting in an unclaimed-funds account. Nevada had $9.6 million in unclaimed tickets in most recent fiscal year and New Jersey had $2.4 million. Both states split the funds (in different proportions) between the state and the casinos.
The current Reader Poll expires at midnight, so if you haven't already, get your votes in while you still can. We really appreciate your feedback on this one and it will help us make the LVA newsletter even better!
We haven't seen the last of the thunderstorms that wreaked havoc around the valley last weekend, with National Weather Service issuing another flash-flood watch for Clark County until 11 p.m. tonight.
Estiatorio Milos, the renowned Greek restaurant at The Cosmopolitan and a perennial "Top Ten" pick in the Eating Las Vegas restaurant guide, is celebrating its third anniversary with the "Enter & Win a Yacht Excursion in Greece" giveaway.
Starting on Aug. 1, guests who sign up for the restaurant’s all-new loyalty program through December 1st, will be automatically entered for a chance to win a three-night all-expenses-paid Greek-island cruise, for up to four guests, on Milos’ private fully crewed yacht. The winner will be selected at random on Dec. 15.
Bally's Steakhouse is closing this fall to make room for BLT Steak, another restaurant from New York City, that will open in 2014. There's been no word on how this will affect the Sterling Brunch, which is currently served on Sundays in the restaurant.
From the producers of X Burlesque and Raack N Roll at the D comes an announcement that the King's Room at the Rio will soon house their third topless revue. X Rocks is due to open in September; we'll keep you posted as we hear more. (And look out for the imminent launch of our new sister website, ToplessVegasOnline.com, which is coming very soon!)
The Mob Museum and The Neon Museum have partnered to offer guests a combined same-day admission price of $30, an average saving of 30 percent on regular entry for the two unique historical attractions.
In a separate promo, The Mob Museum is also offering a wedding-package deal 11/12/13. On that date, five couples will be allowed to book the courtroom for a $1,112.13 marriage, commitment, or vow-renewal ceremony, including cake a champagne for up to 20 guests, with the add-on option of renting the entire venue for their reception.
A planned five-day boycott of the Venetian poker room, orchestrated by poker pros angered by Sheldon Adelson's stance against online gambling, was due to take effect Monday at midnight, but according to Vegas Inc. no one told the tourists, and it seemed to be business as usual yesterday.
Rockhouse, the "ultra divebar" in the Grand Canal Shoppes at Venetian/Palazzo is introducing "Taco Tuesdays," with weekly day-long food and drink specials, featuring $1.50 tacos from choices including chicken fajita, Mahi Mahi, and spicy sautéed shrimp.
VÉRONIC Voices, the popular show from versatile vocal impersonator Véronic DiCaire, has been extended in the Jubilee! Theater inside Bally’s through Dec. 21, 2013. Co-produced by Celine Dion, the one-woman production showcases a repertoire that includes singing stars as diverse as Christina Aguilera, Sheryl Crow, Billie Holiday, Susan Boyle, Whitney Houston, Katy Perry, and Dolly Parton. The show performs most Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and tickets start at $60.
Dartmouth College's educational "Big Green Bus" will be making a tour stop outside Bally's on the Strip from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23, on its quest to educate the nation about environmentally friendly practices in their community and how they can implement them at home. CET is a major sponsor of the bus, as part of its corporate "Code Green" initiative and Quad headliners Recycled Percussion will be there to join in the festivities with a free public performance.
New parking meters have been put in place downtown. The multispace system, dubbed "Bertha," uses 233 solar-powered meters that control 1,200 spaces. They accept coins and credit or debit cards, with rates remaining at $1-per-hour with a two-hour max.
As another serious storm heads this today, according to the forecasts, one of the most serious flooding incidents over the weekend took place at Caesars Palace, where you can see from this YouTube video how a significant area on the slot floor was under serious water on Friday, following a serious roof leak during the worst of the storm. Severe power outages also plunged all or part of some Strip and downtown casinos into darkness for a period of time.
The former Fitzgeralds Casino in Black Hawk, Colo. is now the Saratoga Casino Black Hawk. The casino is owned by New York’s Saratoga Harness Racing Inc.
Although it's been operating as if it were fully licensed, the Ultimate Poker online-poker site has officially been in a "field trial" since it debuted. That status will change, as the website has completed the trial and received a recommendation for approval from the Nevada Gaming Control Board. Check out our exclusive offer for registering, detailed in the earlier post on 7/22.
Phil Ivey has reportedly signed to be the face of online poker, and potentially all forms of online gambling, for Pala Interactive, a company formed by the Pala Band of Mission Indians out of Northern San Diego. It's the first move in the online space to come out of California, and it's a big one considering Ivey's celebrity status in the gambling world.
Things keep changing at Mandalay Bay. The latest is the debut of a new Japanese restaurant called Kumi. It's run by Akira Back, who also created Yellowtail at Bellagio.
Apparently 24-hour drinking and gambling doesn't fit well on the fitness scale. Las Vegas landed in 39th position out of 50 cities on a fitness ranking by the American College of Sports Medicine. The "Fit Cities List" evaluated preventive-health behaviors, levels of chronic disease conditions, and city health-care access and policies. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. finished first, while Oklahoma City, Okla. was last on the list.
