The self-proclaimed "travel experts" at StressFreeCarRental.com analyzed data to create the 2024 USA Stressful Airport Index, indicating "the worst airports for travelers to pass through." They ranked the busiest 15 U.S. airports based on five stress-inducing factors: passenger numbers, distance from city center, number of flight destinations, car-parking charges, and the overall airport satisfaction score. Chicago's O'Hare was found to be the most stressful, followed by New York's JFK . The most expensive parking charge was Seattle International at $376 for a week; Dallas/Fort Worth has the most flight destinations (258); and Denver is the farthest from the city (16 miles). George Bush International in Houston has the cheapest weekly parking at just $51.20. Finally, Reid International ranked 10th out of the 15 overall: $252 to park for a week, second for closest to the city (bested only by Phoenix), and third lowest for the number of destinations you can fly to (164, compared to 127 from Seattle).
In the Las Vegas metropolitan area, nearly three in five (58.3%) of renters are paying more than 30% of their income to landlords, according to a study conducted by the Lied Center for Real Estate at UNLV. Economists consider people paying 31% or higher on rent to be "housing-cost burdened" and statewide, nearly half of renters are paying 35% or more, considered "excessively cost burdened." By comparison, only Floridians are higher percentage-wise (50.5%) than Nevadans; even Hawaiians are at only 46.6%. In terms of metro areas, 52.6% of residents in the New York-Newark-Jersey City pay more than 30% and 48.9% in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley. The study was based on U.S. Census data.
The Boston Celtics are -210 favorites over the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Championship. Game 1 is Thursday in Boston.
LVXP, the real-estate developer behind an "NBA-ready" arena-hotel-casino project on the old Wet 'n' Wild vacant lot, has announced that it has chosen an architectural and engineering consulting company to help design the arena. It has also selected a Las Vegas-based architect, Steelman Partners, known for designing hotel-casinos. The project, on the site where the doomed All Net Arena was long proposed, seems to be moving forward, while no news has been forthcoming from another NBA-ready arena development announced in 2022 by the Oak View Group for a site near Blue Diamond Road.
Michigan is the third state to sign on to the Multi-State Agreement that includes Nevada and New Jersey on the World Series of Poker's website. In the process, WSOP.com has been consolidated under a new brand: WSOP Online. (WSOP.com is still the URL.) Michigan poker players have been able to compete against New Jerseyans on PokerStars, but only against other Michiganders on WSOP.com. WSOP.com will hold 30 online bracelet events for residents of the three states during the World Series of Poker, underway now through through July 21 in Las Vegas. Online events will also include satellites for in-person WSOP tournaments. Online poker is also legal in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and West Virginia, though none has approved multistate competitions.
According to an annual survey by J.D. Power, the 56-year-old data-analytics, software, and consumer-intelligence company, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air garnered the third-highest rating for a North American airline for customer satisfaction in the economy and basic- economy category. Southwest Airlines is a perennial number one, followed by Delta. Allegiant scored high in flyers' ratings for ease of travel, getting to their destinations on time and safely, value for price paid, and interpersonal interactions; Allegiant's flight crews "are empowered to make things right" for passengers, which includes going above and beyond the normal course of their duties.
A story on AthlonSports.com compares the grim playoff history of the Las Vegas Raiders to other teams that haven't won a playoff game in more than 10 seasons. Tied for fifth worst are the Chicago Bears and New York Jets at 13 seasons, followed by the Washington Commanders (18) and the Las Vegas Raiders (21). The Raiders lost their last appearance in the Super Bowl in 2002, then blew two wild card appearances in 2016 and 2021. The worst team is the Miami Dolphins, who haven't won a playoff game since 2000.
Lite-Brite is a "magic-screen" toy created by Hasbro in 1967 that consists of colored plastic pegs that fit into a panel on a light box. Recommended for ages 4-15, Lite-Brite users create art with the pegs; when the images are complete, the box is turned on to light them up. Now, Hasbro has teamed up with the Illuminarium at Area15 to present "Lite-Brite: Worlds of Wonder," which will open on June 5. The 60-minute immersive digital show will feature a larger-than-life magic screen divided into three "worlds": enchanted ocean, forest with dinosaurs, and futuristic city. Tickets start at $35 for adults and $30 for children and seniors.
Wayne "Mr. Las Vegas" Newton first arrived in Las Vegas at age 17 with his older brother Jerry to do a show at the Fremont in 1959. Thus, this year marks his 65th anniversary of performing here. In a little celebration, a number of casinos got together and presented the crooner with an anniversary cake. Now 82, Wayne is still going strong, doing his "Wayne: Up Close and Personal" show in the eponymous theater at the Flamingo. In the full-circle department, Wayne kicked around showrooms in Las Vegas as an opening act until landing the headliner spot at the Flamingo in 1963. Since then, he's released 165 albums (wow) and performed tens of thousands of shows in Las Vegas and all over the world.
Due to increased demand, the “Dead Forever – Live at Sphere” residency has added six shows: Aug. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, and 10, bringing the total number to 30. The presale begins Thursday and the general public Friday, both at 10 a.m. PT. Tickets start at $145.
Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Gardens has unveiled its summer display, called "Higher Love" (probably based on Steve Winwood's 1986 hit of the same name) and, according to the press release, "inviting guests to ascend into a realm of timeless beauty and enchantment." For the ascension part are several polychromatic hot-air balloons, a dirigible, and a floating boat. Timeless beauty is represented by butterflies, a flowered mountainside, lots of roses, and a frog (eye of the beholder). The exhibit will remain through August 24.
Now in its 17th year, Las Vegas Restaurant Week will be held from June 3 to 14 (it's actually a 12-day event). It takes place in June every year and encourages Las Vegans and visitors to dine out for a good meal at a good value for a good cause. The city’s finest restaurants offer special three-course prix fixe menus, donating a portion of proceeds to Three Square Food Bank, southern Nevada’s only food bank and its largest hunger-relief organization. Each restaurant selects the donation level of $4, $5 or $6 per meal. Since 2007, millions of meals have been provided for those in need through Restaurant Week. The list of restaurants that participate in the event continues to grow and this year is epic. From Al Solito Posto (in Tivoli Village) to WSKY Stadium (on Polaris Avenue), you can see all 200 restaurants, including the special three-course menus and prices, and make reservations here.
