In today's Gator Bowl, Texas A&M is a -7.5 favorite over North Carolina State. The total is 57.
If you need to move around the city, you have another hour or so to make your move. The Strip and access roads will begin closing at 5 p.m. and everything will be closed by 6:45. The temperature forecast is 32 degrees tonight. If you're going to the Strip, prohibited items include glass bottles, backpacks, strollers, and coolers.
In today's Holiday Bowl, Utah is a -6.5 favorite over Northwestern. The total is 43.
In today's Liberty Bowl, Missouri is a -10 favorite over Oklahoma State. The total is 72.
In today's Redbox Bowl, Michigan State and Oregon are pick ’em. The total is 45.
In today's Sun Bowl, Stanford is a -3.5 favorite over Pittsburgh. The total is 52.
Lady Gaga kicked off her highly anticipated Las Vegas residency last Friday night and, according to various reviews, it's not only the most expensive residency in Vegas history, it's also the most extravagant. The Las Vegas Sun's reviewer writes: "The sheer spectacle of Enigma was so grand, it might have overshadowed any other performer" and "The concept of Enigma is a robot that sends Gaga through a future simulation that helps the star find her inner self." Billboard writes, "The set pieces were just as grandiose and over-the-top as the performances themselves." Rolling Stone praised the "sensory overload" of the show. Celine Dion caught last night's performance and
"played air guitar, sang along, and clapped, encouraging the crowd to let loose too," writes TMZ. The Sun sums it up: "A residency in Vegas allows the world’s greatest entertainers to dive deeper into their creativity and deliver performances on a scale that can’t be replicated anywhere else. It’s what makes Las Vegas an enigma of its own — and Lady Gaga its rightful superstar."
In today's Military Bowl, Cincinnati is a -4.5 favorite over Virginia Tech. The total is 48.
The Vegas Golden Knights are now tied for first place in both the Pacific Division and Western Conference of the National Hockey League. They share the top with the Calgary Flames in the division and the Winnipeg Jets in the conference; all three have 50 points, though the VGK have played three more games than the Flames and four more than the Jets. And just when you thought that this bunch of misfits was all done setting records for an expansion team, now there’s one more: The VGK are now the first expansion team in the history of the NHL to reach 50 points before January 1 in both of its first two years of existence. Read all about yesterday's game and these records in Joe Pane's Knights on Ice blog post.
The Indianapolis Colts are -5.5 favorites over the Tennessee Titans in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 42.5.
The line for the College Football National Championship opened with Alabama a -7 favorite over Clemson and is now -6. The total opened at 62.5 and has been bet down to 59.5.
Nevada's sports books set a record in November, taking $581 million in wagers, $10 million more than the previous record set in September. The win, $27 million, equates to 4.67% of the handle, close to the historical average. Slightly more than 63% of the total, almost $375 million, was bet on football; of that, the books held $18 million. Basketball bets accounted for another 25.7%, baseball (futures) 2%, parlays 1.9%, and other (tennis, golf, hockey) 7.1%. Throw in the November handles in New Jersey's ($330 million), Mississippi ($45 million), Delaware ($16 million), West Virginia ($12 million), and Pennsylvania ($1.4 million in its first two weeks) and you get $985 million, tantalizingly close to a billion dollars in sports bets in a single month, only six months since the Supreme Court paved the way for this kind of action.
Jon Jones is a -300 favorite over Alexander Gustafsson in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Christine Justino is -180 over Amanda Nunes.
In today's Orange Bowl, the second of two semi-final games in the college-football National Championship playoffs, Alabama is a -14.5 favorite over Oklahoma. The total is 80.5.
Nexstar Media Group’s CBS affiliate serving Las Vegas (KLAS) will host "Countdown to 2019: Live from Las Vegas" from 8 p.m. to 12:35 a.m. (PST). The Group's stations in 11 other cities across nine states -- Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Hawaii, and Oregon -- will broadcast the live show, reaching nearly 10 million U.S. households. The New Year’s Eve special will be hosted by two KLAS-TV 8 News anchors at the big NYE party at the Hard Rock Café (in the Showcase Mall), along with live video feeds from the South Point and Fremont Street and aerial views of the Strip.
In today's Cotton Bowl, the first of two semi-final games in the college-football National Championship playoffs, Clemson is a -11 favorite over Notre Dame. The total is 57.5.
If you're driving through Utah on your way to or from Las Vegas, be aware that the Beehive State has just lowered its DUI threshold from 0.08% to 0.05%, lowest in the nation, which goes into effect tomorrow. Utah was one of the first states to adopt the 0.08% threshold and is again bucking the trend; four states — Washington, Hawaii, Delaware, and New York — have attempted to lower their DUI limit, all unsuccessfully. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. a 150-pound man can exceed 0.05% after two beers in an hour and a 120-pound woman could after one glass of wine (depending on food intake).
In today's Arizona Bowl, Nevada is a -1.5 favorite over Arkansas State. The total is 57.
In today's Belk Bowl, South Carolina is a -3.5 favorite over Virginia. The total is 53.5.
In today's Peach Bowl, Michigan is a -4 favorite over Florida. The total is 51.
The 35th person was inducted into the so-called Black Book, the “Nevada List of Excluded Persons.” Jeffrey Martin was the third agent in a scam that cheated Bellagio out of $1.2 million in a two-year period at a crap table with a cheating dealer. Martin is the brother-in-law of Mark Branco, the dealer, who is serving four to ten years in prison. Martin was convicted and sentenced to probation; though he didn't have to serve time, he lost his bid to remain off the List in a rare hearing before the Gaming Commission.
In today's Alamo Bowl, Washington State is a -2 favorite over Iowa State. The total is 55.5.
In today's Camping World Bowl, Syracuse is a -3 favorite over West Virginia. The total is 67.
Single-family-home prices in Las Vegas were up again in the double digits in October, increasing by nearly 13% compared to 5.5% nationally. It was the fifth month in a row that Vegas had the highest year-over-year increase in the top 20 markets nationally, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller index. It was also the only major metro area with a double-digit difference; San Francisco ranked second at 7.9%. In more recent statistics from the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors that show a slowdown in sales, if not prices, upwards of 2,300 single-family houses were sold in November, down nearly 12% year over year.
In today's Music City Bowl, Auburn is a -3.5 favorite over Purdue. The total is 59.5.
