This week's YouTube features Andrew Uyal, author of our book The Blackjack Insiders and our upcoming book, tentatively titled The Untold Stories. Andrew started as a pit clerk, worked his way up to dealer, floor supervisor, pit boss, and shift boss, then learned to count cards and, with a partner also from behind the tables, spent a year as a two-man blackjack team. He's now a boss at a high-end Strip casino and boy, does he have stories to tell. Tune in to this 36-minute interview for a discussion of what it's really like to be a card counter, especially dealing with the losses, and the view from inside looking out a blackjack tables: the changed comp scene, the outrageous minimums, smart and stadium blackjack, side bets, and how the casinos can and probably will continue to downgrade the game. This is one not to miss if you're at all interested in "the man behind curtain."
For the second year in a row, USA Today’s “Restaurants of the Year” list has a single Nevada pick and it’s not in Las Vegas. The picks are selected by dining writers around the country and this year for Nevada it's Middlegate Station, a combination “restaurant, bar, gas station, and motel” on desolate Highway 50, between Fallon and Austin. A photo of Middlegate’s massive Monster Burger is included in the story.
The bright-yellow animated emoji that has appeared on Sphere's exosphere since the beginning has taken on a life of its own. Sphere Entertainment has named the character Orbi and has launched a website that sells logowear in the "Orbi Collection." For a yellow head with two eyes and eyelashes and a tiny mouth, Orbi has seemingly unlimited expressions and additions: fangs for Halloween, sweat drops in July, drowsing in the evening, festive for Christmas, suave with sunglasses, etc. He's a cool cat for sure and now you too can wear your very own Orbi hats and caps, pocket T's, and sweatshirts, along with a lot more Sphere-themed merch by going to shop.thespehre.com.
The National Football League Players Association has issued its third annual team rankings from surveys filled out by all 1,696 active players. It's a vivid look into the cultures of the highest-valued teams in the world. (In a recent analysis by Sportico, 13 of the world's 20 most valuable teams are in the NFL.) The Las Vegas Raiders ranked fourth overall, getting the highest grades possible (A+) in Nutritionist/Dietician and Weight Room; A in Food/Dining, Training Room, Strength Coaches, Team Travel, and Ownership; and A- in Training Staff and Locker Room. The lowest grade was a B+ in Treatment of Families. The highest-ranked team was the Miami Dolphins with all A+ and A, followed by the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons. The lowest ranked was the Arizona Cardinals, while the New England Patriots were 31 of 32, the Cleveland Browns 30, and the New York Jets 29.
The opening date for the fan attractions at the Las Vegas Grand Prix's pit building has been announced for March 29. The three attractions are: F1 X, where participants design their own race cars and test them on virtual tracks; F1 DRIVE, the actual racing experience in karts on part of the Grand Prix circuit; and F1 HUB, the racing simulator. Also opening are the F1 merch shop and what's described in the press release as "food and beverage offerings." Tickets go on sale on next Thursday; we'll report on prices then. Grand Prix Plaza, located at the corner of Harmon and Koval, will be open 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sun.-Thurs., till midnight Friday and Saturday.
"Hollywood 2.0" is a plan to transform Las Vegas into a major entertainment hub for film and television production. Up until yesterday, Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures were competing for state tax incentives to launch their projects. But Variety now reports that the two major studios have joined forces. "In recent weeks, Warner Bros. dropped its support for a facility at a UNLV business park in southwest Las Vegas. On Wednesday, the company announced that it will instead partner with Sony on its $400 million studio project in Summerlin." That project would require "only" $80 million per year in tax credits. In the 2023 legislative session, lawmakers rejected a bill that would have cost $190 million for the two studios and Variety writes, "Since then, it has been clear that there was appetite for only one project, at most." Governor Lombardo has said that he's "skeptical" of subsidizing the film industry, though he's all in on $380 million worth of tax breaks for the Las Vegas A's.
Due to popular demand, the When We Were Young music festival has added a second day. All tickets for the original date, Saturday October 18, sold out within hours of the opening of the presale, so Sunday has been added with the exact same lineup of nearly 50 acts. Headliners include Panic! At the Disco, blink-182, Weezer, and Avril Lavigne, with supporting appearances by such household names as The Story So Far, Plain White T's, Taking Back Sunday, Boys Like Girls, All Time Low, We Came as Romans, and our favorite, Never Shout Never. A waitlist is in effect till Friday when the presale for the Sunday date begins. General admission starts at $425.
Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) returns to Las Vegas after making its debut at Allegiant Stadium last year with two season-opening "fixtures" (rugby-ese for a sporting event scheduled to take place on a particular date). Saturday will see four fixtures, three men's and one women's. In the first fixture, the Wigan Warriors, reigning Super League champions, take on the Warrington Wolves. Then come the Canberra Raiders facing the New Zealand Warriors, England Women versus the Australian Jillaroos, and back to the men's Penrith Panthers versus the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks. Last year, 40,000 fans attended the double-header; this year's attendance is expected to easily surpass it.
Earth-moving equipment is now working at the site of Boyd Gaming's new casino, Cadence Crossing, on Boulder Highway adjacent to the existing Jokers Wild. The formal groundbreaking ceremony will take place on April 3. Cadence Crossing is slated to open during the summer of next year, at which point Joker Wild will be torn down. It will house 450 slots and "several" restaurants and bars.
