With apologies to Sly Stone and his "family" for the title, here we're talking about weather in July. Typically, temperatures this month don't fluctuate too widely, with normal highs between 103 and 105 and lows between 79 and 82. Record high temperatures, however, have risen all the way to 120 (July 7, 2024) and for the first time ever, the average daily temperature was above 100 degrees (100.1 to be exact, also in 2024, breaking the year-old record of 97.3). Other records from the epic heat wave in 2024 included seven consecutive days of new high-temp records (July 6-12), 11 days in a row of 110 or more (the old record set in 2023 was 10), and 13 days of the low temperature above 90 (breaking the record of eight set in 2023). Record lows for the month have dropped to 56 degrees twice (1937 and 1940) and 58 twice (1938 and 1940). As for precipitation, nearly a half-inch of rain falls during a normal July (fifth-highest total by month of the year), but it depends on the severity of the monsoon season. This year's monsoon is predicted to be ferocious, but that could be wishful thinking.
The Westgate has posted all the official rules for its four football contests. Signups start tomorrow at 9 a.m. and run through Saturday Sept. 12 at 3 p.m., except for the College contest that ends on Fri. Sept. 4. The rules for the SuperContest are here; it's a $1,500 buy-in with a 100% payback. It will also have three six-week contests, six three-week contests, and two nine-week contests for in-season bonus cash awards to the contestant(s) who accumulate the most points during the time frames. The SuperContest Gold has a $5,000 entry fee and is a winner-take-all format. The entry fee for the SuperContest Survivor is $5,000 with a max of 10 entries. Those three contests conclude on Saturday Jan. 10. The SuperContest College is a $500 buy-in and no rake; it concludes on Sat. Nov. 28.
A lucky traveler leaving Las Vegas from the airport over the weekend was playing a Wheel of Fortune machine in the C Gates when lo and behold, the reels lined up for a $3.3 million jackpot. That's getting close to the record; in January 2005, a player won nearly $4 million on a 25-cent Wheel of Fortune machine. In 2010, an airline passenger hit the Megabucks jackpot for $10.4 million, but that was at Reno-Tahoe International. As far as we know, it was the largest jackpot hit at an airport anywhere.
A report on 8NewsNow, the local CBS affiliate, warns about a rash of car break-ins in parking lots throughout Chinatown. The thieves pull up close to the target car, break a window, steal valuables, and are gone "within 20 seconds." The police have received 597 reports of car thefts in Chinatown so far this year, nearly double the number of other precincts, including Summerlin and downtown. They've made 17 arrests. Business owners in the Chinatown plazas strongly advise that patrons bring luggage and smaller bags into the stores and restaurants with them.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the developers of the Las Vegas Diamond Arena have acquired a three-acre parcel of vacant land on the Strip across from Mandalay Bay. According to the publicist, that piece "gives the group control of the land needed to build the proposed 21,212-seat arena" to host a putative Las Vegas pro basketball team. The three acres gives the group a total of 11; they're also "in the process of acquiring land just south of the site, where it plans to develop a private jet terminal." The proposal includes an underground tunnel linking the terminal to the arena for the exclusive use of the teams, VIPs, and artists who'd perform there. Diamond is one of at least six proposed sites for an NBA arena -- if the league grants Las Vegas an expansion team, whose inaugural season would be 2028-2029.
According to the Palace Station website, Master Kim's Wagyu House is open at Palace Station. This is the brand's fourth location and only venue in a casino. It's an all-you-can-eat meat deal with conveyor-belt-style service for some items and serving robots, but it's also praised for its vegan and vegetarian options, including plant-based proteins. We've heard that wait times at the three other locations can approach 90 minutes at popular times. The AYCE at the other locations run $29.95-$42.95.
Total visitation numbers for May were up 2%, or 68,000 people, over May 2025, attributed to higher convention attendance and more vehicle traffic from southern California. Despite paying a record-high average daily room rate of $211, 3.48 million visitors were recorded last month. The comparison was soft, given that visitor volume in May 2025 was down 5% from May 2024; in addition, 8.4% fewer airline passengers arrived that May 2025. Meanwhile, gaming revenue was up up up, at least on the Strip, nearly $100 million higher than in May 2025 at $808 million compared to $713.7 million last year (13%). Baccarat led the charge, rising 60% to $174 million, while slots were up 8% to $411 million. Downtown, Balance of County, and locals casinos fell a few points; North Las Vegas and the Boulder Strip rose a few. The baccarat result especially is yet another indication that though visitation remains a bit depressed, the people who are gambling on the Strip are playing higher and losing more.
There's a YouTube channel, The Ed Sullivan Show Live from Las Vegas, showing 15 performances on his show that were taped in Las Vegas. They range from the late 1950s, with Patti Page and Louis Armstrong to the late '60s with the Chamber Brothers and Fifth Dimension. But the one that caught our eye is "Ed Gives History on Las Vegas." It's a three-minute montage of Vegas from July 1958. The aerials are a bit shaky, but you'll see how our town looked nearly 70 years ago: the airport, one-armed bandits, the Convention Center under construction, a dude ranch, the Stardust stage, the Desert Inn Golf Course. It's a blast from a past when Ed Sullivan was one of the kings of TV and Vegas was among the most exotic cities in the country. And thanks to LVA correspondent XY for the link.
A short but hard-hitting article on TravelandTourWorld.com, "The Death of the Cheap Getaway: How Luxury Tycoons Quietly Rewrote the Rules of Las Vegas Travel," puts to rest the widely circulating idea that "Vegas is back." True, you can still find bargains and the casinos are promoting a bit with all-inclusive deals and loss-leader meals. But this story explains, in no uncertain terms, that "the iconic desert oasis has fundamentally broken with its budget-friendly past" in favor of a "jaw-dropping high-rolling playground tailored almost exclusively for luxury, elite sports franchises, and premium spectacles." Continuing: In "this aggressive upscale repositioning, the era of casual perks has been almost completely replaced by an uncompromising fee-driven structure." And "Gaming entities have realized that high-net-worth individuals, experiential festival goers, and corporate conventioneers generate far more predictable profit margins than the traditional weekend slot player." The piece concludes with a few "tactical travel strategies" that are old hat to the likes of us. Still, the whole page is worth a quick perusal for yet another "massive reality check."
Las Vegas ranked 16th for the densest metropolitan area in the U.S., according to a study by the UNLV Lied Center for Real Estate. The study compared 233 of the largest metro regions in terms of overall sprawl, density, land use, street connectivity, and other technical metrics. It found that the Las Vegas valley's population is more compacted than 93% of the country's urban areas, including "peer cities" Phoenix, Houston, and San Diego. The study concluded that the sprawl is limited by geographical constraints, being surrounded by mountains, and federal land-use policies, so "infill development" concentrates the population more tightly in the available space.
As announced a few days ago, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will do a special flyover around Las Vegas and Hoover Dam this evening as part of southern Nevada's ongoing America250 celebration. The aerial show will feature the Thunderbirds' six-aircraft delta formation, marking the first time since 2020 that the iconic delta, six red, white, and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons in tight formation, has flown over Las Vegas. The aircraft will take off from Nellis Air Force Base at 7:15, then do a five-minute roundtrip pass over the Strip starting at 7:20. Heading north, the group will pass Lone Mountain, then turn west to Las Vegas Ballpark and Red Rock Canyon, then climb over Mt. Charleston and reach Hoover Dam at 7:47. From there it's back to Nellis, landing at 8 p.m. If you're anywhere in the vicinity, you can't miss the event; the roar of the jets reach 115 decibels and 120 is the typical threshold for pain.
Manuel Torres and Rafael Fiziev are pick ’em in today’s early UFC main event. In the other featured match, Shara Magomedov is -350 over Michel Pereira.
British poker pro Benny Glaser won the prestigious $50,000-buy-in mixed-games Poker Players Championship yesterday, earning $1.34 million, his ninth WSOP bracelet in 11 years (an unprecedented run), and his name on the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. He had to beat Phil Ivey, who bowed out in third place ($600,000), then Josh Arieh heads up ($900,000), to become this year's Players champion. Only five poker players have more bracelets than Glaser: Phil Hellmuth (17), Phil Ivey, and Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan, and the late Doyle Brunson (10). Glaser is the youngest of the group by 12 years at 37; Ivey is 49.
The 4.57 million passengers who traveled through Harry Reid International Airport in May were a decline of 8.4% from May 2025's 4.99 million. The drop is attributed to Spirit Airlines shutting down operations completely on the second day of the month. Year to date, Reid has served 21.5 million passengers, down 6.2% year over year. Domestic travel in May was down 8.6%, while international passenger counts dropped 5.7%, from 303,000 flyers in May 2025 to 286,000 this year. Spirit processed only 3,900 passengers in May compared to 511,000 in May 2005. Otherwise, Frontier, American, and United passenger numbers were up in May, Southwest and Delta down slightly.
The Hard Rock has submitted applications for a new 2,000-seat entertainment venue to complement the two existing theaters. The main Mirage Theater hosted Siegfried and Roy; that will be transformed into a venue that hasn't been announced. The former Love Theater will be expanded into the 5,000-seat Hard Rock Live Arena for major concerts and productions. The new 2,000-seater, so far called "the west theater," will be five stories tall, the centerpiece of a retail promenade and a karaoke bar on the second floor. The application is expected to be approved by the Paradise Town Advisory Board and the Clark County Commission within a month.
You might recall a case from back in 2012, in which two video poker players were arrested, jailed, and charged by federal prosecutors with "hacking" video poker machines from coast to coast. This "open-and-shut" case of cheating involved "exploiting a hidden glitch" in the machines' Double Up feature and over a three-year period, the players won a cool million dollars, ending when they were taken into custody. The whole episode is dramatized in a 14-minute YouTube video produced by TILT, a podcast dedicated to casino cheats, scams, and heists. This story, however, turns out to be something else entirely. It's definitely worth a watch. And once again, thanks to Canada Roy for the link.
A California visitor hit a jackpot for $1,527,942 on a Wheel of Fortune machine last Friday at the Edgewater in Laughlin. It was on a $3 bet.
Yesterday, 0.02 (one-fiftieth) of an inch of rainfall was recorded at the official measuring station at Reid International, which officially ended a 124-day streak of completely dry weather throughout the valley. That didn't come close to breaking the record, 240 days in 2019-2020, when no rain fell over the winter, spring, and into the summer. Monsoon season is around the corner and if the Super El Niño forecast for this year comes to fruition, it could mean records for rainfall will be broken and then some.
Country superstar and three-time Grammy Award winner Tim McGraw will appear at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace for five shows October 23 and 24 and November 4, 6, and 7. The fan presale began yesterday and general tickets will be available starting Friday at 10 a.m. PT.
A post on X indicates that the Plaza is "retiring" select chips on August 30. They're in all denominations from $1 to $1,000, so if you're holding any Plaza chips at all, you'd be wise to click this link to see if they'll be worthless in a couple of months. And thanks to Canada Roy for alerting us to this development.
This mainly applies to locals, but it's good to know for general purposes. Starting a week from tomorrow, parking fees at Reid International will be raised. Long-term parking at the airport and economy parking at the remote lots will both increase by $2 per day to $20 and $14, respectively. The first two hours of short-term parking will be $4 each, $5 after that, with a daily maximum of $38; that's up $1 per hour and $2 on the max. Reservation parking will be $30 at Terminal 1 and $23 at Terminal 3. Discounted parking at Terminal 3 long-term parking with a reservation will be $16 Saturday through Wednesday and $20 Thursday and Friday. It's the first increase in parking fees in seven years.
With her first-place finish in the WSOP $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Event (tournament #58), American poker pro Michelle Chin became the first woman in 15 years to win a mixed-game event. Not since Carol Fuchs won the $1,500 Dealer’s Choice tournament in 2015 has a woman bested the field in a mixed-game tournament. Chin took down $161,313 and her first WSOP bracelet. Chin was also the first woman player to win a WSOP Circuit Main Event (also in 2015), so she now possesses a WSOP bracelet to go with her Circuit ring.
Move over Big Shot (at the STRAT). Eye Dropper is a 200-foot "psychedelic thrill ride that transforms the classic drop tower into a cinematic story-driven experience inspired by trippy art and altered states of perception," per the hyperbolic press release. "Delivering multiple high-intensity sensations," Eye Dropper combines space shot (up) and turbo drop (down) sequences at speeds up to 36 mph and 4 Gs to -1.2 Gs of weightlessness. "Following each drop, guests descend through a sensory cool down as the system resets, completing a fully immersive spectacle." The ride is part of Area15's 30-acre Zone 2 expansion, along with the Universal Horror Unleashed attraction, Museum of Ice Cream (opening on July 3), the long-awaited Boeing 747 private event and lounge venue, and several new eateries. Eye Dropper hours are daily 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. and tickets are $25 for 13 and older, $20 for 12 and younger and military, etc.
As part of southern Nevada's ongoing America250 celebration, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will do a special flyover around Las Vegas and Hoover Dam on Saturday starting at 6:45 p.m. The aerial show will feature the Thunderbirds' six-aircraft delta formation, marking the first time since 2020 that the iconic delta, six red, white, and blue F-16 Fighting Falcons in tight formation, has flown over Las Vegas. The route will include several landmarks and neighborhoods, culminating with a flyover of Hoover Dam, where a 45,000-square-foot American flag and nightly patriotic lighting display continue through July 4.
