"Fans Strike Back," what's being called "an interactive and immersive Star Wars exhibit, is opening sometime this month inside the Immersion Vegas space at the Fashion Show Mall. Hundreds of life-size figured, including a 16-foot Jabba the Hutt, a 26-foot Podracer, a recreation of an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer’s main bridge, and Chewbacca, Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Darth Vader, will be on display, along with videos, weapons and other props, and collectibles. The whole exhibit was put together by a single superfan from Spain from his personal collection. "Fans Strike Back" will be open daily 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Tickets are $29, children 11 and under $15 (plus fees).
VitalVegas.com reports that longtime Strip show Terry Fator will close sometime between now and July 2020. "Fator and his company, Puppet Boy Entertainment, got a six-month notice of termination via old-school letter from the Mirage on Jan. 30, 2020. That means his show is done by July 30, 2020, although we trust he can bail sooner if he chooses," VV writes. "The letter from Mirage said it’s exercising its right to end the show, as the 'average occupancy is less than 75 percent of the seating capacity of the theater during any consecutive 12 month period.'” VitalVegas' ever-droll Scott Roeben's comment: "Harsh, bro."
The schedule for this year’s World Series of Poker has been finalized. A total of 87 bracelet events will be held during the 51st annual WSOP, starting May 26 and running up to July 15 at the Rio Convention Center. An additional 14 bracelet tournaments will be held at WSOP.com. The big $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship starts June 22 and includes nine games. Fifteen $10,000-buy-in championship events will be held, while the second-annual $500 Big 50 No-limit Hold ’em tournament, which attracted more than 28,000 entrants in its inaugural year, will launch with four starting flights on May 28 and conclude on the 31st. A new event is the $1,500 Mystery Bounty No-limit Hold ’em tournament, in which entrants win bounty money (between $100 and $250,000) for each player they eliminate; it begins on June 28. The Main Event, again televised by ESPN, will begin on July 1; a winner is expected late on July 14.
We continue to receive numerous questions every day about how Las Vegas is (or isn't) trying to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak that's spreading around the world. Like most other places in the U.S. that haven't been impacted directly by the disease so far, city, county, and state officials, along with airport authorities, casino management, and large retailers, are closely monitoring the situation in conjunction with the Southern Nevada Health District and federal Centers for Disease Control. All are ready to implement any directives and protocols issued by health authorities. Some, such as Wynn/Encore, have installed extra hand sanitizers in public areas and in back-of-house areas, but none have reported stocking up on masks or establishing contingency plans in the case of a local outbreak. Thus far, metrics show little to no impact on visitor volume, convention attendance, occupancy rates, or supply chains for the casinos; other businesses, however, are reportedly starting to experience disruptions. We will certainly post updates if and when anything changes.
Last August, the CEO of Caesars Entertainment, Tony Rodio, said the following about resort fees to investors and analysts on an earnings conference call, “At some point, there’s going to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. I don’t think we’re there yet, but I want us to be very judicious and cautious about taking those rates any further. It’s certainly a revenue stream that’s hard to walk away from and it’s been accepted at this point, but we’re getting pretty high.” Well, apparently Rodio and the gang at Caesars figured that "very judicious and cautious" meant waiting a few months before raising them again. As of next Tuesday, March 3, RFs at The LINQ, Harrah’s, Flamingo, and Bally’s will go up $2 to $37 a night ($41.95 with tax). A Caesars spokesman said that the increase "brings these properties in line with" the competition over at MGM Resorts.
In our review of R.U.N. in the February issue of the Las Vegas Advisor, we wrote, "All in all, if you like catching the latest in Vegas entertainment, you might want to see R.U.N. sooner than later. Like Cirque’s short-lived Viva Elvis and Zarkana shows at Aria, this one might not last long." And it didn't. R.U.N. will close for good after the performance on Sunday night, March 8. Opening on October 24, it was the shortest-lived Cirque du Soleil production in its 27 years in Las Vegas.
We've now confirmed that 90% of the slot machines at the Four Queens and Binion's downtown are experiencing a problem so severe that they've been offline since yesterday morning. Our information has it that the machines at the bars are still playable at this time, though all cashouts on those are hand pays. This is a developing story; check back here for updates.
The world's number-four largest crawler crane is now working on the MSG Sphere at the Venetian. The DEMAG CC-8800, manufactured by American crane company Terex, can extend 580 high into the air and weighs more than 1.7 million pounds (869 tons), not including 850 tons of counterweight. It tracks are 50 feet long and nearly seven feet wide. Transported through the Panama Canal from Belgium to southern California, it required 120 tractor trailers to move the crane to Vegas, then 18 days for a separate crane to assemble it. it sits on a half-acre's worth of composite soil so that the weight doesn't send it crashing through to China. No wonder the Sphere's costs have spiraled to nearly $2 billion.
John Curtas will host a discussion on the future of Las Vegas dining and sign copies of the 2020 edition of Eating Las Vegas—The 52 Essential Restaurants today at The Writer’s Block (519 S. 6th St.). The discussion begins at 6 p.m. and is open to the public. Come get your book signed and check out the cool Writer’s Block independent bookstore while mingling with some of Las Vegas’ top chefs who will be in attendance.
Four Las Vegas chefs have been nominated for the coveted James Beard Foundation's Best Chef award: Dan Krohmer (Other Mama, La Monja, and Hatsumi), Nicole Brisson (Locale Italian Kitchen and formerly Carnevino), Alan Ji (Mott 32 and formerly Wing Lei), and James Trees (Esther's Kitchen and formerly of Bradley Ogden). The finalists will be named on March 25. This year for the first time, Nevada isn't combined with California in Beard's regional divisions; the Golden State now occupies a category of its own. Nevada is part of the Southwest category, with Arizona, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, where 16 other chefs are semi-finalists.
Multiple Grammy Award-winning vocal group Boyz II Men have added dates to their 2020 performance schedule at the Mirage. The trio, featuring baritone Nathan Morris, alongside tenors Wanya Morris and Shawn Stockman, perform on select weekend dates, now including: July 10, 11, 12, and 31, August 1 and 2, September 11, 12, and 13, October 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 25, November 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 and 29, and December 18, 19, and 20. Tickets start at $49.99 and go on sale to the public tomorrow.