Tomorrow if you're around, you might see a strange sight: The giant fuselage of a 747 aircraft making its way from the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to Area15. The section -- 23 feet wide, 72 feet long, and 16 feet tall — will be transported on a wide-load flatbed tractor trailer; it will be followed by "caravan of art cars and Area15 costumed performers." The 747 was moved from its "home" on the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada as part of Burning Man and will be repurposed at Area15 as an event and nightlife venue. You can see some cool photos of the plane on a Reno Gazette Journal web page. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
According to Variety, the American Music Awards will be aired live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day, May 26, at 8 p.m. ET. The AMA is a (mostly) annual awards show that's taken place since 1974, though this will be the first since 2022. Nominees are selected based on commercial performance (sales and airplay) and the winners are selected in a public vote on AMA's website. The host location in Las Vegas will be announced soon.
In a Securities and Exchange Commission filing, Wynn Resorts revealed that Tilman Fertitta's ownership of the company's stock has exceeded 10%. Owning 10% or more of a company's shares renders an investor a “business insider,” with greater authority and accountability. The CEO of Houston-based Feritta Entertainment, with its Golden Nugget casino brand, restaurants, and the NBA’s Houston Rockets, is now Wynn’s largest shareholder, with more stock than Elaine Wynn. Analysts have maintained that Feritta is simply investing in an undervalued stock. But some speculation has circulated that the billionaire is angling for more activism in the company and possibly a takeover attempt.
The Backstreet Boys have added more shows to their Sphere residency for the second time. What started out as nine shows, then expanded to 12, is now 19 shows. The total schedule is July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27; and August 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, and 17. Tickets for all shows go on sale later this week.
A number of Philadelphia Eagles, including superstar running back Saquon Barkley, came to Vegas to celebrate their Super Bowl championship and Las Vegas Review-Journal entertainment columnist John Katsilometes was there to report, "The TD drive, as it were, opened with a private dinner at Delilah. The crew then moved to XS Nightclub, filing in at about 11:30 p.m. and hanging for about two hours. Champagne and, yes, party cannons blasted over the crowd on a night The Chainsmokers were back on stage in their Wynn Nightlife residency series. Customized touches included championship belts, a football-shaped cake, and fake cash reading “2025 Champs.” The team’s anthem, 'Fly Eagles Fly' made its XS Nightclub debut." You can see photos of the festivities here.
It's being reported, including by us, that Fountainebleau is matching players club tiers again this year, like it did last year, until June 1 and running through the end of the year. We took the following from the press release: "The tier match is good until the end of this year. Members of Caesars Rewards, MGM Rewards, Wynn Rewards, Venetian Rewards, Genting Rewards, Unity by Hard Rock, Infinity Rewards (Sahara), 24K Select Club (Golden Nugget), Boyd Rewards, Club Serrano (Palms, Yamaava) and Penn Play can show their card at Fontainebleau and be placed in the comparable tier, with all Fbleau's attending perks." Now for the real story? An LVA correspondent writes in to tell us, "I gambled at Fontainebleau Wednesday night while my wife went to the Keith Urban concert. At the players club, they told me they were matching only the highest tier of other systems. I'm a Caesars Diamond Plus, but not Seven Stars, so they wouldn't match me. (They did match my status last year when they opened.) Just wanted to tell you my experience." This is the kind of invaluable feedback we receive from members and correspondents that makes this site truly interactive and up to the minute.
Our LVA correspondent extraordinaire, Canada Roy, did some sleuthing and found a letter from the Nevada law firm Kaempfer Crowell to the Clark County Planning Commission that reads, "The Applicant [Hard Rock] is now requesting a first extension of time. Construction commenced on July 17, 2024, with an anticipated completion in the 4th quarter of 2027." Originally announced for spring 2027, it appears that the Hard Rock is already running a bit behind. We wouldn't be surprised to see the grand opening pushed into 2028.
Yadong Song is a -270 favorite over Henry Cejudo in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Anthony Hernandez is -335 over Brendan Allen.
If you missed it live yesterday, you can tune into Beer Friday by clicking the red arrow below. The guys get a bit gassed and have a good time, as always, discussing a range of topics, from hot dogs to resort fees, influencers to gasoline prices, video poker to the El Cortez remodel. Then they're joined by a couple of guests. Andrew Uyal is a dealer turner card counter turned floor supervisor and author of our book The Blackjack Insiders. Eddie Rivkin is the host of the podcast Hockey Knights in Vegas. It's a fast-moving hour and 12 minutes and definitely worth watching.
Universal’s long-planned year-round “Universal Horror Unleashed” at Area15 will debut on August 14 in plenty of time for Halloween. The huge 110,000-square-foot attraction will feature four haunted "houses," branded with Universal themes: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping, and Blumhouse’s The Exorcist: Believer. The four immersive venues will feature live entertainment, horror-themed food and beverage, and of course curated merchandise sales. Horror Unleashed will anchor Area15's 20-acre expansion, currently under construction, and tickets are on sale now for $69.