We haven't heard much about the old Gold Spike, once Las Vegas' ultimate downtown dive, since Tony Hsieh bought it for $27 million in 2013, eliminated the casino, and (tried to) turn it into a "nightlife and entertainment destination, featuring live music, special events, bars, lounges, and arcade-style games," as we wrote at the time. Under Hsieh's benign neglect approach, not much happened. We reported on a short-lived synthetic ice rink there that same year and in 2017, the 42 residential units were converted into hotel rooms due to increased demand for nightly rentals. Now, the Gold Spike has been sold again to two local real estate investors for $11.4 million, around 40% of what Hsieh paid for it. The sale, according to the Review-Journal, includes the "Gold Spike entertainment complex," the adjacent Oasis hotel, and the parking lot. No word on what the developers' plans might be for the property.
Through June 29, Caesars is discounting show tickets. You can buy tickets for $50 each to 26 shows on select dates till the end of the year and two tickets for $50 to nine shows and the High Roller observation wheel, the Linq Promenade zipline, and the Eiffel Tower observation deck. To order, go to the dedicated Ticketmaster page.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal's semi-annual "The Top 100 Restaurants" was published this morning. It's mostly an advertising vehicle for the print and online editions, accessible only by subscribers. But non-subscribers can access an alphabetized, searchable, and mapped format, which is worth a five-minute scroll to see the classics (denoted by "Hall of Fame," such as Golden Steer, Ferraro's, Piero's), the usual casino restaurants (Delmonico's Steakhouse, Giada, Le Cirque, Michael's Gourmet Room), local favorites (Bajamar Seafood, Carson Kitchen, Main St. Provisions, Other Mama), and even a few surprises (Grinds 2 Da Max, Gritz Cafe, Moobongri Soondae, Slater's 50/50).
An Associated Press photographer was on hand at Circa to photograph the watch party for yesterday's World Cup match between the U.S. and Australia, which the home team won 2-0. The "One Extraordinary Photo" page on the KARE11 website (the NBC-affiliated television station serving the Minneapolis and St. Paul area) shows the whole scene at Stadium Swim, with a description by the Las Vegas-based photographer, who "likes to show how Las Vegas can take things to another level," which he definitely did with this shot. Here's the link for the one-minute view of the photo and read.
Going into today's final round of the U.S. Open golf tournament, Wyndham Clark with a commanding 6-stroke lead is the -300 favorite to win. He’s followed by Scottie Scheffler at +615 and Xander Schauffele at +2750.
Last week at an appearance in front of the Nevada Gaming Control Board, a Bally's lawyer testified that the megaresort that will probably eventually surround the A's stadium will definitely not be ready by opening day of the 2028 MLB season. Instead, Bally's is obligated to complete infrastructure tasks -- parking garages, utilities, and the plaza. Beyond that, Bally's plans for the hotel-casino keep getting deflated and delayed, but the next phase will be the 500,000-square-foot retail and entertainment space, a.k.a. the RED District. Meanwhile, the stadium is really taking shape, with the whole bowl outlined, three levels of grandstands constructed, and one of the massive roof trusses in place. It's worth taking a look at the stadium webcam, which you can link to here and from this site under Visit > Vegas Extras > Webcams to see the progress.
We'll cut to the chase: Light a cigarette at a WSOP poker table and you're gone, history, toast, 86'd. It took exactly as long as security and a manager to show up for an unidentified player at a $3,000-buy-in six-handed No-limit Hold’em to be barred, banished, bumped, bounced from the board yesterday. The rules say "smoking devices" are disallowed and cigarettes apparently fit that category. To add insult to injury, the player was found to have tournament chips in his pocket, a huge no-no. The good news is, he didn't assault anyone on his way out the door.
New York-New York and Las Vegas-based Fifth Avenue Restaurant Group, which specializes in food courts, are teaming up to host a hot dog eating contest on NY-NY's Brooklyn Bridge on July 4. The Nathan's hot dog Main Event will take place at Coney Island as usual, but this event will qualify entrants into next year's contest in Brooklyn. The party starts at 3 p.m. with $2.50 food and beverage, games, face painting, and live music; the competition itself will start at 4. Anyone who wants to stuff down as many hot dogs as possible in 10 minutes can apply at majorleagueeating.com.
Only days after the Vegas Golden Knights lost the Stanley Cup Finals 4-2, it was announced that head coach John Tortorella will not return for the 2026-2027 season. Tortorella was hired in March, took over a team in chaos, coached the last eight regular season games, then helmed the playoffs; his record over the three months was 21-8-1. But his contract expires on the 30th of this month and it will lapse. According to various reports, Tortorella wanted to return to the job, but the VGK, in their usual fashion (which started when they fired the first head coach, Gerard Gallant, in the middle of a road trip, his bags were unloaded from the team bus, and he and an assistant coach were left stranded outside PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina), shook his hand and showed him the door. When the new head coach, Ryan Craig, who's been promoted from his head coach position with the Henderson Silver Knights, takes over, he'll be the team's fifth at the start of its 10th season. Note to Craig: On road trips, keep cab fare handy.
To celebrate the relocation of Sigma Derby from upstairs at the D to the Golden Gate, the GG is hosting a party today at 4 p.m. The Stevens team has invited "10 awesome individuals to be part of the very first race in its new home." We don't know anything about the other nine (though we suspect one of them might be Scott Roeben of VitalVegas), but we do know one awesome individual who'll be there is our very own Anthony Curtis. Catch A.C., Sigma Derby's new home, the other awesome individuals, and whatever celebration the Golden Gate is putting on this afternoon.
Announced a year and a half ago, the Museum of Ice Cream will open its seventh location at Area15 on July 3. The 30,000-square-foot venue will be triple the size of the other six (in New York, Chicago, Miami, Boston, Austin, and Singapore), thus becoming the flagship of the brain-freeze fleet. There will be 14 interactive playscapes, along with unlimited ice cream and sweet treats (including an ice cream hot dog) at the Golden Scoop Buffet, the "world-famous" sprinkle pool, an ice-cream-tasting magic show, five slides including a double-helix, an ice-cream-cake wedding chapel, a pink party bus, and a cafe and merch shop. This sounds to us like a kiddie attraction, though with grown-up prices. Tickets start at $42 for general admission, which includes the buffet. VIP tickets with upgraded perks range from $70 to $83.
Necessitated by schedules, we’re doing the normal Beer Friday on a Thursday for the second consecutive month. Anthony and Andrew will be going live on YouTube for Beer Thursday today at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys, while they field questions about all things Las Vegas. Join at LVA YouTube live channel.
Lucky Devils is a recently published book that chronicles the exploits of three advantage players: Blackjack Hall of Famers Rob Reitzen and Bill Benter, and solid AP Bill Nelson. The author, Kit Chellel, is a big-time reporter for Bloomberg and Businessweek magazine, who covers sports betting, financial scandals, state-sponsored espionage, and more; as such, Lucky Devils was published by Atria Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster. You can read a brief interview with Chellel, as he talks about why he wanted to write the book and a little about its protagonists, here.
VisualCapitalist analyzed U.S. Census Bureau data over the past 55 years and determined that Nevada's population has grown more percentagewise than any other state. From just under 500,000 residents in 1970, Nevada has grown to just under 3.3 million, an increase of 572%, to become the 31st most populous state in the union. Arizona placed second at 329%, then Florida (246%) and Utah (234%). The study found that U.S. citizens moved south and west over the last 55 years and as Ken Adams, analyst for CDC Gaming, commented, "Las Vegas is both south and west to most. In that time, Nevada’s population more than quintupled and Las Vegas was the magnet." VisualCapitalist's writers also cited Las Vegas' explosive growth, "evolving from a tourism-centered economy into a broader metropolitan hub with expanding healthcare, logistics, construction, and business sectors."
Scottie Scheffler is the +550 favorite to win golf's U.S. Open. He's followed by Rory McIlroy at +1200 and Jon Rahm at +1300. Tiger Woods is not in the field.
Now You See Me Live will debut at the MGM Grand Theater (formerly the David Copperfield Theater) on Oct. 15. Now You See Me is an "action-thriller heist franchise" centered around a group of elite illusionists known as "The Four Horsemen." The first of the trio of movies premiered in 2013 and starred Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, and Mark Ruffalo. Now You See Me Live is an ensemble production based on the films. The show’s “Four Horsemen” consist of an American sleight-of-hand artist, a young Canadian escape artist and the one woman in the cast, a French large-scale illusionist, and an Italian daredevil. This is a traveling production that sold $5 million worth of tickets in a 17-date run at the Sydney Opera House and will open a five-week residency at the London Coliseum in July. So far, the show is scheduled to appear at MGM through January 5. Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. PT.
Rocky Horror Picture Show, perhaps the greatest cult film ever made, a staple of midnight screenings at revival movie theaters since 1975 and a new Broadway adaptation, will be on the bill at Sphere starting sometime next year. Jim Dolan, executive chairman and CEO of Sphere Entertainment (who's no doubt still celebrating the Knicks championship, as he also owns the team and Madison Square Garden), made the brief announcement yesterday, without any details about the production process or final product, though the press release states, "Sphere Studios will use its advanced technologies to enhance the original beloved 1975 film." Dolan also noted that Wizard of Oz has broken the three-million-ticket mark, raking in a cool $400 million, in less than a year. RHPS, which ushered the likes of Tim Curry ("Me, I Do the Rock"), Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, and Meat Loaf (Bat out of Hell) to wider fame, will no doubt do well on the giant screen; it single-handedly changed the nature of audience participation at a movie theater. And if you've never witnessed the loud, energetic, and raunchy interactions with the film from costumed audience members who throw approved props on the stage at key moments, Sphere will be an epic venue to experience it for the first time.
A visitor from Atlanta turned a few minutes of play into a life-changing payday yesterday morning at Westgate, winning $10,292,912 on a Megabucks Wolf Run Eclipse machine. The lucky guest had been playing for only three minutes when a $5 wager triggered the multimillion-dollar jackpot. The win marks one of the largest slot jackpots ever hit at Westgate.
It didn't take long for the Carolina Hurricanes to take advantage of what Las Vegas has to offer late at night after the team beat the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile to win the 2026 Stanley Cup. According to the Review-Journal's John Katsilometes, pretty much the whole team had dinner at Catch at Aria after the game, then migrated over to the ONMIA nightclub at Caesars Palace, arriving at 1:20 a.m. with the Scorpions’ “Rock You Like a Hurricane” welcoming them on the sound system. They had all day Sunday to recover and spend some of the upwards of $300,000 they earned for the championship; they flew back to Raleigh, North Carolina, yesterday.
It took Zippy’s, the beloved Hawaiian restaurant, six years from the initial announcement to launching its first restaurant in Las Vegas, then less than three years to open another four locations around the city. Did they expand too fast? Could be, if the news that the chain is closing its Hualapai Way branch on June 28 is any indication. The press release is what you'd expect: "The decision was made after careful consideration and is a strategic move as part of the company’s continued growth plans." In addition, Zippy's "is continuing to explore other locations in the Las Vegas area and in other states." We're not holding our breath for another Vegas location anytime soon, but other states could be in the offing; Zippy's original location here was its first outside of Hawaii, blazing the trail for mainland expansion.
Sarah Thompson, the chef at Casa Playa at Encore, won the 2026 James Beard Awards Best Chef: Southwest. Not only is it one of the highest validations of Sara, but it also breaks a 15-year Las Vegas losing streak. The last time Las Vegas won Best Chef was in 2011, when it was awarded to Saipin Chutima of Lotus of Siam. In the ceremony that took place last night in Chicago, Vegas was blanked in the other four categories it had finalists. Casa Playa advertises itself as a "coastal Mexican restaurant focusing on fresh seafood, seasonal ingredients, and a housemade masa program." And kudos to the Wynn for adding, "The menu [is] from 2026 James Beard Award-winner Chef Sarah Thompson; that was quick website work. For a little background on and a photo of Sara Thompson and a few words about the restaurant, Eater Las Vegas has the deets.
MJ Live opened at the Rio in 2013 and since then has made stops at the STRAT, Tropicana, Sahara, and Harrah's, logging 5,500 shows along the way. Now, according to John Katsilometes, the Review-Journal's entertainment columnist, it's moving again, this time to the Saxe Theater in the Miracle Mile Shops. It will open there on September 21 in the 7 p.m. slot, following “Vegas! The Show” at 5:30 and preceding the comedian headliner Eddie Griffin at 8:30. Tickets for MJ Live at Harrah's are on sale through mid-September.
According to AAA's weekly survey, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline in Las Vegas dropped below $5 for the first time in a couple of months. It was $4.93 yesterday, down from $5.03 a week ago. The high was around $5.60 and the low actually below $4 at a couple of Costco stations around town, at least that's the way they're listed on Gas Buddy. Prices are expected to drop further in the coming weeks both locally and nationally, though analysts caution that the decline will be gradual.