In a conference call yesterday, Caesars Entertainment CEO Tony Rodio told investors and analysts that the bad news is, the company is carrying $8.47 billion in long-term debt; the good news is that CET has saved $100 million (a whopping 1.1% of the debt) in moves made ahead of the merger with Eldorado Resorts, expected to close in the next few months. In addition, CET sustained a $1.2 billion loss in 2019, compared to $1.5 billion in 2018. Caesars’ net revenues rose to $8.74 billion in 2019, up 4.2% over 2018.
Circa sports is adding a second NFL handicapping contest this season. In addition to “Circa Million II,” it will also run “Circa Survivor,” a $1,000-entry contest with a $1 million winner-take-all format and a $1 million bonus for going 18-0. It was also announced that Circa Million II will double its prize pool to $3 million.
In his 23-year career, English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams has become the number-one British solo artist, with nearly 100 million sold (12 have reached number one in the UK) and he’s the best-selling non-Latino artist in Latin America. The demand for tickets to his 16 shows last year at the 1,500-seat Encore Theater was so strong, prices rose into the four figures. Now, Williams has announced a new eight-show mini-residency at Encore: March 24, 25, 27, 28, and 31; April 1, 3 and 4; and July 3, 4, 5, 8, 10, 11, 12 and 15. Tickets for the March and April dates are on sale and so far range from $180 to $345, but they're bound to go fast.
Eater Las Vegas reports that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay personally served the millionth customer at Hell's Kitchen at Caesars Palace over the weekend. The wildly popular restaurant opened barely two years ago (January 2018), which averages out to 40,000 diners a month for the past 25 months, or an average of 1,333 customers every day. Amazing. Eater supplied a few more numbers: "The restaurant has served more than 307,376 beef Wellingtons [the signature dish], 183,449 pan-seared scallops, 160,838 orders of lobster risotto, 311,262 sticky toffee puddings, and 51,848 Notes from Gordon cocktails."
In a murder and racketeering case that dated all the way back to September 2011, eight members of the Vagos Motorcycle Club were found not guilty of all charges by a jury that deliberated for 17 hours over four days. The trial stemmed from a shooting at the Nugget casino in Sparks during the annual Street Vibrations biker rally in the Reno area, in which the leader of a rival Hells Angels club was shot and killed. The trial itself was long and twisting; in the middle of it, prosecutors disavowed the testimony of their own star witness, a former Vagos member, who recanted his testimony on the witness stand in another trial in Reno. In the end, the jury rejected all the government's claims of criminal racketeering and ruled that the killing was in self-defense. A similar racketeering trial for 13 more Vagos members is scheduled for later this year; prosecutors haven't said whether they'll drop those charges.
Last week, it was announced that Jim Murren, chairman of the board of CEO of MGM Resorts International, will leave the company as soon as a successor is determined and collect a severance package worth $32 million. Now comes word that Murren has sold just under 700,000 shares of MRI stock in eight blocks on Feb. 19 and 20 worth another $22 million. Murren's departure from the company is worth $54 million -- so far.
John Fogerty will end a long tour of the U.S. and Europe with a nine-show mini-residency at Encore Theater in November. The 75-year-old Fogerty's “My 50 Year Trip” tour celebrates the 1969 founding of Creedence Clearwater Revival, which he fronted as the singer-songwriter and lead guitarist. The band had nine top-ten singles and eight gold albums through 1972 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993; Fogerty has had a long and successful solo career since then. The shows will take place on November 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, 18, 20, and 21. Tickets go on sale Thursday at 10 a.m. PT, with prices ranging from $59.50 to $250 plus fees.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports this morning on another highway project through central Las Vegas that could cost as much as the recently completed Project Neon. The "downtown-access project" is a complete reconfiguration of four miles on US 95 between Rancho Drive and Mojave Road that would add lane capacity, extend the HOV lanes from Martin Luther King Boulevard to Eastern, improve the ramp connections between 95 and I-15, and construct two new HOV interchanges. Environmental testing is tentatively scheduled to be completed in 2023, new rights of way will be acquired and the design finished by 2027, and construction will require three to four years.
Though the Japanese government has yet to decide which of its three cities will host integrated resorts (IR), including casinos, Genting Singapore has dropped out of the running for the license in Osaka, leaving MGM Resorts the "last man standing" for that license. Osaka is widely expected to be one of the three casino cities; it's the third largest metro area in Japan with a population of more than 20 million and it will host a World Expo in 2025. Eight casino companies were originally competing for the Osaka license, but MGM and its Japanese partner Orix were the only one to submit the initial required paperwork. Each of the three IR in Japan is expected to cost at least $10 billion to complete.
Southwest is one of the country’s favorite airlines. They offer consistent service, frequent flights, and most importantly, affordable fares.
In addition, their vacation packages, which combine airfares and hotels, get you a discount on both. And for the next couple of weeks, they’re running a promotion with a nice rebate on those packages if Las Vegas is your destination. If you book your package by March 2 to travel anytime between now and August 9 and use promo code LASVEGAS100, you’ll save $50 on packages of $500—$1,499 and $100 for $1,500-plus. Our Travel Game blogger Mike Friedman booked a round-trip Baltimore-Vegas and five nights at Luxor for two and got a price of $744; booking air and hotel independently, he would've paid $1,030 -- a saving of $286. Sweet!
Thanks to long-time LVA subscriber Roy for turning us onto a feature story on Narratively.com, "History’s Greatest Horse Racing Cheat and His Incredible Painting Trick." It's a Depression-era tale in which an audacious "horse-painter" beat the odds with an elaborate scam: disguising fast horses to look like slow ones via the use of bleach, ammonia, silver nitrate, and henna that could make a fast horse look like a slow horse so convincingly, its last trainer would swear it was his. This wild tale about the Scottish grifter, Peter Christian Barrie, is well worth the read.
It was a good night for LVA at the annual Blackjack Ball held over the weekend. Our own Anthony Curtis was elected to the Blackjack Hall of Fame. It was AC’s first appearance on the ballot. The skills competition was won by Arnold Snyder author of The Blackjack Shuffle Tracker’s Cookbook and a frequent “Question of the Day” contributor.
It's been a rocky road throughout the season, but last night the Vegas Golden Knights swept their five-game homestand, beating the Florida Panthers 5-3, for their first five-game winning streak of 2019-2020. They also now own first place in the roller-coaster Pacific Division with just 19 games left in the regular season. You can read about the game, which included the first VGK appearance of Gage Quinney, the first player born in Nevada to reach the NHL, in Joe Pane's Knights on Ice blog post.
In tonight’s big Heavyweight Championship boxing match, Deontay Wilder is a -150 favorite over Tyson Fury. The total is 10.5 rounds, with under the favorite at -150.