Las Vegas' only independent movie theater, the Beverly, is celebrating its second anniversary by charging $2 admission to all its film presentations next weekened, Feb. 28 through March 3. The movies are sequels (the second in a series, get it?) and not your usual 16-plex showings: Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, John Carpenter's Escape from L.A., Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Jackass Number Two, Next Friday, Bride of Frankenstein, and Babe: Pig in the City. You can buy tickets online (they're $3, including a service fee). The Beverly Theatre, which also hosts music and literary events, is located at 515 S 6th St. between Bonneville and Clark, a block or so in from Fremont.
Today is "Beer Friday"! Join Anthony and Andrew for a YouTube livestream starting at 4 p.m. PST. We’re expecting two guests today – Andrew Uyal, the author of our book The Blackjack Insiders and Eddie Rivkin, host of our podcast “Hockey Knights in Vegas,” who’s giving away two tickets to a VGK game. Watch the show live, interact online, and drink along with the guys to start the weekend. Log in to join at LVA YouTube live channel.
Announced last July, Southwest began redeye flights last week, operating five currently, with two out of Reid International, one to Baltimore-Washington, the other to Orlando International. The flight to BWI departs at 10 p.m. and arrives at 5:30 a.m., to Orlando at 10:50 p.m. and at 6:05 a.m. By June of this year, SW will operate a total of 33 overnight flights and Las Vegas will have the largest number of eastbounds, serving five destinations. Starting April 8, Reid will handle three of the airline's five overnight flights from Hawaii, allowing island passengers to connect to the rest of the U.S.
The Palms continues to make a statement as a locals-friendly operation by bucking the trend toward 6-5 payouts on natural blackjacks. The casino is now paying 3-2 at all blackjack tables on the main floor and in the high-limit pit. The change went into effect last week and a spokesperson said, "We're committed to delivering the best gaming experience for our guests, especially our local players.” Even without our 2-for-1 master coupon for the excellent A.Y.C.E Buffet, this is reason enough to give the Palms your patronage.
In the Championship game of hockey’s 4 Nations Face-Off, the USA and Canada are pick ’em. The total is 5.5.
According to an analysis by Escoffier, the renowned culinary school, Nevada ranks as the third best food destination among the 50 states. Escoffier studied data from the Departments of Agriculture and Commerce, the National Restaurant Association, and other sources to compare restaurant density, spending, and employment and the number of independent and Michelin-starred establishments. Hawaii came in first overall for the most vibrant foodie scene with a perfect 100 score, based on its ability to serve visitors, percentage of its restaurants that are independently owned, and number of jobs tied to the restaurant industry. New York state placed second (83.23) for its high restaurant density and 68 Michelin-starred establishments. Nevada placed third overall, taking first in restaurant spending as a percentage of food spending (44%) and restaurant jobs as a percentage of total jobs (15%). Nevada also took second with the highest tourist-to-restaurant ratio (316 visitors per restaurants, compared to number-one Hawaii's 376). And the Silver State placed third for the densest restaurant scene, behind Hawaii and New York.
The NFL is sending signals from the sideline that Las Vegas will host its second Super Bowl in 2029. Reportedly, the league prompted the Las Vegas Raiders to apply for the Big Game and the team petitioned the league to hold it here in 2029, 2030, or 2031. According to Sports Business Journal, the NFL is "leaning toward" having the game at Allegiant Stadium in 2029, only five years after hosting the 2024 Super Bowl. The league generally announces Super Bowl venues four years in advance, so if the Super Bowl is, in fact, held in Las Vegas in 2029, we'll know about it this year.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which owns the Las Vegas Monorail, is starting to make noises about keeping the old gal aloft. The LVCVA's CEO told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the tourism agency is seriously considering investing up to $12 million to keep the system running for at least another 10 years. He said, “It’s carrying around six million passengers a year. If you put them in cars, it would really add to the congestion. And $12 million isn't an expensive investment to make sure that we have the option to continue to run it another 10 years.” Eventually, the Las Vegas Loop will render the Monorail obsolete, but that's at least a decade in the future.
For the first time in 37 years, Phil Hellmuth, the Poker Hall of Famer, 1989 World Series of Poker Main Event champion, and number-one WSOP bracelet holder (17), will not participate in this year's Main Event. Hellmuth told Poker.org, “If the WSOP Main Event does not give us a day off after Day 3 or Day 4, I will not play in it. I told the WSOP as much a few months ago. Thus, this will end my run; I've played the Main Event every year since 1988.” Hellmuth, who'll turn 61 during this year's WSOP, has complained for years that the tournament's length and format have turned the event into "a marathon and more of a test of endurance than an overall skill set. This proportionally negatively affects those who are older. I know of three of the biggest names in poker who bonked out. They got way too tired and blew it due to fatigue.” Hellmuth will, however, play in other WSOP events.
Illuminarium, the digital museum at Area15, will launch a new display on March 12. Rolling Stone Presents: Amplified, The Immersive Rock Experience is described as "a new chapter in music storytelling that celebrates the rich and enthralling history of rock." Actor and rock aficionado Kevin Bacon narrates and ushers the audience into "a whirlwind tour across genres and generations that steps back into history to inspire a deeper understanding of the music’s present and future." Amplified features more than 1,300 Rolling Stone magazine covers, 1,000 photographs, and 200 videos documenting over 300 rockers and will, according to the press release, be the first of more immersive music-driven encounters over the next several years. After seeing and reviewing Space (LVA 9/22) and Lite Brite at Illuminarium, we can attest that this is the perfect venue, with its 4K laser projection and 3D audio, for the ultimate rock retrospective and we'll be there soon after Amplified opens. It will play daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and tickets will start at $40 when they go on sale soon.