The Vegas Golden Knights' quest for the Stanley Cup ended last night at T-Mobile after being blanked by the Carolina Hurricanes, losing the Finals four games to two. It was the team's third appearance in the championship series in its nine-year existence, winning one (2023) and losing two (2017 and this year). Meanwhile, at least two of us here at LVA Central (native New Yorkers) are celebrating the extraordinary march of the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship since 1973. The A's wrapped up their six-game homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark last night in a stunningly exciting game against the Colorado Rockies, losing by a score of 23-9. And no, that's not a typo. It was the most runs scored by the Rockies in their 33-year history. The A's won four and lost two in Vegas and are now in second place in the AL West. That leaves the Las Vegas Aces, tied for first place in the WNBA with a 10-3 record; they play tonight against the third-place (Western Conference) Dallas Wings in Texas.
Ilia Topuria is a -475 favorite over Justin Gaethje in tonight’s UFC main event that takes place on the White House lawn. In the other featured match, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane are pick ’em.
The Carolina Hurricanes are -125 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights in tonight's Game 6 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
The Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden opened its summer display yesterday. It features garlanded giraffes, a floral headdressed lion and elephants, a necklaced lion cub, very pink flamingos, tigers, a colorful toucan and egrets, and flowers and greenery galore. As always, the good folks at VegasChanges.com posted photos of the new display, which will run through September 12, and you can see them here.
The San Antonio Spurs are -5 favorites over the New York Knicks in Game 5 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 216.5.
The World Series of Poker opened its flagship retail store at Paris yesterday. The 2,300-square-foot shop is, according to Caesars, "the largest retail space in series history" and will be open year-round, selling WSOP merch, such as apparel, accessories, and collectibles. Anchored by an LED display of great moments in WSOP history, the store is designed "as a walk-through of poker’s evolution," reported the Review-Journal. "A desert-themed entrance references Nevada’s gaming roots. One side of the space reflects early WSOP history with wood finishes and saloon-style design elements, while the other highlights modern poker through the 'On Felt' concept, with green-felt-inspired design and contemporary champions. Other design elements include a Golden Horseshoe-inspired cash wrap referencing Benny Binion’s Million Dollar Display and a chandelier made of cascading poker chips inspired by the 'chip and a chair' philosophy." Additionally, the customization tee bar will personalize your merchandise with exclusive WSOP patches and prints. The store is open 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The Vanderpump Hotel, formerly Cromwell, Bill’s Gambling Hall, and Barbary Coast, held its grand opening ceremony on Thursday. It was, by all reports, a fancy affair, with Lisa Vanderpump arriving in a custom Rolls-Royce, then escorted into her joint by a phalanx of … bellmen. It features Vanderpump’s “signature industrial romantic aesthetic,” according to the press release, “through a layered highly personal approach that combines feminine elegance with a masculine edge.” The furnishings are bespoke, of course, and the décor is a shrine to Vanderpump’s British heritage, family life, and famous friends. Gigolo, the “sexy sultry lounge” named after Vanderpump’s beloved late Pomeranian Giggy, and The Bar at The Vanderpump Hotel are new, while Giada, Drai’s After Hours, Soleia (the rooftop pool), Starbucks, and Caesars Sportsbook remain the same.
Joe DeSimone, owner of Railroad Pass on I-11 and The Pass in downtown Henderson, is making a few moves. First, he just sold The Pass to ECL Water Street, which operates the Emerald Island and Rainbow Club casinos across Water Street. That puts all three casinos under the same ownership group, which could be good news for customers, as Emerald Island and Rainbow Club promote heavily to locals and visitors in its database. (See Bobby Vegas' blog for his frequent coverage of the two.) Meanwhile, DeSimone is taking over the Longhorn Hotel-Casino on Boulder Highway and the Bighorn Casino in North Las Vegas. Plans include an expansion of the Bighorn and a renovation of the Longhorn's 150-room hotel. The Nevada Gaming Control Board is recommending approval, which should be seconded by the Gaming Commission in time for DeSimone to take control of the two by July 1.
Wow, is there a lot happening this month. Anthony and Andrew launch right into it with what looks like pretty close to a done deal over the sale of Caesars to Fertitta Entertainment, then they segue right into an offer by media mogul Barry Diller for MGM Resorts. They discuss the goings on out at Primm and provide an update on Club Fortune North (formerly Poker Palace). Then they pivot to the WSOP and talk about the big winners so far, including a female pro taking down her sixth bracelet, and the World Cup, which starts today. Finally, there's a good deal for a big ham n' eggs breakfast and a book that we just published by James Grosjean with a four-figure price tag -- find out why! Click and enjoy.
Based on Kayak flight and hotel searches conducted May 1-26 for travel in August, Travel and Leisure identified the top 10 least expensive domestic destinations, all coming in at less than $500 for average round-trip airfare and average nightly hotel rates. Las Vegas ranked fifth at an average cost of $462, behind Ft. Lauderdale ($400), Orlando ($426), Atlanta ($435), and New Orleans ($461). Las Vegas was followed by Houston ($463), Austin ($485), Myrtle Beach ($486), Phoenix ($489), and Dallas ($491). We note that every one is in a hot zone, so the off-season is a bargain with temperatures soaring in these destinations.
The New York Knicks are -2 favorites over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 4 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 216.
Spain is a +425 favorite to win soccer’s World Cup, followed by France at +500 and England at +700. The long shot is Curacao at +365000 (3,650-1). USA is +7000. Pool play begins tomorrow.
The beloved Sigma Derby mechanical horse-racing machine is moving. It's not going far, just down Fremont Street to the Golden Gate from the D, where it's been in residence for around 15 years. In 2022, when the D celebrated the machine's 10th anniversary, Derek Stevens explicitly stated that when he bought Fitzgeralds in 2011 and created the Vintage Vegas second floor, he went looking for a Sigma Derby machine, found one that had reportedly been out of service for more than a decade, had it restored, and installed it at the D. This Sunday will be its last day at the D. It will be moved in a ceremonial procession next Tuesday starting at 10 a.m.; everyone at the parade will get a free commemorative T-shirt (while supplies last). It will be back in operation at the Golden Gate on Friday at 4 p.m. This Sigma Derby device is listed as the last remaining one of its kind in the world.
The median price of a single-family Las Vegas home hit an all-time high in May, surging more than $16,000 month over month to $490,000. It broke the record of $488,995 set last November. Inventory is up and sales are down, but only slightly for both. Condos and townhomes went up $5,000 over April to $295,000, though well below the record of $315,000 set in October 2024. Condo sales were down 9% year over year. At the end of May, 6,784 single-family homes were listed for sale, up 2.1% over May 2025.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are pick ’em in tonight's Game 4 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
The second largest In-N-Out Burger location in the country opens today on the third level of the BLVD Mall on the south Strip. The restaurant spans more than 10,500 square feet (8,000 square feet inside and a 2,500-square-foot rooftop terrace across from Aria) on two floors. It has indoor seating for 170 guests and 50 outdoors. It also includes an In-N-Out company store. We took a look at the venue while it was still under construction while reviewing How Ya Dough'n pizzeria on the same level last December and you get a view of it here.
The Primm family has inked a deal with Las Vegas-based Terrible’s to operate its hotel-casinos and related properties in Primm. The Primm Valley Hotel-Casino, the two gas stations, and employee housing were scheduled to close on July 4, which was announced by Affinity Gaming when they notified Primm employees, residents, and state gaming regulators on May 5. The Terrible's brand is familiar to southern Nevadans and travelers for its gaming, convenience-store, fuel, car wash, and hospitality services and both the Herbst family, which owns Terrible's, and the Primm family have been fixtures in Nevada for decades. The press release indicated that every effort will be made to keep open Primm Valley, the gas station, and apartments, as well as improve and reopen the shuttered Primm properties.
The New York Knicks are -1 favorites over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 215.5.
The future Las Vegas A's are playing a six-game homestand at Las Vegas Ballpark, the home field of the team's AAA affiliate. The homestand will be two back-to-back series against the Milwaukee Brewers June 8-10 and the Colorado Rockies June 12-14. The A's are in third place in the American League West at 31-34, 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners. They tend to do better on the road for some reason, with a record of 20-17 away and 11-17 at home. Should be interesting to see how they fare in the next six away games at home.
VisualCapitalist analyzed data from various government and air-traveler surveys to rank the most popular cities for tourists arriving from abroad. The numbers are from 2024, so they're not reflective of recent trends, but they do show that travel patterns were highly concentrated and, no doubt, still are. Slightly more than 35 million overseas visitors arrived that year and Las Vegas placed fifth on the list with 2.6 million of them. This is all the more impressive when you consider that most international visitors have to stop in a gateway city, such as New York (#1 with 9.5 million), Miami (5.2 million), and L.A. (4.4 million), before connecting to Sin City. Orlando was fourth with 3.9 million.
Casinos.com analyzed 830,250 TripAdvisor reviews about 108 major U.S. casinos, searching for "20 luck and reward-related keywords": luck, lucky, jackpot, hand pay, bonus, won, etc. They found 137,176 citations of the keywords, then refined and adjusted the survey through a statistical technique (based on Bayes' Theorem) to account for anomalies. Phew. Anyway, the casino that earned the top spot as luckiest for players was Seminole Hard Rock Tampa, which garnered 323.6 luck mentions per 1,000 reviews out of 1,869 reviews). That was followed by Parx Casino in Pennsylvania (322.6 per with 2,066 reviews) and South Point (318.6 with 6,562 reviews). The Palms placed 10th (279.3 with 4,548 reviews). The bottom five were all on the Strip: Caesars (#104), Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, Bellagio, and Luxor (#108). Of course, as the survey notes, a "huge" proportion of their tens of thousands of reviews on TripAdvisor don't mention gambling at all and focus instead on rooms, restaurants, shows, pools, and of course resort fees. Still ... You can read the Casino.com story here.
What's being hailed as the "craziest game in Stanley Cup Final history," the Vegas Golden Knights won last night at T-Mobile by a score of 5-4 in double overtime. The VGK pulled out to a seemingly insurmountable lead with four goals in the second period, two of them scored 16 seconds apart. Right-winger Mitch Marner earned himself a hat trick in a span of 6:10 minutes, breaking the 69-year-old record of 6:21 set in 1957. Marner wound up with four points (the three goals and one assist) in the second period, the first player ever with four points in a period in the Cup Final. With 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 19 games, he leads this year's NHL playoffs and now holds the Vegas postseason record. Then, the Carolina Hurricanes stormed back with four goals of their own, three of them within 39 seconds, the fastest three goals in Cup Final history. That tied the score in the third period. It was only the second time in Cup Final history that a team recovered from a four-goal deficit, the first in 1972. The first overtime was scoreless. Then five minutes into the double, Shea Theodore took a shot that went wide to the right. It bounced off the end boards and ricocheted into the net off the back of goalie Brandon Bussi's skate. Theodore, one of four original "Misfits" who've played with the VGK throughout their history, was in the game for nearly 40 minutes, the most of any player. The VGK are now up 2-1 and play Game 4 at home on Tuesday.
Alexander Zverev is a -435 favorite over Flavio Cobolli in today’s French Open men's tennis final. Both are seeking their first Grand Slam title.
Belal Muhammad and Gabriel Bonfim are pick ’em in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Brendan Allen is -180 over Edmen Shahbazyan.
The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights are pick ’em in tonight's Game 3 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
The current odds for today’s Belmont Stakes make Renegade the favorite at 2-1, followed by Chief Wallabee at 3-1, and Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo at 4.5-1. The long shot is Vitruvian Man at 30-1.
The Las Vegas Bowl will take place on New Year's Eve for the second year in a row at Allegiant Stadium and will feature one team from the SEC and the other from either the Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, Oregon State or Washington State. Las Vegas Bowl XXXV will be played Thursday Dec. 31 at 12:45 p.m. PT, televised by ESPN. In last year’s game, Utah defeated Nebraska 44-22. Looking ahead, Allegiant Stadium will host the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship, the 2028 Men’s Final Four, and Super Bowl LXIII in 2029.
Mirra Andreeva is a -415 favorite over Maja Chwalinska in today's French Open women’s tennis final. Both are playing in their first Grand Slam final.
The San Antonio Spurs are -7 favorites over the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 217.
A new dual-brand AC Hotel and Residence Inn by Marriott will start construction on June 15 on Paradise Road across from the Convention Center. The 233,330-square-foot development, according to the press release, will include 397 guest rooms — 237 AC Hotel rooms and 160 Residence Inn suites — offering short- and extended-stay accommodations for convention attendees, business travelers, long-term guests, and leisure visitors. The joint hotels are slated for completion in roughly 24 months.
Restaurants on the Strip continue to be shaken up. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Jardin, the garden spot that served breakfast, lunch, and brunch at Encore, has closed. The restaurant opened in late 2016 in the space previously occupied by Botero. The new restaurant will serve American food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and an announcement about it will be forthcoming "soon."
The Carolina Hurricanes are -160 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights in tonight's Game 2 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 6.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival take place annually over a weekend at T-Mobile and this year's lineup of acts is impressive: BTS, Cardi B, Snoop Dogg, Goo Goo Dolls, Kenny Chesney, Lainey Wilson, Major Lazer, Muse, Weezer, Benson Boone, and Zara Larsson, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the festival will take place Sept. 18-19 and be broadcast live on iHeartMedia radio stations in more than 150 markets; Disney+ and Hulu will livestream all of the performances as well. The pre-sale launches next Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT; the general on sale, if any tickets remain, starts the following Friday 10 a.m.