Sports betting in Colorado launches on May 1 at seven casinos in Cripple Creek, Black Hawk, and Central City, but the Colorado Limited Gaming Control Commission will have to approve all the possible bets the books want to offer. The issue is focused primarily on prop bets and the commission will have the final say on which professional leagues are eligible for sports wagering and which proposition “events” will be eligible for betting (props on college sports are outright prohibited). As such, sports book operators that want to add a prop bet will have to apply at least 72 hours before the bet is open to public wagering to have it approved by the commission. The state Department of Revenue’s Gaming Enforcement Division will create a list of eligible bets; the list is expected to be "continually updated and distributed to sports book operators in the state." Critics insist that "such a catalog will be 'unmanageable,' considering the thousands of potential prop-betting opportunities.
Two-time James Beard award winner, author of two cookbooks, and renowned San Francisco-based celebrity chef Charles Phan is finally opening his Vietnamese restaurant, the Slanted Door, at the Forum Shops at Caesars next week. After announcing it nearly three years ago, it's been delayed twice, but the grand-opening date has been announced for Monday March 2. It's Phan's first restaurant outside the Bay Area.
Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) will celebrate its 10-year anniversary in Las Vegas at the Motor Speedway when it takes place May 15-17; last year's event attracted nearly a half-million attendees. The lineup of this year's performers has been finalized and announced and includes more than 250 acts, from international superstars and chart-toppers to up-and comers and DJ spins. Headliners include the electronic DJ duo the Chainsmokers, French hitmakers DJ Snake and David Guetta, Australian producer-singer Alison Wonderland, Swedish house star Alesso, Dutch dance-pop master Martin Garrix, and his fellow Netherlands-bred Tiesto. Others: Pendulum Trinity, Galantis, Boys Noize, G Jones, Fisher, Major Lazer, Green Velvet, Nghtmre, and Whethan. DJs will include Slander b2b Said the Sky, Afrojack b2b R3hab, Diplo b2b MK, Jauz b2b Oliver Heldens, Dubfire b3b Nicole Moudaber b3b Paco Osuna, Caspa b2b Peekaboo, and Rob Gee b2b Sid of Slipknot. Should be a fantastic event -- to those who recognize any of the above.
The Member Rewards Books are back in stock and available for pick up and those that on backorder will be mailed within the next few days. We apologize for any inconvenience and are appreciative of your patience. Anyone caught in a time crunch, please contact our office and we’ll work out a delivery solution.
PT's, a chain of 66 sports bars in Nevada, will replace Blvd & Main Taphouse at the Strat on March 15. Golden Entertainment, which owns PT's, also owns the Strat. The Taphouse opened in mid-March of last year; many of its menu items will remain the same, with the addition of new barbecue dishes. The space will be upgraded with more HDTVs, two betting tickers on LED screens, and two betting stations.
President Trump will lead a rally today at the Las Vegas Convention Center starting at noon. Supporters reportedly gathered as early as 7 p.m. last night to get prime seats. Expect related traffic snarls throughout the city, especially near the rally site.
MGM Resorts International revealed that it sustained a data breach last summer after technology website ZDNet reported late on Wednesday that the personal details of more than 10.6 million guests who stayed at MGM Resorts hotels were published on a hacking forum this week. MRI admitted that it discovered "unauthorized access to a cloud server last summer that contained a limited amount of information [names, addresses, and phone numbers] for certain previous guests of MGM Resorts” and that no financial, payment-card, or password data were exposed and affected guests were notified. But ZDNet reports, "The details in the leaked files included information on celebrities, chief executives of technology companies, and reporters." ZDNet analyzed the information and concluded that none was collected after 2017; it contacted several individuals via the phone numbers and email addresses in the data to confirm the validity of the details. MRI claims that it has "upgraded the security of its network to avoid such breaches in the future."
The Crown & Anchor British Pub at 1350 E. Tropicana ("Big Crown") will host a viewing party tonight for a YouTube documentary about paranormal activity. The bar became part of the doc when the LV Review-Journal ran a Halloween-timed story about the bar potentially being haunted. The show airs at 7 p.m. and if you get there between 5 and 6 you can play its "Gambler's Happy Hour" and get $20 in free-play after $200 coin-in.
Clark County commissioners have approved a proposed five-and-a-half-mile shared-use (hikers and non-motorized bikers) path connecting the visitor center at Red Rock Canyon to Sky Vista Drive at the western edge of Summerlin. The project will cost an estimated $15 million, with funds coming from the Federal Highway Administration, the Nevada Department of Transportation, and Clark County. No timeline has been released.
The roof features of the new seven-story tower at the Downtown Grand have been completed and the Grand has announced that it will begin bookings in the next couple of months for an opening in September. The tower, which began construction a little more than a year ago, will offer 405 standard rooms, 67 studios, and 23 suites, for a total room count at the hotel of 1,120.
Resorts World and Hilton have announced a partnership that will bring the Hilton name back to the Strip in a big way. Hilton will operate all 3,500 rooms at Resorts World under three different brands when it opens in summer 2021: a 1,700-room Las Vegas Hilton, a 1,500-room Conrad, and a 300-room LXR, Hilton's uber-luxury brand that will cater almost exclusively to high rollers. The partnership is Hilton’s largest multi-brand deal in company history and will give it a solid presence on the Strip, which it hasn't had since the Flamingo Hilton was sold to Harrah's Entertainment in 2005 (the Waldorf-Astoria at CityCenter is a Hilton brand, but without the name). This is good news for Hilton Honors members.
Legal Sports Report has compiled a list of all the states where sports betting bills have been introduced this year; 18 of them would legalize gambling on sporting events. All the following states have at least one bill being considered by their legislatures: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming. Legal Sports Report notes that bills in Mississippi, New York, and Tennessee would change current sports betting laws, while those in Mississippi and New York would add mobile wagering and Tennessee’s clarifies language concerning the responsibilities of its Sports Wagering Advisory Council.
President Donald Trump arrived in Las Vegas last night to begin a four-day campaign tour of western states. He leaves for California today, then will return to Vegas for a rally on Friday. On the other side of the aisle, a debate among the top Democratic Presidential candidates takes place at 6 p.m. tonight at Paris Las Vegas.