Let's put the rumors to rest. Contrary to reports circulating of late, KÀ, the Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand since 2005, isn't going anywhere for at least two and a half years. A statement from Cirque confirmed the show's tenure through November 2026. Still, its days might be numbered after that, so if you haven't seen it yet, we highly recommend it. It is, in our humble opinion, the most remarkable of the Cirque productions in Las Vegas, not the least of which is due to the two hydraulic "decks," one 30 by 30 feet and weighing around 35 tons and the other 50 by 25 feet and weighing 40 tons, that have extraordinary ranges of motion. We've seen the show several times and every time, we can't believe the staging.
The city is busy with an estimated 340,000 people in for the Memorial Day weekend and the sports books will be jumping with NBA and NHL playoff action today. Promos are sparse, but as it does every year, South Point is offering active and veteran military a free buffet for two today. At Fogo de Chao E. Flamingo, military get 50% off a full churrasco dinner and 10% off for others in the party. At Grimaldi’s Pizzerias, military gets 15% off.
Some buzz is being generated by movie star sightings downtown. Easy's Waltz, starring Vince Vaughan, Al Pacino, Michelle Monaghan, and Simon Rex, follows the journey of a down-on-his-luck comedian and singer (Vaughan), who's given a chance at a comeback by an old-school Vegas personality (Pacino), but the crazy schemes of his brother (Rex) and his own penchant for self-sabotage threaten to ruin the deal. Some photos and a short video with Vaughan and Rex filming outside the El Cortez are posted on X. Vaughan also stopped off at the Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails at the The Cosmopolitan, where he took the stage for a singalong with the resident Tomlinson Brown country band on Hank Williams Jr.'s "Family Tradition" and Alan Jackson's "Chattahoochee."
Las Vegas 8NowNews reports that Atomic Golf, which opened barely three months ago and prior to that held a "hiring blitz" to attract an estimated 500 employees, has laid off a "substantial" number of staff. Overhiring isn't uncommon when a venue first opens, but the layoffs might indicate that management was optimistic about the volume of business Atomic Golf would handle in the early days.
Josef Newgarden is the +500 favorite to win today's Indianapolis 500. He's followed by Scott McLaughlin at +550 and Will Power at +575.
After a big 10-point loss last Tuesday against the Phoenix Mercury (without their center Brittney Griner, who's injured), the Las Vegas Aces poured it on in their game last night at home against the Indiana Fever, featuring rookie sensation Caitlin Clark. The Aces held Clark to 2 buckets on eight shots in their commanding 99-80 win to put their record at 3-1 on the season. Las Vegas rookie Kate Martin, who played with Clark at U. Iowa, said it was "weird" to play against her former teammate, but the two visited awhile before and after the game.
The Boring Company digging machines have tunneled as far as Virgin hotel-casino on Paradise Road roughly a mile south of the Las Vegas Convention Center. It's expected that the Virgin station, which will connect to Convention Center's Silver Lot station, will be completed around this time next year. Progress continues on the stations at Westgate and Encore, though no completion dates have been announced.
The Beach Boys will play three shows at the Venetian Theatre on Sept. 4, 6, and 7 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their greatest hits collection, Endless Summer, released in June 1974. The album featured the band's best songs from 1962 to 1965, spent 155 weeks on Billboard charts, and returned the southern California icons to their earlier popularity. The band these days consists of founding member Mike Love (vocals) and Al Jardine (stringed instruments) who joined in 1965; Brian Wilson no longer tours. Tickets go on sale tomorrow starting at $45 (plus taxes and fees), at VenetianLasVegas.com.
Resorts World will start charging for parking on Saturday June 1. Previously, anyone with a Genting Rewards card enjoyed free parking just by inserting the card into the meter on the way out of the garages. Starting a week from today, members in the Elite tier or higher will still get free parking and, according to what Resorts World has told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, everyone will still get up to three free hours. After the free three, the rate will be "$18 per entry." Valet parking will remain the same: $25-$75, depending on the duration. The Elite tier is new, now between Royal (0-2,999 tier credits) and Prime (75,000-249,999). So you have to earn 3,000 credits to achieve Elitehood and get unlimited parking comped. But the three free hours for everyone are plenty for most things you do in a casino if you're not a guest.
This week's video is a real treat, with two guests and Anthony and Andrew delving deep into the World Series of Poker, which starts on Tuesday. Dave Stann (formerly known as "Hollywood" Dave for those of you who've been around since the early 2000s) and George Antonakos, two long-time poker players, sit in and go at it: the size of the tournament; what games they play and how many tournaments -- and cash games -- they'll enter; how bad F1 construction will be compared to the disaster of last year in terms of accessing Paris and the Horseshoe; whether or not they play the $10,000-buy-in Main Event; back-end deals and sponsorships; dead money; the insane takeouts from the rake; favorite events; and on and on. It's a fast-moving information-packed 37 minutes that you don't want to miss if you have any interest at all in the current poker scene and the greatest poker tournament of them all.
Truckloads of the Tropicana's last leftover crap are going for giveaway prices this weekend. The liquidation of the Trop's furnishings has been going on for a month now, which is why if you show up with a box truck (up to 27 feet), you can fill it for $100, while a pickup is $25. Admission is $20 if you're just going to look, waived if you bring a truck. Items must be removed the same day and all from the casino floor where, reportedly, you can find a baby grand piano, brand new linens, furniture (hotel beds, stack chairs, pool lounges, and the like), wall hangings, signage, and Christmas decorations. The sale runs from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday. Bring your own water; the casino doesn't have any.