Lotus of Siam is expanding to include the space that used to be Namaste next door. It's the second big expansion for Lotus in the past three years.
The front panel of the wrap on the unfinished St. Regis condo tower at the Venetian is missing. It's the first time since the cover went over the structure two years ago that any part of it has been exposed. While it looks like it could be a sign that work will be resumed, it's more likely that the tarp was blown off by Friday's storm.
The excellent LVA deal for registering to play legal online poker at Ultimate Poker is now open to everyone. Formerly available only to residents of Nevada, you can now take advantage of the offer that includes an LVA membership, a subscription to ALL IN magazine, and copies of our books Kill Everyone and The Raiser's edge for as little as a $10 deposit to play live poker or poker tournaments (though you still have to be physically in Nevada to play). It's a powerhouse deal, but you have to sign up through the link at allinmag.com to get the premiums. Go there for more information.
Leading by two strokes going into tomorrow's final round, Lee Westwood is the favorite to win golf's British Open at +185. Tiger Woods is +250 and Hunter Mahan is +700. Due to the match being played in Scotland, the round will begin at about 3:30 a.m. PST.
Rick Moonen's RX Boiler Room has opened at Mandalay Bay. Moonen converted his fine-dining rm upstairs restaurant to a "steampunk" concept, featuring comfort food and specialty cocktails.
A major thunderstorm with heavy winds, including a 71-mph gust, hit Las Vegas last night, resulting in snapped power poles, uprooted trees, and flash floods throughout the city. Despite the relatively short duration of the storm, a new daily rainfall record of .22 inches was set at McCarran International Airport, breaking the 1951 record of .17, while temperatures dropped more than 20 degrees. Gilley's at TI sustained damage to its roof that caused water to stream into the club. Despite the damage citywide, no serious injuries were reported.
Tonight marks the finale of Blue Martini's "Christmas in July" fundraiser week for Opportunity Village. Register at the Town Square nightspot from 4-7 p.m. today for the charity's Great Santa Run and get $5 off your entry fee, plus VIP admission to Blue Martini's annual Little Black Dress Party on Saturday, which features live entertainment and luxury raffle items to be won.
The Resort on Mount Charleston, which was evacuated July 4 due to the Carpenter 1 wildfire, reopens for business at noon today, having lost two weeks of business during what is traditionally its busiest month, reports the R-J. Access to Mount Charleston on state Routes 156 and 157 opened to the public at 8 a.m. Friday but the only trails that will be open are Bristlecone, Trail Canyon to Highway 158, Robbers Roost, Telephone Canyon, Fletcher Canyon, Mary Jane Falls and North Loop to the junction with Trail Canyon.
The Forest Service has named Aug. 18 as the estimated date for full containment of the blaze, which is now 95 percent contained. Visitors and residents should be aware that there's a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms on Mt. Charleston today, with the threat rising to 40-60 percent over the weekend, and the damage caused by Carpenter 1 will significantly increase the chances of flash flooding and debris flows in the area.
Rod Stewart returns to rock the Colosseum at Caesars Palace tomorrow night, with upcoming dates scheduled for July 20-21, 24, 27-28, 31, and August 3-4. Tickets start at $49, plus tax and fees, and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Data gathered from gambling-information kiosks placed in Macau casinos indicate that 60% of customers accessing them displayed "symptoms of pathological-gambling behavior." The kiosks were set up in six casinos and got 6,435 log-ins over about a 100-day period.
To celebrate its 31st season and the move to CBS, venerable TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" will return to its Las Vegas home-away-from home this summer to tape 30 episodes on location at Venetian and Palazzo. The filming is scheduled to take place throughout July and August, with the shows airing beginning Sept. 16 on KLAS Channel 8. Contestants for the upcoming season were chosen during auditions that took place there in April and tickets to attend the taping are free and available from the "Rock of Ages" Box Office at Venetian. Visit wheeloffortune.com for more info.
Tonight marks the grand opening of McFadden's, returning to Las Vegas after a hiatus of several years. Originally located in the Rio, the all-new venue is located at Town Square, and (for some reason we're not entirely clear on but aren't arguing with), the cast of Evil Dead The Musical will be on hand to entertain attendees and give out prizes.
As if the epidemic of observation wheels, arenas, and zip lines wasn't enough, now an Australian entrepreneur apparently has plans to introduce a wakeboarding, snowboarding, surfing, and white-water rafting experience in the vicinity of the Las Vegas Strip, reports Vegas Inc. Aussie businessman Josh Kearney hopes to open a $50 million 40-acre amusement park by the end of 2014 and is currently scouting locations for the well-named Vegas Extreme project, which will also include motocross, a white sand beach, and zip lines, naturally ... if financing and a location are secured.
Downtown's newest casino is celebrating its first anniversary with a massive three-day extravaganza featuring live performances on Fremont Street's neighboring 3rd Street Stage from Uncle Kracker (Thursday, Sept. 26), Stone Temple Pilots with Chester Bennington (Friday, Sept. 27), and Kid Rock (Saturday, Sept. 28). Limited room and ticket VIP packages are available online at thed.com or by calling reservations at 800-274-5825.