One ticket matched all six numbers in Wednesday's Powerball drawing for $298.3 million. The sole winner was purchased at Arnold's Service Station in Brooklyn, New York. Meanwhile, the sole winner of the October $1.5 billion Mega Millions jackpot purchased near Simpsonville, South Carolina, has yet to claim the big prize. The potential billionaire has until late April to do so before the money returns to the 44 states that hold Mega Millions lotteries.
In today's Texas Bowl, Vanderbilt is a -4 favorite over Baylor. The total is 57.
In today's Pinstripe Bowl, Miami Florida is a -3 favorite over Wisconsin. The total is 44.
Temperatures are dropping for the long New Year's Eve weekend. Today, the high is expected to be 52 degrees, with a low tonight of 38. Tomorrow, the high will be 50, though winds of up to 30 mph will be biting. Over the weekend, the highs will be in the low 50s, with the overnight lows right around freezing. And Monday night will be cold for Vegas; the low is expected to drop below 30.
This year's New Year's Eve fireworks show on the Strip will emanate from the usual roster of rooftops -- MGM Grand, Aria, Planet Hollywood, Caesars Palace, TI, the Venetian, and Stratosphere. The 8-minute show will be synced to “Auld Lang Syne,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and “All Night Long” (Lionel Richie) which can be heard on radio stations KOMP 92.3 or 97.1 the Point. And remember the Strip will close at 5 p.m. this Monday. Happy New Year and stay safe LVAer's.
In today's Independence Bowl, Temple is a -3 favorite over Duke. The total is 55.
Low-cost Frontier Airlines now offers non-stop flights to Los Cabos and Cancun from McCarran International. Flights to Cancun leave Las Vegas 10 a.m. Mondays and Fridays, then fly back by about 8 p.m. One round-trip per week to Cabo departs Las Vegas at noon, returning at 7 p.m. Frontier is McCarran’s eighth-busiest airline by number of flights, with non-stop service to 31 destinations. These are the first non-stop international flights from McCarran in more than 10 years.
This year's third jackpot of more than a million dollars was hit at the Cosmopolitan on Christmas Eve. Monday's $1,023,743 jackpot was the second on a Wheel of Fortune machine; the other, for $1.3 million, was bagged in May. Last January a million-dollar jackpot was hit on a Simpsons machine.
In today's Cheez-It Bowl, TCU is a -1 favorite over California. The total is 38.5.
In today's Quick Lane Bowl, Georgia Tech is a -5.5 favorite over Minnesota. The total is 57.
We don't usually report on the results of contests (they're easy to find on your own), but this one is a little different. Today's First Responder Bowl, being held in Dallas, was canceled after less than one quarter of play, due to inclement weather that included lightning strikes. After a lengthy delay, during which there was no weather improvement, and facing a forecast that indicated more of the same, the game was called with Boston College leading Boise State 7-0. The rare cancelation, and this is thought to be the first to have been canceled for weather, renders the game a no contest, which means all bets (in legal sports books) will be refunded.
In today's First Responder Bowl, Boise State is a -1 favorite over Boston College. The total is 51.
Tomorrow, James Trees, owner/chef of Esther's Kitchen, one of the most celebrated new Las Vegas restaurants, is taking over the concession area on the Stratosphere’s 108th-floor observation deck, renamed 108 Eats by James Trees. The quick menu will include made-to-order sourdough paninis (meatball, porchetta, and mushroom-truffle, among others, all under $10), pretzels, cookies, chips, popcorn, and inventive ice cream and sorbet (Madagascar vanilla, burnt-cocoa, strawberry rhubarb, brown-butter pear, salted caramel, and pumpkin spice latte, single scoops $4).
Esther's Kitchen, the downtown Italian restaurant that's been receiving accolades from foodies, locals, and the press, has a new honor: It's been named number two on the list of the top ten best new restaurants in the U.S. just released by Gayot, the dining and travel guide. Esther's is named after owner Las Vegas native James Trees' great-aunt, who helped make his culinary career possible; it serves, in Eating Las Vegas author John Curtas' words, "Italian comfort food for the 21st century." Gayot liked Esther's seasonal fare, locally sourced ingredients, and a beer selection with 100% of the taps pouring local brews. John Curtas, who added it to this year's list of Las Vegas' Essential 52 Restaurants, likes the fish of the day, brick chicken, and all the pizzas, particularly the salty bacon with caramelized onions and Greek sausage and fennel.
In today’s marquee Christmas NBA match-up, the Golden State Warriors are -9 favorites over the Los Angeles Lakers. The total is 233.5.
Wynn Resorts is suing Resorts World Las Vegas, which it claims is too similar in design to the Wynn and Encore hotel-casinos. Wynn's five-count lawsuit cites trademark infringement, unfair competition, false designation of origin, and public confusion in its demand that Resorts World essentially redesign its $4 billion building. Wynn is also seeking "any profits resulting from the use of the colors and architectural style and seeks exemplary and punitive damages" for copying "registered copyrighted architectural work." An expert in copyright law from Stanford University quoted in the Las Vegas Review-Journal said, "The court will have to decide not just whether the buildings are similar, but whether those similarities reflect creative new expression rather than something well-known in the architectural community.”
Our Christmas greeting is in today's Question of the Day, but here's the link for the list of coupons in our new 2019 Member Rewards Book. We focused on gambling coupons this year, so check out the slew of free-play, matchplay, wheel-spin, and VP, BJ, and slot bonuses that LVA subscribers can use all year long. Merry Christmas!
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Denver Broncos are -3 favorites over the Oakland Raiders. The total is 42.
Freed’s Dessert Shop has opened at 6475 N. Decatur. It’s a second location for the famous Freed’s Bakery, subject of the Food Network’s “Vegas Cakes,” that’s been in operation on the east side of town for nearly 60 years.
Caesars Entertainment's Total Rewards players club is being rebranded. Starting February 1, new players club cards with the new name, Caesars Rewards, will be available at any Caesars Rewards Center. In the letter sent to members, Caesars writes, "All the current benefits will remain the same."
The Kansas City Chiefs are -1 favorites over the Seattle Seahawks in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 54.5.