Las Vegas has always been a magnet for airlines, but lately it's become a neodymium, the strongest magnet known. Ireland's flagship carrier Aer Lingus will start ferrying passengers between Dublin and Reid International on October 25, with thrice-weekly seasonal nonstop flights (Tues., Thurs., and Sat.) through April 29 for escapees from that country's winters. Also in October and for snowbirds, Southwest will add four weekly nonstop flights (Sun., Mon., Thurs.. Fri., starting Oct. 3) between Rochester, NY, and Reid. Southwest has also applied to the FAA to launch daily round-trip service between Vegas and Washington, D.C. Also from the UK, Norse Atlantic Airways, a low-cost long-haul carrier, will offer flights three times a week from and to London's Gatwick Airport beginning Sept. 12. And a small Canadian carrier, Porter Airline, began service between Toronto and Las Vegas in March.
Being Deadheads from way back, we've viewed at least a dozen posts about the Dead & Company shows at Sphere that started on Saturday night and continue through July 13. But so far, this one is the best we've seen, both for perspective photography and the number of videos of the shows. Check it out here.
A photospread on RailwayNews.com reveals renderings of the interiors of the Smart (coach) and Premium (first-class) railcars for the Brightline high-speed train between southern California and Las Vegas that broke ground last month and is slated for completion in 2028. The Smart cabins, reportedly, have the legroom of airplane first-class and the Premium cabins are even roomier, with first-class-style service. The party cars look fun -- with enough space for the slots and maybe even table games that have been speculated on hereabouts. You can see all the renderings here. (And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.)
Circa Sports has brought back the popular professional football contests, Circa Million VI and Circa Survivor, with their biggest combined payout yet: $16 million and no rake; it's the the largest prize pool ever for contests of this kind. Circa Survivor returns with a $10 million prize guarantee and Circa Million VI with $6 million. Signups launch tomorrow at 9 a.m. in all Circa Circa Sports Nevada locations and are open until September 7 at 2 p.m. during the first week of the pro season.
The world's largest F1 Arcade will open next year at the Forum Shops at Caesars. The 21,000-square-foot attraction will become the flagship location; there are three others, in London and Birmingham, UK, and Boston and a fourth is slated to open in Washington, D.C., in the fall. The Arcade gives fans an opportunity to participate in an F1-simulator racing experience. The attached bar offers free admission; races (at the Boston location) cost $20 standard and $25 at peak hours for three, $30/$35 for five. Each race lasts roughly 10 minutes, depending on the racing mode. According to the press release, the Arcade will be next to Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab, occupy two levels, and have an outside terrace overlooking the Strip and, of course, the actual Grand Prix when it runs in November.
Lenny Kravitz, who amazingly will turn 60 in a few days (and looks like a 40-year-old) will do five shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM on Dolby Live at Park MGM; the dates are Oct. 18, 19, 23, 25, and 26. The American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and actor will debut his 12th album, Blue Electric Light, at the mini-residency. Kravitz's music is a fusion that ranges from hard rock to funk, reggae, soul, and R&B. He made history by winning the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row (1999-2002), setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male performer; he's also won many other awards over the years and has sold 40 million albums in his 35-year career. Tickets go on sale at 10 p.m. PT Friday via ticketmaster.com.
LVSportsBiz.com publisher and reporter Alan Snel took a gander at the "the Clark County debt service for the public share of the Raiders stadium construction" and didn't like what he saw. To wit, after promising $750 million in public funds to help build the stadium, Clark County will wind up paying off $1.354 billion, "about $46 million less than the Raiders stadium construction budget of $1.4 billion." How so? The county is on a 30-year bond-repayment plan that will be completed in 2049 and the interest over that period nearly doubles the total amount. Snel also did a calculation that shows the county has "only" $1.178 billion to go. If you'd like to see the numbers, they're all right here. And as a reminder, Clark County has also promised $395 million to go toward the Oakland A's $1.5 billion baseball stadium.
The Maine resident who held the winning ticket for the $1.35 billion Mega Millions jackpot hit on January 13, 2023, is suddenly having family troubles. The situation involves the $400 million lump sum, his father and stepmother, ex-wife, daughter, current girlfriend, security team, non-disclosure agreements that were or weren't signed, lawsuits flying back and forth, and the like. The ugliest part of the picture is the winner himself who, if you believe the story on LotteryPost.com, seems to be talking out of three or four sides of his mouth. But one thing is clear. As many lottery winners have attested over the years, these huge windfalls often have so many negative unanticipated consequences that they wish they'd never won. You can read the gory details here.
Sunset Station has opened its sparkling new sports book. The amphitheater-style book is huge, 12,000 square feet, and similar to the one at Durango, seating 200, including tiered VIP lounge areas and 34 seats at the video poker bar. The LED screen is 152 feet long and can broadcast up to 30 different feeds simultaneously; another 40 LED TVs are peppered about the place. For race fans, the book features 19 race carrels with individual screens.
José Andrés is an award-winning Spain-born American chef, restaurateur, and humanitarian credited with introducing the U.S. to the small-plates concept and renowned for his high-quality restaurants and his non-profit World Central Kitchen that provides food to areas struck by natural disasters. He has four restaurants in Las Vegas, including the iconic Bazaar Meats at Sahara and Jaleo, China Poblano, and é by José Andrés at Cosmopolitan. Now, he's about to open his fifth, Bazaar Mar, a seafood and tapas eatery at the Shops at Crystals at City Center; it will include Bar Centro, "serving coffee and pastries in the morning and cocktails, caviar, and desserts in the evening." The word is Bazaar Mar will debut sometime this summer. In addition, a sixth restaurant, Zaytinya, serving mezze, the Middle Eastern version of tapas, is opening at the Forum Shops at Caesar, though no timeline has been revealed.
The Edmonton Oilers are -150 favorites over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of their second-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.5.
The new video on Las Vegas history, decade by decade, has just been released by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial. The City of Las Vegas: The Sixties is the sixth in the series; one is released every year in conjunction with Las Vegas' birthday, May 15. The Sixties covers the decade that focuses on the modernization of Las Vegas, challenges of a fast-growing population, the civil rights movement, and much more. Like the other videos, The Sixties is a meaty 75 minutes. See it here.