Here are this weekend's entertainment highlights
Radio City Pizza on Fremont St. has been closed since Sunday. A sign on the door says Re-opening soon," with no other details provided.
Downtown's Insert Coins is partnering with the NBA Summer League to host a video-basketball tournament today. The entry fee is $5 to compete in an organized NBA 2K tournament to win cash and Summer League packages. The tournament will begin tonight at 7 p.m., with the top 10 finishers competing tomorrow against NBA players.
William Hill has opened a sports book at the Edgewater in Laughlin. Today's grand opening was scheduled to coincide with the start of the Del Mar season (see earlier post), as it appears that race betting will be a priority in the renovated book.
The Italian restaurant Carmine's has opened in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. With 27,000 square feet and room for 700 diners, it's being touted as the "largest non-nightclub restaurant" in Las Vegas. The two-story space used to house the Planet Hollywood Restaurant. Other Carmine's operate in New York City, Washington D.C., Atlantic City, and the Bahamas.
Del Mar racetrack opens today for its 76th season. The summer meet will run through September 4 with racing Wednesdays through Sundays. Del Mar is expected to benefit from the upcoming closing of Hollywood Park and will add a fall meet in 2014.
The former White Cross Drugs, which operated on Las Vegas Blvd. since 1955 and closed last year, is reopening downtown as White Cross Market. White Cross will provide a much-needed grocery outlet for downtown, though it won't include a diner as it did previously. The market debuts on Saturday.
Leading slot-machine manufacturer Bally Technologies has announced a plan to purchase SHFL Entertainment for $1.3 billion, reports gaming columnist Howard Stutz in the R-J. Formerly known as Shuffle Master, after its original primary business manufacturing continuous shuffle machines, the company recently changed its moniker to reflect its diversified business model, which now also includes the manufacture of electronic table games and the distribution of non-traditional casino games, including Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, and Caribbean Stud.
Following fundamental post-bankruptcy reorganization changes, which have included permitting smoking and launching aggressive casino promotions, Atlantic City's Revel Resort has laid off 75 workers as further efforts are made to turn around the glamorous but struggling property's balance sheet.
Firefighting crews are ahead of their anticipated schedule in bringing the Mt. Charleston wildfire under control, with Carpenter 1 reaching 80 percent containment and not progressing beyond the 27,881-acres reported Monday, allowing some firefighters to return home. Residents of Trout and Lovell canyons were allowed to return home Sunday and Lee Canyon residents were allowed to go back to their houses Monday, reports the R-J. Kyle Canyon evacuees will be able to return home at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Note that residents must show valid proof of residence (drivers license or utility bill), while employees need to be on a list provided to the police by their workplace.
In this week's exclusive column, video poker expert Bob Dancer discusses a difference in approach between himself and a fellow player when it comes to considering the merits, or otherwise -- and the recording of the results -- when it comes to casino free play and in what form it's awarded (cash, gas cards, etc.) Which camp do you fall into?
The final table for the World Series Main Event is set, with nine left from the starting 6,352 players.
JC Tran 38,000,000
Amir Lehavot 29,700,000
Marc McLaughlin 26,525,000
Jay Farber 25,975,000
Ryan Riess 25,875,000
Sylvain Loosli 19,600,000
Michiel Brummelhuis 11,275,000
Mark Newhouse 7,350,000
David Benefield 6,375,000
Lehavot has a WSOP win to his credit and Tran has won twice. Former Main Event champ Carlos Mortensen barely missed, finishing 10th. The November Nine will reconvene at the Rio on Nov. 4.
The far right lane of Las Vegas Boulevard southbound closed today as construction gets underway on MRI's Park project, a $100 million outdoor entertainment district between Monte Carlo and New York-New York. The lane closure is expected to run through next February.
Tickets for this year's iHeart Radio extravaganza, which sold out within minutes for last year's festival, go on sale July 20, and the lineup has just been announced. The event takes place at MGM Grand September 20-21, and will feature a lineup including: Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, J. Cole, Elton John, Muse, Tiësto, Chris Brown, Keith Urban, fun., Miguel, Bruno Mars, Phoenix, Zedd, Maroon 5, Tim McGraw, Ke$ha, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Benny Benassi, Miley Cyrus, The Wanted, Jason Derulo, The Band Perry, Avril Lavigne, Krewella, Cher Lloyd, twenty one pilots, Pete Tong, AWOLNATION, Ne-Yo, and a special appearance by Queen + Adam Lambert. Tickets, which start at $82.40, inclusive of fees, will be available this Saturday at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET.
Thanks to everyone who's written in to inform us about the dodgy ad that's currently on our site. We're not sure what's going on -- any attempts to block it have failed -- but we have a call in to Google Adsense, plus our in-house tech is on the way, so hopefully all should be well shortly. Apologies for the inconvenience in the meantime.
KÀ, the Cirque du Soleil show that performs at MGM Grand and which is known for its gravity-defying set, resumes performances tomorrow, Tuesday, July 16, after a hiatus after a peformer died June 29 after falling 90 feet during the final battle scene. OSHA is still investigating the incident and the "Battle Scene" act will not be part of the returning show, replaced by a transitional artistic scene, it's been announced.