The opening this spring at the Fashion Show Mall of a successful Canadian franchise, Opa! of Greece, will be the brand's first expansion into the U.S. Opa! of Greece has opened 94 locations across Canada since 1998, from quick-service counters to full-service restaurants. Opa (a Greek word for expressing happiness; it's also often shouted when someone breaks a dish or when people are having a good time dancing) serves grilled and marinated souvlaki, slow-roasted gyro, Caesars and Greek salads, calamari, spanakopita, hummus, tzatziki, falafel, baklava, and special Opa! fries tossed in herbs and lemon juice.
Check out this video by Vegas Golden Knights author and hockey blogger Joe Pane, who asked 12 VGK players the following question, "If you had to give one Christmas gift to one teammate, what would it be?" The responses show a lot about the personalities of: Marc-Andre Fleury, Shea Theodore, Alex Tuch, Pierre Edouard Bellemare, Brayden McNabb, Malcolm Subban, Oscar Lindberg, Brad Hunt, Jon Merrill, William "Wild Bill" Karlsson, Ryan Reeves, and Jonathan Marchessault.
In today's Hawaii Bowl, Louisiana Tech is a -2 favorite over Hawaii. The total is 61.
In today's Dollar General Bowl, Buffalo is a -2.5 favorite over Troy. The total is 50.5.
In today's Armed Forces Bowl, Army is a -6.5 favorite over Houston. The total is 57.5.
Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport is expecting 1.7 million airline passengers to fly in and out of Las Vegas starting yesterday and continuing through January 2. In order to minimize the risk of missing your flight due to traffic and long security lines, airport officials advise arriving at least 90 minutes before departure, two hours if you're parking. Wrapped gifts aren't prohibited, but TSA agents might have to unwrap a gift they determine needs further inspection. Late note: The shutdown of the U.S. government doesn't affect McCarran;
federal presence (FAA, TSA) at airports is considered essential services.
The World Series of Poker will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2019, running from May 28 through July 16 at the Rio. A number of special events will commemorate the anniversary; one that was just announced is the Big 50, a $500-buy-in rake-free event with a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million and a $1 million guaranteed first-place prize (May 30-June 2). The main event will feature three starting flights on July 3, 4, and 5. The full event-by-event schedule for the Series is expected to be released by March. A record 123,865 players participated in last year's WSOP; the $266,889,193 in prize money also set a record. The average WSOP gold bracelet event in 2018 had a $3,421,656 prize pool with $655,337 going to the winner. Though the first year that the poker tournament was played at Binion's Horseshoe was 1970, an invitational event called the Texas Gambling Reunion was held at the Holiday Hotel-Casino in Reno in 1969; apparently, that's the year that Caesars Entertainment is recognizing as the inaugural World Series of Poker.
The bigger college football bowls featuring the nation's top teams begin today. In the Birmingham Bowl, Memphis is a -2 favorite over Wake Forest. The total is 71.
The partial shutdown of the federal government that went into effect at midnight will impact access and services at Red Rock Canyon, Mt. Charleston, and Lake Mead. Lake Mead National Recreation Area remains open, though the visitor center and restrooms will be closed and trash won't be picked up. Up at the Spring Mountains National Recreation Area, the Visitors Gateway on Kyle Canyon Road is closed. What's happening at Red Rock Canyon hasn't been officially announced at this time, but we expect it will close; it did during the last government shutdown in 2013.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority expects that 318,000 revelers will ring in the new year in Las Vegas, 3% more than last year's 309,000. The 97% predicted hotel- and motel-room occupancy rate is also 3% higher than 2017's. As they are every year, southbound and northbound I-15 on- and off-ramps will close at 5 p.m. Dec. 31 at Spring Mountain Road, Flamingo Road, and Tropicana Avenue; those at Sahara Avenue and Russell Road will remain open. Tropicana Avenue will be closed in both directions between Koval Lane and Dean Martin Drive; Flamingo Road eastbound will be closed to Valley View Boulevard. Sahara Avenue will remain open, though you won't be permitted to turn onto the Strip. Traffic restrictions will be lifted sometime between 3 and 6 a.m. January 1 at the discretion of authorities. Downtown, Fourth Street to Main Street, and Carson Avenue to Ogden Avenue, will be closed to traffic from 7 a.m. Dec. 31 until 5 a.m. Jan. 1.
Upwards of 80,000 pyrotechnic devices controlled by 10,000 electrical circuits will explode just after midnight on Tuesday January 1 from the roofs of seven Strip casinos: MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Aria, Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, the Venetian, and Stratosphere. The show will last eight minutes and will be accompanied by “Auld Lang Syne,” “Luck Be A Lady,” and “All Night Long” (Lionel Richie). New York-based Fireworks by Grucci will run the show for 12th consecutive year; Grucci's app will play the synchronized soundtrack, as will radio stations KOMP 92.3 or 97.1 the Point. Let's see: 80,000 fireworks divided by eight minutes, divided by 60, carry the 1, that's 166.666666 fireworks going off every second.
Employees of the Hard Rock Hotel-Casino learned yesterday that the hotel will undergo an eight-month transformation into Virgin Hotel-Casino Las Vegas starting next September and that the entire hotel will have to close from around February to May 2020 to complete the renovations. All 1,500 rooms will be remodeled, the casino and events spaces will be expanded, new restaurants will be introduced, and the Joint and five-acre pool deck will be upgraded.
And speaking of the Neon Museum, large artwork by Tim Burton, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, animator, and artist, will be on display at the museum's indoor and outdoor spaces next year. The director of Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Corpse Bride, three Batman movies, and Las Vegas-based Mars Attacks!, among many others, will bring his unique brand of artistic expression to the Neon Museum from Oct. 15, 2019, through Feb. 15, 2020. Burton’s 2009 show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York drew more than 800,000 attendees; it was the third-most popular exhibition in MoMA’s history.
The famous Blue Angel statue, which for more than 60 years presided over the eponymous motel from her perch atop a three-story pedestal, can now be seen at street level at the Neon Museum. Designed by Betty Willis, she of the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, the Blue Angel became a patron saint for the motel's neighborhood (near E. Charleston and Fremont) and remained for a few years even after the motel was closed and razed. She was finally removed and donated to the museum for restoration. "Blue Angel: Between Heaven and Earth" features the 16-foot-tall statue at the Neon Museum’s Ne10 Studio, 1001 West Bonanza Road, through July 6. Hours are Thursday-Saturday 1-4 p.m. And in keeping with the Angel's long tradition, admission is free. You can also read My Week at the Blue Angel, the compelling follow-up from the award-winning author of best-seller Beneath the Neon, who investigates real-life stories of characters living on the noir side of Las Vegas, including the residents of the iconic Blue Angel Motel.