The Evel Knievel Museum, which has been located in Topeka since it opened in 2017, has long been rumored to be coming to Las Vegas and it's now a fact. The current museum will close on November 2, at which time all the exhibits will move to Las Vegas. The announcement came as part of the start of construction on the new museum building in the Arts District. The vacant 32,000-square-foot SF Mission Linen facility, located on S. 1st Street just north of Charleston Blvd. near Casino Center Blvd., will house the museum, along with a Mothership Coffee Roaster shop and what's described as "Chuck E. Cheese meets '80s' metal" -- in other words, a heavy-metal-themed pizza place from the proprietor of Evel Pie and Golden Tiki. No budget or timeline was specified.
First, the chief operating officer for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, a long-time Las Vegas business leader (she spent nine years as Las Vegas' city manager) suddenly resigned; she took the job in January, so she lasted barely five months. Her job included overseeing community relations -- thankless at best. The Nevada Independent reported that her departure "leaves the Grand Prix without a day-to-day local leader" and that the F1 CEO "hinted" that she would fill the position, which doesn't fill us with optimism. One of the reasons is that, second, F1 announced that it was comping two grandstand tickets (a $3,000 value) to Nevada's Teacher of the Year. Now doesn't that make you feel good about their generosity? And third, Ellis Island, which sits right next door to F1 headquarters, is suing the race company for monetary damages caused by the inaugural Grand Prix. The race "impeded access" to the property for months before and after and, in fact, employees were actually prohibited from going to and leaving from work for several hours on the night of the first practice round. Ellis Island joins several businesses, including long-time Italian restaurant Ferraro's, in suing F1 for its disruptions.
The Denver Nuggets are -4.5 favorites over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series. The total is 201.
The New York Knicks are -3 favorites over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series. The total is 209.
Going into the final round of golf's PGA Championship, there’s a logjam at the top, with 15 players at or within five strokes of the lead. Xander Schauffele and Colin Morikawa are co-leaders. with Schauffele the narrow +240 favorite and Morikawa at +265. Viktor Hovland, Sahith Theegala, and Bryson Dechambeau are all +750. It’s gonna be a barnburner.
The odds for the Preakness Stakes make Kentucky Derby winner, Mystik Dan, the favorite at 3-1, followed by Catching Freedom at 7-2 and Imagination and Tuscan Gold, both at 4-1. The long shot in the field of eight is Mugatu at 16-1. The Triple Crown is still in play, with Mystic Dan favored and the former favorite, Muth, having scratched.
Yesterday was the first time in 2024 that the thermometer hit a hundred. The sweaty event took place just after 1 p.m. at the official National Weather Service monitoring station at Reid International. It was three degrees higher than the previous highest temperature of the year, 97, recorded on May 13 and it was a full six and a half weeks earlier than last year's first 100-degree day on June 30, which tied the all-time record for the latest 100-degree day of the year set on June 30, 1965. Remember last year? We also broke the record for the consecutive number of days below 100 at 291. The previous record of 290 days was set in 1964-1965.
It's a "Beer Friday" YouTube episode today. Join Anthony and Andrew for a livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact, and drink along to start the weekend. Log on at LVA YouTube live channel.
Wrestlemania 41, the WWE's largest event of the year, is expected to attract 180,000 fans when it storms into Las Vegas next year over Easter weekend, April 19-20. In addition to F1 in November, it will be the biggest deal, including conventions, between now and then. Upwards of 145,000 room nights will be occupied and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has approved a $5 million sponsorship for WWE to host the event at Allegiant Stadium.
“The Swimmin’ Hole” at Silverton has reopened after being closed for a complete remodel to the tune of $10 million. The pool deck now features cabanas and daybeds, a bar and grill, a 32-foot retractable screen at the bar for special-event broadcasts, fire pits, and new restrooms. It's part of a $50 million makeover at Silverton, including a refresh of the casino and a complete renovation of the property's 300 hotel rooms completed last fall.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that Bellagio's acclaimed New French restaurant, Picasso, is closing in mid-August. The reason? Its proprietor, Julian Serrano, is retiring. That wouldn't necessarily be a cause to close for most celebrity-chef eateries, but Serrano, 74, is in the kitchen at least six nights a week and has been since Picasso opened, when Bellagio did, in 1998. He told the R-J that upwards of 70% of his team has been there since the beginning and many are expected to retire with him. Serrano's two other Las Vegas restaurants, Lago at Bellagio and Tapas at Aria, will remain open. What replaces Picasso will be announced in the future.
Major League Baseball will be holding an "umpire clinic" at the Las Vegas Ballpark, home of the Las Vegas Aviators, the minor league affiliate of the Oakland A's. The one-day camp on Saturday is free for participants, who will "work with MLB's umpires and supervisors to hone the skills necessary to umpire successfully at all levels." At the end of the day, participants might be selected to attend the MLB Umpire Prospect Development Camp at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida, for an all-expenses paid four-week program in January, in which invitees compete for paid positions. Register here.
In a press release yesterday afternoon, Hard Rock International announced that the Mirage will shut down all operations on Wednesday July 17 in order to start preparations for its transformation into the Hard Rock Casino and Guitar Hotel. This follows the announcement last month that Cirque's Beatles LOVE show would go dark permanently on July 7. Room reservations and tickets to other performances as of July 14 will be canceled and refunded. Upwards of 3,300 employees will be laid off; management is offering them jobs at other Hard Rock properties, though that will require location to Florida, Virginia, or northern Indiana. The new Hard Rock Las Vegas is slated to reopen "by spring 2027." Contrary to earlier proclamations, this isn't a phased renovation, but a total three-year transformation.
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite at +450 to win the PGA Championship golf tournament. He’s followed by Rory McIlroy at +750, Brooks Koepka at +1400, and Xander Schauffele at +1600. Tiger Woods is +15000.