Fontainebleau is matching players club tiers again this year for the second time since it opened. The program is running through June 1 and the tier match is good until the end of this year. Members of Caesars Rewards, MGM Rewards, Wynn Rewards, Venetian Rewards, Genting Rewards, Unity by Hard Rock, Infinity Rewards (Sahara), 24K Select Club (Golden Nugget), Boyd Rewards, Club Serrano (Palms, Yamaava) and Penn Play can show their card at Fontainebleau and be placed in the comparable tier, with all Fbleau's attending perks. New members "are also eligible for" $25 in free play, according to the website.
A survey by F1 Destinations, a travel site that focuses on the Grand Prixes around the world, has pegged the Las Vegas race as the most expensive of them all and not by just a little. The $1,645 three-day ticket price is nearly twice as much as the next highest ticket of $878 for the Miami Grand Prix. In addition, the LVGP came in at the seventh-most expensive ticket as ranked by "cost per minute" for all events in the U.S. in 2024. It was a little more expensive than Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, while the Las Vegas Super Bowl ranked number four on the list. It should be noted that the three-day ticket dropped all the way down to around $1,000 at its lowest price two weeks before the 2024 race.
A very lucky slot player lined up the Megabucks jackpot symbols on a Spitfire Multipliers Red Hot 7s machine at the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite on Sunday, winning $12,371,365. The winner chose not to be identified, but did reveal that he/she isn't from Mesquite.
The calendar-year visitation numbers are in and the trend continues to reach for the sky. Las Vegas welcomed 41.6 million visitors in 2024, up from 40.8 million last year. Reid International handled 58.4 million passengers compared to 57.6 million in 2023. Conventioneers were way up: 279,200 versus 195,700. Hotel occupancy was 81.9% (79.9% in 2023) and the average daily room rate was $193.68, an increase of just over $7 for the year.
Yelp has released its 11th annual Top 100 Places to Eat and Nevada claims eight of them, six in Las Vegas, two in Reno. The selection process is somewhat skewed. The restaurant must be nominated and have a Yelp business page. Yelp's data science team narrows down the list. Then community managers and "trend experts" select the 100 based on "quirky, interesting, and unique" characteristics. California has three in the top 10 and Florida two; California has a total of 33 out of the 100, while New York has all of three. So we take the list with a large shaker of salt, but here it is anyway: Milpa (#19), Toasted Gastrobrunch (43), Hachi (68), Slater's 50/50 (78), Top Sushi & Oyster 2 (83), and Prime 141 (89). Milpa serves contemporary Mexican on Durango near Flamingo; you can read our review of Toasted Gastrobrunch (we loved it); Hachi is Japanese izakaya in Chinatown on Spring Mountain near Jones; Slater's 50/50 is a burger chain with four restaurants in California, two in Henderson, one in Colorado, and one in Hawaii (we reviewed it in the May 2019 LVA); Top Sushi & Oyster 2 is a favorite sushi place in Henderson; and Prime 141 is a steakhouse way out in Southern Highlands.
The Backstreet Boys' nine-show summer residency has just grown. All dates were previously in July; August 1, 2, and 3 have now been added. Various presale opportunities are available; general-public tickets go on sale Friday at 9 a.m. PT.
In yet another new NBA All-Star format, in which four teams are involved in a tournament, Team Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), featuring several of the league’s best, but older players, is the -120 favorite. Team Chuck (Charles Barkley), made up of international players is +180; Team Kenny (Smith), with younger current stars, is +600; and Team Candace (Parker), with all first- and second-year players, is +1300.
Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney are the co-favorites to win today’s Daytona 500 auto race at +1000 (bet $100 to win $1,000), followed by Chase Elliott at +1250. Four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castronevas is +11000 in his NASCAR debut.
EDC, short for Electric Daisy Carnival, will be taking place at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on May 16-18 for the 14th year in a row since moving from Los Angeles in 2011. The biggest electronic dance music festival in North America will be even bigger this year, with 250 acts performing on 16 stages, both the most in its history. And what acts they are: Tiesto is appearing for the 14th year in a row, along with Alison Wonderland, Kaskade, Paul Oakenfold, Illenium, Slander, Loco Dice, Nico Moreno, Dom Dolla, Fisher, RL Grime, Rezz, Svdden Death, Sullivan King, Skream, Partiboi69, Josh Baker, and literally hundreds of other household names. But if you can't wait to see Yellow Claw, Pryda, Gorgon City, Narciss, Girl Math, and especially Drinkurwater, don't get your hopes up; EDC is completely sold out and 525,000 entrances over the three-night/two-day festival are expected.
Our first jackpots-only episode of the Las Vegas Advisor YouTube vlog is a big winner. Anthony and Andrew discuss three jackpots: keno, Deuces Wild Bonus, and Double Bonus, and the story for each is better than the previous one. You'll definitely want to tune in for the entire 20 minutes for this special new format. But don't take our word for it. Scan the 50 comments and you'll see what we mean.