It's Christmas Weekend and there are plenty of holiday activities to enjoy this weekend. Here are some of the highlights:
For the first time in its 155-year history, Nevada's population has exceeded three million. U.S. Census figures put the total state population at 3.03 million as of July 1. It took 123 years to break a million (1987), then another 13 to break two million (2000). Nevada was the second fastest-growing state in the union in 2016 and 2017, and tied with Idaho for the fastest between July 1, 2017, and July 1, 2018, growing by 62,000 people (nearly 170 people every day). Still, Nevada is only 32nd out of the 50 states in population, though it's now ahead of Arkansas and Mississippi. Census figures also put the total U.S. population at more than 327 million.
The Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) is offering free rides on all 39 RTC routes starting at 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve and running through 9 a.m. the next morning, New Year's Day. All riders can simply board any fixed-route vehicle without purchasing a fare or presenting a pass. The free rides include express services between all park-and-ride facilities and downtown Las Vegas.
Once again, Las Vegas can claim the distinction of the fastest rising rents on single-family homes in the nation. CoreLogic, which measures real-estate metrics in 20 major U.S. markets, reports that rents in Las Vegas rose 6.6% in October year-over-year, compared to the 3% national average. Reasons include a low vacancy rate, a strong economy, and investors enjoying record profits on rentals purchased during the last recession.
The final major piece to Palace Stations' nearly $200 million expansion and upgrade puzzle has been fitted into place: The nine-screen luxury Regal movie theater opens today. All nine theaters offer the Regal Premium Experience (RPX), with 60-foot screens, state-of-the-art digital projectors, and a super-duper sound system (with upwards of 275 speakers). This Regal theater also introduces the Cinnebarre to Nevada, Regal's 10th in the nation, a dining and drinking experience both in the lobby and inside the theaters themselves. Movie-goers use menus, order cards, and pencils at each seat to order before and/or during the film; servers pick up orders and deliver burgers, salads, sandwiches, pizza, popcorn, and candy, along with beer, wine, cocktails, and boozy shakes.
A lot of media attention is being focused on southern Nevada's new DUI Strike Team. The pilot program was launched in October in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities caused by impaired drivers around the holidays, the deadliest time of the year on Las Vegas roads. In an unusual multi-agency effort, four city Metro officers are teamed up with three state troopers to patrol the roads on Wednesday through Saturday nights. The DUI experts from both agencies ride in the same cruisers, searching specifically for impaired drivers, who are involved in 30%-35% of all traffic-related deaths in Nevada. In the first two months of the operation, the Strike Team has arrested nearly 200 drunk and drugged drivers. A word to the wise.
According to David Schwartz, Director of the Center for Gaming Research at UNLV and feature writer for Forbes, the following are the five biggest headline generators in the gambling industry for the outgoing year: 1) Steve Wynn exits Wynn Resorts; 2) sports betting comes to you; 3) rise of the Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs -- "an important part of how casinos are owned"); 4) quiet consolidation (mergers and acquisitions); and 5) transition in Washington (outgoing American Gaming Association CEO Geoff Freeman and incoming DC insider Bill Miller).
The original premiere date for illusionist Criss Angel's new Mindfreak production at Planet Hollywood has been postponed. The show was scheduled to open on Wednesday (December 19), but the new date is a week from Wednesday (December 26). As reported in the Las Vegas Sun: "The show is massive, packed with never-before-seen illusions, effects, and technological advancements in staging and theatrical presentation, and [Angel] is not raising the curtain until everything is in order." If you happen to have tickets for the cancelled shows between Dec. 19 and 26, you can exchange them or get them refunded where you bought them.
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the New Orleans Saints are -6 favorites over the Carolina Panthers. The total is 49.5.
John Fogerty, lead singer, lead guitarist, and principal songwriter for the band Creedence Clearwater Revival, will perform in a six-date mini-residency, "My 50 Year Trip,” in April at Encore Theater. To commemorate Fogerty's five decades as a rock star, he and his band will revisit CCR's set at Woodstock, which will celebrate its own 50th anniversary next August. Fogerty's dates are: April 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, and 20; tickets start at $60 and are on sale now at WynnLasVegas.com.
The popular History Channel show "Pawn Stars," filmed at a pawn shop in downtown Las Vegas, will double its program time starting with the first show of the 14th season. "Pawn Stars" debuted in July 2009 and has been running at 30 minutes ever since; starting January 21, the show will go to an hour.
William Hill is again running the "20/20 College Bowl Challenge." It's a winner-take-all format with a $20 entry fee and a $20,000 prize that goes to the contestant picking the most winners against the spread from a 20-game roster. There's a $100,000 bonus for going perfect. After $25,000 in entry fees are collected, 70% of the additional fees go into the pool. There's no limit on how many times you can enter and the deadline is 6 p.m. on December 27.
The Los Angeles Rams are -13.5 favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 52.5.
Running its traditional holiday promotion again this year, almost everything is half price at South Point when you pay with club points today through December 24. This includes all restaurants and bars, rooms, shows, bingo, bowling, movies, and the gift shop. Additionally, all drinks are just $2 at the bars unless you use points, in which case they're $1.
If you've ever thought of living in Las Vegas, you can vote for the reasons that you would or wouldn't (or did/didn't) move here in our current reader poll. It's a succinct survey of the pros and cons of relocating to and/or retiring in Las Vegas that has already garnered more than 2,000 votes and two dozen comments. The poll ends on Tuesday.
Now that the National Finals Rodeo is over, the next seven days are known as "Golden Week" in Las Vegas, signifying the least expensive accommodations of the year. For the December Las Vegas Advisor, our researchers uncovered 52 hotel-casinos with rates below $40, along with some sweet discounts on high-end digs. Better yet, the weather is expected to be sunny and warmer than usual, with temperatures peaking at 68 on Wednesday, a full 12 degrees higher than normal. They'll be 60 or above through Christmas, then they're predicted to drop into the mid-50s, more typical for this time of year, leading up to New Year's Eve.
