Just in time for the 2025 World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe and Paris, Caesars is opening poker rooms at Planet Hollywood and Caesars Palace. Planet Hollywood's room closed in 2021 and the new room will occupy the space of the former London Club on the mezzanine level of the casino with 23 tables. The poker room at Caesars, near the sports book, closed last June and was replaced by high-end slots. A temporary room will be located along the Appian Way retail strip and open sometime this month; details on the permanent poker room will be revealed "at a later date."
Caesars has announced that the venerable Harveys Lake Tahoe, which opened in 1944 and celebrated its 80th anniversary last year, will be rebranded Caesars Republic. The new name will take effect in July, in conjunction with a $160 million capital-improvement project at the property. The renovations will "completely re-imagine" the hotel lobby, casino, and one tower of rooms; the existing Hell’s Kitchen restaurant will be expanded and a Lisa Vanderpump eatery, Wolf, will be added. The project is expected to be completed in mid-2026. This will be the second Caesars Republic-branded property. A Hilton Hotel of the same name opened in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2023, but it doesn't have a casino.
May starts out moderately hot and ends up summery hot. Average high temperatures range from 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.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Hotel Fees Transparency Act on Monday that requires hotels to display the total price of rooms wherever rates appear, which includes advertising. The total price is the room rate, along with the beloved resort fee, tax, and any other fees, surcharges, or add-ons. It's not a done deal; the bill has to pass the Senate, where it died in committee in last year's session. The Nevada Resort Association, the hotel-casino lobbying arm, praised the initiative with a "Who? Us?" statement: “Our members already clearly and prominently disclose resort fees during the transaction to help guests make informed decisions,” then promptly shifted the focus, saying the legislation "levels the playing field" with those unprincipled and sneaky short-term rentals, online travel agencies, and other online search sites.
Ground was finally broken yesterday on Cello Tower, the $450 million 32-story luxury condo tower in Symphony Park downtown near the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. It's the first of two towers planned for Symphony Park and the first high-rise residential tower to break ground downtown since the Great Recession. Though construction is expected to take 30 months to complete and condos start at $700,000, roughly 50% of the units are under contract with both local and out-of-state buyers. A mixed-use development on the lower floors, Origin, will include an art museum, grocery store, and retail shops.
Bruno Mars has added nine dates to his ongoing residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. In addition to his seven upcoming shows in May and June, the 15-time Grammy Award winner will play nine more dates: August 22, 23, 26, 27, 30, and 31 and September 3, 5, and 6. The residency dates back to New Year's Eve 2018 and will hit 100 shows on August 22. Mars is so enamored of Las Vegas that he has his own nightclub, Pinky Ring, at Bellagio. The ticket pre-sale starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT (code DANCE); the public on-sale kicks off Friday at 10.
In Saturday night's Powerball drawing, one ticket sold in Kentucky hit the $167.3 million jackpot and on Monday, the winner stepped forward to claim the prize. It was the first Powerball jackpot won by a Kentuckian since December 2010 and the largest jackpot ever his in Kentucky, breaking the record of $128.6 million from December 2009. The winners, a mother-son team, will scoop either $99.9 million over 29 years ( the annuity) or $45.6 million via the cash option; they have 60 days to inform the Kentucky Lottery of the choice.
The Las Vegas Strip extended its losing streak in March, with gaming revenue down 4.8% compared to March 2024. It was the eighth out of nine months of declines; since last July, only January reported a year-over-year increase in gross gaming revenue. And it's not a Las Vegas-wide trend either. Downtown and locals casino revenue rose 11.6% and 1.3%, respectively. In addition, visitation to Las Vegas dropped 85 compared to March 2024. Will Strip casinos loosen up a little to attract more money-spending visitors? Not if recent developments, such as MGM Resorts' cutting valet, bell, and concierge staff, are any indication. And even though hotel occupancy on the Strip was 85.8%, down from 88.3% last year, average daily room rates for the month at $184 were 3.1% more expensive than March 2024, with revenue per room of $152 (+0.2% year overyear).
The Westgate has announced a special one-night-only concert event highlighting the casino's year-long celebration of Elvis Presley's 90th birthday. "1969 Live Concert: The King Returns will be performed on July 31, commemorating Elvis' inaugural comeback concert on the same date in 1969 when the Westgate was the International Hotel-Casino. Headlining the "historic performance" will be Travis Powell, one of the world's most authentic Elvis tribute artists, along with nine back-up singers and an eight piece band, replicating the original concert. Following the concert from 9 p.m. to midnight, the Cabaret Theater will host a special free late-night encore by the Elvis tribute show, The King Comes Home. Guests are encouraged to dress in stylish late-1960s fashion. Finally, in the spirit of the evening, tickets start at a throwback $10 and go all the way up to $45 for front-and-center booths; you can purchase them here.
Kansas City Chiefs celebrity tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason were spotted in Vegas over the weekend hanging with pop star Justin Timberlake and playing in Timbelake's Golf Invitational at Wynn Golf Club. Kelce's girlfriend, megastar Taylor Swift, however, was nowhere to be seen. The gossip pages and social media are going crazy! Where's Taylor? Why is Travis unchaperoned in Sin City? Is the couple kaput? Is the sky falling? Say it ain't so, Joe! Turns out that Kelce was on a boys weekend in Vegas, much to marvel of the mongers. Who ever hoida such a thing? Meanwhile, Swift is no doubt enjoying some alone time at home. According to Elle, since the Super Bowl and the end of the Eras tour, T&T have been "laying low, able to feel a bit of normalcy for the first time in a long time. Despite their fame, they’re really just like any other couple.” Phew! What a relief. The sky can go back up in the air again.
According to MLB insider Bob Nightengale, the Sacramento A's median ticket price is the highest in the league this year at $181. Consider that it's $4 more than the median for the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, with Shohei Ohtani and a couple of dozen of the best players in baseball. And the Tampa Bay Rays are third at a mere $146. The curious part of this equation is that thousands of seats are available for every A's home game at the 14,000-seat Sutter Park in Sacramento. In fact, Sports Illustrated reports that attendance topped 11,000 only once, on opening night, when hundreds of comped tickets went to players' and team executives' families. In 14 home games, the A's are averaging around 9,900 tickets, 70% of sellout crowds. And that's in a minor league ballpark, compared to, say, the Oakland Coliseum's 63,000 and 56,000 in Dodger Stadium. Another miscalculation: The team announced that all seasons tickets were sold out, but they limited that number to 6,000. With at least 4,000 empty seats, one would think ... Well, think what you like.
It's been awhile since we've had a post from our bargain blogger Bobby Vegas. He's been dealing with a number of health issues that have laid him low all year, but recently, they've gotten so bad that he's been unable to write/submit. Until now. Feeling a little stronger, Bobby explains where he's been, what the near future holds, some of the deals he's receiving, and news about the Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide. Check out the new post here and leave a comment wishing him well. He'll really appreciate that.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported yesterday that MGM Resorts is cutting concierge services at six more of its 10 Strip properties. Live concierges will no longer be available at MGM Grand and the Signature, New York-New York, Mandalay Bay, Park MGM, and Vdara; Luxor shut down its concierge desk in 2020. Guests wanting to speak to a concierge will be routed to the desks that will remain open at Aria, Bellagio, and Cosmopolitan. The 34 employees will be offered other positions in the company. MGM says, "The cutbacks are to meet evolving guest preferences,” with demand for in-person services declining; thus, the company is simply "responding to industry trends to better serve guests." The guests at Excalibur are much better served after MGM cut the valet and bell staffs there last month.
It's no secret that due to political circumstances, Canadians have soured on traveling to the U.S. over the past few months. And according to a survey conducted by Cirium, an aviation analytics company, Las Vegas is the U.S. destinations most affected by the Canadian shift away from U.S. travel between April 1 and June 30. Due to lack of demand, airlines have eliminated 48,728 seats on flights between Canada and Reid International in the second quarter. The next highest seat reduction is Ft. Lauderdale (29,105), with Orlando (17,777) and Miami (13,444) also in the top six. New York lost 24,857 seats to come in at number three, followed by Los Angeles at 24,764.
Ian Machado Garry is a -180 favorite over Carlos Prates in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Zhang Mingyang is -380 over Anthony Smith.
On the American Miles blog, host Josh Colvin "takes listeners on a journey through the world of professional gambling with legendary gambler Anthony Curtis (from the Las Vegas Advisor)." Anthony shares insights on strategies, team dynamics, Las Vegas, and the realities of making a living as a professional gambler. Listen to it here.
Dive In Movies, the first Las Vegas Strip poolside movie experience (copied in flattery by Fontainebleau for a second year), returns every Monday this summer beginning May 19 and running through September 1 at the Cosmopolitan. Guests of all ages are invited to enjoy cult classics and blockbuster hits on the resort’s 65-foot digital marquee. This season for the first time, Dive In Movies is introducing a series of themed nights; select screenings, including Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, Shrek, Elf, and Good Burger, will feature themed drinks, food, and "interactive elements inspired by the evening’s film." Doors open for Dive In Movies at 6:15 p.m., with the films beginning at 8 p.m. The movies are free for hotel guests and MGM Rewards Gold tier members and above (before MGM took over operations, admission was free, like at Fbleau, for anyone with a rewards card.) Las Vegas locals also receive free self-parking for up to three hours with valid ID.
This week's YouTube is an intimate visit with video poker legend Bob Dancer. Talk about a guy who has a lot of gambling stories! You can hear all of them with the click of your mouse on the white arrow in the red circle. It's definitely worth your time, even if you don't play video poker.
Mojave Max, the desert tortoise equivalent of Punxatawney Phil, has yet to emerge from brumation, which unofficially marks the beginning of spring in the Mojave Desert. Today breaks the record for the latest ol' Max has made his first appearance of the year. The earliest day he ever surfaced was February 14 in 2005. He showed up on April 24 two years ago to set the record, which was just broken. Last year, he emerged on April 23. The countdown for this new record begins. According to Max watchers, his burrow is the deepest since the Emergence Contest began in 2000.
For the second summer in a row, the Fontainebleau pool will host Oasis Cinema Club. Starting on Friday May 2 and running most Friday and Sunday evenings at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7) through September 5, the flicks are free for Fontainebleau Rewards members and hotel guests; it's $10 for everyone else, but it's easy enough to join the rewards club, show your card, walk right in, and sit right down in the water. The movies include Barbie, Finding Nemo, two Pirates of the Caribbean, two Top Guns, and a bunch of animated and superhero features. It's an excellent way to check out the Fbleau pool scene for free and take in a movie under the stars.
Pennsylvania is now a member of the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement for online poker; the governor signed the bill earlier this week. The Keystone State becomes the sixth in which poker players can participate in online games, state regulators can cooperate to provide a secure playing environment, and prize pools will increase without raising buy-in amounts. Pennsylvania joins New Jersey, Delaware, Nevada, West Virginia, and Michigan in the Agreement. All but Nevada also have internet casinos.