Rain finally arrived in Las Vegas on Thursday, ending the second longest dry streak since 1937. A little more than a half-inch was measured at the official weather station at Reid International, marking the first time since July 13 that any precipitation was measured here at all, exactly seven months. The 214 days in a row fell far short of the record 240 set in 2020, but came in a sold second; Las Vegas has gone 200 or more days without rain only three times in 88 years. The easterly storm also dumped three feet of snow on the Spring Mountains, allowing Lee Canyon Ski Resort to open its fourth and final lift this morning for the first time, just in time for the long weekend.
The Eastside Cannery out on Boulder Highway has been shuttered since the pandemic. The owner of the hotel-casino, Boyd Gaming, has been mostly mum on the topic: "We need market conditions to change in order for us to re-evaluate” reopening of the joint. Boyd was paying millions a year in rent to keep Eastside closed, as when the company bought it in 2016, the land wasn't included. Now, Boyd owns the land too; the company closed the transaction last week for $45 million. What might be planned for the property? Only Boyd knows; spokesperson David Strow told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "We don't have anything additional to share at this time.” Boyd is building Cadence Crossing farther out on Boulder Highway where Jokers Wild is located, so what the company plans for the nearby Cannery is anyone's guess.
For a good overview of the construction of the Hard Rock on the site of the Mirage, check out Casino.org's aerial photo and story, where you can see the foundation for the 36-story Guitar Hotel tower, what's left of the lobby atrium (hint: It's round), and the rest of the gutted property. The photo was taken from a private drone, so it's unique at the moment.
The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is a great place to see a concert. It's also the centerpiece of Symphony Park, a 61-acre campus built on the old Union Pacific Railroad yard on the other side of the tracks from downtown that hosts three theaters, the Discovery Children's Museum, some new condo highrises, and two small hotels under construction. Reynolds Hall is the 2,050-seat theater that hosts scores of live music events every year and three good ones are coming up. Paul Anka will play on March 22 and Diana Krall on May 7. Terry Fator, though he performs nightly at the STRAT, will also make an appearance on June 21 in an all-new show created specifically to be backed by the Las Vegas Philharmonic. That one sounds like a lot of fun.
Our bargain blogger Bobby Vegas invested a lot of time and energy into compiling a long (more than three dozen) list of places where you can get free stuff on your birthday and in some cases your birthday week or month. He covers everything from free tacos and a milkshake at Del Taco to $300 in free play at the Wynn. As Bobby writes, "Plan wisely and you’ll get several complete days of free fun, free play, three meals every day, and more drinks, desserts, and coffee than you can shake a chocolate-dipped stick at." Take a gander here and plan a bargain birthday trip for the ages.
According to a story in this morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal, gasoline prices are expected to jump up to 40 cents per gallon in the next couple of weeks and will probably go higher. "Issues with oil refineries in California and an annual switch from winter-mix to summer-mix gas" will cause prices to "skyrocket." The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Las Vegas is $3.84, compared to last week when it was $3.73, whereas the price per gallon on average nationwide is $3.14. Only California ($4.74), Hawaii ($4.55), and Washington ($4.07) have higher gas prices. Experts are predicting gas prices of over $4 per gallon throughout the summer.
Will Smith is best known as an actor and producer (and for an incident at the 2022 Academy Awards), but he started in showbiz as a rapper, part of a hip hop duo with DJ Jazzy Jeff. He launched his acting career by starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"; since then, his movies have grossed $10 billion and he won a Best Actor Academy Award for portraying the father of tennis' Williams sisters in the movie King Richard. Never leaving behind his love of rapping, he continues to perform and he'll appear at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay for one night on March 20 in a show called "An Evening with Will Smith: A Live Journey Through His Musical Hits." He annouced the show in a statement. "We’re gonna sing. We’re gonna dance. I’m gonna tell some stories. I’m gonna perform some new stuff. I’m gonna perform some classics. I’m gonna sign your stuff. It’s gonna be a memorable night.” The presale starts this morning at 10; general tickets will be available tomorrow, also at 10 a.m.
"Fee and Loathing In Las Vegas" is an analysis piece written by our own David McKee for CasinoReports.com. It's definitely worth the seven-minute read for the answer to the question in the subtitle: "In pushing every imaginable surcharge and upcharge, is Vegas killing the golden goose?" You'll get a good look at why, as David points out, "Las Vegas Strip gambling revenue has been trending downward for the past six months, even when visitation was up year over year." Find out what several experts have to say about whether the long-awaited comeuppance from consumers is starting to hit Big Gaming in Las Vegas.
The Backstreet Boys will become the first pop act to appear at Sphere in a nine-show residency in July. The long-lived "boy" band was formed in the mid-1990s when all the members were in their teens; they're now in their 40s, but are still going strong and are as popular as ever. This will be their fourth Vegas residency, having played Planet Hollywood twice and the the Colosseum at Caesars once. The Sphere shows will be on July 11, 12, 13, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27. Various presales run through a week from today; general-public tickets go on sale Friday Feb. 21 at 9 a.m. PT.