Greene St. Kitchen will open in April at the Palms in the space that was originally slated for Tao Group's Vandal restaurant, club, and pool party. Greene St. Kitchen will be Las Vegas' second restaurant with roots in SoHo (which stands for South of Houston, which is pronounced HOWstin) in lower Manhattan, along with Sabelle's Deli opening at Bellagio toward the end of this month. Greene Street itself has a checkered 400-year history, though it got going in earnest in the 1800s as a red-light district, which was replaced by big garment factories, which were abandoned, then revitalized by artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Jasper Johns in the 1970s and '80s as studios and galleries. Greene St. Kitchen will celebrate the Warhol era, with more of the Palms' extensive artworks, a modern American menu, and yet another "secret" room, this one a "video-arcade speakeasy" behind a vending machine that doubles as a door into a tunnel that leads to Greene St.'s main bar and lounge. It's scheduled to open in April.
Kevin Lee is a -350 favorite over Al Iaquinta in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Dan Hooker is -130 over Edson Barboza.
The first games of the college football bowl season kick off today. We'll be putting up lines on the biggest games in this space through the National Championship game. In today's Las Vegas Bowl, Fresno St. is a -6 favorite over Arizona State. The total is 54.
The inventory of single-family houses for sale in Las Vegas is rising and fast. At the end of last month, more than 7,000 houses were on the market, the highest number in two years and up 54% from November 2017. And that was after 2,300 houses did sell in November, though that was 12% lower than the same time last year. Houses for sale hit a low of 3,650 last February.
Speaking at XLIVE, a music-industry conference at Mandalay Bay, one of the principal organizers of the Route 91 Harvest Festival indicated that the three-day country-music event, the site of the October 1, 2017, mass shooting, might return to Las Vegas in the fall of 2019. If all goes according to plan, the festival will take place at MGM Resorts' Las Vegas Festival Grounds, the 35-acre lot at the corner of Sahara Ave. and the Las Vegas Strip.
Only three years after taking New York City by storm with its single location way down in lower Manhattan near Broadway and Houston Street, Sadelle's sorta Jewish-style deli and bakery is getting ready to open at Bellagio, taking over the Cafe Bellagio space, which closed in August. Sadelle's is known for hand-rolled bagels that come out of the oven on wooden spindles and are carried aloft through the restaurant by waiters yelling, “Bagels! Hot bagels! Watch yer hot bagels!” (At least that's how they do it in SoHo, though it might be a little ... drastic for a restaurant overlooking a Conservatory.) Smoked salmon and whitefish, blintzes, babkas, chopped salads, and other imports from Woody Allenville round out the menu. The weekend brunch is one of the toughest tickets in New York; we'll see how it fares in the Land of the Breakfast Buffet, when it opens in a couple of weeks.
The Raiders stadium won't be ready until the beginning of the 2020 season, but they need to get out of Oakland at the end of this season. So where will they play their games next year? The Westgate has posted some odds on the question. The SuperBook has the favorite as San Diego at 8-5, while Las Vegas is a dog at 25-1. The odds are for entertainment purposes only; you can't actually bet on them.
The 2020 NFL draft will be held in Las Vegas on April 23-25, four months prior to the Las Vegas Raiders first home game. It's the first time Las Vegas has hosted the draft; draft-related events will take place in various venues on and near the Strip.
Chalk up another Strip casino backtracking on parking fees. The Cosmopolitan has announced that starting January 1, it will no longer charge hotel guests separately for self-parking and valet service. Instead, parking will be incorporated into the resort fee, which will go up from $35 to $39. Of course, hotel guests without cars will be subsidizing those with them, but overall, it's a plus -- and perhaps a response to pushback on paid parking.
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Kansas City Chiefs are -3.5 favorites over the Los Angeles Chargers. The total is 54.5.
For more on Holiday happenings around town check out our blog!
Knights on Ice blogger Joe Pane traveled all the way to Brooklyn to catch last night's Golden Knights game again the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center. The VGK prevailed by a score of 3-2 in a game that seemed out of sync for a number of reasons. Still, it was the Knights' first win against the Islanders and the last team in the league that they hadn't beaten. To read all about it, and view the post-game videos, click the link above.
Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, 79, has announced that she'll run for reelection to a third and final term in the general election that takes place on June 11, 2019. If reelected, for which she's a huge favorite, Carolyn and her husband Oscar Goodman will have been Las Vegas mayors for nearly a quarter-century. Oscar served three terms from 1999 to 2011; Las Vegas mayors are limited to three four-year terms.
The city of Oakland, which has long threatened a civil lawsuit over the relocation of the Raiders to Las Vegas, has sued the team and the league in federal court. The suit accuses the Raiders, the NFL, and every other team in the league of colluding as an illegal cartel -- "a classic act of a cartel misusing market power to achieve monopolistic payments and generate anti-competitive profits” -- to demand that cities fund new stadiums with public money or have their teams move to another city. The city is seeking compensation for "hundreds of millions of dollars in losses," though it didn't mention anything about the Raiders remaining in Oakland. A number of expert observers cited in Bay Area newspapers predict that the city faces an uphill battle in winning the lawsuit, though it has little to lose, given that the two law firms representing Oakland are doing so on a contingency basis (they don't get paid unless they prevail in court). The Raiders are moving to Las Vegas in 2020 when the new stadium is completed, but where they'll play for the 2019 season remains unclear.
Nevada has issued 61 conditional licenses for new recreational dispensaries around the state to open within the next year. Nearly half, 31 total, are in Clark County: 10 in Las Vegas, six in Henderson, five in North Las Vegas, and 10 in the unincorporated county. The new licensees are required to receive local approvals and pass final inspections within 121 months. Currently, Clark County has 47 dispensaries, while throughout the state, 65 are operating.
A Florida man hit Caesars Entertainment’s new Blazing 7’s Blackjack progressive at Paris for $1 million. The side bet’s linked jackpot pays for being dealt three seven of diamonds.
The Sin City version of Cleveland's renowned Mabel's BBQ will open a week from tomorrow, Thursday December 20, at the Palms. Owner Michael Symon is well-known for his four Clevelannd restaurants, plus one in Detroit and another at the Borgata in Atlantic City, as well as numerous appearances on Food Channel programs. If the menu at the Cleveland Mabel's is any indication, the second Mabel's here will serve ribs (beef, pork, and lamb), brisket, pork belly, turkey breast, kielbasa, pig parts (tails, ears, and cracklin' others), hot greens, spaetzle, and poppy-seed cilantro coleslaw. The Palms location is a big 9,000 square feet, with a beer-garden patio and what's being called a "secret Meateasy back room."