If you've been in Las Vegas over the past year or so, you've no doubt seen the Zoox robotaxis plying the Strip. Fully electric autonomous vehicles, they look like futuristic symmetrical pods. They have neither front nor back, so they can drive in either direction seamlessly, with lighting that changes color to indicate which way they're heading. In addition, all four seats are for passengers; they face each other, with no driver's seat or steering wheel. Zoox is an Amazon-owned driverless robotaxi service. Las Vegas, along with San Francisco, is currently testing free rides and you can order up your cab via an app. What's the experience like? The editor-in-chief of UpgradedPoints.com tried it out and you can read her review here.
The San Antonio Spurs are -5 favorites over the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Championship series. The total is 217.5.
This is a big one: $2.23 million. It was hit late last week in the Aria high-limit room on a Dragon Link slot with what looks in the photo like a $25 bet.
Though prediction markets get most of the ink around sports betting nowadays, sometimes the exploding industry itself garners some attention. This week's crop of stories so far is a case in point. First, a new national poll finds more Americans oppose sports betting than approve of it. An Overton Insights survey on political and public-policy issues queried nearly 1,400 people about their opinions on sports betting and overall, 47% were opposed, 31% were in support, and 22% didn't know (or didn't care). That's the most opposed we've seen in a poll in a long while. Next, an opinion piece on Futurism.com delves into the latest college sports betting scandal: the Texas Tech star quarterback's suspension over "hundreds of bets worth $90,000, including on games he was playing in." The conclusion is in the headline: "Sports Betting Scandals Are Tearing College Football Apart." Finally, there's the spectacle of UFC Freedom 250 (a.k.a. UFC White House), the mixed martial arts event scheduled for a week from Sunday on the South Lawn of the White House. Obviously, this is the first time the White House has ever hosted a wagering event, but when it comes to sports betting, there's a first time for a lot of things.
The Carolina Hurricanes are -150 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights in tonight's Game 1 of the NHL's Stanley Cup Final. The total is 5.5.
In a survey of Yelp Elites (the most-active reviewers) on the Top 100 BBQ Restaurants in the U.S., Las Vegas garnered five listings. Interestingly, given all the great Texas, Carolinas, Kansas City, Memphis, and St. Louis joints here, all five in the Yelp standings are Asian barbecues. Here they are: Samurai Japanese BBQ and Grill (#14), Hobak Korean BBQ (#27), 8OZ Korean Steakhouse and Bar (#55), Master Kim’s Korean BBQ (#78), and WinKee HK BBQ & Noodle (#97). We second the choice of 8OZ. Tops on the list was Little Miss BBQ-University in Phoenix.
Climatological (a.k.a. meteorological) summer started yesterday and continues through August 31, encompassing the three hottest months of the year, as opposed to astronomical summer, solstice (June 21) to equinox (September 20). To commemorate the occasion, temperatures will rise into the triple digits tomorrow and stay there at least through the weekend. On Monday and Tuesday, it's back down a bit to the high 90s, then right back up to 105 on Wednesday and predicted high of 108 on Thursday, which would be the hottest day of the year.
Tomorrow starts the Stanley Cup Final between home team Golden Knights and the Carolina Hurricanes. Here are the biggest watch parties. The VGK themselves will host the official Game 1 party right at T-Mobile Arena; admission is $5. Proceeds will go to the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation. Doors open at 4 p.m. and the game starts at 5. Stadium Swim at Circa Las Vegas has been hosting watch parties throughout the playoffs and will continue until the Cup is hoisted. Doors open at 4 p.m. and you can get in free if you're wearing VGK gear (must be 21). The three Nacho Daddy's locations are serving a "power-play package" of two margaritas, nachos, churros, and choice of wings or queso dip for $49.95. Game 2 on Thursday can be viewed in the Water Street Plaza in downtown Henderson, with a DJ and food vendors. Also on Thursday, the Uncommons across from Durango will open up for fans who can bring chairs and buy food and beverage specials from the on-site restaurants and pop-up bars.
Ferraro’s Ristorante has brought back its “Summer in Italy” special, running from June 15 to Aug. 23. The four-course meal with antipasti, pasta, main course, and dessert is $75 per person, slightly up from last year’s $69. Ferraro’s is an excellent non-casino restaurant located across the street from Virgin Hotel.
On the heels of billionaire Tilman Fertitta's so-far successful buyout of Caesars Entertainment, billionaire media mogul Barry Diller has tendered a bid to buy MGM Resorts. Diller's company, People Inc., already owns 26.1% of the stock, having invested in MGM steadily over the past six years. Calling the company "wildly undervalued," Diller has offered to buy the other 74% at a 10% premium on the most recent closing price (which is up 15% this morning on the news). In a statement, Diller said he likes MGM, because "it represents a rare kind of business: one with real-world assets that AI cannot easily replicate or disintermediate and exceptional digital growth opportunities." People Inc. would close the deal with cash on hand and debt and funding commitments. MGM hasn't responded.
The San Antonio Spurs are -200 favorites over the New York Knicks in the NBA Championship. Game 1 is Wednesday in San Antonio.
VisualCapitalist.com used April 2026 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to show unemployment rates in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Nationally, the unemployment rate stood at 4.3%, but the highs and lows were notable. Washington, D.C., posted the highest unemployment rate at 6.2%, nearly triple South Dakota’s 2.2%, the lowest. Nevada tied for second with California and Delaware at 5.3%, followed by Oregon and Washington at 5.2%. VisualCapitalist attributed the higher rates in the west to tech layoffs, slowing tourism, and a softer business environment.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority has unleashed its new marketing campaign, titled "Pack for Vegas." We've seen a few 15-second spots, which are forgettable, but the full blown 60-second extravaganza is worth seeing. The cuts are a lot more rapid-fire and dizzying than we prefer, though that's de rigueur these days, but the writing is strong ("Las Vegas isn't just a place you go. Las Vegas is a place where you let go. Sleep will be optional. Decisions will be questionable. Expectations will be shattered. Limits get tested and plans ignored, in the most spectacular way possible."), and the visuals are evocative, as fleeting as they are. See it here.
The Carolina Hurricanes are -150 favorites over the Vegas Golden Knights to win the NHL's Stanley Cup. Game 1 is Tuesday in North Carolina.
The Oklahoma City Thunder are -3.5 favorites over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 of the of the NBA's Western Conference Finals. The total is 212.5.
The Carolina Hurricanes soundly defeated the Montreal Canadiens last night by a score of 6-1 to take the NHL's Eastern Conference championship in five games. So the Vegas Golden Knights, representing the Western Conference, will play the Hurricanes for the Stanley Cup; it's the VGK's second appearance in the Final in three years, after winning the Cup in 2023. The first game will be at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday at 5 p.m. The Hurricanes have home-ice advantage after finishing the regular season at 53-22-7 and 113 points, second most points in the league. The Knights were 39-25-17 and 95 points. Ironically, the Colorado Avalanche earned the most points at 121, but were swept by the VGK 4-0 in the conference championship.
Every year, the Casino Collectibles Association (CCA) holds a fundraiser auction at its show in Las Vegas at South Point in June. This year for the first time, you can bid online, as well as in person. You can see on the items -- casino chips, tokens, silver strikes, and other memorabilia in 200 live and 35 silent lots -- at the CCA website. If you want to buy something, you can register and pre-bid at the auction portal. The CCA show (June 18-20) is a fun event, especially for Vegas and casino history buffs; we attended last year's and you can see our coverage here.
Las Vegas claims three venues on Yelp's just-released list of the Top 100 Sports Bars nationwide, one of which just missed the top spot. McMullan's Irish Pub, right behind the Orleans on Cameron Street near Tropicana, came in at number two. McMullan's, which boasts one of the largest selections of Irish whiskey nationwide (150), ranging from single malts to single-grain varietals, also offers Irish pub fare, Irish beers on tap, live music on the weekends, and Premier League rugby matches on the screens. Hofbräuhaus, Paradise and Harmon, ranked number 16 and the Roadrunner Saloon at Buffalo and Washington came in at number 30.
On Wednesday, a local player struck it big at the Palms, winning more than $1 million while playing, of all games, baccarat. We can't remember the last time we wrote about a seven-figure jackpot and baccarat in the same sentence, if ever. The player made a $5 bet on the base game and a $5 side bet on the progressive, which he proceeded to hit. The Palms press release, which all the local media copied verbatim, is decidedly light on the exact mechanics and the photo didn't show the winning hand, at least not that we could see. But we're trying to track down the details and we'll keep you posted.
SlotSlayers.com is the premier website for advantage slot players. A joint creation of the Las Vegas Advisor and Breaking the Slot Code author Ben Rosenthal, SlotSlayers provides how-to videos and in-depth instructions and analysis for hundreds of beatable games.
Features Include:
• Video instructions for more than 180 games
• New videos added regularly
• Condensed strategies that facilitate instant recognition of profitable opportunities
• Active message boards with direct access to Ben Rosenthal
• Reports on AP target destinations, e.g., cruise ships
• The latest intel on strategy enhancements
• Extensive slot-players FAQ
• Proprietary members-only information
You can access it with this handy link; click on the Membership/Shop tab to get a preview of what the site has in store for you by checking out five games for free.
VegasAdvantage.com reports that Virgin is dealing $5 blackjack. But unlike similar games, it's dealt from a shoe, not a continuous shuffling machine, and pays 3-2 on naturals. Strong. You'll also find $10, $15, and $50 3-2 tables, along with 3-2 Free Bet Blackjack, which VegasAdvantage calls "rare." Craps offers 10x odds. The video poker lineup is attractive at one bank of machines near the sports book: 10/6 Double Double Bonus (100.06%) and 16/10 Deuces Wild, 9/6 Jacks or Better, 8/5 Bonus, and 9/7 Double Bonus, all above 99%, in $0.25, $0.50, and $1 denominations. Virgin is also courting locals with free play, food and drink deals, and pool perks. For all the details, visit VegasAdvantage.
Caesars Entertainment announced this morning that it entered into an agreement to be acquired by Fertitta Entertainment in an all-cash transaction valued at $17.6 billion. The deal includes a “go-shop” period through July 11 that gives Caesars six weeks to consider other offers. If it goes through, Fertitta will assume $11.9 billion of Caesars’ outstanding debt, meaning a roughly $5.7 billion cash outlay for the acquisition. All the Caesars executives and management teams are expected to retain their positions. Shareholders will receive $31 per share, a nearly 50% premium on the stock price as of Feb. 25, the last trading day before rumors of the buyout surfaced. And that will be the end of Caesars as a public company; billionaire Tilman Fertitta will take Caesars private and the shares will be delisted from the NASDAQ stock exchange.
Truist Securities gaming-analysis department surveyed upwards of 800 U.S. consumers about Las Vegas and what they found was much "more positive that expected," given the negative perceptions that have circulated for more than a year. Nearly three-quarters of those polled were positive about Las Vegas as a "value-oriented destination" and fully 88 percent were favorable toward the wave of all-inclusive packages at the Plaza, Boyd downtown properties, MGM, and Caesars. Roughly 65% said their image of Sin City had improved over the last few years and 78 percent were planning a visit in the next year. More telling, efforts to upgrade Las Vegas’ bargain-oriented image appear to be working: 64% said their view of the city was "Much better" or "Slightly better" since the all-inclusive deals started. “The survey speaks to the overall resilience of Las Vegas as a destination,” the Truist analysts concluded.
"We want the Cup! We want the Cup!" That's what the fans were chanting at T-Mobile Arena last night, after the Vegas Golden Knights punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final by defeating the Colorado Avalanche 2-1. The VGK swept the series 4-0 and will face either the Montreal Canadiens or the Carolina Hurricanes for the iconic silver trophy, which was first awarded way back in 1893. The Hurricanes are up 2-1 and play tonight in Montreal. Vegas' opponent could be determined on Friday if Carolina wins the two next games or as late as Tuesday if it goes to Game 7.
AEG Presents Summer Sale is running again this year with tickets to select shows for $50 (plus tax & applicable fees). Some good ones are available: Bryan Adams/Chris Tucker/Morrissey/Roger Daltry/Squeeze at Encore, Black Keys/Death Cab for Cutie at Virgin, Martin Lawrence/Howard Jones/America at Resorts World, Queen tribute at Durango, and dozens more. Tickets must be purchased by Monday. Worth checking out.
The 57th annual World Series of Poker starts today and runs through July 13, when the final table of the Main Event will be set. Those nine players will have three weeks off, then reconvene to determine this year's poker champion on August 3-5. In the meantime, 100 bracelet events will be contested and we'll keep you posted on the biggest wins, best-known winners, and all the major dramas and traumas that are sure to occur.
The price of a gallon of gas in southern Nevada averaged $5.27 last week, hitting Memorial Day travelers hard. It was a full $1 more than the average price over last year's holiday weekend. The lowest price, according to GasBuddy, is $4.59 at Costco, the highest, according to AAA, $5.38. That's starting to approach record territory: $5.67 in June 2022.