Paris will host a live version of the TV game show "Wheel of Fortune" in the Paris Theater over two Fridays and Saturdays (11-12 and 18-19) in July. Random audience members will be selected to compete for prizes and cash up to $10,000; the audience can also audition online to become contestants on the syndicated TV show, now hosted by Ryan Seacrest, along with 43-year "WoF" veteran Vanna White. There'll be two shows each night at 6 and 8 p.m. and tickets go on sale tomorrow. The shows at Paris launch a 60-city tour for "Wheel of Fortune Live" with all dates announced next month. The last show in Paris Theater was Bat out of Hell that ran for 12 weeks and closed on New Year's Day 2023.
Doberman Drawing Room, a "social club for the sharp and curious," will open on April 30. Located at 1025 S. 1st St. in the heart of the Arts District, Doberman is a "richly designed 3,400-square-foot space that evokes the moody elegance of a 19th-century drawing room. It's open to the public, either with reservations or walk-ins, but also offers "exclusive memberships for those seeking a more curated experience. Members receive access to private nights, concierge-style service, and guaranteed seating, with selection based on personality and passion rather than status." Reservations and membership applications are available at dobermandtlv.com.
The March numbers from Reid International were down 4% year over year to 4.8 million from 5 million in March 2024. For the first three months of the year, the total passenger count was down roughly the same percentage (3.7%). In the closely watched Canadian market, Flair Airlines plunged 62%, WestJet fell 14.5%, and Air Canada dropped 5.9% compared to March 2024; only Porter Airlines showed a slight increase, mainly due to an extended market. Aeromexico also took a dump, down nearly 18%. Tariffs and antagonistic policies are being blamed for the decline in international travel, while collapsing consumer sentiment is assumed responsible for the domestic ebb.
A first-time visitor to the Palms from Garland, Texas, hit the progressive jackpot on Face Up Pai Gow Poker last Sunday for $897,586. Almost unbelievably, the hand, a seven-card straight flush, five through jack, didn't even have the joker. The odds of that happening are 1 in 4.8 million.
8NewsNow, the local CBS affiliate, compared tickets for the Kendrick Lamar concerts at Allegiant and SoFi (L.A.) stadiums and found the base ticket price is $7.50 less expensive in Las Vegas, but the total price is around $42 more expensive than at SoFi. In a side-by-side comparison for the same floor seats, 8NewsNow shows that at Allegiant, the ticket price is $372, with a service fee of $101.05, plus a facility charge of $8, an order-processing fee of $13, and the live entertainment tax of $34.20 for a total price of $520.25. All-in pricing at SoFi includes the $379.50 ticket price and $98.80 service fee for a total of $478.30. The difference isn't big enough to drive to L.A. to see Lamar at SoFi with 100,000 other fans as opposed to Allegiant with 72,000, but it does point out the extra fees and taxes visitors pay here. We wonder, what's the difference between a service fee and an order-processing fee? And where does the facility fee go and why? Meanwhile, Allegiant can advertise cheaper tickets, but when you go to buy them, you get your sticker shock, no different than all other hidden fees.
Elaine Wynn's recent death (from heart failure, it was just reported) has unleashed an outpouring of tributes, accolades, and paeans from numerous luminaries far and wide. But we've been waiting to hear from John L. Smith, in our opinion the best writer and most incisive commentator on the Las Vegas scene, not to mention the author of the unauthorized (and critical) biography Running Scared: The Dangerous Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn. To his credit, John L. makes short shrift of the scandal to emphasize Elaine's leadership of Wynn Resorts in its aftermath. It's an objective and poignant tribute to a remarkable woman and worth the few minutes it takes to read.
We long ago dispensed with reposting surveys from survey-addicted WalletHub, but this one caught our attention. Analyzing data from a dozen different sources (from the American Gaming Association to the National Council on Problem Gambling) and evaluating 20 metrics, WalletHub found that the most addicted gamblers are found in -- drum roll, please -- Nevada. With a total score of nearly 72 out of 100, Nevada has "around 2.7% of adults" with gambling disorders, one of the highest percentages in the country, and is number one in Gamblers Anonymous meetings per capita, casinos per capita, and gaming machines per capita. South Dakota (65.6 out of 100) ranks second, based mostly on casinos and gaming machines per capita, and Montana third (58.6). Vermont (27), Alaska (26.6), and Utah (24.5) have the least number of problem gamblers. If you're interested, you can see the whole survey and peruse the methodology here.
Classic-rock band Foreigner has announced a five-date residency at the Venetian for way out: March 6, 7, 11, 13, and 14. The shows will celebrate the band's 50th anniversary (formed in New York in 1976 with three Brits and three Americans, so at least half the band would be foreigners no matter where they performed) and will be backed by a 20-piece orchestra, so their biggest hit (and our favorite) "I Wanna Know What Love Is" will be authentic. One of the most successful bands in the late '70s and '80s, Foreigner had 16 Top 30 hits, including “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Feels Like The First Time,” “Urgent,” and “Long Long Way From Home.” If you're into planning obsessively ahead, tickets will be available starting Friday. Meanwhile, rapper-singer-actor Pitbull has extended his two-date appearance at Fontainebleau in May to four more, two in September (12, 13) and two in November (21, 22); tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT. Finally, the Latin Grammys will take place on Nov. 13 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena; it'll be the 26th annual award show and the 15th time it's been held in Las Vegas. It will be broadcast live in Univision.
The lobby of Las Vegas City Hall, 495 S. Main St., is often used to exhibit art and artifacts and the latest display is from Cirque du Soleil. It's the first time Cirque has ever partnered with a museum, in this case the Neon Museum, to give a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the company's shows. “Stories from Backstage: Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas” features some of the iconic costumes from the Las Vegas productions, all annotated with informational signs, plus videos of performers putting on makeup and getting ready to go on stage. Some of the costumes are interactive, so visitors can touch them and get a feel for the textiles, and materials in the wigs, that Cirque uses. The exhibit is free and runs through May 1.
Cafe Landwer, an Israeli-Mediterranean-Middle Eastern eatery, has opened in the space formerly occupied by Chinglish Cantonese Wine Bar, located at 8704 W. Charleston Blvd. just west of S. Durango. The original Cafe Landwer was a coffee roaster and shop in Berlin, Germany, that dates back to 1919, opened by patriarch Moshe Landwer. The Landwers fled the Nazis in the early '30s, resettling in Palestine. Today, according the Las Vegas Review-Journal, there are 80 locations in Israel, with four franchises in Canada, three in the Boston area, and one each in Miami, L.A., and Vegas. The Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with several Benedicts and shakshukas in the $19-$23 range, pita sandwiches like falafel, shawarma, smoked salmon, and schnitzel $14-$17, hummus bowls, pizza, pasta, and dinner entrees (burger, grilled salmon and chicken, and kebabs) $16-$26.
The Chairman and Presidential rooftop villas in the Masquerade Tower at the Rio have been remodeled and are now available for booking. These are 4,500 and 5,100 square feet and come with a private pool, one bedroom and one and a half baths with a jacuzzi, and dining for six to 16; the Chairman has a pool table and arcade games, while the Presidential has a fireplace. To rent one, you have to fill out a form and you'll be quoted a price based on availability. But you can see what they look like, along with all the property's remodeled suites, on the Rio's Suites & Villas web page.
This Friday, the Las Vegas Bighorns play their inaugural-season home opener. Las Vegas' new Ultimate Frisbee Association franchise will take the field at Bonanza High School (corner of Oakey and Torrey Pines) at 7 p.m. against three-time UFA champion New York Empire. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the first pull (the UFA's "kickoff") is at 7. Single-game tickets are $15; entry is free for all 16 and under with a student ID. There'll be a halftime show, food trucks, and more. Go Hornies!
The trailer for Action! Action! has dropped, as the kids say, and Canada Roy, as usual, is all over it with the link. That led us to the short, nearly 15 minutes from the movie, that gives you much more of the tone -- action-comedy -- of the film. Action! Action! was shot entirely on location in Las Vegas at Circa, the Plaza, the Neon Museum, the Mob Museum, and many others and the cast and crew are all locals. The movie follows a team of friends hired to steal Al Capone’s painting from the Mob Museum. But when they’re double-crossed, the race is on to uncover the traitor before it’s too late. "With heart-pounding stunts, jaw-dropping action sequences, comedic heart, and an explosive finale, Action! Action! will deliver an edge-of-your-seat experience," according to the press release. The world premiere is Friday evening at 7:30 at Stadium Swim at Circa; general-admission tickets are $15 and the doors open at 7 p.m.
A study by Lending Tree has determined that Nevadans spend an average of $10,339 per year on groceries, fourth highest of all the states and 27.2% higher than the national average of $8,167. Nevada households spend just under $200 per week on groceries. Utah, Alaska, and Hawaii ranked numbers one, two, and three; Utahans spend $11,844 annually on groceries, 45.4% higher than the national average. In addition, Nevadans spend the second-highest percentage of their income on groceries at 10.1% (based on the median statewide income of $102,911); that percentage is tied for second with Utah. Idahoans spend the highest percentage of their income on groceries at 10.4%.
According to PokerNews.com, the second largest bad-beat jackpot in history was triggered at the Casino du Lac-Leamy in Quebec on Wednesday. The pot was for C$2.5 million (approximately US$1.81 million) and fell just shy of the record jackpot, also hit in Quebec, of C$2.6 million (US$1.87 million), at Playground Casino in August 2023. According to the rules at Lac-Leamy, quad 10s or better must lose the hand, with both the players' down cards involved. The board showed the 9 and 10 of spades and the 10, J, and K of hearts. One player held a pair of 10s for 4-of-a-kind, the other the 9 and Q of hearts for the straight flush. As for the split, 40% of the jackpot (C$1,005,421/US$726,000) went to loser of the hand (quad 10s), 20% (C$502,711, US$363,000) to the winner, 20% (C$84,000/US $60,000) evenly split among the other players at the table, and the remaining 20% (C$13,000/US$9,400) among everyone else seated in a poker game at the time. A total of 46 players at five tables participated in the jackpot and one, who posted a few photos on Reddit, had sat down at his table less than a minute earlier.
The latest attempt to establish a Nevada lottery has gone the way of the many attempts before it, with the proposal being stalled out in the legislature. Nevada remains one of only five states without a lottery; it would require an amendment to the state constitution to be approved. If the gambling capital without a lottery seems non-intuitive, consider that the powerful Nevada gaming industry applauded the result.
Veteran rock singer and songwriter Jackson Browne will do another five-show residency at the Venetian Theatre; he last appeared there for five shows in 2023. Browne is best known for his hits "Running on Empty," "Doctor My Eyes," "Somebody's Baby," "The Pretender," his live version of "Stay (Just a Little Longer)," "Ready or Not" (our favorite), and of course for writing "Take It Easy," the Eagles' breakout hit (that immortalized Winslow, Arizona). Tickets start at $66 and go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday April 18.