The Bronx Wanderers show will move from the 200-seat Windows Showroom at Bally's to the 650-seat Mat Franco Theatre at the LINQ, an indication of the popularity of the Adinolfi family's classic-rock revue. The last show at Bally's will take place on December 23; the first show at the LINQ will be on January 28. The Bronx Wanderers will perform at 9 p.m. Mon., Tues., and Fri., 8 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., and 4 p.m. Sun.; tickets will start at $79.
Southbound I-15 will be closed between the Spaghetti Bowl and Charleston Boulevard at 10 p.m. this Friday, Dec. 14. It won't reopen until 5 a.m. Monday Dec. 17. All southbound traffic will detour onto US 95 northbound and Martin Luther King Boulevard, then be routed back onto I-15 from the new Pinto Lane on-ramp. Several onramps in the area will also be closed. The Nevada Dept. of Transportation says that this will be the final weekend closure on I-15 until the summer.
A visitor from Wisconsin won $1.3 million at O’Sheas when she made a royal flush on the Three Card Poker progressive side bet. It’s the third time the jackpot has been hit at the casino since 2015.
The Las Vegas Monorail will run continuously for 43 hours, from 7 a.m. Dec. 31 to 2 a.m. January 2, to provide transportation for the New Year's Eve crowd. Because the Strip is closed to traffic, the Monorail is the only means of public transportation close to the Strip for the busiest part of that time period. Locals can take advantage of single-ride tickets for $1 at all stations (except the Las Vegas Convention Center) from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Dec. 31 with proof of Nevada ID. Non-locals will pay the regular prices: $5 for a single ride and unlimited-ride passes for one, two, and three days starting at $13.
The National Museum of Organized Crime and Law Enforcement, familiarly known as the Mob Museum, will soon have on display a handwritten letter from James “Whitey” Bulger, the infamous Boston mobster, written a month before he was killed by inmates at a federal penitentiary in West Virginia within hours of his arrival. In the letter, Bulger wrote that he preferred robbing banks; the money was insured and the employees were instructed not to resist. “I robbed 20 banks with handguns, pump shotguns, and never fired a weapon or hurt anyone.” Other artifacts now on display include a variety of makeshift prison weapons, fabricated from things like mop handles, plastic spoons, and toothbrushes, collected and donated by a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department sergeant, plus a machete and ice pick belonging to Roy DeMeo, a hitman for New York’s Gambino crime family during the 1970s and early ’80s; DeMeo and his crew were linked to more than 100 murders.
The American version of La Favorite Bistro on Rue de Rivoli in Paris, Favorite Bistro, will open at the LINQ promenade before the end of the year. The $2.3 million 6,000-square-foot space next to Sprinkles cupcake shop will seat 140 for breakfast, lunch, dinner, coffee and cocktails. Touting the "best of American and French" cuisine, Le Favorite is putting "a European spin on comfort food."
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Seattle Seahawks are -3 favorites over the Minnesota Vikings. The total is 45.5.
El Al, the Israeli national airline, will start flying from Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv directly to McCarran International beginning in June 2019. The 14-hour 15-minute flights will depart Tel Aviv on Fridays at 7 a.m. and land in Las Vegas at 11:15 a.m. (Israel is 10 hours ahead of Nevada). On Saturdays, El Al will depart Las Vegas at 10:45 p.m. and land at Ben-Gurion on Sunday at 10:15 p.m., a flight of 13 hours and 30 minutes. Round-trip flights start at $1,300.
Wallethub.com has released a report on the best places to celebrate New Year's Eve. Las Vegas placed first in nightlife options and music venues per capita and legality of fireworks, fourth in restaurants per capita, and seventh in New Year's Eve events per capita, but 41st (out of 100) in the average price of a New Year's Eve party ticket and 55th in walkability.
The U.S. Census has issued data for the five-year period between 2013 and 2017. The Census has estimated that the Las Vegas metropolitan area is the 30th most populated in the nation; Las Vegas jumped ahead of Cleveland and Kansas City in that time period. Roughly 110,000 people moved to Las Vegas in 2017, more than 35,000 of them from California (14,000 of those from Los Angeles) and 17,000 of them were Latino. Clark County's population is now two-thirds white and aging: The percentage of people 50 and older went up and the median age rose to just under 37. Clark County’s housing inventory increased by close to 44,000 units over the 2008-2012 period. Interestingly, for every 100 homes added, 95 were occupied by renters. Approximately 47% of households in the county are renting, up from 44% during the last five-year survey period.
The Los Angeles Rams are -3 favorites over the Chicago Bears in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 50.5.
For the 16th straight year, Ellis Island is serving its homemade egg nog (contains alcohol). Get it at the bar for the same price as last year: $6 per glass and $30 per bottle.
According to numbers eleased by the Department of Transportation, Spirit Airlines had the least amount of baggage mishandling in the domestic airline industry in August 2018. Spirit, which also led the industry throughout 2017, had a problem (losing, damaging, delaying, or pilfering) luggage, with 1.84 bags per 1,000 passengers. Delta placed second (1.94), JetBlue third (1.97), and Southwest sixth (2.9, and they don't charge for the privilege). American was ninth, worst of the major carriers (4.34), and Texas-based Envoy Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary, was last (6.21).
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority reports that Las Vegas has more than $16.2 billion in tourism-related construction projects scheduled to be completed over the next five years. Two of the projects, Resorts World Las Vegas and the Raiders stadium, account for roughly half of the total. The Drew (formerly Fontainebleau), the MSG Sphere Arena, the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion, the new Caesars Forum Convention Center and a new convention center at Wynn, renovations at the Palms, Palace Station, and Cosmopolitan, the Las Vegas Ballpark, several planned dining-entertainment-retail projects, pedestrian overpasses along the Las Vegas Strip, and others were included on the list.