Officials from both Nevada and Arizona held a Memorial Day ceremony yesterday at Hoover Dam to honor the men and women who gave their lives in service to the nation and to help inaugurate the American250 celebration of the country's 250th anniversary on July 4. The display at the dam was called "the most ambitious patriotic installation ever attempted at one of the nation’s most iconic landmarks." It features a massive American flag, 300 feet wide by 150 feet tall, suspended across the dam, with dramatic red, white, and blue colors illuminating the rest of the face of the dam. The colored lights will be activated every night through the Fourth and you can see a 12-second video of the display here.
Drink Las Vegas is a four-day cocktail festival that will "showcase the world's top spirits, wine, and culinary talent with curated events, high-energy parties, and exclusive tastings, all designed to celebrate the art of the drink." Sponsored by MGM Resorts, the festival takes place at Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Aria, and Park MGM Thurs.-Sun. Sept. 24-27. At $275 to $450 per person, the events aren't exactly for the hoi polloi, but they're focused enough to be worth it, most likely, to anyone who has a special interest in a particular restaurant, libation, chef, venue, or party. You can see the full schedule and book your tickets here.
The city is busy with an estimated 300,000 visitors capping off the long Memorial Day weekend, compared to 345,000 here last year. The sports books will be jumping with NBA and NHL playoff action today. Promos are sparse, but as it does every year, South Point is offering active and veteran military a free buffet for two today. Must show military ID.
The Enhanced Games, a series of Olympic-style competitions in which performance-enhancing drugs aren't just permitted, but encouraged, will be held today at Resorts World. Self-consciously controversial, the Enhanced Games include swimming, weightlifting, and track and field and competitors can be on testosterone, anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, and stimulants (such as Adderal), among others. The one-day event has attracted 42 athletes and the prize pool is significant, more than $25 million; competitors can also win seven-figure bonuses for breaking world records. The Games are taking place in an open-air arena on a vacant portion of Resorts World property that was erected in the past couple of weeks. An invite-only crowd of 2,500 spectators -- investors, digital creators, and influencers -- are in attendance; no tickets were sold to the public. Proponents claim that the Games are meant to "push the limits of performance," while critics insist they undermine the integrity of athletic competitions and normalize drug use. Fence sitters speculate that if the future involves AI taking over consciousness spaces, perhaps synthetic performance intensifiers will appropriate physical spaces.
Alex Palou is the +200 favorite to win today's Indianapolis 500. He's followed by Pato O’Ward at +625 and David Malukas at +725.
Boyd is promoting a deal at its three downtown hotel-casinos. If you book for two nights, you pay $97.12 for the room, plus $67.98 for the resort fees and $11.72 in taxes, for a total of $176.82. You get back $75 in food and beverage credit at any Boyd restaurant downtown, including Redwood Steakhouse at the Cal, along with the Triple 7 Brewery and Main Street Station buffet. It works out to just under $51 per night and it's good seven nights a week. The deal ends on August 30. You can the Fremont book here, the Cal here, and Main Street Station here.
Goodsprings, a town of 300 people 10 miles from Jean, was founded in 1900 and the first school opened there in 1913 to serve the population of 800 at the time. The school operated for 113 years, making it the state's oldest continuous public school (UNR dates back to 1885), but with only two students remaining and two employees, a teacher and custodian), the Clark County School District Board of Trustees voted to shut it down for good. The two-room schoolhouse cost $2,000 to build and residents hope to turn it into a museum. The last two students will be bused to Sandy Valley, 14 miles from Goodsprings and 35 miles southwest of Vegas, where the middle- and high-school students from Goodsprings attend school.
Cevent, a convention-industry service company, named Las Vegas the second-best convention destination in North America, behind only Orlando. The survey is based on "insights gleaned from more than $20 billion of global-sourcing and request-for-proposal activity through Cvent’s sourcing platforms in 2025." Orlando and Las Vegas were followed by Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, San Diego, New York City, Austin, and Washington D.C. In addition, three Vegas resorts ranked in the top 10 hotels for hosting meetings: Venetian (number 3), Fontainebleau (5) and Wynn/Encore Las Vegas (7).
NADC Burger (“Not a Damn Chance”) showed up here last summer in a popup location at Resorts World. Apparently, the run was so successful that the Austin-based chain, which opened in 2022 and now has locations in six other states, wanted to stick around. The new permanent location opened last week at 124 S. Sixth Street, a block off Las Vegas Blvd. at East Carson. It's open till midnight. And Redhead Burger opened this week at the Grand Canal Shoppes. The smashie shop, founded in 2019 in Miami Beach by two redheaded brothers and their redheaded father, has two locations in South Florida; the one at the Grand Canal Shoppes is its first outside the Sunshine State. It's open until 2 a.m.
The general contractor and A's team president appeared before the Las Vegas Stadium Authority yesterday and said construction of the $2 billion 33,000-seat stadium is moving along and right on schedule for opening day of the 2028 MLB season. A's President Marc Badain told the Authority that the first set of suites and premium memberships in exclusive areas behind home plate put on sale in March sold out quickly. In addition, 80% of the home-plate seasons tickets have been gobbled up and general-public tickets will be offered "in the coming months." The team itself is on a winning streak, sitting in first place in the American League West with a record of 26-24, a game and a half in front of the Texas Rangers. They'll play six games at Las Vegas Ballpark and a few tickets are still available.
Boomer’s Sportsbook is opening its 12th location at Silver Sevens on June 1. Silver Sevens is the biggest casino and closest to the Strip for Boomer's, which will launch its 13th venue at Club Fortune North when it opens, also in June; SS will boast betting seven kiosks. It's been a rapid rise for the independent sports book chain since it launched less than a year ago (August). The Nevada Gaming Control Board held an emergency meeting yesterday to recommend approval of the SS application, which the Gaming Commission seconded an hour later. The regulators like Boomer's and its founder/CEO Joe Asher, deeming an independent sports book beneficial to the state and sports bettors (they're right). Gaming Control has five more active Boomer’s applications pending; they're all expected to be approved before football season begins.
Schedules sometimes get disrupted and this is one of those times. Instead of the normal Beer Friday tomorrow, Anthony and Andrew will be going live on YouTube for Beer Thursday today at 4 p.m. PST. Watch the show live, interact online, and have a drink or two with the guys, while they field questions about all things Las Vegas. Join at LVA YouTube live channel.
An estimated 230,000 EDC attendees cleared out just in time for 300,000 visitors to flood the city for the long Memorial Day weekend. The unofficial start of the summer travel season, AAA estimates an all-time record of 45 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home and Las Vegas is the fourth top destination, according to AAA's booking data, behind Orlando, New York City, and Seattle (though we might question the Seattle ranking). Apparently, higher gasoline prices aren't impacting visitor numbers and room rates reflect it; the luxe Strip properties are charging more than $500 per night, with the highest tier in the four figures. Downtown and the locals casinos are getting half that. Basic strategy: Don't drop by for a bargain room or unreserved meal at a nice restaurant.
The Electric Daisy Carnival, which just closed out its 2026 edition, was so successful this year (and every year) that it immediately announced a second weekend for next year. EDC 2027 will span two weekends, May 14-16 (EDC Dusk) and 21-23 (EDC Dawn), with the whole 12 days, Thursday the 13th through Monday the 24th, known as EDC Dusk till Dawn. According to the statement on the website, "Both Dusk and Dawn will have lower capacities, giving you more space on the dance floors and making travel and accommodation easier. We’re aiming for less congestion on the roads, in the skies, and at the hotels, contributing to an overall smoother experience. We’re also bringing ticket prices closer to what they were a decade ago, helping to ease the cost of your trip to Vegas." Could work; we'll see. At least EDC is way out at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and doesn't create Cone City on the Strip and vicinity like F1.
Virgin is promoting a deal with up to 50% off room rates, no resort fee, and $25 in food and beverage credit every day of the stay. Rates are as low as $51 weekdays and $135 weekends (including taxes), but you must book before midnight tomorrow night for travel through Sept. 8. You can see the rates and book your room here.
Circa Sports is back for another record-setting football-contest season. Circa Survivor, Circa Million VIII, and Circa Grandissimo will have a combined guaranteed prize pool of $30 million, largest in history. Circa Survivor guarantees $20 million, Circa Million VIII $6 million, and Circa Grandissimo $4 million. As always, each contest’s pool is no rake, so any additional entries that exceed the guarantee will enhance the winnings. Last year, five winners of Circa Survivor all went 20-0 and took home the largest prize pot in history of $18,718,000; each won $3,743,600. Grandissimo winners split $6.9 million and Circa Million VII paid out $1 million, Sign-ups for the contests begin on Friday. Entry fees are $1,000 each for Survivor and Million and $100,000 for Grandissimo.
To no one's surprise, Clark County commissioners approved the 10-year contract extension for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, meaning F1 will take over Vegas through 2037, at least. As a sop to local businesses and Strip employees, the commissioners demanded -- demanded! -- that race organizers "further condense future construction timelines and improve traffic mitigation." We're all looking forward to that day.
Now in its 19th year, Las Vegas Restaurant Week will be held from June 1 to 12 (it's actually a 13-day event). It takes place in early June every year and encourages Las Vegans and visitors to dine out for a good meal at a good value for a good cause. The city’s finest restaurants offer special three-course prix fixe menus, donating a portion of proceeds to Three Square Food Bank, southern Nevada’s only food bank and its largest hunger-relief organization. Each restaurant selects the donation level of $4, $5 or $6 per meal. Since 2007, more than million meals have been provided for those in need through Restaurant Week. The list of restaurants that participate in the event continues to grow and this year is epic -- nearly 300 restaurants to choose from. You can see them all, including the special three-course menus and prices, and make reservations here.
Heart Attack Grill, long-time fixture at Neonopolis downtown, has closed. The eatery was well known for its servers dressed as nurses and gigantic cholesterol-clogging meals; customers who weighed more than 350 pounds, and proved it by standing on the scale out front, ate for free. Of course, a place with that strong a theme couldn't go out with a whimper. Instead, the owner issued a three-part announcement. The second part was classic Heart Attack-style: "We’re proud of our 21-year impact on America’s waistline. The obesity rate has risen from 30% in 2005 to nearly 45% today and we pat ourselves on the back for leading the charge!" The first part was a scathing indictment of what Las Vegas, according to the owner, has turned into. "This decision stems from the reality that major casinos have intentionally priced the average person out of the quintessential American experience of affordable indulgence. The soul of Las Vegas has been replaced by corporate greed. Our core value, 'Eat Big and Laugh Loud,” no longer fits a city peddling forty-dollar artisanal avocado toast." The third part hinted that the restaurant is looking for a new location, though that might not be Vegas: "We look forward to finding new communities that still appreciate a Bypass Burger and the freedom to feast without apology."
Heard about Nitro Circus? If not, it's a global sports entertainment brand featuring world-class action-sports athletes, daredevils, and stunt performers. Founded in 2003 by motocross superstar Travis Pastrana, it has grown into stadium tours, TV shows, and competitions. In a publicity stunt to advertise the Nitro Circus 2.0 Tour, coming to Las Vegas in August, Travis Pastrana himself surprised casino-goers at Boulder Station by roaring around the casino floor on a motorcycle. You can see the video here on 8NewsNow.
The Buffalo Sabres are -125 favorites over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their second-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.5. Note, this line was posted with the game in progress.
The Plaza is bringing back its Welcome to the Weekend Summer Friday Fireworks Shows for the third consecutive year. They'll start on Friday June 5 at 9:10 p.m. and continue through Sept. 4 (depending on weather conditions). Main Street in front of the hotel will be closed to traffic a little before, during, and a little after the shows to make them more pedestrian friendly. The party for Plaza guests starts at 7 p.m. at the rooftop pool, whence the fireworks are launched. Various weekend packages are available throughout the summer.
How windy was it here yesterday? Windy enough for the Weather Service to issue a High-Wind Warning starting at 2 p.m. yesterday and continuing through early this morning. Windy enough to damage power poles and down power lines, leaving 1,000 residents without power and to prompt a precautionary power shutoff in the Mt. Charleston area to mitigate wildfire risks. Windy enough for a ground stop to be issued by officials at Reid International, with upwards of 450 flights delayed through the afternoon and evening. Worst of all, windy enough to close several stages and all carnival rides on the final night of EDC up at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway; the festival producer posted signs blaming "extreme weather" for the partial shutdown. Gusts reached 65 miles an hour around the valley and ushered in cooler temperatures for the next few days, with lows dipping down to 39 and the low 40s and highs in the low to mid-70s, 10-15 degrees below normal.
The Detroit Pistons are -4.5 favorites over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of their second-round NBA playoff series. The total is 205.
The new video in the series that covers Las Vegas history decade by decade has been released, right on schedule, by the Commission for the Las Vegas Centennial. "The City of Las Vegas: The Eighties" is the eighth in the series; one is released every year in conjunction with Las Vegas' birthday, May 15. Like the other "City of Las Vegas" videos, The Eighties is a meaty 70 minutes and well worth every one. You can see it here.
Going into the final round of golf's PGA Championship, Alex Smalley with a 2-stroke lead is the +460 favorite to win. He’s followed by Jon Rahm at +525 and Ludwig Aberg at +625.
Arnold Allen is a -120 favorite over Melquizael Costa in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Daniiel Santos is -170 over Doo Ho Choi. Another MMA organization called MVP is running a simultaneous event with more recognizable names, albeit no longer of top-level UFC caliber. In the main event, Ronda Rousey is a -650 favorite over Gina Carano. Others on the card include Nate Diaz, Mike Perry, Junior dos Santos, and Francis Ngannou.