Smoke and Mirrors, the cannabis-consumption lounge at Thrive Cannabis Marketplace, the dispensary on Sammy Davis Jr. Drive across from the back of Resorts World, has closed after only 14 months in business. No reason was given for the closure, but it's safe to assume it wasn't paying off. The closure leaves two legal lounges in Las Vegas, Sky High, operated by the Las Vegas Paiute at its Nuwu dispensary, and Dazed at the Planet 13 megadispensary on Desert Inn Road competitively close to Thrive. You can read more about the cannabis lounge situation in a recent Question of the Day on the subject.
A story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal cites research by Climate Central, "a nonpartisan group of climate scientists," finding that Reno's average temperature has increased the most of major U.S. cities since 1970, rising by 7.8 degrees. Las Vegas ranked second at 5.9 degrees. Statewide and nationally, the average temperature has increased 2.8 degrees in the past 55 years.
As they've done every year for the last several years, the Las Vegas (and Reno) drive-in movie theaters are hosting Customer Appreciation Night with free movies to the public. Show up next Thursday April 24 in your car and get in free at the West Wind Drive-In at 4150 W Carey Ave, North Las Vegas, just off N. Rancho Rd. (slightly north of where the Fiesta and Texas Station used to be) to see Paddington in Peru, Wicked, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Sonic 3, The Wild Robot, and Transformers One. Bring a lawn chair and a blanket and enjoy the movies under the stars. There'll also be live music, bounce houses for the kids, and other fun activities prior to the start of the movie. Best value is to arrive with a crowd; admission normally is $8.50 per adult, $2 kids 5-11. Gates open at 6 p.m. and movies start at dusk.
Correcting a misstatement on our “Anthony & Andrew Jackpots” show, Andrew Hunt is not performing tonight at the Wiseguys Comedy Club at Town Square. He’ll be there tomorrow night (4/17) opening for Cat CE. Tickets are $20 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Should be a party!
Former Fleetwood Mac vocalist and solo performer Stevie Nicks will go on tour later this summer, with a stop at T-Mobile on October 11. The general on-sale for tickets begins Friday at 10 a.m. local time. And the British classic rock band 10cc will embark on their second tour in 30 years with a stop at Westgate on August 30. The band's biggest hit was "I'm Not in Love," with two others being "Rubber Bullets" (our favorite) and "Art for Art's Sake." Tickets go on sale soon.
One of the two offramps from Interstate 15 at Tropicana will reopen Friday. The northbound ramp onto Frank Sinatra Drive and the new Arena Drive has been closed since 2022; its reopening has been pegged to WrestleMania at Allegiant Stadium (which starts on Friday) and the Vegas Golden Knights first home game in the NHL playoffs (Sunday). The I-15 southbound flyover ramp to Tropicana eastbound reopened to traffic late last month. According to a story in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the reopening of the Tropicana on-ramp southbound and the northbound off-ramp to Tropicana east- and westbound will reopen on May 2. The long long three-year disruption of Interstate 15 is coming to an end.
The STRAT’s blackjack mini-tournament runs today from 2 to 6 p.m. It’s an "accumulation" tournament, which means winners are decided by the highest cashout, as opposed to the more common "table-advance" format, which culminates in a final-table playoff (there is no final table here). The entry fee is $25 and you can play up to three times. Our report in the April LVA stating that first prize is $1,000 was incorrect; the prize pool is $1,000 total, with the winner getting $500 and the balance distributed among the next four highest totals. Payouts are in non-negotiable chips, which are worth slightly less than 50% of face value. Hence, the equity in this tournament isn’t good, but it’s fun to play if you’re looking for a Tuesday-afternoon diversion. Our book Casino Tournament Strategy by Stanford Wong covers the accumulation format, along with strategies for several other formats and games.
A player from California hit for $1.5 million on a Whitney Houston Slots game at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. The jackpot, which was hit this weekend, coincides with the roll-out of Virgin’s Cherry Rewards players club, which has some good elements that are detailed in the April Las Vegas Advisor.
Casino executive, philanthropist, and ex-wife of Steve Wynn, Elaine Wynn passed away yesterday just short of her 83rd birthday. The Elaine P. Wynn & Family Foundation announced her death this morning, though no further information was disclosed. Elaine Pascal was born in New York City and grew up in Miami Beach, where she met her future husband. They were married at the end of her junior year at George Washington University, where she graduated in 1964. They moved to Las Vegas in 1967 and over the next 40 years built the Wynn empire together. They divorced in 1986, though amicably; Wynn said he never moved out of the house. They remarried in 1991 and went through a second divorce, this one extremely bitter, in 2010. Upon Wynn's insistence, she was ousted from the Wynn Resorts board of directors in 2015, but when he resigned in disgrace a few years later and sold his shares in the company, Elaine became the largest shareholder. With an estimated net worth of $1.7 billion, she focused exclusively on her charitable efforts and involvement in arts communities. She's survived by two daughters, Kevyn and Gillian, and seven grandchildren.
The Centerfold gentlemen’s club closed early this month, then reopened less than a week later as Players Strip Club & Sports Bar. Located on Paradise Rd. across from Virgin Las Vegas, Players is attempting to position itself as the premier topless club for sports fans, though most of the clubs in town have TVs tuned to sports on a regular basis.
Should we start calling it Elvis Island? We're not sure how long Ellis Island has offered the Elvis Suite, but Canada Roy saw it on the EI website and sent us the link. No, Elvis didn't sleep here. Instead, it's a shrine to the King and rock 'n' roll, a "fully remodeled retro-themed Elvis Suite." It features Elvis posters and a vinyl-record headboard "crowning" the king-size bed. It's quite cute and starts at a reasonable $175 per night. You can see a nice photo of it here.
This week's YouTube video is our third dedicated to jackpots. These are great lessons in playing video poker, mostly, and all these big hits sure are sweet and neat. Anthony hit a card-of-the-day bonus at a local bar. A jackpot scroll at Red Rock not only seems endless, but lists the hits for just one day. Then there's a $60,000 banger on a $5.25 bet on Triple Play Triple Double Bonus Double Super Times Pay (which also hits the jackpot for the longest video poker game title we've ever typed). Another player was dealt a $1,788 royal on free play and several more stories will hold your interest all the way through. Love these good-news stories!
Beginning tonight, road work at Reid International will reduce traffic to a single lane overnight Sundays through Wednesdays from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Staggered portions of the approaches to and exits from the two terminals will be restricted in order for crews to upgrade roadway lighting with LEDs. No complete road closures are planned, but the work will continue until 4 a.m. Thursday May 22.
Going into today’s final round of the Masters golf tournament, two-stroke leader Rory McIlroy is a -175 favorite to win. Bryson DeChambeau is +215, Corey Connors is +1225, and Ludvig Aberg is +3850.
Alexander Volkanovski is a -160 favorite over Diego Lopes in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Paddy Pimblett is -160 over Michael Chandler.
This year's estimates from the U.S. Census bureau peg the Las Vegas metro area population as growing by nearly 45,000 residents between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. At just under 2.4 million residents, Vegas maintained its position as the 29th largest metro area in the nation, just ahead of Cincinnati and Kansas City and just behind the Pittsburgh and Sacramento. Reno, meanwhile, grew by a little more than 8,000 people, raising the population to 575,100, nearly 18% of all Nevadans. Reno edged past the metro areas of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Portland, Maine, to become the 101st-largest metro area in the United States.
The first heat wave of the year came early and set a new record. Yesterday in mid-afternoon, the official thermometer at Reid International reached 96 degrees. That broke the record, set in 2023, of 93. Today and tomorrow remain in the 90s and today could tie the record. Then temperatures drop a bit into the high 80s through most of next week, six or seven degrees above normal.
A press release answers the lingering question about how much the F1 Drive high-speed kart experience will cost, along with some details about the karts, track, and experience. F1 Drive is one of four attractions at Las Vegas Grand Prix Plaza, the F1 headquarters at Koval and Harmon; it opens on May 2. "Drivers will take on 1,696 feet of track with 31 turns in bespoke F1-inspired karts reaching speeds of up to 30 miles per hour. Equipped with Drag Reduction System (DRS), Energy Recovery System (ERS), LED steering wheel displays, and realistic engine sounds, the experience brings the thrill of racing to life," is the official description. Four different packages, each with two 15-minute track sessions, are available: Mixed Grid at lower speed for ages 12+, starting at $79; Elite Experience at full speed $99; Fastest Lap that competes against the clock, not other drivers, $37 or $30 for locals; and VIP Add-on with photo opps, F1 Sim rides, complimentary beverage, merch discounts, and the like for $150. Tickets are now on sale at GrandPrixPlaza.com.
WWE is bringing "The Grandest Stage of Them All" to Las Vegas next week. WrestleMania 41 will take place Allegiant Stadium April 19-20, the first WrestleMania to take place in Las Vegas since 1993. With nearly 200,000 fans expected, it'll be a very busy Easter weekend here and rooms are essentially sold out at regular rates, as are tickets to the event. But the WrestleMania Superstore will occupy a sizable percentage of the Las Vegas Convention Center starting on Wednesday the 17th and running through Monday the 21st. It'll offer WWE merchandise and memorabilia, giving fans the opportunity to shop exclusive gear, browse historic WWE displays, and take part in themed activities. It's free and open to the public.
Hughes Holdings, master developer of the 22,500-acre Summerlin subdivision in west Las Vegas, has received approval by the Las Vegas Planning Commission to subdivide another 400-plus acres into 13 developer sections. A maximum of 2,900 homes will be added to the community, roughly seven homes per acre. Summerlin already boasts 130,000 residents and the new acreage will add approximately 10,000 more. The development will also encompass a 20-acre site for a middle school, nine acres for a church, and 11 acres of commercial properties. Summerlin still has more than 2,000 acres of residential land and nearly 500 acres of commercial that can and most likely will be sold in the future.
A lot of cool stuff is going on in the "18b" Arts District, the 18-block section of downtown full of art galleries, antique shops, vintage-clothing stores, trendy cafés and bars, and upscale foodie-type restaurants. But parking is definitely at a premium. Currently, there are 1,350 spots on the streets and in lots and they fill up fast, especially at prime times like 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays when on-street parking is free. That's why the city has just announced that it's building a 5-1/2-story parking garage at the corner of Casino Center and Utah. Slated for completion next year, the garage will have 500 spaces, 10,000 square feet of retail, and some "local-art vibes with public-art installations."
Scottie Scheffler is the favorite at 5-1 to win golf's Masters tournament. He’s followed by Rory McIlroy at 6-1 and Collin Morikawa at 14-1. Tiger Woods is not playing this year.