The new name of the former Las Vegas 51s Triple-A baseball team was announced yesterday. The name change was initiated by the 51s' new affiliation with the Oakland Athletics organization and in anticipation of playing in the brand new Las Vegas Ballpark in Summerlin, which is scheduled to be ready on April 9 for the season opener. Along with the name comes an original logo and newly branded merchandise and apparel, available for purchase at the Las Vegas Ballpark Sales Center at Downtown Summerlin. The new name was inspired by Howard Hughes himself; the Hughes Corporation owns the team, the Las Vegas Ballpark, the Downtown Summerlin shopping district, and in fact the whole Summerlin master-planned community. Hughes had a well-known passion for airplanes and set many flying records, which is why the name was chosen from hundreds submitted by the general public through a community competition and was nominated by many southern Nevadans. “Everyone is excited about our new name,” said Don Logan, the team’s President and Chief Operating Officer, who has been with the franchise for 35 years. Oh yeah, almost forgot, the new name is the Las Vegas Aviators, in case you were wondering.
Brian Ortega and Max Holloway are pick 'em in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Valentina Shevchenko is -335 over Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
After trailing in the polls for most of the season, Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray is now the -320 favorite to win college football’s Heisman Trophy, which is being awarded tonight. Former front-runner Tua Tagovaiola (Alabama) is +265 and Dwayne Haskins (Ohio St.) is +12500.
After two days of steady snow in the Spring Mountains northwest of Las Vegas, the ski area at Lee Canyon 50 miles from downtown Las Vegas has opened. The beginner green run and one intermediate blue run (at the top of the longest lift) are in action; tubing starts next Saturday and the black runs are expected to open in two weeks.
A two-acre vacant lot adjacent to the new Raiders' stadium has been sold for $6.5 million. The $3.15 million per acre is more than 10 times the average price of land in the valley in 2018, according to Colliers International. It's also nearly 10% higher than the 2.5-acre parcel just north of the stadium that sold for $7.25 million ($2.9 million per acre) a little more than a year ago. The two-acre site could host a 300-room hotel, restaurants and bars, and retail space. The new owners hope to break ground on their development no later than a year from now.
The City of Las Vegas has approved an ordinance that will strictly limit permits for short-term residential rentals, the kind advertised on AirBnB, VRBO, and other popular home-sharing websites. The new regulation restricts such rentals to homes that are owner-occupied (for example, homeowners renting a room, suite, or in-law to strangers) for less than 30 days, have no more than three bedrooms, and are at least 660 feet from the closest other short-term rental. There is no mechanism for requesting an exemption from the new regulations, though existing rentals are unaffected. The city estimates that 15% of existing short-term rentals are owner-occupied.
Rhode Island became the eighth state to offer live sports betting with the opening of the sports book at Twin River Casino in Lincoln last week. A second book opened at Twin River Tiverton on Monday. The sports books are run by a combination of the state lottery, IGT and Scientific Games, and William Hill. There is no mobile betting. You can check out the status of sports betting legislation throughout the country on our sports betting map.
Construction has begun on the new location for Smith & Wollensky at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian. S&W's original standalone three-story building with its distinctive facade closed in May 2017 after 19 years and the new restaurant will open in the space formerly occupied by Zeffirino, which also closed in May 2017. The new S&W is scheduled to debut sometime next April in the bi-level 300-seat venue.
According to John "Kats" Katsilometes, the on-the-spot columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, it appears that the brand-new Core equestrian arena behind the Plaza will host a Stirrin' Dirt Racing demolition derby March 29-20. Other potential non-equestrian events include paint ball, BMX, monster trucks, and outdoor sporting events. Concerts aren't on the list so far, but "That might evolve," Plaza CEO Jonathan Jossel told Kats.
Less than two months after the opening of Las Vegas' 16th In-N-Out Burger in the northwest valley, the 17th location of the popular fast-food chain has been announced for the far southeast. It will be built at the brand new St. Rose Square, on St. Rose Parkway about halfway between Green Valley Ranch casino and M Resort. Las Vegas' newest Costco opened in the same center last week. No timetable has been announced yet.
The Tennessee Titans are -5.5 favorites over the Jacksonville Jaguars in tonight's Thursday Night Football game. The total is 37.
The Cowboys are here!
The date for the long-awaited reveal as to what Derek and Greg Stevens have planned for the big new hotel-casino they're building on the site of the old Las Vegas Club and neighboring properties has been announced. The unveiling of the "new Las Vegas landmark" is scheduled for January 10 at 6 p.m. at the Downtown Events Center.
The National Finals Rodeo has rolled into town. Most of the events take place at Thomas and Mack Center, corner of Tropicana Avenue and Paradise Road, right at the approach to McCarran International. The T&M seats 17,000 and it will be mostly full from now through Saturday the 15th. Traffic will potentially be heavy at that intersection at any time, so you might want to leave a little earlier than usual to catch your flight.
If you're interested in owning a piece of downtown Las Vegas history, Binion's is selling the furnishings from the Mint tower starting tomorrow, December 7, at noon and running through 6 p.m. on Monday December 10. It will be held in the Longhorn Room on the second floor of the casino. Whether or not the sale is a precursor of a new development for those hotel rooms, Binion's wouldn't say. All we know is that they're clearing out the 300 rooms in the 26-story tower, which opened in 1965; Binion's Horseshoe took it over in 1988. But rumor has it that the tower has asbestos issues, which would have to be remediated before anything else could happen.
Core Arena, downtown Las Vegas' first permanent equestrian center, opened yesterday behind the Plaza in anticipation of the 10-day National Finals Rodeo and a downtown hoedown along Fremont Street. Core consists of two outdoor arenas that can be used for exercising horses and practicing rodeo events during NFR; events that aren't equestrian-related are planned for after the rodeo, though they haven't been announced yet.
According to msn.com, Las Vegas Motorcoach Resort at 8175 Arville Street is the best RV park in Nevada. "This glossy palm tree-filled resort couldn't be anywhere other than Vegas," the survey writes. The RV park has a gatehouse that's staffed 24/7, fitness center, spa, pool, clubhouse, on-site restaurant, nine-hole lighted putting course, lighted tennis court, secured storage, and concierge. Silverton is a short walk away and the Strip is 10 minutes by ... RV.
According to LegalSportsReport.com, the discussion draft of a bill for overseeing legal sports betting by the federal government "has appeared in Congress." Though the bill has yet to be officially introduced, the 37-page draft sets out a broad agenda for federal oversight and approval of state laws that concern legal sports betting. In addition to allowing interstate sports-wagering compacts (between states and tribes), establishing a trust fund for the .25% federal excise tax on the sports-betting handle, and dealing with problem gambling, the bill would give the Attorney General the ability to: veto state gambling laws that don't meet minimum requirements; disallow betting on amateur events (not including college sports); mandate the use of official league data through 2022; and amend the Wire Act to permit some sports-betting data to cross state lines.