The current odds for the Preakness Stakes make Incredibolt the favorite at 9-2, followed by Ocelli and Taj Mahal, both at 5-1. The long shot is Crupper at 50-1. For the second year in a row, the Triple Crown is not in play, as Kentucky Derby winner Golden Tempo is not in the field.
Less than four years after opening to major hoopla, the Jonas Bros.-branded Nellie's Southern Kitchen will close at the end of business on Memorial Day. Run by the Jonas parents in a joint venture with a New York-based investment firm, Nellie's "celebrates the comfort food, hospitality, and Southern charm" that date back to the family's 1760s roots in North Carolina. The original Nellie's, in Belmont, NC, will remain open. No plans for the space, tucked in an out-of-the-way corner at the end of restaurant row at MGM Grand, have been announced.
A story in today's New York Post appears to dethrone Las Vegas as the most sinful city in the country, replaced by none other than ... New York. But does it really? The Post cites a study by PokerTube.com that analyzed more than 200 U.S. cities for "adult entertainment infrastructure" (bars, clubs and pubs, strip clubs, tattoo parlors, casinos, and X-rated shops) and public health (single residents, STDs, and excessive drinking rates). New York came out on top by a long shot, with 1,400 bars, 109 nightclubs, 375 pubs, 79 adult stores, 11 strip clubs, 240 tattoo shops, and more than seven million residents, of whom nearly half are officially single. Vegas didn't even place second, which went to Baltimore (52% single, highest rate of STDs) or third (Chicago). In fact, we were ranked eighth. The caveat: Perhaps the New York Post (and SecretHouston.com, which also reported on the study) received advance copies, but we were unable to find the study itself on PokerTube after extensive searching and querying. If it even exists, we can't confirm. We can also say that the obsessive-survey-site WalletHub has been doing a vice study for many years and Las Vegas has always ranked at number one, followed by Houston, L.A., Philadelphia, Atlanta, Denver, Miami in its 2026 study; New York City isn't even in the top 10. We'll go with WalletHub, at least until (or if) we see PokerTube's primary research.
In last night's sixth game of Round 2 of the National Hockey League playoffs, the Vegas Golden Knights crushed the Anaheim Ducks 5-1. The VGK emerged victorious from the round 4 games to 2. The home team now advances to the Western Conference championship round against the Colorado Avalanche; the first game is on Wednesday at Ball Arena in Denver. If they beat the Avalanche, they'll play for the Stanley Cup against either the Carolina Hurricanes, which swept the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0, or the winner of the Montreal Canadiens-Buffalo Sabres series; the Canadiens currently lead 3-2. The VGK last won the Cup in 2023.
Mosquitos, cockroaches, scorpions, and rodents have given Las Vegas a ranking in the National Pest Management Association's biannual Public Health Pest Index, according to a story in the Las Vegas Sun. Vegas "is one of 10 U.S. cities most vulnerable for disease-spreading pest activity this spring and summer." The long string of record high temperatures in March have, the report warns, driven the pests indoors seeking water and a cooler environment. Clark County has already seen one death and 27 other cases of West Nile virus, transmitted by mosquitos. The warning is mostly for locals, but visitors should also be aware. In a related development, a study of water purity at national parks found a deadly "brain-eating amoeba" at three parks, including Lake Mead. Though very rare, the amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, exists in hot springs and hydrothermally fed waters across Lake Mead Recreation Area, as well as Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The amoeba thrives in warm pools up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit.
The Who's singer and a solo artist (and actor) in his own right, Roger Daltrey will play three shows at the Encore Theater on Aug. 26, 28, and 29. The Who completed its most recent "farewell tour" last year and Daltry, 82, is hinting that this might also be his last solo tour of North America. He'll be backed by a nine-piece band, including some musicians who were on stage for the Who's final shows. Presales began yesterday and general ticketing starts tomorrow at 10 a.m. PT.
Originally slated to be completed sometime in April, the former Poker Palace is now on track for a late June reopening. Club Fortune North has undergone "almost a complete redo," according to the CEO of Truckee Gaming, and will be "dramatically different" that what people remember of the old Poker Palace, he told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. After the multi-million-dollar renovation, Club Fortune North will be a "good looking, very modern, quality product." We're looking forward to seeing it next month.
Scottie Scheffler is the 4-1 favorite to win the PGA Championship golf tournament. He’s followed by Rory McIlroy at 9-1, and Jon Rahm at 14-1. Tiger Woods is not in the field.
Long-time LVA subscribers remember with fondness the Second Street Grill at the Fremont downtown, mainly for our 1990s 50% off coupon that was good for the total bill no matter how much it was, not to mention the excellent food. (We had a lot of big parties there at half-price.) The new Third Street Grill's name reminds us of that restaurant, though this one is in the Food Hall and is counter service. It's located at the southwest corner bordering the edge of the casino floor and has six old-school counter seats. It serves breakfast 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and lunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Breakfasts range from pancakes and waffles ($8.99-$13.50) to country-fried steak ($19.99), with bacon and eggs and burrito bowl ($14.75). Lunch offers soup ($4.99) and salad ($10.99), five kinds of "haute" dogs ($4.90-$7.49), Chicago shaved beef roll ($14.99), crispy chicken san and BLT ($14.99), and pastrami ($16.99). No LVA-worthy bargains, though it sort of fulfills the role of a coffee shop and we can see other hotels copying this model.
Entreprenuer and reality TV star Lisa Vanderpump is turning the opening of Vanderpump Hotel, the old Cromwell, into a spinoff series of "Vanderpump Rules," in its 13th season. The new show, “Vanderpump Rules: Lisa Las Vegas,” will be a "limited-series reality show that gives a behind-the-scenes peek at what it takes to open a hotel with the famous Vanderpump name." What does it take? Since this is reality TV, we expect glamour, drama and intrigue, decadence, evanescence. The show will air on Bravo, but no release date has been announced.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) has announced that an expansion team will be coming to Las Vegas to start playing at the start of next season. If you haven't heard of the PWHL, you're not alone; it's only a couple of years old, having launched in January 2024 with eight teams comprising elite-level women hockey players. The Vegas team will share T-Mobile with the VGK, which is in full support of the franchise, and based on league crowd counts, which averaged nearly 10,000 and sold a million tickets this year, it could pack the place. Detroit and Hamilton, Ontario, will also field teams in the 2026-2027 season.
For the sixth straight year, the U.S. commercial gaming industry (not including tribal and charitable casinos, racetracks, Class II devices, and lottery) set a new record for revenue. According to "State of the States 2026: The AGA Survey of the Commercial Casino Industry," the industry achieved $78.6 billion last year, up 9.1% over 2024, generated $17.9 billion in gaming tax revenue for state and local governments, and provided employment for 1.8 million people across the country. Of course, profits for the gambling industry involves deficits from players -- not entirely, given more people gambling and people gambling more frequently and/or higher amounts, among other factors. But while the industry celebrates, player losses mount, especially at igaming.
It's that weekend again. EDC hits the Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Friday and runs through Sunday night. Upwards of 525,000 entrances are expected over the three days, same as last year and all tickets, both general admission and (very expensive) VIP, were sold out the first day of the presale. The festivities kick off at 6 p.m. Thursday with the inaugural World Party Parade on the Strip. This free and all-ages immersive dance party will start at the Sahara and continue down the Strip to Circus Circus. Traffic will be disrupted all over the city until late Monday when the teeming hordes have gone their merry way.
Last Friday, May 8, the National Weather Service reported that Las Vegas officially hit 100 degrees for the first time in 2026. The average day that southern Nevada first sees triple digits is May 24, so this year was a couple of weeks early. The earliest on record was May 1, 1947, and the latest, believe it or not, was June 30, 2023. Yesterday, the record high of 103 set in 1960 was broken when the thermometer hit 104 and today, we might tie the record of 104 (1996), but it's doubtful it'll be broken. We'll see. Tomorrow's high is predicted to be 102 and after that, the current heat wave eases off a bit, with high temperatures in the upper 90s.
The May/June issue of AARP's tabloid-style Bulletin is an epic eight-page (out of 40) investigative piece on the rapid growth of app‑based gambling, including online casino games and sports betting, and its impact on retirees. It forcefully makes the point that with fixed incomes and limited ability to recover from losses, older adults can face serious financial harm when gambling habits escalate. The piece doesn't cover much new ground for casino veterans like us, but with an estimated readership of 33 million, it will be an eye-opener for tens of millions of seniors who aren't aware that igaming in only the seven states where it's legal in this country will very soon break the $1 billion win mark for operators, per month. You need to be a member to receive the Bulletin and/or read the article online, but the extensive coverage in the latest Bulletin signals that this issue has fully crossed over into mainstream awareness as a major financial and social threat to older Americans.
The Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, which oversees the Las Vegas bus system, has announced bus fare increases. Even facing a funding shortfall of more than $100 million, the RTC hasn't raised fares since 2011. On the Strip route, a single ride will go from $4 to $5, the two-hour pass ($6) will be eliminated, the 24-hour pass will go from $8 to $10, and the three-day pass ($20) will be eliminated. A 60-day public-comment period ends June 23; the new fares are expected to take effect some time in January.
Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorcese (The Departed) is returning to Las Vegas, setting for his movie Casino, for a new eight-episode untitled Netflix series -- "a modernized, but still dangerous, version of the legendary city," according to the Irish gossip website Joe.ie. Oscar Isaac (lots of movies, including Star Wars and X-Men) will play the leading role as a hotel-casino owner who "has to make some long-odds moves to try and secure his position and take more ground" (sounds like Stupak). The series, titled "The Roman," will co-star Betty Gilpin, Alec Baldwin, and David Costabile. Scorcese will be executive producer, along with Brian Koppelman and David Levien of "Billions," "Rounders," and "Ocean's Thirteen" fame, who will also be the show runners. No timetable for shooting or release has been revealed. Thanks to Canada Roy and Andrew S. for digging this out.
Mojave Max, southern Nevada’s desert-tortoise mascot and weather oracle, emerged from his burrow yesterday shortly after noon, breaking the previous record for his latest arrival by nearly 48 hours. The earliest date Max emerged was on Feb. 14, 2005; he was looking for roses, chocolate, and a love letter that year. Max entered his a burrow to brumate (the reptilian form of hibernating) in early November and remained inactive for more than five months.
This month's LVA vlog covers more territory than Lewis and Clark. Anthony and Andrew launch right into it with the closing of a nearby casino and the delayed opening of another, then discuss the many potential arenas that could host the imminent Las Vegas NBA team, another major buffet biting the dust, the new all-inclusive movement afoot, Caesars taking over the Westgate SuperBook, this season's LVA pool survey, and our new advantage slots book that'll be on its way back from the printer soon. Finally, it wouldn't be an LVA update without a great meal deal and this one's a $16 half-pound burger for $6.99 -- tune in for where and when.
The slide through the shark tank, along with the entire aquarium area, at Golden Nugget pool have shut down and will be out of commission for the rest of the season, "due to unforeseen maintenance." And the South Point's spa and salon are undergoing a complete remodel; the salon will reopen next month and the spa in the fall.
It's been a long time coming (nearly 10 years and you can read the twice-told tale times five in our Question of the Day), but Lotus of Siam reopened on Friday in its original location at the Commercial Center on E. Sahara. It's a soft opening with a somewhat limited menu and the hours are 5-10 Wed.-Sunday, but it features a new bar and wine cellar. Welcome back!
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. Yesterday tied 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 in 2023 to set the new record, which was broken last year on May 8 at 2 p.m., and the new record took its place yesterday. According to Max watchers, his burrow is the deepest since the Emergence Contest began in 2000.
Khamzat Chimaev is a -470 favorite over Sean Strickland in today’s early UFC main event. In the other featured match, Tatsuro Taira is -150 over Joshua Van.
Tonight, the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul will perform the fifth of her 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Yesterday, 10 more dates were added, due to "overwhelming fan demand." The new dates are August 28 and 29, September 2, 5, and 6, and October 23, 24, 28, 30, and 31. The various pre-sales end tomorrow at 10 p.m. PT and the general on sale starts Monday at 10 a.m.
The most incisive commentary we've seen to date on the most controversial gambling topic that has emerged in decades is posted on CDC Gaming. In the piece, titled "The wisdom of crowds and other expensive misconceptions," long-time gaming-industry expert and consultant Andrew Tottenham argues that the claims these markets promulgate, that they aggregate the wisdom of crowds and produce more accurate forecasts than any individual expert can provide, are a leaky bucket at best and a downright fraud at worst. "The problem is that the product bears little resemblance to the pitch." His thesis boils down to this: "A market valued for its ability to aggregate information creates, at sufficient scale, a financial incentive to corrupt the very information it is aggregating." In other words, the "crowd" is "wise" until it gets too expensive for the biggest players to be truthful and trustworthy. You can digest all the evidential details here.