Developers from southern California have bought a 5.25-acre lot Las Vegas Boulevard just south of Russell Road, across from Mandalay Bay, for $21 million. They plan on breaking ground on a $300 million 21-story 450-room luxury hotel-casino that will reportedly be part of the Dream Hotel Group's brand, which has luxury accommodations in the U.S. (Manhattan, Nashville, Hollywood, South Beach), along with two in Thailand. Dream Las Vegas would break ground in early 2021 and feature "seven dining and nightlife venues, 12,000 square feet of meeting and event space, a rooftop pool deck, full-service spa and fitness center, and a gaming floor," according to the press release. If it happens, the new property would open in early 2023.
The owners of the Little A'Le'Inn in Rachel, Nevada, have announced the dates for the second annual music and UFO festival that attracted so much attention last year: September 20-22. Though thousands of people showed up and by all reports had a fine time with very few incidents, it cost little Lincoln County upwards of $200,000 for security and traffic-control services and county commissioners aren't eager to spend that money again. Also, the original organizer of the event, who pulled out at the 11th hour, and the Little A'Le'Inn are having a bit of a legal spat over the use of the name Alienstock. Here we go again.
One of our sports betting experts, Frank B, has posted a blog piece on Gambling With An Edge in which he explains some of the terminology and math in figuring out the house advantage you face when betting into lines on sporting events. It's a good summary of a complicated subject that's well worth reading if you're a beginning sports bettor and are a little confused when it comes to interpreting the odds. Read it here.
An 11th hour (literally just before midnight) vote by the Washington state House of Representatives on a sports-betting bill was overwhelmingly approved last week, 83-14. The bill would allow sports bets to be booked by only the 29 tribal casinos operating in the state and exclude card-room casinos. The bill passed by the House, which blocks sports betting from being subject to a statewide referendum, now goes to the state Senate, which must pass it by March 13, in order for it to be considered by the governor this year.
The NASCAR Hauler Parade, a favorite with racing fans, was scheduled to take over the Las Vegas Strip on Friday starting at 5:30 p.m., but it has been canceled due to rain delays at the Daytona 500 last weekend. The Hauler Parade became "a logistical impossibility": the 50 or so tractor-trailers that haul race team equipment simply don't have enough time to make it from the east coast to Vegas in time to cruise up the Strip before the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's first NASCAR weekend of the season. The LVMS spring NASCAR race weekend is usually held in early March, but the date was moved up a couple weeks to replace Atlanta as the first race after the Daytona 500.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that documents submitted to the county show plans for the train station that will be the northern terminus for Virgin Trains Las Vegas. It will occupy 14 of 110 acres the company owns a block or so east the Las Vegas South Premium Outlets mall. The two-story building would house a lobby and ticketing area, baggage claim, and office space on the ground floor, with retail, passenger waiting areas, and security on the second. A seven-story parking garage would have nearly 2,700 spaces. If all goes according to plan, ground breaking would occur later this year with a grand opening in 2023. But it all hinges on the nearly $5 billion train project, which would run 170 miles to Victorville, California, going forward, which is a big if. For a story on the background of the numerous proposals for a high-speed train to southern California (and a few interesting predictions in the comment boxes), read our Question of the Day on it.
Clark County's Clerk Office is reporting that Las Vegas weddings dropped to a new low of 71,800 in 2019, down more than 40% from its peak in 2004 when 128,000 wedding ceremonies were conducted. The drop is being attributed to a concurrent decline in advertising to counter the ongoing stigma of a Vegas wedding, along with a slide in the number of marriage rates across the country, as younger generations postpone tying the knot in favor of dating longer, living together for longer without the legalities, and achieving better financial stability before taking the plunge. (In 1949, 78.8% of all households contained married couples. In 2019, 48.2% of households had married couples.) The rising age of marriage is also contributing to the falling divorce rate, hitting 2.9 divorces per 1,000 people in 2018 nationally, compared to 4 in 2000. If the current rate continues locally, Las Vegas will conduct its five-millionth wedding sometime next year.
The government of China's Special Administrative Region of Macau, the largest casino-gambling jurisdiction in the world, will allow casinos to reopen Friday. When they do, they will have been closed a total of 15 days, after they shut down en masse on February 5 to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. Other public facilities, including movie theaters, Internet cafes, bars, gyms, bowling alleys, and massage parlors will remain closed; no date has been announced for them to reopen.
Team LeBron is a -6.5 favorite over Team Giannis in tonight's NBA All Star Game. The total is 305.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
We don't often see a feature story on the spas of Las Vegas, let alone one that interviews stylists, manicurists, aestheticians, and massage therapists. But Allure.com has a cool story on just that. It's definitely worth a read (if you can put up with all the pop-ups, pop-downs, and ads getting in the way for the first minute or two on the site). It's here if you're interested.
Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin are the co-favorites to win today’s Daytona 500 auto race at +900 (bet $100 to win $900), followed by Brad Keselowski at +1150 and Kyle Busch at +1200. Ford is +110 to be the winning car manufacturer, with Chevrolet the second choice at +170. South Point is running a free all-day watch party in the showroom.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Jim Murren, chairman of the board of CEO of MGM Resorts International who will leave the company as soon as a successor is determined, will have a pretty nice exit event. Murren will receive a severance package worth $32 million: "a continuation of his current $2 million annual salary, a $4 million cash fixed bonus at the end of 2020, a $7 million equity award, and a $12 million severance payment." In addition, Murren will be paid a mere $575,000 a month in 2021 for consulting services. In return, Murren has agreed to a non-compete clause through 2022, a full year after his consulting duties end. We sincerely hope he can survive on this pittance for the year that he's not allowed to work in the casino business.
Another story has surfaced that lends support to the idea that Tom Brady could play for the Las Vegas Raiders next year. The superstar's contract expires next month and rumors are swirling that not only might he leave the New England Patriots, but he's thinking seriously about moving to Vegas. Big sports website ClutchPoints.com reports that the Raiders are getting ready to offer the 42-year-old Brady a two-year $60 million contract. They cite their source as Larry Fitzgerald Senior, father of the Arizona Cardinals' superstar wider receiver Larry Fitzgerald Junior, who's been playing in the NFL almost as long as Brady. Stay tuned.