The ride-sharing company Lyft has announced its 2018 Lyftie Awards, which recognize the most popular destinations for its riders. In Las Vegas, the most visited bar is PT's (which is actually 50 destinations); the most popular concert venue is downtown Las Vegas (with its free outdoor stages); for brunch, it's the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio; for late-night dining, it's Pho Kim Long on Spring Mountain; the most visited late-night neighborhood is (gasp!) the Strip; and the top Only in Vegas destination is Caesars Palace.
The National Finals Rodeo brings the superstars of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to the Thomas and Mack Center arena on the campus of UNLV for 10 days (it ends on Saturday, December 15). During this period, the Gold Coast, Orleans, Sam’s Town, Hard Rock, the D, Golden Nugget, South Point, TI, and Silverton, among others, typically host country & western acts in their lounges and showrooms and run special parties and promotions, such as live telecasts, to draw rodeo business. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the NFR, which began in Dallas in 1959. It stopped in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City before settling in Las Vegas in 1985. Las Vegas' so-called Golden Week, the slowest time of the year when visitation dwindles and room rates hit their lowest levels, runs from December 16 through the 23rd.
Gwen Stefani has added 21 new dates between July, October, and November to her "Just A Girl" residency at Planet Hollywood's Zappos Theater, in addition to her 13 dates between now and March. The base price for tickets for shows on July 6, 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 24, 26, and 30; October 11, 12, 16, 18, 19, 23, 25, 26, and 30; and November 1 and 2 will start at $59 and tickets will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. this Friday, December 7, at ticketmaster.com/gwen.
The Howard Hughes Corporation has submitted plans to build a 14-story 267-room hotel on a 4.3-acre vacant lot right next door to the new Triple-A Las Vegas Ballpark. The unnamed hotel, with a restaurant, rooftop bar, and spa, is within walking distance of the stadium, Downtown Summerlin shopping center, City National Arena (home of the Vegas Golden Knights), and Red Rock Resort. No timetable of budget have been announced, but the baseball stadium is scheduled to open on April 9 and the long-awaited new name and logo for Las Vegas' minor-league baseball team, in conjunction with its two-year player-development deal with the Oakland A's, will be revealed this Saturday.
In tonight’s Monday Night Football game, the Philadelphia Eagles are -5.5 favorites over the Washington Redskins. The total is 44.5.
The college football playoff teams have been announced with Alabama the number-one seed, followed by Clemson, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma. The lines opened Alabama -14 over Oklahoma and Clemson -11.5 over Notre Dame.
Last chance to vote for your favorite Las Vegas seafood restaurants and buffet seafood nights. Our seafood poll ends tomorrow; the results will help us choose your faves to review (if we haven't already).
Celebrity chef, two-time James Beard Award winner, and one-time "Iron Chef" winner Tom Douglas has opened Jeannie's, a casual contemporary 120-seat restaurant on the third floor of Nordstrom at the Fashion Show Mall. Douglas and Nordstrom both hail from Seattle; it's Douglas' second collaboration with the upscale department store (and Jeannie is the wife of former chairman Bruce Nordstrom). Douglas is known best for his pizzas, but Jeannie's also serves soups, salads, sandwiches, and gelato.
On the Record, the nightclub at Park MGM opening in a couple of weeks, is setting itself up to host partiers after shows at the Park Theater and events at T-Mobile next door. OTR has announced after-parties for Lady Gaga's residency debut on December 28 and for the Jones-Gustafsson UFC light-heavyweight title fight the next night. In addition, "OTR Wednesdays" will welcome locals in the hotel-casino business with no admission fee and drink specials.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are -3 favorites over the San Diego Chargers in tonight's Sunday Night Football game. The total is 53.5.
In addition to Eataly, which opens at Park MGM on December 29, a Korean barbecue with Mexican influences out of L.A., Best Friend, will debut in the former Monte Carlo on December 19. Fronting the restaurant will be what owner Roy Choi is calling a "liquor store," though it sounds more like a glorified bar to us. Next to Best Friend will be Park MGM's new nightclub, On the Record. That, too, will have retail attached in the form of a record store.
Once again, Las Vegas home prices rose at the fastest clip in the U.S. in September at 13.5%, which was more than double the national average of 5.5%. It was the biggest increase in price among the 20 markets in the Case-Shiller Index for the fourth month in a row. On the flip side, sales are slowing and inventory, especially of new houses, is rising, so the price inflation could cool in the coming months, though Realtor.com recently predicted that Las Vegas will remain near the top of single-family real-estate markets in 2019. The average price for condos and townhomes was down 14.3%.
In tonight’s big heavyweight boxing match, Deontay Wilder is a -190 favorite over Tyson Fury. The total is 9.5 rounds, with over the favorite at -125.
Junior Dos Santos is a -155 favorite over Tai Tuivasa in tonight's UFC main event. In the other featured match, Justin Willis is -130 over Mark Hunt.
In the December issue of the Las Vegas Advisor is our annual end-of-the-year room-rate survey. This month is the best time to get rock-bottom room rates as the casinos promote hard during the pre-holiday slump. We found a whopping 52 casinos with rates below $40, along with some sweet discounts on high-end digs. Also in this month's issue: a hot downtown happy hour, new rules for the new Strip zipline, a great excerpt from the new edition of Eating Las Vegas, trendy tapas in Chinatown, five ice-skating rinks in the desert (what? you didn't know Vegas is a winter wonderland?), 79 casinos with vacancies for New Year’s Eve, and the demise of the second-to-last Sigma Derby horse-racing gambling machine in the U.S. Join now and enjoy our 2019 Member Rewards coupon book throughout the new year!
In case you haven't heard, hackers have had their way with the data from Starwood-branded hotels for four years. Affected brands are W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, the Luxury Collection, Le Méridien, and Four Points. Las Vegas has four of these: Westins on E. Flamingo and out at Lake Las Vegas, Four Points near E. Flamingo and Paradise, and Element in Summerlin. According to the Boston Globe, “Credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. For as many as two-thirds of those affected, data exposed could include mailing address, phone number, email address, passport number, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, date of birth, gender ...” Starwood has 21 million members in its loyalty program.