The Evel Knievel Experience: An Interactive Museum of America’s Original Daredevil has announced its debut date: June 27. Long rumored and planned, the museum has finally relocated from Topeka to downtown Las Vegas in the Arts District at 1001 S. First Street just north of E. Charleston. Per the press release, "Designed as a modern interactive museum, the destination will invite guests to step into the world of Evel Knievel through high-adrenaline experiences, rare artifacts from his life, and immersive exhibits capturing the ambition, spectacle, and risk behind his legendary career." Most visits are expected to last approximately 60 to 90 minutes. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., parking on site for $4. Tickets are on sale now, $35 general, $32 local/military, $16 ages 6-12.
Las Vegas is pulling out all the fireworks stops to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday starting next month. Eight consecutive Saturday nights will see fireworks shows either on the Strip or downtown beginning on June 6 and running through July 25. The eight-minute displays will start at 9 p.m. and be synchronized to music broadcast on KOMP 92.3, 97.1 The Point, and 98.9 HANK. Here's the schedule and the casinos from whose rooftops the fireworks will be blasted into the sky:
June 6 – Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, and the Venetian
June 13 – MGM Grand, ARIA, and Planet Hollywood
June 20 – Plaza, Binion’s, and Fremont Street Experience parking garages
June 27 – Resorts World, Fontainebleau, and The STRAT
July 4 – Nine (as yet unannounced) rooftops from one end of the Strip to the other
July 11 – MGM Grand, ARIA, and Planet Hollywood
July 18 – Resorts World, Fontainebleau, and The STRAT
July 25 – Caesars Palace, Treasure Island, and The Venetian
Though the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority this week reported a 17.4% decline in visitation from Canada last year, the dollar-parity promotion at Circa, the D, and Golden Gate downtown has attracted more than 50,000 Canadians in three months since it launched in late January. The Stevenses properties say the promo has generated more than 5,100 room nights and $10 million in slot play. The promotion, which trades Canadian and U.S. dollars at par (with some conditions), runs through August 31.
MSN reported yesterday that Brightline is officially worried about its continued solvency. Its outside auditor, Ernst and Young, which prepared the company's 2025 financial statements, warned that Brightline "does not currently have the liquid funds necessary to service its debt and meet such other obligations as they become due.” Indeed, Brightline didn't make interest payments of $117 million due early this year and the grace period expires in five weeks. It's trying to secure funding, but said in a statement, "Substantial doubt remains as to the ability of the company to continue as a going concern.” Thus, there's substantial concurrent doubt that the high-speed rail line between southern California and Las Vegas can continue to come to fruition. And thanks to DanOH for sending us the MSN link.
In its first-quarter earnings call, Sphere Entertainment's CEO announced that the Wizard of Oz has sold "almost three million tickets," generating $370 million in ticket sales alone. If you recall, the AI-updated movie opened last August 28, so it's only a little more than eight months into its run, which Sphere said in the earnings call will be "a strong performer through 2026 and beyond." A new film, extreme-sports documentary From the Edge, will enter the arena's movie rotation "later this year."
Our News item yesterday on the closing of all Primm properties, except the busy Lotto Store, was incorrect. The Lotto Store will, in fact, close on July 4, along with Primm Valley Hotel-Casino, the two gas stations, and the apartments that house many of the nearly 350 employees who work in Primm. With the closing of the Lotto Store, the new nearest lottery outlet to Las Vegas will be Last Stop Travel Center on US93 roughly halfway to Kingman, around 40 miles from the Strip -- about the same distance to the Lotto Store in Primm. The other possibility is the Chevron station at Yates Wells, around six miles south of Primm on I-15, 45 or so miles from Vegas.
Southwest Airlines will launch nonstop flights to 11 new destinations and add flights to 15 existing routes to and from Las Vegas over the next 10 months or so. Next week, Southwest begins its service to Anchorage, Alaska, and in a few weeks, the number-one carrier out of Reid International will start its first international flights to Cabo San Lucas and Cancun. Also next month, SW will add flights to Reno, Orlando, Nashville, and five other existing cities. In October, Mexico service expands to Puerta Vallarta and SW will start flying to San Jose, Costa Rica. Also in October, more planes will go to and from L.A., San Francisco, and Oakland and in November to Denver and Phoenix. The last expansion will occur in March, with flights to several new destinations on the East Coast.
The last of the Primm Valley Casino Resorts' operations in Primm are closing. To review, Whiskey Pete’s closed in December 2024 and Buffalo Bill’s closed, except for sporadic events, last July. Buffalo Bill's, Primm Valley Hotel-Casino, Primm Center, and Flying J will shutter after business on July 4; tenants living in the Desert Oasis apartments (employee housing) have to be out by July 6. The Lotto Store just over the state line in California doesn't appear to be affected; it's not owned by Primm Valley Casino Resorts parent corporation, Affinity Gaming. The Prizm Outlet Mall is owned by a mall company and at last count, two stores were still opened, but this development could be the final nail in the coffin for that operation as well. Other than the Lotto Store, as of early summer, Primm will be Nevada's latest ghost town.
Temperatures will rise steadily over the next several days, starting with highs of 86 today, 93 tomorrow, and 98 on Friday, then break the 100-degree mark for the first time this year on Saturday. If Monday sees 103 and Tuesday 104 as predicted, both will set new high-temperature records and could lead to Extreme Heat Watches and/or Warnings, as the highs are 10-20 degrees above normal for this early in May.
If you're coming to our office or driving past the Rio today through Saturday, you'll see tents, carnival rides, and midway games crowding the back parking lots. It's the Southern Nevada State Fair, which takes place at the Rio every year around this time. If you want to attend, admission starts at $10 for any single day, with rides and food sold separately. Children 54 inches and under get in free. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Wed. and Thurs., till midnight Fri., 1 p.m. till midnight Saturday, and 1-9 p.m. Sunday. Parking is free.
Due to ongoing health concerns, Dolly Parton has canceled all six of her planned dates at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in September. Previously, the dates coincided with last year's NFR and were rescheduled for September. Now, they've been canceled entirely. The residency would have been Dolly's first performances in Las Vegas in 32 years. She told People magazine that everything is treatable, but she’s still healing. Tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
Master illusionist David Copperfield performed for the last time in his eponymous theater at MGM Grand on Thursday night. Known for his large-scale illusions and unstoppable work ethic (up to 15 shows per week for 25 years at MGM), the 69-year-old Copperfield's career probably isn't ending. It's been rumored that he could reopen in the Sahara's Foundry Room or that he'll take his show on the road.
Michael B. informs us about two changes in resort fees on comped rooms. The Palms, which previously charged the full resort fee on comped rooms, is now collecting 50%. The D and Golden Gate, which used to waive the RF for all stays, is now charging it for Friday and Saturday nights. And Las Vegas Magazine reports that the long-running $45 prix-fixe three-course lunch special at Estiatorio Milos restaurant at the Venetian has taken on an interesting twist. Dubbed the “Quick and Delicious Business Lunch,” the deal is you're out the door in less than 60 minutes or the meal is on Milos. Apparently, the staff is alert to dawdling on purpose, but if you're in a hurry to get back to the convention floor at the Venetian Expo, this is a fine way to do just that -- combined with an excellent Greek lunch.
After knocking off the Utah Mammoth in six games in Round 1, the Vegas Golden Knights will face the Anaheim Ducks in the first game of Round 2 tonight at 6:30 at T-Mobile. The VGK will enjoy home-ice advantage through this round. Since replacing head coach Bruce Cassidy with John Tortorella on March 29, the Knights went 7-0-1 to end the regular season; when the playoffs are included, they're 11-2-1.
The Eagles have added six more shows to the band's neverending residency. This is the 11th time they've extended the residency that began all the way back in September 2024 and will total 64 shows (so far), the longest-running stint by a long shot of any act since Sphere opened. The new dates are Sept. 18 and 19 and November 13, 14, 27, and 28. The general on-sale for the two new dates begins on Friday May 15 at 10 a.m. PT.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are -8.5 favorites over the Toronto Raptors in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 209.5.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are -165 favorites over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 7 of their first-round NHL playoff series. The total is 5.
The Detroit Pistons are -8 favorites over the Orlando Magic in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 201.5.
In this month's interview, Anthony and Andrew chat with Pauly C., Vegas influencer extraordinaire. He and Anthony have known each other for some time; Pauly approached Huntington Press with a good idea, which they discuss along the way. They also talk about Pauly and gambling, how he got started as an influencer (you'll notice how many words he can stuff into a 30-second span), how he really feels about MGM Grand and Caesars, good deals at Station casinos, will the baseball stadium be completed, and his recommendations for lunch, dinner, and best gambling book. Click the white arrow for an entertaining and informative three-quarters of an hour.
The Boston Celtics are -4.5 favorites over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of their first-round NBA playoff series. The total is 204.5.
The current odds for the Kentucky Derby make Renegade the favorite at 5-1, followed by Commandment at 6-1 and Further Ado at 7-1. The long shot is Albus at 55-1.
Low-cost Spirit Airlines shut down all operations early this morning after suffering through two bankruptcies in two years with no bailout in sight. It was the second busiest carrier at Harry Reid International after Southwest, which, along with United, Delta, and JetBlue, is accommodating stranded Spirit passengers with $200 limited-time fares. All 16 Spirit destinations from Las Vegas are served by other airlines.
Hard Rock Las Vegas hosted a topping off ceremony Friday to commemorate the installation of the final beam on its Guitar Hotel tower. We like what an executive from the lead construction company said at the ceremony. "Topping out this project represents far more than a construction milestone. It marks a defining moment in reshaping the Las Vegas skyline and introducing a new city icon.” Construction began in summer 2024 and has employed more than 5,000 workers. The new resort-casino will feature 3,700 rooms, a redesigned casino and pool, a new pool at the Guitar Hotel, an additional pool for the guitar tower, a 175,000-square-foot casino, more than 200,000 square feet of meeting space, new restaurants, bars, lounges, and retail outlets, and employ about 6,000.
The Review-Journal reports this morning that the site of the failed SkyVue project across the Strip from Mandalay Bay has been sold to a local real estate developer for $70 million. At 12 acres, that comes to $5.83 million per. SkyVue was an observation wheel project that got as far as raising two concrete columns before going bankrupt; the columns have been scraping the sky in place since 2014. The developer has big plans for the acreage, including a heart-shaped 874-room hotel-casino, giant heart-shaped LED marquee, Fremont Street Experience-like covered pedestrian plaza, and theater; reportedly, a 265-foot-high "midair restaurant" will incorporate the smokestacks into the property. No financing or timeline details were divulged.
A group from Las Vegas led by local businessman Grant Gustavson submitted a bid earlier this week to Major League Soccer to buy the Vancouver Whitecaps and relocate the team to southern Nevada. Gustavson is the 30-year-old grandson of B. Wayne Hughes, who co-founded Public Storage; he's also the son of Tamara Gustavson, who owns 11% of Public Storage and is ranked #251 on the Forbes 400 with a net worth of $8 billion. A report out of Vancouver this morning puts the offer at $500 million to buy the Whitecaps and the Gustavson group has proposed building a soccer-specific stadium here. No details about the site or the specific terms of the buyout offer were disclosed, except that the stadium would be built completely with private financing -- no public funding needed.
The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Las Vegas today is $5.19, up nearly 25 cents since April 1. That's roughly $1 higher than the national average of $4.23 per gallon. Statewide, the average is $5.12 and Reno topped $5.35. Diesel is down from its record of $6.49 set last month, but not by much; today it's $6.18 a gallon. Of course, the Middle East disruptions are to blame, with a barrel of crude oil nearly doubling in price since January 1. The historic high in Las Vegas is $5.61 per gallon, set in June 2022. And there's no relief in sight. According to AAA, the U.S. Energy Information Administration doesn't expect prices to ease until "later in 2026."
In MGM's first-quarter earnings call, CEO Bill Hornbuckle hinted at a potential future for T-Mobile serving as the home arena for the imminent Las Vegas NBA team. We recently posted a Question of the Day on the many proposed sites for the NBA arena, concluding that T-Mobile could be a frontrunner, given that it's the only one that's built and the NBA has hinted that a Las Vegas team could play its first season in 2028, less than than two and a half years from now. Hornbuckle said, "T-Mobile is part of that conversation. Whether short-term or long-term, all roads lead to it for now, because the league has expressed interest in hosting a team as early as 2028." He added that he hopes to have a resolution by early next year.
Olivia Rodrigo, American singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as a Disney Channel star before becoming a Grammy-winning pop superstar, is making her second stop in Las Vegas as part of her upcoming "Unraveled" tour. This time, she's performing at T-Mobile, a big step up from her last appearance at the Chelsea at Cosmopolitan in 2022, when she was 19. The 62-date tour spans the U.S., Canada, and six countries in Europe between September and May 2027. She'll play two nights in Las Vegas: Dec. 19 and 20. The presale starts Tuesday and the general next Thursday, both at noon local time. If you want to catch her act, she's hosting "Saturday Night Live" this weekend.