Donn Arden's Jubilee!, the longest-running show in Las Vegas, is to host an open casting call for female and male dancers, singers, and showgirls on Monday, July 22.
The order of auditions will be:
Male Dancers: 10:30 a.m.
Female Dancers and Showgirls: Noon
Male and Female Singers: 2 p.m.
Principal Dancers: 3 p.m.
The remaining 27 players will play down to the final 9 today. Anton Morgenstern leads with 22 million, well ahead of Sylvain Loosli with 14.1 million. Former champion Carlos Mortensen has climbed to 6th with 10.8 million. The other interesting story is Steve Gee, who is seeking his second consecutive Main Event final table. Gee finished 9th last year and is still alive, though short-stacked with 3.2 million. The last to make consecutive finals was Dan Harrington in 2003/2004. The last woman standing, Jackie Glazier, finished 31st.
Commonwealthoca, one of the newer additions to the Fremont East scene, has teamed up with Digital Royalty to run a two-month campaign raising funds to help provide clean and safe drinking water to Ethiopians through the organization, Charity: Water. Friends, family, Twitter, and Instagram followers are invited to donate by using the hashtag #CommonWell -- each use will trigger a $1 donation to help build new wells in Ethiopia, with a goal of raising $10,000 -- enough to provide a lifetime of fresh drinking water for 250 people.
Trump Taj Mahal is gearing up to become the first casino in the U.S. with a strip club inside. New York-based Scores is expected to open a $25 million 36,000-square-foot club in August. It will be located on the second floor of the Taj. Dancers will not be topless, as rules require g-strings and pasties. "Modified lap dancing," that is devoid of touching will be allowed.
Another big-name restaurant will soon close. Circo at the Bellagio will close "in the spring." No replacement has been announced.
Mimi's Café with four locations in Las Vegas is celebrating its 35th anniversary with 1978 pricing on select menu items. Get a French dip for $4.10, eggs Benedict for $3.95, and French onion soup for $2.25 all day today.
The Main Event is down to 68 players, with newcomers dominating the leaderboard. The chip leader is Sami Rustom with 7 million, followed by Marc McLaughlin with 6.7 million and Jason Mann with 6.6 million. The loan marquee name in the 68 is 2001 champ Carlos Mortensen, who's a threat with 2.5 million. Last standing for the women is Jackie Glazer, who begins Day 6 in 12th with 4 million. Play begins again today at noon and will set the stage for tomorrow's play down to the November Nine.
Today is "Drink Us Dry Saturday" when you see Rock of Ages at the Venetian. Buy a ticket for the 10 p.m. show and drink unlimited domestic beer in the Zebra Lounge from 8 to 10, or pay $25 for an upgrade to an unlimited open bar. The deal is offered every Saturday until further notice.
Defending WSOP champ Greg Merson is out of the Main Event. With fewer than 150 players remaining, the lone former champion left is Carlos Mortensen, who has about 700,000. The leader is Chris Lindh with 4 million.
The Hard Rock is awarding 7X points on video poker and 20X points on slots today and tomorrow. The bonus-points weekends are running throughout July.
This year's WSOP "Bubble Boy" -- the player finishing one spot out of the money in 649th place -- wasn't typical. It was three time bracelet winner Farzad Bonyadi. As is traditional, Bonyadi was awarded a free entry into the 2014 Main Event.
With 239 players remaining going into Day 5 of the Main Event, Jon Lane is the chip leader with 2.8 million. He's followed by Sami Rustom with 2.5 million and Grayson Ramage with 2.4 million. Annette Obrestad leads fewer than 10 women still playing, with 1.2 million, and only two former winners remain -- defending champ Greg Merson with 635,000 and Carlos Mortensen with 302,000. Merson had 376,000 going into Day 5 last year. Hitting the rail were Doyle Brunson, Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier, Allen Cunningham, and Blair Rodman.
The feds have indefinitely suspended their review of XPressWest's multibillion-dollar loan request to fund a high-speed train connecting Las Vegas with Southern California. The project, which has been on the drawing board for more years than we care to remember, has been stalled by the Department of Transportation, on the grounds that there are "significant uncertainties" still surrounding its viability.
Two flash flood warnings are currently in effect, with more expected. Those already issued are for the Anthem area, where some intersections are already flooded but the heaviest part of the storm has passed; the other, for the Spring Mountains, is in effect until 3:15 p.m., where the good news is that it should aid the efforts of Carpenter 1 firefighters. We'll keep you posted if additional areas are affected.
A devilish 666 players are left after Day 3 of the World Series of Poker's Main Event. The new chip leader is Maxx Coleman with 1,071,500. The players will get to the money early today, as positions 648 and better get prizes. Several big names went down yesterday, including Phil Ivey and Phil Helmuth, and the presence of big names remaining is sparse. Amazingly, the first to show up on the leaderboard is Doyle Brunson with 636,000, along with the only other remaining former winners, Carlos Mortensen (172,500) and defending champ Greg Merson (390,000). Others still in the hunt include, Annette Obrestad (564,000), Bertrand "Elky" Grospellier (444,000), Allen Cunningham (268,000), Paul Wascika (218,000), Blair Rodman (212,000), Dutch Boyd (207,000), and Erik Seidel (39,000).