A story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal lists the top 10 most expensive houses sold in Las Vegas last year. The number-one most expensive home went for $17 million; it was built by the developer of the uber-luxury subdivision Spanish Hills and featured eight bedrooms, eight full baths, media room, game room, 15-car garage, two-story pool house, and rooftop deck with a panoramic view of the valley. The number-two house on the list, in MacDonald Highlands in Henderson, sold for $7 million (down from the listing price of $11.5 million; it sat on the market for more than three years). The lot is 2.4 acres and the house is 23,500 square feet, the largest single-story residence under one roof in southern Nevada. It has six bedrooms (including the master, which is 2,400 square feet), 10 baths, 11-car garage, and pool. (Rumor has it that the owner sold the house because he couldn't find his wife in the master bedroom.) Third on the list was a house in Summerlin sold by Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley for $6.5 million: 12,445 square feet with five bedrooms, nine baths, and a dinky four-car garage; it was originally listed at $9.5 million.
Jabbawockeez is an American hip-hop and trap-dance group that won the first season of MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew" in 2008 and now appear at the MGM Grand. They just performed their 2,000th show, JREAMZ, the final night of which will take place on Monday. Then the show will go dark for a month or so, while the group prepares the next incarnation of its show, which will be called TIMELESS.
Forbes Travel Guide has upgraded the Wynn and Encore from four stars to the highest star rating at five. The Wynn is now the largest, and Encore the second largest, five-star resorts in the world and Nevada is now fourth in the United States for the most five-star hotels. It also has the third highest number of five-star restaurants and spas. The five-star hotels are: Aria Sky Suites, Encore Tower Suites, Wynn Tower Suites, the rest of the Wynn, the rest of Encore, and Skylofts at MGM Grand. The five-star restaurants are: Joël Robuchon (MGM Grand), Wing Lei (Wynn), Le Cirque and Picasso (Bellagio), Restaurant Guy Savoy (Caesars), and Twist by Pierre Gagnaire (Waldorf Astoria). The five-star spas are at Wynn, Encore, Aria, and Vdara.
The Doobie Brothers have canceled their scheduled shows tonight, tomorrow night, and Tuesday night at the Venetian due to an illness.
The group plans to return to the stage for its next shows: Feb. 19, 21, and 22. And Gwen Stefani, who canceled several shows in the last few weeks due to "not feeling well," including Wednesday's, is expected to return for her performance tonight at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood.
On this Valentines Day, as Charles Schultz once said, "All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." With that in mind, lounges and nightclubs hereabouts will be hopping all night and restaurants are offering special deals all around town, especially prix-fixe dinners including Champagne and rich dark gooey desserts. For a comprehensive list of the happenings, check our page on Vegas With An Edge.
Excavation of the first tunnel under the Las Vegas Convention Center is 100 feet from completion and is expected to hit the 4,300-foot end mark tomorrow. As soon as it does, the boring machine will be moved back to its starting point to begin digging the second tunnel. Amazingly, construction, which started less than three months ago, is on schedule. The machine can tunnel up to 100 feet a day, but when it's done with the second tunnel, it will be retired; a new machine under development will be twice as fast. There will be three stations for the Convention Center people mover, two above ground and one below. The below-ground station will be built between two conventions starting in May.
Leading into Nevada’s Democratic caucuses, six presidential candidates will visit for gatherings and rallies this week. Starting today, events will be held for Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Tom Steyer. Get the details in this list from the LV Review-Journal.
Looking for something to do with your sweetie on Valentine's Day? Check out the Valentine's Day in Vegas roundup on Vegas With An Edge
ZERO-G is a company that delivers the only commercial opportunity on Earth for individuals to experience true weightlessness without going to space. This is the identical weightless flight experience used by NASA to train its astronauts. G-FORCE ONE, ZERO-G's specially modified Boeing 727-200, is a zero-gravity playroom, complete with padded floors and walls and video cameras. The aircraft levels out at 24,000 feet, then gradually noses up to about 45° to the horizon, reaching an altitude of 32,000 feet. During this pull-up, passengers feel the pull of 1.8 Gs. When the plane goes "over the top," it creates a zero-gravity parabola for 20-30 seconds. This maneuver is repeated 15 times, for a total of nearly 8 minutes of weightlessness. ZERO-G's 2020 flight schedule includes three stops in Las Vegas: April 25, Aug. 15, and Oct. 31. Each flight is limited to 34 passengers. The cost is $5,400 (plus 5% tax) for a spot on the plane; participants receive their own ZERO-G flight suit, ZERO-G merchandise, a Regravitation Celebration, certificate of weightless completion, photos, and a video. For reservations, go to gozerog.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Reservations.welcome.
Jim Murren, the chairman of the board and CEO of MGM Resorts International, announced yesterday that he's resigning from his positions in the company. His departure will depend on the board of directors naming a successor or successors to the 58-year-old Murren, who has been the chairman and CEO for the past 13 years; he began with MGM in 1998 as CFO after a successful career on Wall Street.
We’ve never had to post this before, but we’re out of Member Rewards Books. This was an inventory error on our part and the books are back at the printer, but an unexpected rush of customers ran us out today. The new books are expected to arrive on February 21. If you aren’t coming to town before that, this will have no effect on your getting it in the mail (unless you’re coming soon after, in which case we’ll deliver to your hotel without the courier fee). If you are coming this week, or were just planning on coming in to pick yours up, we apologize for the mistake and are making efforts to get a partial shipment earlier. Please call to check the current status before coming in.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has announced that parking in its extensive surface lots will be free and open to the public during the three-day NFL Draft in late April. In addition, free bus service paid for by the LVCVA and provided by the Regional Transportation Commission will shuttle people from outlying lots to the event. People parking at the Convention Center can ride the Monorail (not free) down a couple of stops to the Harrah's-Linq station, closest to where the draft's main stage will be. But if you're going, get to the Convention Center early; you'll be competing with tens of thousands of vehicles for 2,400 spots.
A slot player at the Wynn was playing on $10 in a $1 Wheel of Fortune Spin Triple Gold and hit a jackpot worth $1.73 million Monday evening.
If you're looking for a mountainside lifestyle a mere 20 miles from Las Vegas, with Spring Mountain Ranch State Park your next-door neighbor, 13 of the 20 homesites at the former Bonnie Springs Ranch are still available. The two- to four-acre sites went on sale last week for $3 million to $6.5 million and deposits for seven have been put down. The eventual 64-acre guard-gated community out on Blue Diamond Rd. will have its own restaurant, mini-mart, and private water system.
Three weeks earlier than originally announced, the $300 million 430,000-square-foot Wynn Convention Center opened for business yesterday with its first convention. The new meeting space overlooks the uber-green Wynn Golf Course, which boasts 7,000 trees, some dating back to the early 1950s when the course opened behind the new Desert Inn. A 20,000-square-foot pavilion with a 20,000-square-foot lawn looks out onto the 17th and 18th holes. The largest new ballroom is 83,000 square feet and a video wall is nine feet high and 72 feet long.