An article in Las Vegas Weekly compiled some "stunning statistics" (and kind of random) about the Strip. Here are the ones we found most interesting. Approximately 245,000 one-pound meatballs have been served at Lavo at Palazzo since the restaurant opened in 2008. The 45-foot-tall bronze lion at MGM Grand weighs 50 tons. But that's a light weight compared to the 2,700 tons of sand spread around the 11-acre Mandalay Bay Beach or the 11,000 tons of stone and marble used to build Palazzo. Nearly 115,000 eggs are served at the Wicked Spoon Buffet brunch in an average month. And our favorite: 100 trees were nurtured on the Stardust property for 15 years between the time that the 'Dust closed and Resorts World opened, including live oaks, mondells, Aleppo pines, mesquites, and Mediterranean fan palms. You can see all the stats here.
Just in time for the National Association of Broadcasters convention with 60,000 attendees expected, a new Las Vegas Loop station has opened, this one at Encore. Only one tunnel is in operation, so traffic is staggered to accommodate travel in both directions; the second tunnel that will allow two-way traffic is underway. This is the third station outside the Convention Center, following those at Resorts World and Westgate. Next up is the station at UNLV on Paradise near the Thomas and Mack Center with a spur over to Virgin. Reports contend that "good progress" is being made on that line, though no timetable has been divulged for the opening.
As part of its 20th anniversary celebration, Wynn Las Vegas honored its employees by issuing them shares in the company. The CEO announced that "eligible full- and part-time employees hired before this year" will receive some stock (amounts not disclosed), which to us seems like a generous move; even first-year workers will get the bonus. The Wynn opened on April 28, 2005.
Today's high temperature is predicted to hit 93, roughly 12 degrees warmer than typical for mid-April. But tomorrow and Friday, the thermometer rises from even higher and Friday's high could reach 97, which would set a record for the day. The weather is so hot, in fact, that Lee Canyon Ski Resort is extending its season "as long as conditions allow" and at least through Easter Sunday (April 20). The temperatures and extended season don't really correlate (we were briefly antipodean), but the resort logged 60 inches of snow over the past month from a series of storms, so the snowpack is solid, even in the face of record highs.
In a rare move in today's Las Vegas, South Point yesterday introduced "50+ Prime Time Mondays," a promotion geared at those 50 years and older. Every Monday, the pre-geezers (c'mon, quinquagenarians are middle-aged, not old) and true geezers get half-point dining (other than at Baja Miguel’s and Primarily Prime Rib, both closed on Mondays) and half-point bingo. In addition, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, South Point's Century 16 movie theater is charging only $4 admission for 50 and up (with Free Club card). Senior promotions used to be common, but they went the way of cathode-ray tubes.
Las Vegas single-family house prices seem to have leveled off at a record median price of $485,000 in March. It's the third month in a row that the median price has remained at its record level. Condos and townhouses, however, continue to rise in price; in March, the median was $306,495, a little more than 1% higher than February. That's the second-highest median price for condos in Las Vegas history, short of the $315,000 set in October 2024. Though high, the median price of single-family homes is stable, good for both sellers who continue to get top dollar. The market is also good for buyers, who have more inventory to choose from and falling mortgage interest rates.
Due to continuing demand, the Eagles have announced another eight shows, being billed as the "final" shows of the current residency that started last September. In all, the band will have performed 44 shows at Sphere, breaking U2's record of 40. The new dates are October 3, 4, 10, 11, and 31 and November 1, 7, and 8. The general on-sale for the new shows starts Friday at 10:00 a.m. PT; tickets are $175 and up.
Florida is a -1 favorite over Houston in the NCAA Basketball Championship game. The total is 140.5.
Announced last year, Mega Millions ticket prices have more than doubled, from $2 to $5, starting with tomorrow night's drawing. It's only the second time the big interstate lottery, available in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands, has raised the ticket price (it doubled in 2017 to $2). The lottery claims that the higher price "will result in larger starting jackpots and faster-growing prizes." Indeed, the lottery projects the average jackpot to be more than $800 million, nearly double the current average of $450 million. In addition, breakeven prices are gone; every winning ticket will be more than $5 ($10-$50), with $500 jackpots rising to $1,000 to $5,000. The game itself is also changing. The gold Mega Ball has been removed, which drops the chances of winning something from 1 in 24 to 1 in 23. And the odds of hitting the six-number jackpot are also better, for what it's worth, going from 1 in 302.6 million, to 1 in 290.5 million.
Lionel Richie, one of the Encore Theater's longest-running and most successful headliners, has added six dates in October to his "Lionel Richie: King of Hearts" residency schedule: October 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, and 25. Richie, who has racked up more than 125 million album sales, an Academy Award for Best Original Song ("Say You, Say Me"), four Grammys, and a Golden Globe, has also performed more than 50 sold-out concerts since launching his residency at Encore in 2019.
Nevada released its "Water Supply Outlook Report," as it does every year on April 1, when the state and the Colorado Basin typically achieve their highest snowpack totals, just before the snowmelt begins. Last Tuesday, the Colorado Basin snowpack sat at 88% of the median as compared to April 1, 2024, when it was 115%. The Spring Mountains, which also supply Lake Mead with water, was at a grim 30% of median. In addition, this year snowmelt started early due to a week of warm temperatures in late March. Both Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at 33% of their capacities and a 10-foot drop in Mead's water level is expected between now and the fall. Northern Nevada fared better, with right around 100% of the median in the Sierra basins.
Connecticut is a -7 favorite over South Carolina in today's NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship game. The total is 135.
Lady Gaga has added a third show in Las Vegas to go with the two originally announced for July 16 and 18. The extra date on July 19 is one of 13 more on her "Mayhem Ball" arena tour, with stops all over the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America this summer and fall. All three Vegas shows are sold out, but resale tickets are readily available starting at $292 and going up to $1,200-plus.
The Rio has announced a new show, The Empire Strips Back. The "one-of-a-kind evening full of comedy, allure, and sci-fi in the world of burlesque is taking the galaxy by storm." This is a parody production based, of course, on the Star Wars franchise and has been around for a while, having opened in Australia in 2011. Here's part of a review from SFGate in 2022. "If you’ve ever fantasized about a captive Princess Leia gyrating in a bikini and swinging her shackles to the filthy rotten snare of Nine Inch Nails’ sultry 1994 hit, 'Closer' or wanted to watch sexy stormtroopers stomp to the relentless 4/4 rhythm of 'Seven Nation Army,' then The Empire Strips Back — a Star Wars parody and traveling burlesque show — is absolutely for you." It starts May 5 and tickets are extremely reasonable at $39-$59.
Duke is a -4.5 favorite over Houston in today's second Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 137.
Florida is a -2 favorite over Auburn in today's first Final Four game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 158.5.
This week, the LVA YouTube returns to its roots, as Anthony and Andrew provide updates on the evolving city scene, with some bonus info thrown in. First is an explanation of the LVA "shorts" that many of you have been receiving (and asking about); find out what those are all about. The Cromwell is changing its name again and Andrew tells a sad story about trying and failing to get a comp at a video poker bar at Planet Hollywood; Anthony confirms that Caesars properties are tough for drink comps. The main event of the video is the show price survey that we've done annually for 34 years and Anthony reveals the best show deals on the low end. A buffet change, a new blackjack tournament, good new video poker, a great description of Las Vegas' oldest dive bar (and its burger special), and where movies have been filmed here round out the action-packed show. Click and stick!
In its continuing quest to attract the locals market, the Palms is now offering free cabanas at the pool Monday through Thursday to anyone 21 and older with a Nevada ID. You have to fill out the submission form with your name, birth date, and reservation request (good through October 31) and food and beverage, of course, are your responsibility. But this is a great way for locals and their guests to have a normally VIP experience gratis at an excellent pool complex.
Connecticut is a -7 favorite over UCLA in today's second Final Four game of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 135.
South Carolina is a -5 favorite over Texas in today's first Final Four game of the Women's NCAA Basketball Tournament. The total is 124.5.
Rumors have been floating around for a while about a new version of The Wizard of Oz being produced for the giant screen at Sphere and now it's official. Sphere Entertainment has annouced that it will "launch a fully immersive version of the 1939 film that will maintain the integrity of the original, while pushing the boundaries of Sphere’s experiential medium.” In addition, Sphere Studios is developing a new documentary, From the Edge, which will focus on five extreme athletes: surfer, rock climber, BASE jumper, skier, and free diver. From the Edge will debut next year and The Wizard of Oz will premiere in August.
FoodandWine.com has issued a list of the Top 10 Hotel Bars in the U.S., selected by its "panel of drink experts, who've spent plenty of time at the best hotel bars in the country." Fontainebleau's Collins bar, just off the lobby with live piano most nights, was ranked number six. It was the only hotel bar in Las Vegas to make the list. New York had two bars of the 10, including the number-one best, the King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel, with one each in Dallas, Nashville, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New Orelans, Detroit, and Chicago.
It's Wine Wednesday at Vic's Las Vegas, the sophisticated and classy Italian-American restaurant and jazz venue at Symphony Park near the Smith Center. Every Wednesday this month, wine by the glass is $1 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The featured wines are Meiomi pinot noir and Oyster Bay sauvignon blanc. This is a great opportunity to check out Symphony Park, Vic's, and its lunch menu, which you can see here.
Some things are as strange as ever out in Pahrump, the funky little desert town 60 miles west of Las Vegas in Nye County. Seven tigers, apparently "rescued" from the "Tiger King" TV series, were seized from a private residence out there yesterday after a controversy that had dragged on for several years. Finally, the cats' owner was being evicted from the property and refused to let the landlord access to inspect his asset; in addition, the tenant had no permit to keep exotic pets and walked the tigers outside their cages without leashes. He was taken into custody for resisting arrest and told News3, "I'm a 100 percent disabled veteran with PTSD. The VA and my doctors have approved the tigers to work as support animals." The tigers were sedated and shipped to various zoos and big-mammal boarding facilities.
Two Las Vegas chefs made the cut to become finalists in the James Beard Foundation Awards: Sarah Thompson (Casa Playa/Encore) and Eleazar Villanueva (Restaurant de Joël Robuchon/MGM Grand) for Best Chef Southwest. Cristie Norman (Delilah/Wynn) is the third finalist for Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service. The winners will be announced on June 16 at the awards ceremony in Chicago.
The presale for Nevada residents for Formula 1 tickets starts on April 8 at 10 a.m. Tickets for the Nov. 20-22 race go as low as $50 for the first practice round on Thursday night and locals will have priority access for single-day Flamingo General Admission tickets and all three-day options on Tuesday. General-public tickets will be available at noon on Wednesday April 9.
The 2023 Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights, to no one's surprise, have locked up their presence in the NHL post-season. In first place in the Pacific Division, the VGK lost last night to the Edmonton Oilers, snapping their six-game winning streak, but snuck into the playoffs through the back door when the Calgary Flames lost their game to the Utah Hockey Club. Edmonton, which lost in the Finals last year to the Florida Panthers, are in second in the Pacific and could still make the playoffs as a wild card; they're seven points behind Vegas and both teams have eight games left in the regular season.