Issues with the plumbing have closed the food court, Cabaret Theater, X Bar, and a number of rooms. Additional plumbing work will affect other parts of the resort through July 15, at least, reports Vegas Inc. Earlier rumors posted online invoking the Southern Nevada Health District, or attributing the closures to an explosion, are entirely without foundation, an official spokesman has confirmed.
Las Vegas visitation was up by a meager 0.1 percent for the month of May, compared to last year's figures, while year-on-year visitation is down 0.2 percent to 16.49 million people, so far for 2013, according to the latest figures released by the LVCVA.
Firefighters, who've been battling the Carpenter 1 Fire on Mt. Charleston for 12 days, now have the blaze 43 percent under control, thanks to the wet weather yesterday, which in turn triggered flash-flood warnings that will remain in effect until 11 p.m. tonight. It's still too early to say when displaced residents will be able to return to their homes.
The iconic Blue Angel statue, designed by Las-Vegas-iconic-sign goddess Betty Willis, is apparently up for sale, so the rumor goes. The motel for which it was created, and whose long-term residents were the subject of writer Matt O'Brien's poignant collection, My Week at the Blue Angel and Other Stories from the Storm Drains, Strip Clubs, and Trailer Parks of Las Vegas, has already been consigned to local history, but the statue was to receive a second life, as the welcoming landmark for a new downtown retail and entertainment complex.
With the Las Vegas Gateway project unlikely ever to see the light of day, however, her fate is now uncertain. According to the current issue of Vegas Seven magazine, which includes a feature on the "Falling Angel" photographic exhibit currently on display through July 26 at the Trifecta Gallery, her final resting place may lie in the hands of the highest bidder. We'll keep you posted if more details become available. The protective (and remarkably busty) angel, much like the equally beloved Free Aspirin and Tender Sympathy sign at the long-since defunct south Strip Las Vegas Mini Mart, had for many years offered a rare and appreciated sympathetic nod from Sin City to the hungover, broke, and generally down-on-their luck traveler and her departure will doubtless be mourned by the many who recall, should she leave town altogether.
While the Carpenter 1 Fire continues to ravage Mt. Charleston, some good news is word that Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area scenic loop, and all trails, are open once more, thanks to the recent rainfall. In deep irony, while news comes that as of this morning Carpenter 1 had grown to 27,597 acres, a flash-flood warning was issued for the area this morning, with incident commander Rich Harvey reminding firefighters that, "The road you drove in on may not be there when you get back." As if they don't have enough to contend with already. Our thoughts and gratitude go to out to all who are involved in efforts to fight the blaze and aid its victims.
According to the monthly report for May, Nevada state gaming revenues experienced a 1.37 percent increase compared to the same month last year, at $897.2 million. The growth was largely fueled by a 6.39 percent uptick for Las Vegas Strip casinos, plus a 9.73 percent boon for Reno. The picture was far less rosy for other gaming regions in the state, however, with a 20 percent drop for North Las Vegas and an almost-as-bad picture on the Boulder Strip, where revenues fell by 18 percent. Downtown Las Vegas also saw a 7 percent drop.
It's the calm after last weekend's UFC storm, but that doesn't mean there's a shortage of things to do. Au contraire! It's all just relative... See:
With all of Day 2 now completed, 1,743 players remain in the Main Event. The tournament chip leader remains Mark Kroon with 507,300 heading into today's third round, where the entire field is now playing in the same session. Notable eliminations on Day 2C included Daniel Negreanu, Ben Lamb, Gus Hanson, Jason Mercier, and former champs Jamie Gold and Joe Hachem.
The long-time celebrated Las Vegas band, which features an expansive and stellar array of musical and vocal talent, now has a regular 8 p.m. Friday gig inside the Railhead at Boulder Station. They formerly had a residency at the now-defunct Ovation Lounge at Green Valley Ranch. There's no cover for the Railhead show, so we highly recommend you check it out.
On Wednesday, July 17, Blue Man Group, now performing at Monte Carlo, will hold an open casting call for its newly introduced "Showbot" character. The futuristic interactive female is described as part human, part robot and is known for her mad dancing skills and lumiscent ponytail. The criteria for tryouts, which will take place in Ballroom 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., include being a female performer between 5'3 and 5'5", of small build and physically fit, and a performer/dancer/actor with good rhythm and physical theater experience.
Acclaimed Brit vocalist Matt Goss has announced additional dates for his weekend shows in the Gossy Room at Caesars Palace, with new shows scheduled through September 21, to coincide with the UK release of his upcoming Vegas-inspired album "Life You Imagine." Tickets for the show, which performs Fridays and Saturdays, start at $50.
It keeps getting better at Bar 702. In addition to its high-return video poker schedules, there's now a three-times-daily happy hour, during which logged-in players club members betting max coin for quarters and up spin the ETT wheel on any 4-of-a-kind or four to a royal. That's the most liberal ETT bonus we've ever seen, yielding close to a 105% return on the best games. The happy hours run 5-6 p.m., 3-4 a.m., and 9-10 a.m. Bar 702 is located at the corner of Spring Mtn. and Polaris and has recently gone to 24-hour operation.