The Ultimate Frisbee Association's Las Vegas Bighorns, the city's newest professional sports team and the UFA's latest expansion team, have announced their 2025 schedule and posted season tickets for sale. The inaugural season kicks off on April 25 against the three-time world-champion New York Empire; another five home games will be played on May 10 (vs. Seattle Cascades), May 23 (Oregon Steel), June 14 (San Diego Growlers), July 5 (Salt Lake City Shred), and July 12 (Colorado Summit). The games will be played at Bonanza High School, near the corner of W. Charleston and S. Rainbow. Season tickets start at $60 (includes a guest pass to one game) and top out at $250 (all kinds of nice perks). Visit the Bighorns website for info, ticket and merch sales, and more, including the signup for the kickoff party on February 22 at the PKWY Tavern at Flamingo and Decatur at 5 p.m. See ya at the games!
A significant storm is predicted for Thursday for southern Nevada, with up to a half-inch of rain falling before it's over. If we do get the precipitation, it will end the second-longest dry spell since 1937, when the record was set at 240 days without rain. On Thursday, it will be 213 days since it last rained (on July 13). Last weekend, a storm from the west blew in and dumped some snow on Mt. Charleston, but no rain made it down to the valley floor.
According to VisualCapitalist.com, Americans charge an average of just over $5,200 per month worth of products and services on their credit cards. Using anonymized data from thousands of Empower Personal Dashboard users, VisualCapitalist determined that New Yorkers spend the most at $6,202 per month. That's followed closely by Nevadans at $6,198. Residents of Texas ($6,132), Massachusetts ($6,104), and Connecticut ($6,093) round out the top five.
Following in the footsteps of OYO, Westgate has put up signs that drivers availing themselves of the garage are being charged $10 to park. Casino.org is reporting this morning that like OYO, the parking system is being "managed" by Metropolis Parking Services. You scan a QR code to link to the Metropolis website/app, then pay online. Whether you do or not, apparently, is entirely up to you, since the exit gate goes up either way (or at least it's supposed to; you can call a number on the exit sign if it doesn't). Eventually, we assume, the whole system of the parking ticket to enter and credit card to exit will be implemented, but for now, let your conscience be your guide.
Two bills introduced in the Illinois Senate and House of Representatives to legalize online casinos won't be voted on this time around. The companion bills called for a 25% tax on gross revenue, minus limited promo and free-play amounts, and the igaming licenses to cost $250,000 with a $100,000 annual renewal. But the bills went nowhere and won't be brought back during the winter session of the legislature, which meets again in the fall.
With Valentine's Day on Friday, the Clark County Marriage License Bureau is opening its satellite popup at Reid International tomorrow. Though the downtown Bureau is open from 8 a.m. to midnight 365 days a year, hundreds of couples flying in to get married for Valentine's Day and throughout "Wedding Month" here find the airport popup, in the Terminal 1 baggage claim, convenient. It's open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. February 11-25; credit and debit cards only for the $102 license or $21 vow-renewal certificates, plus a processing fee. The Bureau expects to beat the previous popup record of 564 licenses issued in 2023, which means the airport location will be busy. You can fill out the application form online before arriving at Reid to save time.
As indicated by our YouTube video last week featuring two sports betting experts who were all over the Eagles to win the Super Bowl, the sports books lost big time when Philadelphia triumphed over the Chiefs by 18 points (after being 1.5-point dogs) and the total went over the O/U by 13.5-14 points. According to BetMGM, the Eagles and over were the most popular bets for yesterday's game. In addition, the Eagles were a popular futures bet at +1600 to start the season and those bettors cashed. The books, however, made some of it back on the prop bets, especially Saquon Barkley's rushing yards, Patrick Mahomes' rushing attempts, Dallas Goedert's reception yards, touchdowns by Barkley, Travis Kelce, and Mahomes, and Xavier Worthy's rushing yards. The bettors did well on Worthy's other props: receiving yards over, anytime touchdown, two touchdowns, Chiefs' first reception, and most receptions.
The Kansas City Chiefs are -1 favorites over the Philadelphia Eagles in tonight's Super Bowl. The total is 48.5.
Get your phones ready to time the singing of the Super Bowl's National Anthem. The over/under on how long it will take John Batiste to sing it is 2:00.5. Last year’s time was just 1:35, but 8 of the last 12 years have gone over 2 minutes. This bet isn’t offered in any U.S. sports books that we know of, due to legal restrictions, but it's fun to track to start the game.
Rumors have been circulating for a couple of weeks that the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks are moving to Las Vegas. They're founded, at least to a certain extent, on a germ of truth: Las Vegas-based Miriam Adelson and her son-in-law Patrick Dumont (married to her daughter) own the team. Dumont, the chief operating officer for Las Vegas Sands, however, told the Dallas Morning News that it ain't happenin'. “The Dallas Mavericks are not moving to Las Vegas. That is the answer, unequivocally. The Dallas Mavericks are the Dallas Mavericks and they will stay in Dallas.” Sounds steadfast enough. We'll see.
Dricus Du Plessis is a -210 favorite over Sean Strickland in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Tatiana Suarez is -150 over Weili Zhang.