And now for something completely different. Six cast members from the Hulu reality-TV show "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" will take the stage at the Palazzo Theatre for what looks like one show on June 7. The six women are, reportedly, Mormon influencers based in Utah known as MomTok; the TV series, just entering its second season, revolves around a tepid sex scandal and its aftermath. So what the stage show will consist of is anyone's guess, though the press release mentions "a roundtable-style discussion, interactive games, and other surprises" and "an unforgettable girls’ night out in Vegas." Tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.
A story on TravelandLeisure.com has some nice photos of the newly remodeled Fairway Villas at the Wynn. These one- and two-bedroom high-roller suites come with "at least two marble bathrooms with large vanities, soaking bathtubs, and massive closets," along with outdoor areas and personal butlers; some have private pools and gyms and all overlook Wynn's golf course. There are 34 "residences" total, with a first phase available now and a second by the end of the year. If you're paying retail, you can rent the one-bedrooms for a low low $4,633 a night; the two-bedrooms are $6,326. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link; he might be hosting a party in one of the suites for invited guests soon.
After closing late last year, Whiskey Pete’s has been given permission to remain closed for up to three years while Affinity Interactive decides what direction it wants to go with its casinos in Primm.
In a study conducted by AlcoholDelivered.com about the cost of a case of beer (24 12-ounce servings) in every state. Nevada ranked number 8 at $22.62. Alaska placed first at $33.62, followed by Wyoming, Hawaii, Montana, and Tennessee ($24.03-$28.78). Cheapest was Illinois at $16.43 a case, with South Carolina, New York, Rhode Island, and Kansas in the bottom five ($16.54-$17.30).
Another sale is reportedly near finalized for the downtown Western, which has been shuttered since 2012. While the prospective buyer hasn’t been disclosed, it’s described as a company with 200 properties in 20 states (not Nevada) that’s known for “renovating properties and bringing them back to their glory days.”
It’s been a poorly kept secret for months that the Downtown Grand is for sale, but there’ve been no apparent takers until now. Nothing appears solid at this point, but it’s been reported that Penske Media, which owns Rolling Stone and Billboard magazines, is in discussions to buy the property, with plans to create a Rolling Stone-branded resort. Of course, a music-centric casino is nothing new, as proved by the previous and pending Hard Rocks.
Dennis Conrad is a name that many LVA readers are familiar with. His career in the casino biz spans five decades, starting as a crap dealer and working his way up to director of marketing. He's also a gambler, author, and fast talker extraordinaire and he hosted two parties for LVA subscribers in the early '90s when he was at Harrah's, which are still legendary. You can get a load of his extensive credentials and limitless stories right here at the white arrow. It's a whirlwind!
Starting today and continuing through April, road closures and lane restrictions will be in effect in various places on Interstate 15 between the Tropicana and Warm Springs exits. For the next few days, only two lanes will be open in both directions along that stretch between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.; that extends to Flamingo Monday-Thursday nights. Additionally, on and off ramps at Harmon, Russsell, and Warm Springs will be closed at different times and Frank Sinatra Drive will have one lane open April 13-18. Be prepared for slowdowns throughout the month or check your GPS for alternate routes.
Brandon Moreno is a -280 favorite over Steve Erceg in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Manuel Torres is -130 over Drew Dober.
Toca Madera in the Shops at Crystals in CityCenter is running an interesting gambling promotion; we can't remember the last time we saw one of those at a restaurant, especially a high-end one. “Roll the Dice” is the promo during brunch, served Fri.-Sun. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every dining party gets to roll two dice one time and if it comes up 33 (a nod to Noble 33 hospitality group), brunch for the table is free. It’s worth about $5.50 in EV for a $200 check, but the promo covers up to $1,500, which boosts the potential value of this proposition to $42. Noble 33 has come up with a cool Vegas-esque promo, along with its excellent happy hour weekdays.
A “Chipps and Salsa” Sunday brunch is now available at the LINQ, where the Chippendales perform. The "deal," such as it is, is an opportunity to combine a 1 p.m. brunch with the 2:30 p.m. show. The price for the non-buffet brunch at the LINQ's Chayo Mexican Kitchen + Tequila Bar is $70 per person (including tax and tip) and comes with all-you-can-drink mimosas, sangria, and margaritas (one-hour limit) and your choice of three items from the somewhat limited menu (parfait, fruit bowl, pancakes, French toast, guac toast, tacos, and quesadillas). To us, it sounds like a convenient way to get good and intoxicated for the male revue, with some food in your belly so you don't fall down before you get to the Mat Franco Theater.
Two paid-membership clubs are on their way to the Vegas entertainment scene. Doberman is scheduled to open this month in the Arts District. Zero Bond, an established club out of New York City, has been planning to open at the Wynn sometime this year for some time now. Membership fees for Doberman are $750 initiation and $3,000 per year. Announced fees for Zero Bond are $1,000-$50,000 (not a typo) initiation and $2,750-$7,500 per year. Non-members will be allowed to patronize Doberman (that’s the option we’ll be choosing).
Tripadvisor has released its Top 25 Travel Destinations in the U.S. for 2025 and Las Vegas ranks at number three. The list is based on "consistently high ratings and positive traveler reviews over the past year." The review site cited Vegas' Michelin-starred restaurants, extravagant scenery, 24/7 wedding chapels, immersive art experiences, and outdoor recreation. Number one is New York City, followed by Oahu, Hawaii, the Florida Keys at four, then New Orleans, Nashville, San Francisco, Chicago, Charleston (South Carolina), and Washington, D.C., to round out the top 10.
The opening of the Grand Prix Plaza on Harmon that was scheduled for March 29 has been pushed back to May 2. The reason given was to “ensure an excellent guest experience.”
We're a little more than halfway through the current poll on Las Vegas' best players club. Now that the polls are irregularly scheduled, they can be hard to find, so here's a link that takes you right there. We're currently at around 350 votes (you can select only one choice) and we're hoping to hit 400. The poll closes on Tuesday and the results will be posted on Friday.
Today is opening day for Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees are the favorite to win in the American League at +400 and the Los Angeles Dodgers are the favorite to win in the National League at +135. The Dodgers are a short +200 favorite to win the World Series. BetMGM reports that the Dodgers drew the highest-ever percentage of preseason bets to win the World Series at 37%, well above the previous record of 21.7% on the New York Mets in 2022.
The official Las Vegas thermometer at Reid International hit 90 degrees yesterday in the mid-afternoon. it was the first day of the year that broke out of the 80s. It's hardly a record; in 2007, the first 90-degree day was on March 13, a full two weeks earlier. However, it was the fifth earliest date that southern Nevada recorded the milestone in 93 years and Las Vegas has hit 90 in March 12 times all told. And look out, because triple digits here we come.
Superstar singer and actress Lady Gaga will play two dates at T-Mobile Arena on July 16 and 18 as part of her tour, "The MAYHEM Ball," to support her latest album, Mayhem, released earlier this month. It will be her first arena tour in seven years. Tickets go on sale to the public Thursday April 3.
According to the National Weather Service, there's a 75% chance that the high temperature today in Las Vegas will reach 90 degrees for the first time in 2025. Death Valley hit 100 yesterday, Phoenix 99, in this spring heat wave that's expected to be shortlived; temperatures return to normal, in the 70s, by the weekend. But it's shaping up to be another hot one: Las Vegas' first 80-degree day was on Feb. 3 and it was the third-warmest February since official records began in 1937.
The Three Affiliated Tribes, a tribal nation on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota, is making a bit of a splash here lately. The tribe has been buying up Las Vegas real estate, including 23 acres with Strip frontage across from Luxor, over the past several years. Spokespeople for the tribe have been mum about plans for the properties until recently, when a "pre-review" application was submitted to Clark County, sort of a sneak preview of the eventual full application. According to the Review-Journal, it shows a $2 billion development, including a hotel-casino, convention center, theater, and 15,000-20,000-seat arena. The arena is getting the most attention, rumored that the Vegas Golden Knights might move there from T-Mobile. But that's a long way off, if ever, and the team has indicated that not only doesn't it have plans to move, but it wants to invest $300 million in improving their current home. The Three Affiliated Tribes say the "full vision" for the project will go public after receiving approvals from local governments. Stay tuned.
VitalVegas reported this morning that Eat, the popular downtown breakfast and coffee shop, has closed after 13 years in business. Apparently, the lease was up, the rent was raised, and the restaurant went under. Its owner-operator, local celebrity chef Natalie Young, is now involved in a partnership in a new eatery, Echo Taste and Sound, on Main Street in the Arts District.
Last summer, the Plaza introduced "Welcome to the Weekend Summer Fireworks Shows" every Friday night at 9:15 p.m. This year, the fireworks will start earlier, on May 2, and run later, September 26, than last year, a total of 22 shows (weather permitting). Several downtown properties, along with the Fremont Street Experience and First Friday, will cross-promote the fireworks with "programming and special events to create an unforgettable summertime party in downtown Las Vegas." After the fireworks, a DJ will blast tunes from the Carousel Bar under the Plaza's dome until 11 p.m.
Late Friday night, a slot player identified as James hit the Grand Jackpot on a Dollar Storm machine for $1,016,145. The publicity photo of the screen shows a $2 bet -- and James wearing a Vegas-type shirt emblazoned with heavy metal bands such as Slade, Skid Row, and Led Zeppelin. Rock on!
Veteran R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire will do another residency at the Venetian Theatre in the fall. All nine dates are in October: 10, 11, 12, 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, and 25. The band played the Venetian at the same time last year for seven sold-out dates. Tickets are on sale now.
The classic-rock band Kiss will perform at the Theater at Virgin November 14-16. How many shows does that mean? Details thus far are sparse, though you can sign up at Kiss.Vibee.com "for more information when it becomes available." The low-key "announcement" (via email on a Kiss website) says, "Fans can expect "a special live performance from former Kiss member Bruce Kulick, along with other special guests, activities, exclusive experiences, and more." The "Kiss Storms Vegas" events will mark the band's 50th anniversary and they'll take the stage without the usual fully masked makeup and wigs.
As has become the norm, starting with this week's Sweet 16 games, South Point will deal -105 on all NCAA tournament games through to the championship game. In the past, the discount has applied to bets on pointspreads only. Bets must be made at the sports book (not available on the app). The -105 pricing is also offered at Rampart, along with CasaBlanca and Virgin River in Mesquite, all of which are South Point-affiliated books.
Sixty-four minutes of banter, brews, and brainpower with Anthony, Andrew, and Tanya (off camera) take place on this edition of Beer Friday. These monthly episodes of the LVA YouTube are turning into a nice little free-beer play for LVA, as well as a Q&A as A&A answer questions submitted by viewers in real time. You never know what's going to happen, especially as the ethanol flows and the show gets looser and looser. Tune in and stay to the end!
The changes in the dining line-up at Cosmopolitan are continuing. The space vacated by Holstein's on the second floor is now occupied by Amaya, a trendy Mexican restaurant with prices to match, and Naughty Patty's will open nearby this summer. Patty's will serve a fast-food menu, with signature smash burgers and fries, grilled cheese, chili dogs, and ice cream concretes (frozen custard and toppings). What's Naughty about Patty? She's a pin-up with a stiff middle finger.