It comes as no great surprise, with black smoke billowing across the valley, to learn that Clark County has upgraded a previously issued air-quality advisory triggered by the Carpenter 1 wildfire, to alert status, with smoke and other airborne particles resulting in unhealthy levels of pollution that represent a particular threat to anyone with an existing respiratory condition. The alert will remain in effect through Thursday, when anticipated rainfall is hoped to alleviate the current conditions.
Peepshow, the long-running burlesque show at Planet Hollywood that deliberately featured a revolving door of celebrity headliners, including former Spice Girl Mel B, and "Girl Next Door" Holly Madison, has decided that the current Bo Peep, Coco Austin, is an impossible act to follow and, hence, will end its 1,500-show run September 1, after four years at the Strip property, reports LV Sun columnist John Katsilometes.
The first of two Day 2A/B sessions played yesterday finished with 562 players advancing. The new tournament chip leader is Nick Schwarmann with 413,600. Defending champ Greg Merson also faired well, finishing with 275,600, and 79-year-old Doyle Brunson has 224,000. Also advancing was Blair Rodman, with 127,000. Notable eliminations included Chris Moneymaker, Barry Greenstein, David Williams, Mike Sexton, and John Juanda. The Day 2-B session will be played today with 2,306 players starting. The field will be united in the Day 3 session on Thursday.
The Las Vegas Ski & Snowboard Resort has already been supplying water to fire crews and making facilities like its chair lifts available in efforts to contain the blaze, which is now said to be covering 25,000 acres, while Bonnie Springs Ranch are offering one of their facilities to house large animals that belong to the residents that police have sent to shelters (call the Bonnie Springs Motel at 702-875-4400 for more information). Volunteers from Nevada Voters For Animals are also assisting in finding shelter for small animals and pets of evacuees (contact Gina Greisen at 702-769-6560).
Cannery Casino Resorts has provided 40 free hotel rooms at its properties (Cannery and Eastside Cannery) for up to 10 days to Kyle Canyon residents who checked into Red Cross shelters.
In addition, commencing today, Ferraro’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar (4480 Paradise Road) will be offering the "Mt. Charleston Relief Menu," a 4-course menu for $50 (tax included), with proceeds to benefit the American Red Cross. The restaurant is also requesting the community bring sealed cases of water, with staff accepting water donations Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
If you know of or own a business or are part of an additional community effort to help those affected by the fire, and would like us to get the word out, please drop us a line.
We don't have 100% confirmation, but we've heard that the happy hour in the Cortez Room at the Gold Coast has been discontinued. The best happy hour remaining on the Rio corner is weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. in Simon at Palms Place.
Eli Roth’s Goretorium, which opened back in September 2012, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The Goretorium is a year-round haunted house located on the Las Vegas Strip and is owned by Haunted Desert LLC. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy was filed on July 1 and lists assets between $1 million to $10 million against liabilities of that same range.
A wildfire in Carpenter Canyon, west of Las Vegas, has become the second priority in the country, behind a blaze in Alaska, for an elite team brought in to contain it. High heat and low humidity has allowed the fire to spread past 15,000 acres and the focus is on keeping it out of Kyle Canyon and other residential areas. The 841-man Great Basin National Incident Management Team 2 that's battling the blaze estimates that it can be fully contained by July 19. Meanwhile, billowing smoke from the fire has drifted into the valley, causing the issuance of an air-quality health advisory that remains in effect.
The Pho Bosa Vietnamese restaurant that was the LVA "Local Corner" selection in March appears to be closed. We've been touting this restaurant as a good place to eat when you visit Bar 702 on Spring Mtn. and Polaris, but it's been closed almost every day for the past two weeks, with a different excuse (electrical problems, out of food, etc.) posted on the front door daily. We'll let you know if things change, but we wanted to warn you in case you'd been planning a 702/Bosa parlay on our recommendation. As an alternative, there's a good mobile barbecue station out front (called Good BBQ) on most nights.
This week Dancer discusses the 100% loss rebate at The Revel in Atlantic City.
This year's WSOP Main Event drew 6,352 players, a 7.5% decline from last year's 6,865, and the smallest field since 2005. The total prize pool is $59,788,800 and the first place is $8,359,531. The top 648 finishers will be in the money. Overall, this year's WSOP drew 79,471 entries, which is a record, and the second-largest total prize pool of $197,041,468.
The final Day-1 session of the World Series of Poker's Main Event drew 3,467, breaking last year's record of 3,418 to become the largest one-day Main Event field in history. The chip leader was Mark Kroon, with 246,300, which puts him in the overall lead. Notable names advancing included Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth, Jason Mercier, Freddy Deeb, Tom McEvoy, Joe Hachem, Allen Cunningham, Antonio Esfandiari, and Ben Lamb. The first of two Day 2 sessions begins today.
After only five weeks, July 21 will be the last performance of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert at the Venetian. Producers cut the eleven week run down to five weeks due to low crowd counts.