In May 2018, Aptiv launched a fleet of 30 self-driving BMWs in Las Vegas, linking up with ride-share passengers via the Lyft network. By CES 2019, Aptiv cars, with their distinctive orange wheel rims, had given 30,000 rides and by May, a year into the service, Aptiv hit the 50,000-ride mark. Now, less than a year later, Aptiv has doubled that at more than 100,000 rides in vehicles without drivers (a safety driver behind the wheel can switch to manual in an emergency; an Aptiv engineer riding shotgun monitors the systems). For the whole Aptiv in Las Vegas story, see our Question of the Day on it.
Allegiant has announced three new nonstop routes to and from McCarran that start in early June: San Diego (six times weekly), Tucson (2x), and Fort Wayne, Indiana (2x). Special introductory fares of $43 (San Diego), $49 (Tucson), and $69 (Fort Wayne) are being offered through tomorrow (travel through mid-August).
The Hard Rock casino in Atlantic City has launched the first-ever physical slot machines that are controlled by players online. Partnered with tech-company Softweave Ltd., the Hard Rock's 12 machines are no different from slots the world over, but they're connected to the Net so they can be played on devices remotely. Slot enthusiasts who have an online Hard Rock casino account access the machines via the website; if all 12 are occupied, players can get in a virtual waiting line -- or play Web-based slots or table games.
Reality TV star (TLC's "Cake Boss," among other shows), owner of the Carlo's Bakery chain, and namesake of Buddy V's Ristorante at the Venetian, Buddy Valastro will open PizzaCake, a combination pizzeria and bakery, at Harrah's in mid-March. Noteworthy are the small patio on the Strip and the "cake ATM" that already fronts the eatery; the vending machine will dispense slices of Carlo's favorite cakes.
Digital traffic signs installed every-half mile on I-15 between Russell Road and Washington Avenue and on I-95 between Valley View and Las Vegas boulevards as part of the $1 billion Project Neon freeway upgrade will be turned on today for testing by the Nevada Department of Transportation. This first stage of the Vegas freeway system's Active Traffic Management plan tests and integrates the reader boards; the whole process is expected to be completed by the end of next month. When fully operational, the only "smart-sign corridor" in the country will issue "variable speed limits and HOV lane updates, monitor traffic, provide video of the roadway, and alert drivers to open and closed lanes in the event of construction or a crash."
Ellis Island ended up with a surplus of its holiday eggnog this year and is selling it at a $10 discount. You can buy it by the bottle at the EI bar for $25.
Data released by Airbnb total 882,000 home-share users in Clark County in 2019. Hosts earned more than $138 million by renting rooms or homes, up 38% over the $100 million in 2018. This is despite a concerted crackdown on short-term rentals in unincorporated Clark County and some restrictions in the cities of Las Vegas and Henderson. According to the Review-Journal, "The county has six staff members dedicated to cracking down on illegal short-term rentals. Last year, the county opened 1,053 short-term rental cases. It issued almost $900,000 in fines and liens on nearly 6.5% of operators for violating the ordinance and refusing to shut down." The most popular home-share periods include the weekends surrounding Electric Daisy Carnival, the Life Is Beautiful Festival, and the weekend between Christmas and New Year's. In total, short-term rentals cost Strip resorts upwards of $150 million in annual revenue.
Open Table, the world's leading provider of online restaurant reservations, has released its annual list of the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America. The list is devised from more than 80 million diner reviews of more than 30,000 restaurants across all 50 states and Washington, DC; this year, Illinois came in with the highest number of restaurants at 12, followed by California and Pennsylvania with eight each. The 100 are listed in alphabetical order, so they're not ranked, but only one is in Las Vegas: Sinatra at the Wynn.
John Jones is a -500 favorite over Dominick Reyes in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Valentina Shevschenko is -1325 over Katlyn Chookagian.
Station Casinos has announced that it plans to unload a number of unidentified parcels of vacant land it bought up over the years. Station owns nearly 400 acres of prime development property around the valley, but it's unclear which would go up for sale. The most valuable are probably 57 acres near South Point, 58 acres near Red Rock Resort, and the 105-acre Wild Wild West truck plaza, which is less than a mile from Allegiant Stadium. Station would parlay the proceeds into paying down a massive amount of debt.
Revealed last August, the price tag for the 17,000-seat MSG Sphere was announced at $1.2 billion. Immediately, the general contractor disputed the number, claiming that the cost was closer to $1.7 billion. The Las Vegas Review-Journal this morning reports that the price is now $1.66 billion; the increase is attributed to "improvements to the venue and overall guest experience." For an extra nearly $500 million, we certainly hope so. By comparison, T-Mobile Arena, with 1,000 more seats, cost $350 million.
The XFL plays its first games today and the casinos are booking the new football league. And not just in Nevada. XFL wagering has also been approved in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Iowa, and Indiana. The league has some innovative rules and good TV contracts, along with what appears to be solid funding. All suggest that the XFL should fare better than the Alliance of American Football, which attempted to compete with the NFL last year but was unable to complete its first season.
Grammy-winning singer Pitbull will return to Las Vegas in 2020 for the sixth consecutive year with five performances of Pitbull – Get Ready Vegas” at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. He'll performance on April 22, 24, and 25 and September 10 and 11. Tickets are on sale now and start at $173.
Don Ahern hasn't wasted any time in renovating and reopening the failed Lucky Dragon Hotel-Casino, which he bought nine months ago for $36 million. Reopened as the Ahern Hotel, the rooms have been renovated, though the official grand opening won't be until July 4, when the convention center and restaurants will be completed in the former casino space. Altogether, Ahern says he's spending "less than $10 million" in transforming the Lucky Dragon into his personally branded hotel-convention center. Las Vegas-based Ahern Rentals has been in the construction-equipment rental business since 1953 and now has 81 locations in 35 states nationwide.
The Vegas Golden Knights have announced that they've acquired an American Hockey League franchise membership from Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which currently operates the San Antonio Rampage, with the intention to move the team to Las Vegas. The Rampage will continue to play in San Antonio through the end of the 2019-20 regular season and playoffs. The AHL Board of Governors is expected to approve the move; the new team, which will be renamed, will play its home games at Orleans Arena, at least initially. Currently, the Rampage are affiliated with the St. Louis Blues and draws an average of around 6,000 fans to the 16,151-seat AT&T Center.
iLuminate Presents: Happy Hour will open on March 26 in the Sin City Theater at Planet Hollywood in the 6 p.m. slot. iLuminate is an entertainment technology company that features tech along with entertainers who perform in the dark with customized wireless lighting programs; the group was founded by a dancer/software engineer. Launching in 2009, iLuminate blends music, dance, comedy, technology, and art and was a finalist on "America’s Got Talent" in 2011. Tickets are on sale now and start at $73.