The author of an upcoming book from Huntington Press, long-time and highly respected gaming attorney Anthony Cabot, spoke last week at the World Game Protection Conference at the Rio about casino executives around the world facilitating financial crimes for various Chinese Triads, the highly organized and expansive "Mafia of Asia." The book, Casino Redux: Unveiling the Global Network of Chinese Organized Crime does a deep dive into the rise of the Triads and their mastery of the corruption of casinos from Macau to Australia, from Vancouver, British Columbia, to tiny islands in the South Pacific. Cabot is the subject of an article on CDCGaming.com posted this morning, where you can get a good idea of his perspective on this global phenomenon, as well as get a gander at the dynamic cover of the book, which will be released in the next couple of months. Also on CDC is a good story on Anna Konnikova, the writer and poker player, who's working on a book about cheating at poker and other table games, which is growing in scope, sophistication, and severity.
Sean Brady is a -140 favorite over Leon Edwards in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Carlos Ulberg is -380 over Jan Blachowicz.
You might recall that Anthony and Andrew interviewed mega social influencer Vegas Matt on an LVA YouTube last November. The 70-minute segment spotlighted Matt and his nearly million followers (it received 900 comments!) from our readers. On Thursday, the
politics, business, technology, and arts online magazine Slate.com published a nearly book-length profile of Matt (perhaps more than 10,000 words; we didn't count them), all you ever wanted to know about him and casino influencers. The title pretty much says it all, "The Biggest Loser -- He built an empire of men addicted to watching him lose enormous sums of money and In Las Vegas, I figured out why we can’t look away." The gist of the piece is summed up thusly, "All told, in 2024, he reportedly suffered $404,000 in gambling losses. Yet somehow, he has managed to turn losing money into an enviable living—and is one of the only people on Earth to do so." You can read the the long story made even longer here -- and as always, thanks to Canada Roy for being right on top of it.
Yesterday, a slot player made a $75 bet in the high-limit room at Palazzo hit the Grand Jackpot on a Dragon Link machine and took down $1,215,998.
Cashman Center just north of downtown, closed since 2016, has been sold to national homebuilder Lennar, which paid $36.2 million for the 50-acre site. Lennar hasn’t revealed its plans for the acreage, but called it a "special redevelopment area," and the Las Vegas City Council member who represents the area said that that it's being considered for a housing development. The closing date is anticipated in mid-September, but Lennar will discuss its intentions before then to satisfy the city.
It’s all about comedy this weekend so take your pick!
This morning's Las Vegas Review-Journal has a long piece titled, "Nickel and dimed: Are Las Vegas casinos pushing visitors to a tipping point?" After a milquetoast lead, "For the majority of Las Vegas visitors, the experience they want to have is going to cost them. And for the most part, they are OK with that," the piece presents a pretty strong analysis of the dissatisfaction of knowledgeable visitors. "From resort and parking fees to surge pricing in sundry stores to table games with a greater house edge to exorbitant markups on food and drinks, there is growing sentiment that the public is being squeezed when they visit a Las Vegas casino." The reporter contacted the LVCVA and more than 20 casinos. "Most casino operators did not respond and two declined to comment." (Imagine that.) To their credit, the STRAT, Virgin, and Derek Stevens are quoted, though their statements are the usual platitudes. The story ends with a great line from a part-time resident: "We're losing the experience, while the casinos step over a dollar to get to a dime.” Bottom line: For the R-J, supported in large part by casino advertisers, to run a story like this indicates, at least to us, that the drum we've been banging since the pandemic is starting to reverberate in the mainstream. You can read the whole story here.
Hawaiian Airlines will be adding a fourth daily flight between Honolulu International and Reid International starting in the fall. The second afternoon flight, it pushes the first afternoon flight a bit earlier, so it arrives equally earlier in the day. Starting on October 20, the morning flight inbound will remain the same at 8:15, while the first afternoon flight will move from 2 p.m. to 1:15, arriving at 10 p.m. The new afternoon flight will leave HNL at 3:15, arriving just before midnight. The fourth is a redeye (11:15 p.m. and 8 a.m.). All flights will cost $342 one way. Hawaii and the "ninth island" keep getting closer.
"Las Vegas Has Fallen Far from the Golden Days of Sinatra and Elvis" is the headline of a New York Post piece penned by Cindy Adams, the 93-year-old Post gossip columnist and second wife of comedian, vaudevillian, and nightclub performer Joey Adams. Talk about grieving for the good old days. Cindy writes, "Vegas formerly jammed old-timers as high as that elephant’s eye. It still sees the occasional grandma wearing a hairnet and working the $1 slots. Still the stripper or occasional wham! Slam! VIP biggie night." It gets better/worse: "Today, its biggest attractions are prostitution, gambling, and marijuana." It's a funny read, complete with Cindy walking in on Zsa Zsa and a maitre d',
how to turn Jews into Catholics, and alternatives to Vegas (think Coney Island). Here's the link.
The cable has been fixed, everything is back to normal, and you can now call in. Hooray.
Cox, our Internet service provider, has been down area wide since yesterday at 6 p.m. and still is, with no startup time in sight. This means our phones, Internet, and TV are dead in the ether, so if you're trying to call in, "the number you have dialed is not in service," at least for now. If you want to contact us, email is the only way; we can access that on our phones via data. As soon as things are back to normal, we'll post a notice here. Thanks for your patience.
Singer, songwriter, actress, and billionaire Beyoncé has added a second date to her previously announced tour stop at Allegiant Stadium. "Tour stop" is both literal and figurative: The two dates close out the 31 stadium shows that stretch from L.A. to London and Paris between late April and late July. Beyoncé will perform "The Cowboy Carter Tour," named for her latest album, which is named for her last name, at Allegiant on July 25, with the new show just announced on July 26. The first of two presales starts today at noon local time; general-public tickets for all shows go on sale noon PT.
Choosing St. Patrick's Day, a holiday associated with good fortune, to identify the winner of the $1.27 billion Mega Millions jackpot drawn on December 27, California lottery officials named her, but revealed no other details; she didn't attend the press conference. The ticket was sold at the Sunshine Food and Gas station in Cottonwood, a town of 4,000 right on I-5 in northern California between Red Bluff and Redding. The owners of the store were present at the media event and received a check for $1 million. The winner chose the lump-sum cash option of $572 million. After federal taxes (California doesn't tax lottery jackpots), she takes home $360 million.
Four powerhouse veteran vocalists -- Gladys Knight, Chaka Khan, Patti LaBelle, and Stephanie Mills -- are teaming up on "The Queens Tour" of 10 arenas in the U.S. and kicking it all off at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay on May 9. Talk about hits: Knight, of course, has "Midnight Train to Georgia," Khan "I Feel for You," LaBelle "Lady Marmalade," and Mills "Never Knew Love Like This Before." Among them, they have 18 Grammys. The presale starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT (use code "BPC"); general on-sale starts on Friday at 10 a.m. ET.
According to a study by VisualCapitalist.com, 61.2% of Nevada households were owned by their occupants in 2023, ranking 48th out of 50 states. Only California (55.8%) and New York (53.3%) had fewer. Nationwide, nearly two-thirds (65.7%) of U.S. households owned their homes; the rest were rented. West Virginia had the highest percentage (77%), followed by Delaware (75.7%), Mississippi (75.5%), Maine (75.5%), and Wyoming (74.5%). For the whole list and explanations of the rankings, click here. And thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
Due to "overwhelming demand," the Eagles have announced four shows at Sphere in September, bringing the total number to 36 since their residency launched last September. The dates are Sept. 5, 6, 12 and 13. The presale is open and general-public tickets go on sale March 28. If you can't see the band live, reports are circulating that an Eagles at Sphere movie is in the works. No details have been announced, but U2 did it and the Eagles are approaching U2's total of 44 performances, so it seems likely.
Having launched his residency in 2012, Sir Rod Stewart performed his 200th show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace last weekend to launch a new 12-date performance schedule. Stewart's "final" shows have been announced time and again and his latest run, through July, was also supposed to be it. But now comes word that six more shows have been added in the fall: September 24, 26, and 27 and October 1, 3, and 4. Tickets for the new shows go on sale on Friday.
March 18, 2020, was the first full day of the COVID pandemic shutdown in Las Vegas. The casinos closed at midnight on the 17th, the first-time ever that Las Vegas went dark completely; it didn't light up again until June 4, 78 long, empty, and quiet -- in a word, ghostly -- days later. The first death attributed to COVID in southern Nevada was on March 15; another nearly 3,000 people here succumbed to the virus in 2020, with more than 4,000 in 2021 and 2,000 in 2022. In all, just under 10,000 southern Nevadans lost their lives to the disease. It seems like an eternity ago, yet the memories are still so fresh and raw that it could've happened yesterday. COVID changed the world in countless ways, yet it's also the same muddled place it always was -- and will be.
The Stanley Cup Champion Vegas Golden Knights are first in the Pacific Division with 86 points, four points ahead of the second-place Edmonton Oilers. With 13 games remaining in the regular season, a VGK appearance in the playoffs is essentially locked in. Our podcast partner, Hockey Knights in Vegas, covers the VGK scene in detail and Big Episode 100 is a special one: VGK Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, who in his first season last year led Vegas to win the Stanley Cup, is interviewed by Eddie Rivkin and Chris Chapman. If you like hockey, are a fan of the Vegas team, or just want to see something special on our website, click the white arrow; Coach comes on at minute 14 for a 16-minute interview.
The American Gaming Association estimates that $3.1 billion will be bet legally on this year's men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments. It's a 12% increase over last year's $2.7 billion and more than twice as much as the AGA estimated was bet legally on the Super Bowl. Of course, March Madness comprises 134 games in total, so it's anything but an apples-to-apples comparison. Still, that's a lot of spondulicks laid down on two tournaments. Brackets will be released on Sunday. Duke and Florida are currently the favorites to win the men’s championship. South Carolina and UConn are the women's favorites.
Duke is the favorite to win the NCAA Basketball Championship at +290, followed by Florida (+345) and Auburn (+450). The longshot is Alabama State at +400000 (4,000-1). The tournament begins with Tuesday’s two First Four play-in games.
MGM Resorts floated a number of trial balloons about introducing new fees over the past couple of quarterly earnings calls and one has, according to VitalVegas, now surfaced. VV reports that MGM has laid off valets, doormen, and bellmen at Excalibur and the few baggage handlers who remain won't deliver luggage to rooms. (No word on what they will do.) Luggage carts will be available to guests for -- you guessed it -- a fee. (No word on how much, but we're setting the over/under at $10.) "A source at MGM Resorts says these front-line staff reductions are limited to Excalibur," VV writes, "related to that specific customer demographic" -- in other words, lower tier. VV asks, "Could the elimination of bell-desk personnel at Excalibur be a bellwether of things to come?" The answer, in so many words, is yes.