Even if you don't bet sports in general or the Super Bowl in particular, you'll find this week's LVA YouTube particularly intriguing. Frank B, whom regular LVAers know is Anthony's partner in developing Mattress Mack's ongoing hedge strategies, and Fezzik, who won back-to-back football SuperContests in the day, get together with Anthony and Andrew in a far-reaching and high-level discussion of this topic. Tune in for the hour-long give and take about the history of the Super Bowl line reveal, changes in the betting cycle, basic strategy for beginning bettors, common sports betting mistakes, and much much more. It's a great lead up to tomorrow's Biggest Game of the Year.
Las Vegas Metro Police are urging drivers and pedestrians to be sober, cautious, and defensive after a record number of traffic fatalities so far in 2025. Over the first 38 days of the year, 25 people have been killed in traffic accidents, an average of five per week. Ten of the 25 were pedestrians hit by moving vehicles, but according to police, in a number of those cases, the pedestrians were jaywalking at night and wearing dark clothing. Last year, 160 people died in southern Nevada crashes and 64 of them were pedestrians. So far in 2025, we're on a pace to nearly double that tally.
The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, a.k.a. the Thunderbirds, will do a flyover of the Las Vegas Strip on their way back to home base at Nellis after weeks of training in New Mexico. The flyover will take place sometime between 10 and 11 a.m. today. The precision flying team will do flyovers of the Strip two more times this year, on April 5 and 6.
An article in the Nevada Independent quotes the sports book director for Station Casinos: “Two of the worst Super Bowls for Nevada in the last dozen years involved the Philadelphia Eagles.” When the Eagles and Chiefs appeared in the Super Bowl two years ago, it attracted the second-lowest handle in the previous five championship games at $153.2 million. And when the Eagles upset the New England Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl, it was the "most lopsided result" (meaning ugly) for sports books in more than 10 years. “Nevada sportsbooks haven't been fans of the Eagles," the director concluded. This year's handle is expected not to break last year's Nevada record of $185.6 million when the game was played at Allegiant Stadium. The previous record handle of $179.8 million was set in 2022 for the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals played in southern California.
The former interpreter and friend of L.A. Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing millions of dollars from Ohtani to cover his sports betting losses. The 57-month sentence was handed down by a federal judge in a southern California courtroom yesterday, ordering Ippei Mizuhara to surrender next month. Mizuhara was also ordered to pay $18 million plus in restitution to Ohtani and back taxes to the IRS. Mizuhara had pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false tax return after being caught stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani's bank account to feed his gambling addiction.
The high-tech Sundry food hall at the Uncommons mixed-use development across the street from Durango closed in June after barely a year in operation. It's just been announced that the vacant space will be transformed into Stix Asia, with 12 Asian street-food outlets, along with a full schedule of holiday events, night markets, and live music. Stix is slated to open in early 2026.
It’s the Big Game this Sunday so hit the nearest sports book or local bar where the game will surely be on.
The median price at which a single-family house sold in January has set a new all-time record. Jumping $10,000 last month to $485,000, the price beat the previous record of $482,000 set in May 2022. Condos and townhomes sold at a median price of $293,000 up $3,000 from December; the record is $315,000, set in October of last year. Both supply and demand are strong currently, with more home buyers having more choices from houses on the market. Las Vegas Realtors is predicting that "the local housing market will remain as strong as any in the U.S.”
Kelly Clarkson, the 42-year-old singer, songwriter, host of the daytime "Kelly Clarkson Show," and winner of the inaugural season of "American Idol," has announced a new residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. "Kelly Clarkson: Studio Sessions - The Las Vegas Residency" will run for 18 shows: July 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25, and 26; August 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, and 16; and November 7, 8, 14, and 15. Tickets go on sale on Valentine's Day, a week from tomorrow, at 10 a.m. PT.
The American Gaming Association estimates that Americans alone will wager a record $1.39 billion on Super Bowl LIX. You might recall that the AGA's number last year was $23.1 billion and in 2023, it was $16 billion. Will Americans reduce their Big Game bets by nearly 85% this year? Hardly. The AGA's number this year reflects legal bets only, whereas previously, it was all bets, legal and illegal, worldwide. It's been estimated in the past that fully 75% of Super Bowl bets are made with illegal bookies and non-regulated offshore books. On last year's game, the Guardian determined that Americans bet $5.4 billion via 350.5 million wagers, of which 228.2 million for $4 billion were on offshore platforms. Multi-billions more were bet on the game in other countries, both legally and illegally.
The last time George Thorogood and his band, the Destroyers, was supposed to play Vegas was in December 2022 at the Palms' Pearl Theater. However, the entire tour was canceled due to a "serious medical condition" (believed to be leukemia). Thorogood has since recovered and the artist best known for "One Bourbon, One Scotch, and One Beer," "Bad to the Bone," "Move it on Over," and "Who Do You Love" will play the Pearl finally on July 18 as part of his "Baddest Show on Earth" tour starting this month and running through August. Tickets are on sale now and start at $42.
Station Casinos is advertising a handful of late-night specials, and one 24/7, in the Lucky Penny coffee shops at Green Valley Ranch and Red Rock. They're the same specials at both: pancakes $3.99, biscuits and gravy $4.99, Deuces Wild (which we assume means two eggs) $4.99, and steak and eggs $9.99. These are all served 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily, but you have to show a Boarding Pass to qualify (not valid on holidays or during special events). A cheeseburger special for $5.99 is available all day every day.