Our poll on the best locals casinos to frequent for gambling -- the best games, the better players clubs, and the easiest comps -- ends tomorrow. You can vote for your favorites from a list of 40 neighborhood joints, from M Resort in the far south and Red Rock in the far west to Aliante in the far north and Sam's Town in the far east, but only through Thursday. Here's the link to the poll. The results will be posted on Saturday.
Las Vegas and the College Football Playoffs have wanted to hold the title game at Allegiant Stadium since the venue opened; in 2021, the CFP tried to arrange for the 2025 championship game at Allegiant, but there was a conflict with CES, both of which take place in early January. Now, it was just announced that Allegiant will host the 2027 CFP championship game. Las Vegas will be the 11th different city to host a CFP title game and it adds to Super Bowl LVIII and the Men's Final Four in 2028.
It's been a busy seven days for the WNBA championship team. A week ago, the team was honored in a ceremony at the White House. Last night, they raised their championship banner for last season, right next to the championship banner for the previous season. Then, they went out onto the floor at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay for the season opener and handily beat the Phoenix Mercury 89-80. Throughout the night, the sellout crowd yelled, "Three-peat!" And it's a distinct possibility; the Aces are a +110 favorite to win this year's title for the third time in a row.
Yesterday, the Nevada Supreme Court rejected a proposed initiative that would have put the Oakland A's stadium to a vote in the November election. The initiative was proposed by a political action committee backed by the Nevada State Education Association, which is opposed to using public funds to build the stadium. The suit was brought by unions in favor of the funding. The PAC intends to rewrite the proposal and put it before voters in 2026. And a federal judge struck down the second version of a lawsuit over price fixing by Las Vegas hotel-casino companies. The judge upheld a lower court's determination that the suit, filed last year against Caesars, MGM, Wynn, and Treasure Island, failed to prove that the companies colluded via a data-sharing company to inflate room rates in violation of antitrust laws.
Travel + Leisure surveyed the least expensive places to travel in August based a combined average for round-trip economy airfare and one night in a standard double room from data on Kayak.com to arrive at the 15 cheapest deep-summer destinations. Not surprisingly, eight of the top 10 are in warm-weather locations. Orlando is cheapest at $519, followed by New Orleans ($520), Miami and Ft. Lauderdale ($538/$540), Denver (the anomaly at $553), then Washington, D.C., Myrtle Beach, and Atlanta. Las Vegas came in at number nine ($621). Not too long ago, Vegas would've come in first, but obviously, prices, especially for hotel rooms, have risen since the halcyon dog days of yesteryear.
A royal flush was hit on a Three Card Poker game at the Venetian last Friday, triggering the Millionaire Progressive for $1.9 million. The player, identified as from Connecticut, was dealt the royal in spades and had made the $5 side bet, making him eligible for the jackpot. The Millionaire Progressive links Three Card Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’em, Crazy 4 Poker, and Mississippi Stud; introduced in 2018, it's been hit 14 times since then. And though another jackpot isn't quite up to our seven-figure minimum for reporting, an Ultimate Texas Hold’em player at The LINQ hit the MEGA Progressive for $362,000. What makes it special is that it happened on the Ohio player's 21st birthday. (Good thing it wasn't the day before.) The young man intends to buy a house with his winnings.
We found this story, for some reason, in the Gilmer Mirror, the oldest newspaper in Upshur County, Texas. A Hindu statesman with a worldwide following is asking Caesars Entertainment to move the shrine to Lord Brahma, situated outside Caesars Palace since 1984, to a more appropriate location. The stateman's statement read, in part, "Lord Brahma is highly revered in Hinduism, meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be denigrated like this. It is highly insensitive, disrespectful, and out of line to place the creator god Brahma in front of a gambling establishment, next to Hell’s Kitchen showing devil’s pitchfork whose signature dish is Beef Wellington, a show tent hosting adults-only circus variety show featuring a cocktail of wild and outlandish acts, and a cocktail bar. Casinos should not be in the business of trivializing sacred Hindu deities, which is painful to Hindus the world over."
The National Football League will release the game schedule for the upcoming 2024-2025 season on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PT. If you're looking to buy tickets for a Raiders' home game, this is an important day and time. Why? Because Allegiant Stadium is sold out for every Raiders game via season tickets held by Personal Seat License (PSL) owners, so purchasing single-game tickets directly from the Raiders cannot be done. Instead, you must navigate the resale market and the time to do this is one minute after the schedule is announced. Many PSL holders post their tickets for sale immediately and it’s possible to score a bargain while the forces of supply and demand are still calibrating the market price. A blog post by Dapper Dave explains the process, which you should definitely read if you're in the market for tickets to a Raiders home game.
So much for disruptions limited to "a couple of months" before the race, as previously announced by race officials. With more than six months to go until the second Las Vegas Grand Prix in mid-November, overnight lane reductions on the Strip have gone into effect (they started last night). Currently and through the end of the week, Harmon Avenue westbound is reduced to one lane between Audrie Street and the Planet Hollywood entrance; so is Sands Avenue eastbound between the Strip and Koval Lane. Tomorrow night, work gets under way on the southbound Strip at Bellagio Drive and at the southwest corner of Harmon Avenue. The official word is "maintenance" on the race course.
It’s been announced that an audio component is coming to Sphere’s exterior. Whereas it’s been solely a visual experience up till now, soon sound that can be heard outside will be added. Sphere brass believes it will enhance the “exosphere’s” (outside shell) value as an advertising medium.
Perhaps no image is more iconic, representative of Las Vegas, or seen more around the world than the "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign. It's located in the median of the south Strip just across from the Pinball Hall of Fame and is perpetually crowded with selfie pilgrims. The sign, at least the concept of it, celebrates its 65th anniversary this month; its design was approved by Clark County and fabrication began in May 1959. To celebrate the occasion, the county is sponsoring a contest for the best wedding pictures taken at the Welcome sign. The best photo (posted on Instagram sometime this month) in the “Your Sign of LoVe” contest will win a 12-inch-tall replica of the Welcome sign created by YESCO itself and personalized with the names of the winning couple (need not be present to win). Get all the details here. And to read about the history of the sign, check out our Question of the Day.