Construction has resumed on Manhattan West, a retail and residential development that halted construction in late 2008. Now under new management, the 20,000-square-foot project has been renamed The Gramercy. Located on Russell Rd., west of the 215, the residential component will feature a nine-story high rise with 85 apartments and a pool and party-deck on the roof, along with a four-story mid-rise with 160 apartments surrounding a park that includes shaded seating, a fire pit, and a community swimming pool.
Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier and Tony Dunst will sign their book, The Raiser's Edge, today at the Rio. The signing runs from 11 a.m. to noon at the Gambler's Book Club booth in the main World Series of Poker hallway.
Yesterday's second of three Day-1 sessions of the World Series of Poker's Main Event drew 1,942 players, with 1,296 advancing to the next round. The chip leader was Clement Tripodi with 207,050, which puts him in the overall lead. Former champs Dan Harrington, Chris Moneymaker, and Doyle Brunson advanced, along with LVA's Blair Rodman. Notable eliminations were Scotty Nguyen, Greg Raymer, Erick Lindgren, David Bach, Georges St Pierre, and last year’s runner-up, Jesse Sylvia.
UFC star Georges St. Pierre is playing in today's session of the first round of the World Series of Poker Main Event. It looks like he's holding steady just above the 30K starting point.
Anthony Curtis appears on "Bar Rescue" tonight. He's one of the show's experts, brought in to stimulate video poker play at Bar 702, the former Sand Dollar Lounge. Check out what A.C. does with the machines. The show airs on Spike TV at 9 p.m. PST. If you're in town, come down to the bar at 3355 Spring Mtn. Rd. for the preview party that starts at 7 p.m.
The syndicated column "Ask Marilyn" handles a touchy gambling question today with a good answer. The question involves the value of a stop loss and Marilyn correctly identifies the key consideration, which is the level of exposure to the house edge. She concludes, properly, that a stop loss will reduce exposure and, therefore, outperform an alternative method proposed in the question.
Yesterday's first of three Day-1 sessions of the World Series of Poker's Main Event drew 943 players, with 584 advancing to the next round. The chip leader was Evan Panesis with 190,975. Notable eliminations were Chino Rheem, TJ Cloutier, and 2011 champion Pius Heinz. Defending champ Greg Merson finished the day with 81,650.
Anderson Silva is a -210 favorite over Chris Weidman in tonight's UFC championship match. In other featured matches, Frankie Edgar is -650 over Charles Oliveira and Tim Boetsch is -150 over Mark Munoz.
The Hard Rock is awarding 7X points on video poker and 20X points on slots every Saturday and Sunday in July. There are also other interesting incentive programs running all month, including dining-comp and prize giveaways for earning 300-600 in points on designated days.
Nevada ranks sixth on a list compiled by the Beer Institute that ranks the per-capita consumption of beer by state. The average Nevadan of legal drinking age consumes 35.8 gallons of beer per year. First on the list is North Dakota.
Dana Castaneda won the $1K no-limit hold 'em event, marking the second straight year with a female winner. She emerged from a big field of 2,883 to win $454,207. Seven other women have made final tables this year.
The first round of the World Series of Poker's Main Event begins today at noon. It will be the first of three first-round sessions that will run through Monday. The final table will be determined on July 15 and the final will reconvene on November 4. Check this space for daily updates.
We just checked and the Ian Anderson show at the Smith Center is sold out. The ticket agent we talked to said that once sold out, tickets don't come back through cancelations at show time. We can't confirm this is true (cancelation-line tickets often show up in most venues), but it's what we were told.
There're some out-of-the-ordinary entertainment options this weekend, starting with Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull) playing tonight at the Smith Center. The show is at 7:30 and tickets start at $45. Kelly Pickler plays at 8 p.m. tonight at Silverton, with tickets starting at $40. Tomorrow at the Smith Center, it's Weird Al Jankovic at 7:30 with tickets starting at $29. And America is at the Cannery for an 8 p.m. show, with tickets starting at $15.
An article in today's LV Review-Journal that references the status of Caesars Interactive's online poker site indicates that it's now targeting a late summer launch. There had been hopes that the WSOP-branded site would launch before the end of this year's World Series of Poker tournament, but now the company can take the necessary time to iron out kinks before opening in pursuit of its goal to "dominate" the Nevada market.
Matthew Ashton won the prestigious Poker Players Championship and its $1.8 million first prize. Don Nguyen was runner-up and John Hennigan finished third. It was Aston's fourth final table of this year's WSOP and his first win.
Steve Martorano will open his second restaurant in Las Vegas at Paris some time in 2014. Martorano's at Paris is expected to have a similar menu to the restaurant of the same name at the Rio, which will remain open.
In a list on iVillage.com of the best ice cream shops in all 50 states, Sweet Addiction was the pick for Nevada. The description says, "Homemade cookies like oatmeal butterscotch and snickerdoodle combine with more than 25 flavors of Thrifty ice cream for stellar ice cream sandwiches. There are two shops, located at 5165 S Fort Apache Rd. and 2291 N. Green Valley Pkwy.
We've learned that Station Casinos has bought the Lift bar on Valley View near Sahara and will convert it into a Wildfire casino. We don't know what the timetable will be for the changeover. The Lift is a long-operating local bar that we've written about many times for its good food and free UFC broadcasts.