According to a study by Lending Tree, Nevada claims the dubious distinction of the highest annual cost of owning a car. Nevadans pay an average of $6,120 per year, mostly because the Silver State also has the highest auto insurance, for which drivers here pay an annual average of $3,439. Florida ranks second for both ownership and insurance at $5,682 and 3,267, respectively. Louisiana is third in ownership ($5,663), while Michigan is third in insurance ($3,151). New Hampshire ($3,030), Maine ($3,543), and Ohio ($3,544) are lowest for ownership, New Hampshire ($1,243), Vermont ($1,283), and Idaho ($1,330) for insurance.
Canelo Alvarez, 34, will defend his unified super middleweight title against Terence Crawford, 37, in the first-ever boxing card at Allegiant Stadium. The fight, scheduled for September 13, is considered a bit of a mismatch, with Crawford looking old and slow in his last couple of bouts. The undercard hasn't been announced.
For those who might care, the start time for the Las Vegas Grand Prix has been moved ahead by two hours. In a departure from the first two races, which started at 10 p.m., this year's race will go off at 8 p.m. This is a logical continuation of last year's practice and qualifying sessions starting at 8 on Thursday and Friday and is a welcome development for fans, who've braved late-night temperatures to view the race in person, plus East Coasters, for whom the race started at 1 a.m. It's also hailed by drivers and ground crews, who had to work well into the wee hours on little sleep. The only losers in the equation are Western European spectators; the race will start at 4 a.m. in the UK and France and 5 a.m. in Germany.
The Las Vegas thermometer hit 80 degrees yesterday afternoon for the first time since October 28. The reading at Reid International broke the previous record high of 77 for February 3 set in 2018. Today's high is predicted for 78 or 79, either of which would break the record for the day of 76 set way back in 1953. Predictions are for the low 70s on Wednesday and Thursday, then temperatures return to normal in the low 60s for the next week.
The Las Vegas Raiders and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority have teamed up to host a game between Jackson State (from Jackson, Mississippi) and Grambling State (from Grambling, Louisiana) at Allegiant Stadium in the first Las Vegas HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) Classic. This is one of college football's greatest rivalries and the teams, both from the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), will be meeting for the 73rd time. The halftime show will feature Grambling's "World Famed" Tiger Marching Band and Jackson State's internationally renowned Sonic Boom of the South. Presale tickets will be available on March 3; the public sale begins on March 7.
From an eyewitness Reader Leader: The hot dog deal at Downtown Grand now offers you a choice of the PBR in the can or a Lone Star beer in the bottle. Also, chicken tacos are now available for $2 each and they have two kinds of salsa, red and a cilantro-onion mix, plus sour cream, at the condiment bar. The hot dog (with sauerkraut) and beer deal for $3 is number seven in our Top Ten. It’s served from a counter near the casino entrance daily from 11 a.m. till about 10 p.m.
As it does every year, South Point is dealing -105 for the Super Bowl, meaning you have to bet only $105 to win $100, as opposed to the standard $110/$100. It’s offered for sides and totals only. Currently Chiefs -1.5 and 49. There’s also a 10¢ straddle on the money line (20¢ at most other books), currently Chiefs -120/Eagles +110. The betting deal is also available in South Point-affiliated books at Rampart, along with CasaBlanca and Virgin River in Mesquite. Bets must be placed in person.
Joey Chestnut, the perennial winner of eating contests, added another notch in his indigestion belt yesterday by defending his year-old bagel title at Siegel’s Bagelmania. Chestnut downed 15 bagels with cream cheese in eight minutes, the same amount as last year, to win the lion's share of the $10,000 prize purse. Like last year's photo finish, Chestnut narrowly defeated Patrick Bertoletti, who ate 14-1/2 bagels. Geoffrey Esper took third with 13-1/8 bagels and James Webb and Nick Wehry tied for fourth at 13 bagels each.
TGI Fridays closed abruptly and simultaneously on Friday at the Orleans, Sam’s Town, Aliante, and Gold Coast. Employees were notified a week beforehand, but the news didn't hit the wire until the locations were shuttered. TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy last November and has been closing locations ever since. The company never fully recovered from the pandemic, but the brand had been declining for years prior to that.
Las Vegas' longest-running headliner, Frank Marino, has signed a deal to appear "indefinitely" at Virgin Las Vegas. His show, Diva, Drag & Drinks, will run on select Fridays and Saturdays at 6 p.m., Sundays at 4, in the small 24 Oxford showroom. Tickets to see the 61-year-old Marino, who's been performing in Las Vegas for 40 years, start at $49 (and come with a free drink) for the shows that launch tomorrow at 4 p.m.
Israel Adesanya is a -160 favorite over Nassourdine Imavov in today’s early UFC main event. In the other featured match, Ahara Magomedov is -200 over Michael Page.
Billboard’s numbers for Sphere in 2024 are more than $420 million on 1.3 million tickets sold. No single venue has ever gone over $300 million in the Billboard tally and only four artists have topped Sphere’s total in a single year: the Rolling Stones in 2006, Ed Sheeran in 2018, Beyonce in 2023, and Taylor Swift in 2023 and 2024.