Derrick Lewis is a -170 favorite over Rodrigo Nascimento in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Joaquin Buckley is -140 over Nursulton Ruziboev.
The LVA YouTube Weekly Update is live and kicking. Our very own casino influencers, Anthony and Andrew, dive into the details coming out of Virgin: Mohegan Sun is out as the casino manager and the Culinary Union is on strike this weekend. Then they segue to the latest "trailer casino"; find out where it will be and when and what the video poker payouts will probably be like. The Downtown Rocks concert series is starting up in a couple of weeks and Andrew's excited about several of the bands, Anthony's excited about a steak special (16-ounce ribeye dinner for $19.99) at a bar in North Las Vegas that also has a stellar sign-up bonus, and the Question of the Week is how to become an advantage player. And speaking of advantage play, the Jackpot of the Week is a good example, plus it's a sweet story. It's all here with a quick click.
Confirming a rumor on VitalVegas, Eater Vegas reports that Holsteins, the burger restaurant that opened with Cosmopolitan in 2010, will close on July 9. Employees were notified yesterday of the impending shutdown. A new restaurant is in development, but nothing has been announced -- or rumored -- about it yet.
Last year around this time, we learned that Las Vegas Spaceport, Inc., had quietly acquired 240 acres roughly 50 miles west of the city near Pahrump to build a hotel-casino-astronaut-training-center-spaceport -- words that don't often appear together. The company has a plan to get a jump on space tourism, while locating the spaceport near major military bases and their pilots and technicians, plus rocket scientists. Now, Clark County has just approved construction permits for the Las Vegas Executive Airport, slated to be the "cornerstone" of the complex, which will serve both commercial and private space tourism. The overall plans include a passenger terminal, rooftop deck, restaurant, and hotel; there was no mention of a casino in the recent news reports. Construction is expected to begin in late summer, with an operator selected in four years and space travel "at least five years" away.
EDC 2024 invades Las Vegas next weekend, running May 17-19 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Upwards of 520,000 people are expected to pass through the gates during that time. Costs are rising of course, but transportation will be particularly dear. According to some transportation information sent to us, the official shuttle bus is $279 per person,just under 100% more than the Coachella shuttle at $140. For taxis and rideshares, there will be a $100 surcharge on top of the trip fare ($40 dropoff, $60 pickup). Limited parking starts at $165 per space. And the helicopter ride is $650 one-way.
Following on the heels of a $30 million capital investment to redo the hotel rooms and casino restrooms, the El Cortez has announced another $20 million upgrade. This one will be an expansion, adding a high-limit lounge, two bars, an Asian restaurant (noodles), and a Starbucks. The project will begin this summer with a completion date of early next year.
For the first time in over 22 years, the Culinary and Bartenders Union has called for a strike at Virgin Las Vegas beginning tomorrow at 5 a.m. and continuing through Sunday 5 a.m. The strike will involve more than 700 hospitality workers, including room attendants, cocktail and food servers, porters, bellmen, cooks, bartenders, and kitchen workers, and picket lines will cover all entrances to the property. Negotiations are ongoing, but the next scheduled meeting between management and the union isn't until next Tuesday. Virgin is the only hotel-casino in Las Vegas that remains without a labor contract, which expired on June 1 of last year. For Virgin's part, executives claim that they've been making "sincere efforts to meet and negotiate,” but the union "isn't negotiating in good faith"; they've also filed an unfair-labor-practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board. The most recent Culinary Union strike was in 2002 at the Golden Gate; it lasted 10 days.
The Venetian opened in early May 1999, making this month its silver anniversary. Perhaps in conjunction with the milestone, Apollo Management (casino operator) and Vici Properties (landowner) just announced a 36-month $1.5 billion (yes, with a "b") capital investment in the property, which includes a major renovation of the Venetian Expo, a remodel of the high-limit room and sports book at Palazzo, a number of new restaurants, the new small Voltaire Theater, and a complete refresh of all 4,000 Venetian suites. You can see some good photos, especially two of what the new suites will look like, on a Travel & Leisure web page. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
In a story on LVSportsBiz.com, "What Is Clark County Hiding about Recently Submitted Formula 1 Traffic Report?", local reporter Alan Snell wonders aloud why the county "refuses to allow the public to see the Las Vegas Grand Prix traffic report." Snel has made several requests to county officials to release the report, which was submitted by the Las Vegas Grand Prix on May 1; the county maintains that "the report is a draft and not allowed to be seen by the public." Really? Snel quotes Nevada's open-records law, which says that unless a document is "declared confidential by law," information is "by default" public record. There's a lot more to this story and if you'd like to read it, you'll find it here.
The Clark County Commission has voted to grant Bally's Corp. a two-year waiver with two possible six-month extensions on license requirements; this allows the company to keep its gaming license for the Tropicana site. Without the extension(s), Bally's license would be suspended, with the possibility of nonrenewal, 30 days after closure. The extension requires the Trop to be completely demolished by April 2025. Meanwhile, the Review-Journal reports this morning that the exact placement of the Oakland A's stadium hasn't been determined, awaiting the overall property design, which will include where and how large a new casino will be, along with non-relocation, development, and lease agreements that the team still needs to submit to the Stadium Authority.
Teased earlier this year, the National Hockey League made the official announcement yesterday that its 2024 draft will be held at Sphere on June 28-29. The NHL will be the first sports league to sponsor an event at Sphere and the draft will be the first event to be televised live from the arena. In the statement, the league promised "an NHL Draft like no other, introducing the bright future of hockey in an innovative and exhilarating setting.” The first round on Friday will be televised starting at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, SN, and TVAS with rounds 2-7 on Saturday starting at 11:30 ET on ESPN+, NHLN, SN, and SN1. Reportedly, the draft will be open to the public, though no ticket information was included in the announcement. This is expected to be the last centralized draft for the NHL; starting next year, the teams will make their picks from their home markets and only the draft-eligible players will congregate in one place.