Palazzo/Venetian is hosting the first U.S. Mind Sports Festival running today through Sunday. Over 200 players will compete in chess, Scrabble, mah jongg, Magic: The Gathering, and GO.
With the holiday falling on a Thursday and coinciding with Saturday's big UFC card, the town figures to be busier than usual for the 4th, as many will turn it into a four-day weekend. Check earlier Today's News posts for events and fireworks schedules. Tonight's biggest fireworks display from Station Casinos will be synchronized to an 11-song set that you can hear on 96.3 FM and 102.7 FM at 9 p.m. Prior to the fireworks, there will be an autograph session from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fremont Street experience, featuring UFC stars Cain Velasquez, Urijah Faber, Carlos Condit, Benson Henderson, and others, as well as ring girl Arianny Celeste. Other UFC events will take place on Friday and Saturday.
There are eight left in the WSOP's Poker Players Championship. The chip leader is Don Nguyen with 5.1 million, followed by Matthew Ashton with 3.0 million and George Danzer with 2.9 million. David Benyamine has 2.7 million, Jonathan Duhamel has 1.6 million, and John Hennigan has 1.4 million. The first prize is $1,774,089.
The $50,000 buy-in Poker Player's Championship drew 132 players, up from 108 last year. One of the players was Doyle Brunson, who had earlier stated that he had retired from WSOP play. Brunson was among those eliminated, leaving 26 players going into today's action.
Construction about to begin on F Street in North Las Vegas will reduce traffic on I-15 to two lanes both ways and close the D Street exit until next spring. The $13.6 million F Street project won't be fully completed until the end of 2014.
Bagatelle Beach is hosting themed pool parties every weekend all summer, beginning with the Latin-themed "Viernes Vagos" party running from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., then the retro-themed "Poplife" party from 9 to 11 p.m. on 4th of July weekend. "Boots & Bikini Sundays" will be country-themed and will run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
It's July 4 weekend, which means parties and entertainment galore, but that's only half the story, with a lineup of headlining musicians, a virtual epidemic of comedians, plus fighters, First Friday and, of course, fireworks:
Can't wait for tomorrow? Here's a couple things you can do tonight to get your Fourth of July celebration started early:
Ultimate Gaming, currently the only legal online poker site in the U.S., has partnered with Trump Taj Mahal to operate a live gaming site when it's legal to do so in New Jersey. The site will operate under the Ultimate Gaming brand and be allowed to offer poker and other casino games under New Jersey law. A launch date for online gambling in the state has not been set, but could be as early as Nov. 23 of this year.
The introduction of a new Nevada area code will change call procedures in Clark County. Due to the addition of a new 725 area code, local calls will need to include an area code before the seven digit number. The new call procedure will be introduced on August 3, 2013. Dialing seven digit numbers will still connect at that point up until May 3, 2014, when the new calling procedures will be enforced.
In honor of National Ice Cream Month, Trevi in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace will be giving out free gelato and sorbetto in July. To enter to win free ice cream, comment on or "like" the Trevi Facebook page, follow the Instagram, or Tweet a post with Trevi's Twitter handle. Trevi will choose two winners every day in July and send them certificates to choose a gelato or sorbetto.
Downtown's Commonwealth bar is teaming up with Digital Royalty to raise funds for water wells in Ethiopia. Donations of $1 can be made by using the hashtag #CommonWell on Instagram and Twitter. One dollar donations will also be made fore every drink purchased from Commonwealth's special drink menu. The "Drink for a Drink" fund's goal is to raise $10,000 before the charity ends in August. Click here for more information.
This week Bob Dancer discusses the inconsistencies within CET's Total Rewards program, as it varies between casino and casino.
The former Terrible's casino is now Silver Sevens Hotel & Casino. The name change coincides with the completion of a year-long $5 million renovation. The new Silver Sevens sign is up and the Old Terrible's sign will put on display at the neon museum.
For the fifth year in a row, Primm Valley Casino will celebrate July 4th with a fireworks show. Guests are invited to enjoy the amusement rides and attractions until the fireworks go off at dusk.
A performer in the Cirque du Soleil show, KA, died Saturday when she fell during a performance. Sarah Guollot-Guyard, an original member of the show, slipped from her safety wire and fell off the stage, which was in a vertical position during the finale of the second show. It was the first death during a performance in Cirque's history. All KA shows have been canceled until further notice.
It missed on Saturday, but Sunday's 117 degrees tied the mark for the hottest day ever in Las Vegas. The record for highest minimum temperature was also tied at 89 degrees. The month went into the record book as the hottest June in Las Vegas history, with an average temperature of 91.5 degrees, surpassing the previous record of 90.5 degrees.
We attended the official opening of Michael Jackson One over the weekend. The new Cirque du Soleil show is incredible, a spectacle of music, lights, acrobats, aerialists, and mind-boggling technology. Tickets start at $79. There'll be a complete review in the August Las Vegas Advisor.
New surveillance cameras are being put in place on the Strip to help ensure the safety of tourists. The 37 cameras, being positioned atop traffic-light poles, will rotate and change angles to provide extensive coverage of the areas around Las Vegas Boulevard.