Carnegie Deli at the Mirage closed yesterday. It's not the last of the kosher-style delis to come and go on the Strip, as has been reported; Greenberg's is still going strong at New York-New York after nearly 25 years (we don't count Sadelle's at Bellagio). Aria Cafe closed to be retooled for Din Tai Fung noodle restaurant, which will open this summer. SEA Thai restaurant at Bally's closed to make room for Nobu Sushi, a pop-up (and down) restaurant that will occupy the space until the new Virgin Hotel-Casino opens in the fall. The opening date for the new supper club Delilah at the Wynn has been announced for May 13. And BarCanada, the hockey-themed sports bar that is replacing the showroom at the D, will open on March 16.
Shark Reef, the giant aquarium attraction at Mandalay Bay, will open a virtual-reality motion-simulation theater sometime around the middle of next month. The Ocean Explorer attraction will feature two live-action movies, Swimming with Humpbacks and Shark Dive, which highlight a rarely seen underwater world; the press release also mentions "pre-show exhibitions, including a number of immersive and interactive experiences." The 36-seat platform will move together with the action on the big screen. Admission to Shark Reef will include the theater presentation.
The American Gaming Association (AG) has calculated that Americans bet $13 billion in 2019 at legal sports books across the nation, generating $118 million in tax revenues for the states. It was nearly double the total of $6.6 billion in 2018; in May of that year, the Supreme Court overturned PAPSA, which paved the way for sports betting to expand. Nevada ($5.3 billion) and New Jersey ($4.6 billion) together accounted for more than 75% of the total; Pennsylvania books took in $1.5 billion, followed by Indiana ($436 million), Mississippi ($369 million), Rhode Island ($246 million), West Virginia ($226 million), Iowa ($212 million), Delaware ($103 million), Oregon ($45 million), and Arkansas ($11 million). Books in New York and at tribal casinos in Mississippi, Oregon, and New Mexico don't report handle. New Hampshire sports betting began on the penultimate day of the year and six more states, plus Washington, D.C., are set to launch in 2020.
The oddly punctuated BB.Q Chicken, the largest dining franchise company in Korea known for its high-quality healthy chicken made with extra-virgin olive oil, joins the long list of Asian cuisine choices at Shanghai Plaza in Chinatown. BB.Q offers a large menu of fried and grilled chicken, wings, a half-dozen Korean dishes (including two kimchees and bulgoggi poutine), and sides (from coleslaw to white rice). Prices range from $12 for a half to $22 for a whole original golden olive chicken, with wings $13 for six and $23 for a dozen and fries/coleslaw $4. Actually, BB.Q doesn't stand for "barbecue," but "Best of the Best Quality (the punctuation is still odd).
Carlos Santana has added new dates to his Las Vegas residency, which has been informally called "Greatest Hits Live." The legendary guitarist and his band, which has performed at the House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay over the past eight years, will appear on the following dates: May 13, 15, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23, and 24; September 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26, and 27; and November 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, 14, and 15. Santana previously announced a number of dates in May and tickets for those are already on sale; tickets for the new dates will start at $120 and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
Nevada sports books scored a just-under $18.8 million win on the Super Bowl, as money flooded in from from nearby San Francisco fans betting the over and hoping for a high-scoring game (like the one the 49ers and Chiefs played in the regular season with a total of 65). It was the Nevada books' second highest win in almost a decade on a $154.7 handle, slightly behind 2018's all-time record $158.6 million in 2018 (Patriots versus Eagles). The hold was 12.1%, highest since 2014's 16.5% (Seahawks versus Broncos).
Derek Hough, the 35-year-old American professional dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer who's best known for his work on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," will do a six-month 60-show residency in the Donny & Marie Showroom at the Flamingo starting in June. Hough has a personal connection to Las Vegas: His mother lived here for 20 years. Hough will perform five nights a week: June: 2–6, 9–13, 16–20; July: 7–11, 14–18, 21–25; August: 25–29; September: 2–6, 8–12, 15–19; October: 27–31; and November: 3-7. Tickets go on sale Friday.
We've been getting a lot of questions about what Las Vegas is doing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The answer is that local health authorities believe residents of southern Nevada and visitors from elsewhere who haven't traveled to and from the areas in China where the virus is most contagious are at a "low risk of infection." Only one case of suspected coronavirus has been reported in Clark County, but the testing came back negative. The Southern Nevada Health District is currently concerned about the regular flu virus, which has claimed the lives of 13 people locally, with 180,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths from the flu so far this season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which describes the numbers as lower than normal. A total of 13 people in the entire U.S. have become ill from the coronavirus. That said, local and national health authorities are watching the Wuhan coronavirus very closely, as many of the world’s leading infectious-disease experts predict that it's likely to become a pandemic.
All casinos in Macau, the gambling capital of the world, will close at midnight tonight for 15 days in an attempt to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus after a 29-year-old Galaxy Macau hotel worker was infected locally. Along with the casinos, bars, movie theaters, fitness centers, Internet cafes, bowling alleys, beauty parlors, nightclubs, karaoke venues, and massage parlors will also be forced to close by law during the period. According to a CNN reporter, "Not a single face is exposed in the cavernous Galaxy casino. Everyone is wearing a mask, including the croupiers, waitresses, and security guards who vastly outnumber the scattered customers gambling at blackjack and roulette tables. Last year, the city received almost 40 million visitors. Now, streets and squares once teeming with tourists from mainland China are empty. Ambulances roam the city, operated by emergency workers dressed in hazmat suits." Gaming industry stocks have been hit hard on the news and Macau gambling revenues, which account for more than 80% of the Special Administrative Region's annual taxes, will continue the slide that started with 2019's decline, the first in several years.