Stubborn Seed, the Las Vegas outpost of the Michelin-starred Miami Beach restaurant owned and operated by "Top Chef" (season 13) winner Jeremy Ford, has opened at Resorts World. The menu is unusual in that all the dinners are ordered from two tasting options, the regular dinner ($135) and the Elevated Experience ($175). A wine pairing is available for $70. The dinner comes with eight courses, from olive ciabatta and truffle ricotta to Australian wagyu striploin and spiced barramundi and olive-oil cake for dessert. The Elevated dinner adds caviar, foie gras, and wagyu tartare. Stubborn Seed is open nightly at 6, till 10 weekdays, 11 weekends.
A story on CDCGaming.com this morning covers the vote taken at the end of the annual World Game Protection Conference. The 500 or so attendees, most of them casino surveillance and security professionals, select the top eight cheating scams of the past year. The number-one scam in 2024 was a baccarat ploy that involves a colluding dealer having the cheating player cut the cards, scraping a fingernail across the corners to reveal the index numbers of a sequence to a hidden camera, then leaving the table to review the sequence and returning to bet on the inside knowledge. Other hidden-camera scams ranked number two and counterfeit chips number three. You can read the whole story here; there are also links to the top scams of 2023 and 2022.
These LVA YouTube jackpot videos are exciting for everyone, including us. In this second edition of the jackpot format, Anthony and Andrew discuss three in detail -- the beer-delivery $4K royal, the slow-cocktail-waitress $11K slot grand jackpot, and the $57K anti-jackpot. Then they catch up to a bunch of archived jackpots sent in over the past few years in the "lightning round." Fun fun fun to see the jackpots and hear the stories of gamblers winning big in the casinos for a change.
If you're on the prowl for the hot dog deal at Downtown Grand -- your choice of a PBR in the can or a Lone Star beer in the bottle and the dog for $3 -- just look for the new sign on a support column next to the counter near the casino entrance that says "Since 2024," with the picture of a hot dog in a bun below it and below that "Lucky's." The sign went up a few days ago, so now the deal is official. Also, chicken tacos are available for $2 each and they have two kinds of salsa, red and a cilantro-onion mix, plus sour cream, at the condiment bar. It’s all available from 11 a.m. till about 10 p.m.
Virgin, under new casino management, is advertising juice-free bets on same-day pre-match pointspreads during NCAA tournament basketball games on March 20 and 21. The maximum is $3,000 and a Cherry Rewards card is required.
Rod Stewart is back for the final run of his long Las Vegas residency, with 12 concerts in March, May, and June at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. By now, the 80-year-old crooner's is among the longest-running residencies in Vegas history -- and one of the most lucrative. According to the Daily Mail, Stewart's 2011 contract specified $50 million for the original 18 shows, around $2.7 million per. And that was more than 13 years ago, so we assume the contract extensions have included pay raises. Still, since he's now approaching his 200th performance, even at "just" $2.7 million per, that's a cool $540 million over the life of the run.
“Two bags fly free,” a registered trademark of Southwest Airlines, will soon be obsolete. The airline has just annouced that for the first time in its history, it will start charging passengers to check bags. Tickets purchased on or after May 28 will include the charge, which hasn't been announced yet, though it's assumed to be in the $25-$35 range. The top-tier fare class and A-List Preferred will still get the two free bags, while A-Listers and people with SWA credit cards will get one free. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, airlines earned more than $5 billion from bag fees in 2024.
Renowned illusionist and endurance artist David Blaine has announced nine new shows at Encore, extending his three-show residency in April to 12. Due to popular demand, "David Blaine: Live in Las Vegas" will be performed on July 23, 25, and 26, September 17, 19, and 20, and November 12, 14, and 15. Tickets are on sale now and start at $69.95. Blaine is the subject of a long chapter in our new book Advantage Players by Michael Kaplan.
Tickets for two of the three year-round attractions at Grand Prix Plaza, the F1 headquarters, are now available for dates on March 29 and beyond. F1 HUB, the racing simulator, cost $39 and tickets for F1 X, where participants design their own race cars and test them on virtual tracks, are $79. Tickets for F1 DRIVE, the actual racing experience in karts on part of the Grand Prix circuit, aren't on sale yet and the prices haven't been announced. We took a little poll on the over/under and the $99 votes are betting the over, while the $124.50s are taking the under. 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.
Caesars Entertainment has announced that the Cromwell will be transformed into the Vanderpump Hotel with a complete renovation and transition that will be completed by early next year. The hotel will be the first foray into accommodations for the British entrepeneur, reality-TV star, and author, Lisa Vanderpump, whose restaurants and bars include Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesars Palace, Vanderpump à Paris at Paris Las Vegas, WOLF by Vanderpump at Harvey’s Lake Tahoe, and most recently, Pinky’s by Vanderpump at Flamingo Las Vegas. The Vanderpump will be on the short list of Las Vegas hotels that have had four names: Barbary Coast, Bill's Gambling Saloon, the Cromwell, and Vanderpump. You can see the others in a recent Question of the Day.
Casino.org reporter Corey Levitan broke the news yesterday that the Buffet at Luxor is closing on March 30. Casino.org reporter Scott Roeben "confirmed the closure through official sources, so it’s a done deal." We reviewed this buffet, in the basement of the pyramid, recently (January 2024). We walked right in on a Wednesday and liked the brunch well enough for the price ($31 weekdays, $34 weekends), but had to park there, which added $15 to the tab. We concluded, "Unless you’re walking in, you’ll be paying a mere $1 less for this buffet and parking than you would for the superlative seafood spread at South Point ($45.95 with a club card and free parking). Sorry, but for us, that simply doesn’t compute." That said, MGM's closing of the (unlucky?) 13th buffet in Las Vegas is a blow and we wonder what the plans are for its three others at Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, and Excalibur.
The John Wick Experience has opened at Area15. Based on the billion-dollar franchise of four movies starring Keanu Reeves as a retired hitman drawn back into the criminal underworld, the Experience features more than a dozen rooms sporting various themes from the films, live interactions, and interactive game play. Groups of guests complete a mission, each one unique, consisting of the "characters, mythology, and iconography inspired by the feature film universe." The 12,000-square-foot attraction also has two themed bars and, of course, a retail shop. Tickets are $49.99 for general admission, $69.99 VIP, and $99.99 Ultimate VIP. It opens at 2 p.m. and the last admissions are at 10:40 p.m.
NASCAR invades Las Vegas this weekend with its three annual races at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race takes place on Friday evening at 6, the Xfinity Series Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and the big Pennzoil 400 Cup Series stock car race on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The 400 is one of two NASCAR Cup races held here; the other is the South Point 400 that's run the last weekend of September. All races still have a few tickets left, but with 100,000 race fans attending the events throughout the weekend, traffic in North Las Vegas will be ferocious from Friday afternoon to Sunday night.
Every March, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority releases its annual “Visitor Profile Survey” for the prior year. In this year's survey conducted in 2024, visitors reported earning more money than ever: 64% grossed at least $100,000 compared to 48% in 2023 and 28% in 2019. In addition, the age of visitors continues to drop; though the average age of 43.6 years was the same as in 2023, it was three years younger than in 2019. More relevant to us were the 65-year-olds and older: Last year, only 6% of visitors were in that age group compared to 19% in 2019 pre-pandemic. The 30-to-49 age group more than took the place of the Medicare masses. Fully 78% of visitors gambled during their stay, with an average bankroll of $820.15, similar to last year, while spending on food and drink hit an all-time high of $615.07, nearly 10% over 2023.
Ticket prices and presale hoopla have been announced for this year's Las Vegas Grand Prix, taking place November 20-22. Prices continue to drop and single-day tickets are now as low as $50 (for the Thursday practice round), while three-day general admission for the Flamingo zone is $400 (for Caesars Rewards members). The first presale is for AMEX card holders on April 2 at 10 a.m. PT. Nevadans will have 24 hours to be the first to buy single- and three-day Flamingo zone tickets starting April at 10 a.m. Prices rise quickly: $725-$800 for three-day standing room, $875-$1,750 for grandstand seating, and $2,500-$25,000 for clubhouse, skybox, and luxury experiences.
America First Center, home of the Silver Knights American Hockey League team, is offering free skating on 12 dates through the end of the year. You can bring your own skates or rent at the Center. The dates are March 19, April 27 and 28, May 29, June 6 and 21, July 1 and 12, August 3, September 5, October 18, and December 4. You can register three weeks ahead of the free dates at HendersonHappenings.com.
New3LV reports that a study conducted by Rutgers and Northwestern universities has found that $2.4 billion in wages has been stolen from 40,000 Nevada workers over the past 20 years by employers illegally paying them below the minimum wage. Each worker lost $3,000 per year (nearly 20% of their correct income), adding up to $122 million per year. The most susceptible workers to minimum-wage theft were found to be women, people of color, non-citizens, individuals with less education, and those aged 18 to 24.
Bellagio's Conservatory and Botanical Gardens' spring display has arrived. The new showcase is anchored by an 18-foot-tall beehive, complete with bees, and features lots of birds and a birdhouse, an epic caterpillar, Easter eggs, a profusion of flowers, and what appears to be the top half of Persephone, goddess of spring. You can see a lot of great photos at VegasChanges.com, which is always first to post the new displays.
The Westgate SuperBook is running a March Madness basketball contest that’s similar to the contests it runs during the NFL season. The entry fee is $100 and the deadline to enter is March 19. Westgate will also deal -109 on tournament lines, meaning you have to bet only $109 to win $100, as opposed to the standard $110/$100 arrangement.
The official hype video for "Horror Unleashed," the Universal Studio's massive new attraction that's opening at Area15 in October, has dropped (as the kids say) on our heads (as we say). You can see it here, but caution: No one with a heart condition need apply. And if you'd like a job scaring people half to death, Universal Destinations & Experiences has now posted audition opportunities for the attraction, which you can read about and apply for here.
Don’t forget to move your clocks ahead by one hour for Daylight Savings Time, which began at 2 a.m. this morning. Making the change is especially important if you want to bet today’s early games.
In the never-ending series of curiosities surrounding the ex-Oakland, now Sacramento, and maybe soon Las Vegas A's MLB baseball team, A's players will wear a Las Vegas patch on their uniforms. According to the Associated Press, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is "sponsoring" the patch, meaning that the LVCVA is paying the A's to promote the city that's also subsidizing them to build a stadium, if the team can attract enough outside money to pay for the rest of the construction. Another detail that caught our eye: The AP wrote, "The Athletics will play in Northern California for at least the next three seasons." At least? And here we thought the stadium will be finished in time for the fourth season. Not according to the AP, which noted that the groundbreaking is scheduled for this spring, "provided the remaining legal agreements are finalized."
The ultra-high-end Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace has eliminated its weekday brunch. Instead, the former weekday brunch and crab brunch are now combined into the crab brunch on Saturday and Sunday only, served 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The dinner buffet remains the same, daily from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Numerous calls about the price of the new brunch, and whether the dinner price has changed, got us nowhere. We'll keep trying.