Virgin Las Vegas and Mohegan will part ways by the end of this year, both entities announced in a joint statement yesterday afternoon. Following Mohegan's departure as manager of the Virgin casino, Virgin will take over operations, pending regulatory approvals.
The Last Showgirl has wrapped production in Las Vegas. The movie's title character is a Vegas dancer in her 50s, "who struggles with what to do next" when her show abruptly closes after a 30-year run on the Strip. That character is played by Pamela Anderson, who returns to the big screen after a role as a sheriff in the forgettable 2022 horror film Alone at Night. The Last Showgirl is directed by Gia Coppola, granddaughter of Francis Ford and niece of director Sofia Coppola. It also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Brenda Song, and Dave Bautista. The film is now in post-production, but no release date has been announced. We'll look for it.
Interest rates? What interest rates? Mortgage rates have been inching up all year, but they aren't having an impact on prices for houses, townhouses, and condos in Las Vegas; in fact, townhomes and condos set an all-time record in April for the median price: $290,000. That's an increase of 7.4% from April 2023 and beats the old record of $287,000 set in August 2022. As for houses, the median price was $469,000, up $4,000 over March and $39,000 from a year ago. Sales were brisk, up 16% for condos and nearly 20% for houses over 2023.
After a long residency last year at Zappo's Theater at Planet Hollywood and one at the Colosseum at Caesars in 2019, country singer, songwriter, and guitarist Keith Urban will play 10 shows at BleauLive Theater; the dates are October 4, 5, 9, 11, and 12 and February 14, 15, 19, 21, and 22. This is the first "residency" at the 3,800-seat BleauLive, which has been defined since opening by single shows; Fontainebleau apparently doesn't like the residency label and is calling the 10 shows an "exclusive engagement." Tickets go on sale to the public Friday at 10 a.m. PT at Ticketmaster.
Anime is a style of animation that originated in Japan and has become popular worldwide. "One Piece" is a long-running (1997) anime and manga (graphic-novel) series, one of the most popular in Japan. It chronicles the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat pirate crew as they search for the ultimate treasure known as One Piece. It combines elements of action, adventure, comedy, drama, and fantasy in various formats, including a TV series, movies, and video games. "One Piece" will open its first U.S. fast-food cafe in Las Vegas on Saturday. The eatery will be located in Chinatown at 5600 Spring Mountain Rd. (north side of Spring Mountain just west of Lindell). You can see the menu, inspired by the series' characters, and the presentation of the food at the website. The cafe will be open daily 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
The last time the WWE held its largest event of the year, WrestleMania, in Las Vegas was in 1993 for WrestleMania 10. Minneapolis was the frontrunner for this year's WrestleMania 41, but it was just announced that it will be held here at Allegiant Stadium over Easter weekend next year, April 19-20. It's not exactly the Super Bowl, but it's of a similar caliber; events around the host city take place for a week with lots of national publicity. Last month, WrestleMania 40 attracted nearly 150,000 attendees over two nights in Philadelphia and is projected to provide more than $200 million in economic impact for Las Vegas. Easter weekend is traditionally a slow time here, so we'll see what WrestleMania can deliver. Allegiant Stadium also hosted the WWE's sold-out SummerSlam in 2021. Ticket information is forthcoming in the next few months, but you can register for the pre-sale at this link.
The Vegas Golden Knights lost Game 7 in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs last night in Dallas by the squeaker score of 2-1. It wasn't a big surprise; the VGK leapt out to a 2-0 lead in the series, then dropped three out of the last five games, and the Stars were the favorite to win at home. In the Knights' seven seasons, they've made the playoffs six times, winning the Stanley Cup last year. They lost in the first round only once before, in their second season (2019) against the San Jose Sharks.
The Dallas Stars are -145 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 7 of their first-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.5.
AirportParkingReservations.com took a look at the most popular museums in America, using search data and the highest positive ratings online. The site's study found that the Mob Museum is by far the most popular in Nevada, with 40,500 posted reviews. That number also ranks it 15th in the nation, just below the Denver Art Museum (48,170) and Meow Wolf in New Mexico (47,835) and way above the 16th-ranked Baltimore Museum of Art (35,525). Perhaps surprisingly, or not, Graceland in Memphis was number one with nearly 1.3 million reviews, followed by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (781,558) and the Art Institute of Chicago (219,608).
The Cleveland Cavaliers are -3 favorites over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 195.5.
One of our favorite Las Vegas restaurants, Peyote, closed with little notice last weekend. No reason was announced for the sudden move, but the speculation is that its location, Fergusons Downtown, will be sold off by the estate of Tony Hsieh and is emptying out beforehand. Though we hadn't been there for a while, Peyote was a foodie haven, both for dinner and Sunday brunch, especially on the large patio on Fremont Street. The two south-of-the-border chefs who founded Peyote opened a new restaurant downtown, La Mona Rosa (that we didn't like as much).
Alexandre Pantoja is a -200 favorite over Steve Erceg in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Jonathan Martinez is -150 over Jose Aldo.
The Boston Bruins are -135 favorites over the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of their first-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.
The current odds for the Kentucky Derby make Fierceness the favorite at 3-1, followed by Sierra Leone at 9-2 and Forever Young at 6-1. The long shot is Grand Mo the First at 48-1.
This week's video starts out with two "no-news" items: Bally's doesn't know what they'll do with the leftover acreage around the Oakland A's stadium and said as much in its recent earnings call; and a Las Vegas real estate company, LVXP, has announced a resort-casino and NBA-ready stadium for the site of the failed resort-arena project All Net. Different group, same idea -- is it news? We'll see. Beyond that, Anthony discusses the pool scene, which is open and in action, including the toptional pools and the ones where you can gamble (and be sure to listen carefully about getting in for free if you do). The Question of the Week covers what seat not to sit in at a blackjack table if you're concerned about what other players think of you and the Jackpot of the Week launches a discourse on Triple Double Ultimate X Bonus Streak. Check it out.