An interesting story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports on the number of signs for Allegiant Stadium being manufactured by YESCO, the venerable Salt Lake City-based sign company whose largest production plant is in Las Vegas. YESCO is under contract to produce approximately 650 signs for the 1.75-million-square-foot sports and entertainment facility. The largest video board will be 180 feet long and 18,000 square feet, about one-third the total size of the football field; it will be outside the stadium facing Interstate 15 and Dean Martin Drive. Another sign will be 185 feet tall. The smallest signs, Allegiant Airlines sunburst logos, are measured in square inches. YESCO's Las Vegas facility has been essentially dedicated to stadium signs for several months and will continue to be up until Day Zero, July 31.
After closing to the public early this morning, there’ll be one last hurrah for the media this evening and the run of the Hard Rock will be officially over. The resort will remain closed during its transformation to Virgin Las Vegas and reopen at the end of this year.
Herringbone, the seafood restaurant at Aria that opened in 2015, has closed and was immediately replaced by Salt & Ivy Cafe and Patio Bar, which opened yesterday. Salt & Ivy is a casual three-meal restaurant that "brings a menu of California coastal-inspired dishes and specialty cocktails." It also takes over Herringbone's patio, which overlooks the pool area.
The Las Vegas sports books had a big day yesterday, dodging a bullet in the last six minutes of the game, as the Kansas City Chiefs came back from a 20-10 deficit to win 31-20, cover the spread, and keep the score under the total of 53, wiping out all the money bet on the San Francisco 49ers and the over. Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale lost a $1 million money-line bet on the Niners and another bettor lost $1.93 million on the Niners and the over for the first quarter, second quarter, first half, and game. One sports book director called it the best Super Bowl since 2008 (when the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots 17-14).
The Kansas City Chiefs are -1.5 favorites over the San Francisco 49ers in tonight's Super Bowl. The total is 53.
A story in yesterday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal, considered the question of whether the adverb “only” in Vegas’ new slogan, “What happens in Vegas, only happens in Vegas,” should be before or after the verb “happens.” The consensus? Who, cares? Nothing, was said about the comma in the sentence, nothing at all. The rule, is never separate the subject of a sentence from the verb of the sentence with a comma and the subject of the slogan is "What happens in Vegas." We’ll, be dispensing with the comma in the slogan; we're, simply constitutionally incapable of using it. Actually, it’s, grammatically correct for the “only” to follow the “happens,” for reasons that we, need not go into here, but c’mon, it’s, an advertising slogan. And if you, noticed the comma separating the subjects and verbs in the sentences in this News item, you’re, paying attention.
Get your phones ready to time the singing of the Super Bowl's National Anthem. The over/under on how long it will take Demi Lovato to sing it is 1:58.5. This bet is available only at offshore books, with several time variations at different odds.
Just as the Super Bowl hordes are heading home, more masses are marching in, with three major conventions in town this week. The Off-Price Specialist Show will bring 12,000 to the Sands Expo starting tomorrow and running through Thursday. Another 60,000 conventioneers will congregate at the Convention Center for the World of Concrete show, Tuesday through Friday. And the big one, MAGIC Marketplace at Mandalay Bay Convention Center, will host 80,000 attendees, also Tuesday through Friday. So if you see a lot of people walking around with badges hanging from lanyards around their necks, you'll know why.
The lines at Westgate this morning were already long and getting longer, which will likely be the case everywhere right up till game time. The antidote to that is to bet on the apps if you have them.
Sin City is rockin' and rollin' today, as books, bars, and ballrooms will be jammed with spectators and partiers watching the Super "Big Game" Bowl. If you're here and looking for a good place to join the fun or are home and just want a vicarious experience of it, check out our epic list of events at Vegas With An Edge: The 49ers' three team bars around town and the Chiefs' one, plus 50 parties in casinos, restaurants, and strip clubs. Take note, though; football season doesn't end today. The new XFL launches next Saturday!
Novak Djokovic is a -370 favorite over Dominic Thiem in tomorrow's Australian Open men's tennis final. Djokovic is going for a record 8th Australian Open Championship and his 17th Grand Slam title, while Thiem is seeking his first Grand Slam. The match starts early, at 3:30 am EST.
Circa is on schedule and on budget, according to owner-developer Derek Stevens. The hotel tower has now risen to the 23rd floor (of 35), the bridge across Main Street to the parking garage is framed, and reservations will be accepted starting sometime in April (watch this space). Will Circa hit its scheduled grand opening date in December? We think so. Derek Stevens hasn't budged from the opening date in any number of press releases over the past year and to meet his self-imposed deadline, he’s got 1,000 construction workers going around the clock, raising the tower a floor a week.
The South Point is hosting “Betting & Beers with Brent” today, a free Super Bowl betting seminar featuring Brent Musburger, and VSiN celebrities Matt Youmans, Chris Andrews, Vinny Magliulo, and Jimmy Vaccaro. The event will run from 4 to 6 p.m. in the showroom, presumably with a special on VSiN's Bookmaker Blonde Ale.
Gambling revenue on the Las Vegas Strip fell in 2019 by two-tenths of a percent (from $6.588 billion in 2018 to $6.587 billion in 2019), but it was due primarily to a 13.5% drop in the baccarat win; without that, the Strip would have been up 3%. The other six reporting jurisdictions in Clark County all showed increases in gambling revenue. Downtown was up 5.4%, with $684.9 million, the largest year-over-year increase since 1993. For all of Nevada, gaming revenues reached $12.03 billion, increasing 1% over 2018; it was the third highest in state history (the record was set in 2007 at $12.8 billion). Most interestingly, Nevada's sports books were up 9.5% year over year at $329.1 million on a record-setting handle of $5.319 billion (up 6.2% from 2018's $5.01 billion). It was the tenth year in a row that statewide sports betting set a new record for wagers accepted, even in the face of the nationwide expansion that started in May 2018.
Las Vegas set a record in December for the most attendees of conventions and trade shows in its history as a convention city, which spans more than 60 years since the Las Vegas Convention Center opened and 85 since the first convention was held (5,000 southern California Shriners met here in 1935). Though December is typically one of the slower months for conventions, three anomalous gatherings (Amazon Web Services with 65,000 attendees, the Marijuana Business Conference/35,000, and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists/20,000) boosted convention attendance by 61% over December 2018. Thanks to that increase, total visitor volume rose 6.1% over last December; the 3.5 million in town also set a record for the month. The final visitor tally for 2019 was 42.5 million, the second highest ever.
Yet another delay in Japan’s slow move toward legalized full-scaled casino gambling has materialized. Japanese officials say they will delay naming the three sites that will host casinos in a reaction to a recently uncovered bribery scandal. While no official timetable has ever been released, the most recent estimates of a first casino launch are 2024.