In its fourth-quarter earnings call yesterday, executives at Liberty Media, which owns Formula 1, indicated that they're less than gratified by the revenue metrics from the first two Las Vegas Grand Prix races. Liberty's stock price fell 5% in the quarter, which the CEO and CFO called "Vegas-related." They pointed to slow ticket sales for last year's race, along with "softness in certain hospitality offerings." They didn't admit that the sky-high ticket prices, highest of all the F1 races, might have had anything to do with the softness, or the lack of enthusiasm for the event by every casino except MGM and Wynn. But they did allow that they've "already enacted changes that will benefit 2025 and support a financially successful race" -- without, of course, going into details. We'll see; disruptions hereabouts for this year's race are only seven months away. The economic impact on Las Vegas, on the other hand, makes F1 the largest annual event of the year in southern Nevada, at least according to the race's biggest cheerleader, local economic consulting firm Applied Analysis. In a study paid for by the race company, Applied measured the "overall economic impact" of the 2024 race at $934 million, with visitor spending of $556 million and $378 million spent on operations. Those numbers are, how do we say this politely, suspect, as an upcoming Question of the Day will reveal.
With a new head coach and general manager, the Raiders have made a statement about the player they value the most. At a still-young 27, star defensive end Maxx Crosby has been signed to a new three-year $106.5 million contract. The $35.5 million-per-year average makes him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. Crosby is, without a doubt, the face (and tattoos) of the team, a four-time Pro Bowler with 59½ sacks, tied for the fifth-most in the NFL since he was drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round in 2019. After five head coaches, four general managers, and only one winning season since then, Crosby might've asked to be traded, but beyond the money, signing the extension indicates he's committed to helping turn the Raiders around. We hope he does.
Boyd Gaming is closing the Venue theater space at the Orleans in the next couple of weeks, leaving four shows homeless. We're not surprised: It was an odd space in an odd corner of the Orleans, sort of an afterthought. The shows, on the other hand, were anything but. We reviewed Adam London's Laughternoon in the April 2022 LVA and really liked it; the other soon-to-be-defunct shows are The Conjurors, Late Night Magic, and Marriage Can Be Murder, which has moved around, but has been going strong here for 26 years. Adam London, in his farewell Facebook post, said that the space will be converted into a "high-stakes poker room." We hope the shows find new homes, but we're not holding our breath; the Vegas live-performance scene continues, as our grandmother used to say, "down de hill."
RuPaul’s Drag Race Live will celebrate its 1,000th show with a live broadcast from the Flamingo. The special "millennium" anniversary will be streamed on the show's WOW Presents Plus platform at 9:30 p.m. PT on Saturday March 15. The show is in its fifth year, having premiered at the Flamingo in 2020, and features a rotating cast of past competitors from the “Drag Race” franchise. The residency’s current cast members include Asia O’Hara, Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Kylie Sonique Love, Morphine Love Dion, and Plane Jane; surprise guests will also make appearances.
Frontier Airlines has announced that starting in June, it will fly out of Paine Field Airport in Everett, Washington, roughly 45 miles north of Seattle's Sea-Tac International. Paine was originally constructed in 1936 as a Depression-era Works Progress project, but wasn't further developed until World War II. It served as an Air Force base throughout that and the Korean wars, then was mostly idle until 1966, when Boeing took it over for operations around the introduction of the giant 747. Opened to commercial airlines in 2019, Paine Field is currently served only by Alaska Airlines for a few flights. Frontier will fly from Paine to Las Vegas, Denver, and Phoenix, which is good news for Canada Roy and other British Columbians, who'll save an hour and a half each way by avoiding the drive right through Seattle to Sea-Tac. There will be three round trips a week to all three destinations. The introductory price to and from Las Vegas is $29, Denver $39.
The median price of existing single-family homes sold in February matched the record high of $485,000 set in January. Condos and townhomes remained well below the record of $315,000, set last October, at a median price of $303,000 in February, though it's $10,000 more than last month. Interestingly, supply, and days on market are elevated, while the number of sales is down, so buyers have more choices. Even so, they're paying top dollar for houses, though with mortgage-interest rates down slightly over the past couple of weeks, prices are remaining at record highs. According to Las Vegas Realtors, the southern Nevada housing market is becoming more "balanced" after the long run as a sellers market.
The Las Vegas Mint 400 will parade down the Strip today starting at 3 p.m. The parade will go all the way from Circus Circus to Mandalay Bay, featuring around 125 desert race cars. The Mint 400 dates back to 1968, was immortalized in Hunter S. Thompson's classic book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and is considered the most venerable, prestigious, and challenging off-road race in the nation. You can read all about it in our Question of the Day.
Mötley Crüe, the American heavy-metal band formed 45 years ago, has postponed its planned 11-show residency announced last fall for Dolby Live. The shows were supposed to start on March 28, but due to a "a required medical procedure" advised by lead man Vince Neil’s doctors, the residency has been moved to eight dates in September and two in October. All tickets will be honored for the new show dates.
An entirely homegrown film, Action! Action!, will make its debut at Stadium Swim at Circa Resort & Casino on Friday April 25. The movie was shot entirely on location in Las Vegas at Circa, the Plaza, the Neon Museum, the Mob Museum, and many others and the cast and crew are all locals. Action! Action! follows a team of friends hired to steal Al Capone’s painting from the Mob Museum. But when they’re double-crossed, the race is on to uncover the traitor before it’s too late. "With heart-pounding stunts, jaw-dropping action sequences, comedic heart, and an explosive finale, Action! Action! will deliver an edge-of-your-seat experience," according to the press release. General-admission tickets for the premiere are $15; doors open at 7 p.m., with the movie scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m.
Ringo Starr, who needs no introduction, and His All Starr Band will do a six-show residency at the Venetian Theater with performances on Sept. 17, 19, 20, 24, 26, and 27. The All Starrs have been touring since 1989 with many iterations of musicians; they first played Vegas in August of that year at the Aladdin Theater for the Performing Arts. Most recently, they did a three-night stint at the Venetian last May. Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday PT.
Looking to buy seasons tickets to the A's MLB team? The former Oakland A's are now called just the "A's" as they open their season in Sacramento. They'll be the Las Vegas A's when they (presumably) start playing here in 2028. And now, you too can pay $19.01 to join the waitlist to be among the first season-ticket buyers for three seasons hence. The $19.01 price tag is believed to be a tribute to the year the A's were founded in Philadelphia. The waitlist opens on Friday; waitlisted buyers, along with Las Vegas Aviators and current A's season-ticket holders, will get early access.
In a rare reversal of direction, a classic Las Vegas steakhouse is opening a second location in New York City. The Golden Steer, 67 years old and counting, will open at 1 Fifth Avenue and West Eighth Street in Manhattan, according to Eater New York. The second-generation owners of Golden Steer told Eater that they hope to open the new location "in the fall" and "the majority of the menu will be similar to the Vegas location, but we will be doing a handful of NYC-specific dishes, along with working with our team to ensure that our purveyors are localized to the region.” Why New York? When the owners did the analytics, they found that of all the "patrons who frequent the Golden Steer today, New Yorkers stood out as one of our most engaged audiences." Best of luck to the iconic Steer! We believe the restaurant will do Las Vegas proud.
Could it be a sign of things to come? Whether it is or isn't, the new 24/7 burger deal at Station Casinos is the surprise Top Tenner of the decade. Our review was just posted and it's definitely worth reading, both for the pointer to this superlative deal and the commentary on the possible change of heart for the locals casino giant.
At the Academy Awards last night, the film Anora won five, including Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Picture. Shot mostly in New York, the film did come to Las Vegas for several scenes, all highly recognizable. The unlikely couple at the center of the movie gets married at the Little White Chapel (and head minister Diana Moran plays herself as the wedding officiate). They also visit the Fremont Street Experience and the casino scenes take place at the Palms. Which goes to show, nothing says quickie wedding and brief honeymoon like Sin City.
Seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and podcaster Alanis Morissette will do eight performances at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace this fall. The 50-year-old Morisette regularly sells out arenas all around the world, so these tickets will go fast and in what's becoming a tradition for Vegas residencies, more shows are likely to be added. The dates are October 15, 17, 18, 22, 24, and 25 and November 1 and 2. The fan club presale starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT; the presale for Caesars, Live Nation, and Ticketmaster customers starts Wednesday at 10 a.m. General tickets go on sale on Friday at 10 a.m.
In tonight's Academy Awards, Anora is the -700 favorite for Best Picture at -5800, with Conclave the second favorite at +400. Adrien Brody is -270 to win Best Actor for The Brutalist, and Demi Moore is -300 to win Best Actress for The Substance. So far tonight, the favorites have run true, with Kieran Culkin at -3500 winning Best Supporting Actor for A Real Pain and Zoe Saldana at -2500 winning Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Perez.
The big news this morning is the "blockbuster" at Allegiant Stadium -- the four-game National Rugby League season-opener matchups with between teams from Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain taking the field. The press coverage is breathless, especially coming out of Australia, calling the response "unprecented," "thrilling," and "entertaining." The crowd count at Allegiant varies from between 45,000 and 50,000 depending on the reporting outlet, but it's agreed that upwards of 15,000 fans were Americans, validating the NRL's efforts to expose the sport to American audiences and ultimately globalize rugby.
One of Las Vegas' most popular pool complexes has been completely transformed to the tune of $20 million. The tropical-themed lagoons, caves, and waterfalls of the Flamingo's Go Pool have been replaced by a contemporary beach-resort feel. The centerpiece of the total redesign, described as "constructed from the ground up," is the multi-pool area for adults, complete with a 30-seat swim-up bar. Like the old complex, five separate temperature-controlled pools occupy several levels. A 50-foot-wide rain-curtain waterfall and grotto pool pour into the main pool; 33 cabanas feature in-water couches and daybeds. The original Family Pool, for guests of all ages, remains adjacent to the Go Pool. According to reports, if you're over 21, you don't need to be a hotel guest to get into the Go Pool; general admission is complimentary on a first-come first-served basis. When the pool opens later this month, hours will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Manel Kape is a -225 favorite over Asu Almabaev in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Cody Brundage and Julian Marquez are pick ’em.
In what's being hailed as "the first celebrity-branded table game," Penn & Teller Casino Monte will be launched at the Rio in an event on Monday. We couldn't find any description of Casino Monte, other than it was developed by Adventura Gaming, uses three cards based on "the three-card-game shenanigans in Run DMC’s Tricky music video," and has images of the illusionist duo on the layout. We'll take a stroll over to the Rio soon to check it out.
Average Las Vegas temperatures in March start out a bit cool and rise steadily, but not too high. From an average high of 66 degrees on the 1st, temps top out at 74 on the 31st. The lows go from 47 to 52. The record temperatures can, of course, be much more extreme: 92 is the highest (set on the 21st in 2004) and 19 the lowest (set on the 2nd in 1939). March historically has the second highest rainfall during the year at .59 inches.
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.