The huge one-day Friends and Lovers music festival, featuring some of the biggest acts in pop and R&B, has been canceled. The "heartbreaking decision" was announced little more than 12 hours before the gates to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds were scheduled to open today at noon, due to a high wind warning from the National Weather Service. According to the F&L statement, "Following advice from the National Weather Service and in consultation with local officials, we must make the safest decision for our fans, artists, and staff and cancel the festival." Ticket holders for the sold-out event, almost all of whom are here, will receive a refund within 30 days to the original form of payment.
Lovers & Friends returns for its third music festival tomorrow at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The one-day event features a wide variety of artists on five stages starting at noon and running through midnight. Headliners include Janet Jackson, Gwen Stefani, Mary J. Blige, Backstreet Boys, Usher, Alicia Keys, Brandy, 98 Degrees, Nelly Furtado, Nas, and Kelly Rowland; another 50 or so acts will perform. All tickets have long been sold out. You'll definitely want to avoid the Strip at Sahara for the whole day.
Live Nation's annual Concert Week returns next week. This is a strong promotion in which tickets for concerts and comedy shows are $25, including fees (but not taxes). This is the 10th annual Week, which will run Wednesday May 8 through Tuesday May 14. Buy tickets starting Wednesday at 7 a.m. PT for shows at 14 Las Vegas venues, including Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood, BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau, Brooklyn Bowl, the Colosseum at Caesars, Dolby Live at Park MGM, House of Blues, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Pearl at the Palms, T-Mobile, and more. You can see the whole list here and get the tickets here when the sale starts.
It's been a long time coming and the official word was that merging the two players clubs presented unique challenges that took a couple of years to overcome, but the Cosmopolitans Identity Club will disappear and be replaced by MGM Rewards on July 30. According to the FAQs, members will keep their existing Identity point and free-play balances when MGM Rewards takes over, but (ruh-roh) members will receive a "one-time adjustment" of tier credits in MGM Rewards based on Identity tier points earned over the past year. Those details "will be shared in the coming weeks" and we'll be very pleasantly surprised if the tier points aren't downgraded in some way. You can read all the FAQs here.
A “trailer casino” — a temporary gambling space created to preserve a gaming license — is scheduled for May 14 on the site of the former Moulin Rouge. Trailer casinos are so named, because machines are staged in a trailer for eight hours, then taken away. The machines will be open for play starting at 6 am. You might want to check it out to say you have, but we’ve done so in the past and never found anything exciting in the mix—video poker returns on the last one we attended ranged from 93.11% to 95.71%.
Shin Lim and Colin Cloud, who've performed together at the Mirage Theater since the show opened in May 2019, are going their separate ways. Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist John "Kats" Katsilometes reports that Cloud's last performance with Lim will be on July 1 and one night later, he'll open at Harrah's in his own show. Lim has extended his show at the Mirage through September 2, though what happens at the theater after that is anyone's guess. We saw Lim's show late last year and were duly impressed with both performers; you can read our review here.
Downtown Rocks, the series of free concerts that run on random Saturday nights from Memorial Day weekend to late October, has announced the bands that will perform. We haven't heard of any of them, but we think some of the names are cool, especially Boys Like Girls, Sublime with Rome, Hoobastank, and our favorite, To Be Announced, which is playing the final two weeks. (Just kidding.) Here's the lineup. May 25 Seether, June 8 Hoobastank with Soul Asylum, June 29 Boys Like Girls, July 6 Chris Janson, July 20 Sebastian Bach, August 31 Common Kings, Sept. 7 Joe Nichols, Sept. 21 Sublime with Rome, Oct. 5 and 26 To Be Announced.
A topic that's covered in the Review-Journal on an annual basis compares the pay of casino-company chief executive officers to that of "typical employees" and the R-J reports this morning that the ratios at several Las Vegas-based companies last year were, shall we say, unsporting. The ratio for Caesars' CEO, for example, was a mere 560-to-1 ($18.6 million to $33,250 for the "median compensated employee"). Almost as much was Las Vegas Sands at 533-to-1 ($21.9 million to $41,185). Penn Entertainment (Tropicana, M Resort) was also close to the top at 405-to-1 ($15.5 million to $38,332), followed by MGM Resorts International at 374-to-1 ($17 million to $45,502). Boyd was 318-to-1 ($11.4 million to $35,904), Wynn 299-to-1 ($16.2 million to $54,100), the STRAT's Golden Entertainment Inc. 151-to-1 ($6.1 million to $40,136), Bally's 103-to-1 ($4.5 million to $43,956), and Station 84-to-1 ($3.5 million to $41,584). Interesting to us is the median income of the employees; Wynn was highest at $54,100, then MGM/$45,502 and Bally's/$43,956. Why doesn't it surprise us that Caesars was way down at the bottom at $33,250 and Boyd wasn't much better at $35,904.
The first Lindo Michoacan opened in Las Vegas on E. Desert Inn Road nearly 25 years ago in 1990 with 12 tables; since then, its three locations (a second in Summerlin and a third in Henderson) seat more than 300 people and it's one of the most popular and venerable Mexican restaurants in town. The fourth location will open at Palace Station tomorrow at 11 a.m., just in time for Cinco de Mayo weekend. Located in the former Tacos & Tequila space, the new room seats 106 guests and offers the same menu as the other three restaurants.
May starts out moderately hot and winds up summery hot. Average high temperatures range 83 degrees on the first and 94 on the 31st, while average lows go from 61 to 71. Record high temperatures, though are all in the triple digits, from 102 (seven days) to 109 (on the 28th in 2003). The record low of 38 was recorded on the third in 1948; otherwise, all record lows have been in the 40s, with two 50-degree nights (the 26th in 1980 and 28th in 1971). Average rainfall is a quarter-inch, tied with October for the third lowest month of precipitation.