The Boulevard Pool on the fourth floor of the Cosmopolitan overlooking the Strip will show movies on the 65-foot digital marquee again this summer. Doors open at 6:30 on Monday nights starting on June 8 and continuing though August 17; the movies start after dark around 8 p.m. They're all PG-13-rated, so it's a family night out. When we reviewed it several years ago, admission was free with a valid players card, but then MGM took over and now admission is $15, $10 locals (who can get their parking validated at the pool), free for hotel guests and MGM Rewards Gold tier members and above. Here's the schedule: June 8 A Minecraft Movie, June 15 The Mighty Ducks, June 22 Clueless, June 29 Rush Hour, July 6 Talladega Nights, July 13 Space Jam, July 20 How to Train Your Dragon, July 27 Superman (2025), August 3 Super Mario Galaxy, August 10 Ocean’s 11, August 17 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
The Foundation Room on the 63rd floor of Mandalay Bay is transitioning to a new setting that will be called Vinyl Room. It will be similar to the old venue, an upscale lounge with tiered memberships offering enhanced access and amenities and insider experiences. The name represents the new theme: music memorabilia and thousands of vinyl records on display, all highlighting artists who’ve performed in Las Vegas. The analog audio is, according to the press release, "inspired by Japanese 1970s high-fidelity listening rooms" and the food served will feature Japanese and Asian flavors. The Vinyl Room is slated to open in August.
After a long, convoluted, and highly competitive process that started way back in 2013, New York City welcomed its first full-scale casino with live table games yesterday. The existing Resorts World racino, which was previously limited to slot machines (albeit 2,500 of them), kicked off table gaming with 240 blackjack, crap, baccarat, and roulette positions. Resorts World fast-tracked the expansion, hiring 1,250 new employees, including 950 dealers, most completing onboarding over the weekend. In addition, the Resorts World Dealer School has already trained and hired more than 400 local residents and another 500 graduates are expected by May. This casino is in Queens, next to Aqueduct Racetrack across the Belt Parkway from John F. Kennedy Airport; next up are Hard Rock, also in Queens near Citi Field in Flushing Meadows where the Mets play, and Bally's in the Bronx, though those are being built from the ground up and aren't expected to open for several years.
New York Times-owned sports-news website The Athletic reports that Major League Soccer is looking to relocate the Vancouver Whitecaps Canadian soccer team. The team has been up for sale for a couple of years and though Vancouverites strongly support the Whitecaps remaining in British Columbia, Canada Roy told us, "Barring a medium-sized miracle, this team will be leaving Vancouver. They've got the second-best attendance in MLS and made it to the League Final in 2025, but they they don't own their stadium, so they have extremely limited revenue streams. Governments in Canada are loath to spend public money to support wealthy owners of sports teams and there is no prospect of a new stadium of any type." He went on to give us a good laugh. "Next season, the Vancouver Whitecaps could morph into the Las Vegas Greenbacks." That's pro sports for you, folks -- and maybe the new soccer venue will be built between the A's stadium and the proposed NBA arena across from Mandalay Bay.
In a survey of the best late-night food spot In every state, foodie site Chowhound looked for restaurants that get "rave reviews for providing delicious food and good service at a time when many people might be drifting off to dreamland." We might take issue with their requirement of being open until at least 11 p.m.; late-night to us starts at midnight. Be that as it may, Nevada's best spot, according to Chowhound, is Starboard Tack, one of Las Vegas' original seafood restaurants. It set sail in 1972 out on E. Sahara near Pecos and was open 24 hours, known for its nautical decor, graveyard specials, and its status as a go-to bar for casino workers getting off all three shifts. The owner-landlord closed the restaurant in 1990 and leased the building, which turned into Gilligan's Hideaway. That bar had a respectable run of 27 years; after it closed, two locals revived Starboard Tack in 2017. Today, it's known for serving the best (self-proclaimed) Mai Tai in Vegas, good fish and chips, oysters, and a crab Rangoon dip. And yes, it's nothing if not late night: It's open again 24/7 in the original location.
Steven Patrick Morrissey, known mononymously as just his last name, is a highly acclaimed and controversial English singer, songwriter, and author who earned his fame as the frontman of the indie rock band the Smiths (1982-1987). Since the Smiths, he's had a successful solo career and is considered one of the greatest lyricists in British history. He's appeared in Las Vegas several times over the past few years, including two five-show mini-residencies at the Colosseum at Caesars in 2020 and 2021 and a couple of nights at House of Blues. The 67-year-old Morrissey artist will kick off a tour of the States on Aug. 14 at Encore Theater, then play three more shows on Aug. 15, 18, and 19. Tickets will first be available through an artist pre-sale tomorrow at noon. The general on-sale begins Friday at noon local time via Ticketmaster.
A study by real estate site Redfin finds Las Vegas to be one of the best markets for home buyers in the nation. Vegas comes in fourth for the ratio of sellers to buyers at 101%; only Miami (148%), Nashvillle (119%), and San Antonio (109%) have a higher percentage of sellers to buyers. Redfin notes that 38 of the largest metropolitan areas in the country are buyers markets, a nearly 30% increase from March 2025. Only five metro areas out of the 38 are seller’s markets, down from nine in 2025. Nationally, at the end of March, there were 43% more sellers than buyers, with a little more than 600,000 homes on the market; Redfin says this is the second biggest gap in history (the first was in 2013).
Here's a new one on us. A 33-year-old Washington state man is facing criminal charges for using a hidden vibrator to cheat on a Flip It coin-pusher machine at the Northern Quest casino near Spokane. He was charged with second-degree cheating and second-degree burglary after security and gaming agents "noticed the man keeping his hands deep in his sweatshirt pockets while pressing against the side of the games. Investigators say the machines and their contents began to vibrate, causing coins to fall into the dispenser and trigger bonus payouts." They were watching him, because he'd been trespassed from all Kalispel Tribal properties for 99 years over kicking and pushing the Flip It machines. He faces up a year in jail for cheating and significant jail time on the burglary charge, which entails unlawful entry (due to being trespassed) with the intent to commit a crime, such as theft.
After years and years of anticipation (mostly from relocated southern Californians), the 75-year-old Hat will open on May 6 in Las Vegas. The Hat specializes in pastrami and has 11 locations in southern California. The first location outside of California, it's located at 6125 S. Rainbow Blvd. between Russell and Sunset roads. It serves pastrami dips and pastrami burgers, roast beef, barbecue beef, and steak sandwiches ($10.49), eight other burgers ($4.79-$6.29), cold sandwiches, and three kinds of fries ($5.29-$7.19). It's a little ahead of schedule since the last announcement several weeks ago that pegged the grand opening for late May. We'll let all the hoopla die down before heading down to see what all the hoopla is about.
Miracle Eats at the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood continues to expand. The newest addition is SoulBelly BBQ, which opened downtown in 2021 and has now come to the Strip. We reviewed it in the March 2022 LVA and liked it; it's the brainchild of Bruce Kalman, a James Beard-nominated restaurateur who has appeared on Bravo’s “Top Chef” and Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay,” among others. In our review, we called it "high-end 'cue," so we're curious to see what parts of the extensive downtown menu are being served at Miracle Mile -- and how much they cost. Soulbelly is open now, seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and joins Carnegie Pizza, Dave's Hot Chicken, Chipotle, Tacotarian, Lobster Me, and Irv's Burgers in the Miracle Mile food court.
In a speech on Thursday to the Southern Nevada Home Builders Association, Steve Hill, CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, touched on plans that the LVCVA, which owns the Las Vegas Monorail, has for the elevated transportation system. It was the first time we've heard that the tourism authority plans to incorporate the Monorail into the growing Las Vegas Loop subterranean transportation system. "The Vegas Loop makes a huge difference whether you’re using it or not in taking people off the streets,” Hill said. “It will incorporate the Monorail. We’ll take the track off, put a pre-cast two-lane road on top, incorporate it into the Boring Company system, and use the existing Monorail stations. When you get to the MGM station, we’ll tie it into the parking garage and use it as part of a station with ramps to get in and out of it.” In other words, the Monorail's guideway will be an aboveground extension of the underground Loop on the east side of the Strip between the Sahara and MGM Grand -- without the onus of having to dig a four-mile-long tunnel behind the hotel-casinos.
Youssef Zalal is a -135 favorite over Aljamain Sterling in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Norma Dumont is -185 over Joselyne Edwards.
A weeklong sale will offer $30 tickets to some of the biggest shows this summer in Las Vegas. The Live Nation "Summer of Live" promotion starts on Wednesday and runs through the following Tuesday (May 5). These are entirely for headliners, from Guns N’ Roses at Allegiant Stadium all the way down to Boys Like Girls at Brooklyn Bowl. Here are some others: Deep Purple (PH Live); Boyz II Men (Chelsea at Cosmo); Blake Shelton, Cyndi Lauper, Nikki Glaser & David Spade, and Rod Stewart (Colosseum at Caesars); Jonas Brothers, New Kids On The Block, and Sammy Hagar (Dolby Live at Park MGM); and Weird Al Yankovic (MGM Grand Garden Arena). Dozens of lesser names are also available. Book here.
Boyd Gaming is offering an all-inclusive package, including room, resort fee, food and beverage credit, and taxes. It's for one-, two-, or three-night stays between May 1 and September 30 and is good on weekends (!). The one-night costs $75 and gets you $25 in food credit; the two-night is $175 with $75 in food credit; the three night is $275 with $125 in food credit. So it works out to $50 per night, including resort fees and taxes, and Gold Coast has plenty of good food options for the credit. And it's refundable within 24 hours of your stay; otherwise you lose the first night ($50). You can book here. Prefer the Orleans? The almost identical deal is available there: one night $100 with $50 F&B, two nights $200 with $100 F&B, and three nights $300 with $150 F&B. Again, $50 per, including weekends. You can book there here.
How about this hot? Lisa, one of the four members of Korean pop group Blackpink, sold out her four-show residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, “Viva La Lisa,” within 10 minutes of the tickets going on sale to the public yesterday. Let's see, 16,000 tickets, 10 minutes, carry the 1, that's 26.6 tickets per second. It's perhaps not so surprising, considering that the 29-year-old has the largest Instagram following among K-pop artists, with 107 million followers (South Korea’s population is just under 52 million) and is the bestselling K-Pop female with her 2021 solo album, Lalisa. Seems to foreshadow additional dates at the Colosseum.
Climate Central, "a nonpartisan group of climate scientists," has issued its annual Earth Day report on the 245 fastest-warming locations in the U.S. and Reno maintained the dubious distinction of placing first, which it has for the past several years. Las Vegas ranked second. Reno's average temperature has increased 7.8 degrees since 1970, Vegas 6 degrees, based on official temperatures recorded at Reid Reno-Tahoe airports. El Paso ranked third at 5.9. Tyler, Texas, and Burlington, Vermont, tied for fourth at 5.3 degrees. The report found that winter is the fastest-warming season for 76% of U.S. locations. The warming is linked to increased greenhouse gas concentrations, which are 31% higher than in 1970, and urban heat island effects.
Aria's Poker Classic Summer Series will kick off on May 29 to compete, along with the Wynn Summer Classic and the Venetian DeepStack Championship Series, among others, with the World Series of Poker. In addition, it was just announced that the BetMGM Poker Championship will take place in Aria's poker room starting Monday June 29 and running through Saturday July 4, with a $3,500 buy-in and $4 million guaranteed prize pool, a $1 million increase from last year’s event. The Poker Classic will finish up on July 13. The complete schedule is available at ARIA Poker on X.
A local hit a jackpot for $1,159,768 while playing Dragon Link at Durango’s high-limit slot room on Tuesday night. The player, who chose to remain anonymous, made a $25 bet to win the progressive jackpot, which reset to $1 million. The high-limit room at the Durango opened on December 15; this is the largest jackpot hit there since then.
A new Pew Research Center study surveyed people in 25 countries, asking if gambling is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or not a moral issue. Here at home, 20% of adults say gambling is morally acceptable and 50% don't consider gambling a moral issue; the rest feel that gambling is morally unacceptable. Canadians were similar: 27% unacceptable, 30% acceptable, 41% not a moral issue. (The rest don't have an opinion.) Americans and Canadians were least likely to find gambling wrong. Contrast that with the other side of the survey, where 89% of Indonesians, 83% of Indians, 78% of Turks, 72% of Nigerians, and 71% of Italians consider gambling morally unacceptable. There were gender, age, and religious differences as well; you can see the whole survey here.
Thomas Dolby, the English synth-pop musician, producer, and technology entrepreneur, will play the Sahara Theater on July 25. Classic rock band Little Feat will blow out the International Theater at Westgate on August 6. Karol G, the globally renowned Colombian singer-songwriter, widely recognized as a premier figure in reggaeton and urban pop, will make a stop at Allegiant Stadium on her 40-date world tour that kicks off in July; she'll play Vegas for one night on August 7. And Chayanne, the renowned Puerto Rican singer, dancer, and actor, will perform at Michelob Ultra Arena at Mandalay Bay on October 17.
Whoever climbed Sphere the other day while being filmed for the venue's new movie From the Edge (we still don't know his name) is fortunate he had permission. A Las Vegas local who climbed to the top of the arena in February 2024 without authorization was sentenced yesterday to 45 days in jail, a year of probation, and $77,000 in restitution for damages. The local, who calls himself "Pro-Life Spider Man," pled guilty last October to charges of willful or wanton disregard of the safety of persons or property; he could have been given a year behind county bars. It's not the first time this character has been arrested for similar charges. He scaled Aria in August 2021, the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco in May 2022, and the New York Times Building to days later.
Caesars and Westgate have inked a deal for Caesars Sportsbook to take over the Westgate SuperBook. The name will remain Westgate SuperBook, but with the official addendum "powered by Caesars Sportsbook” (if anyone bothers with it; we probably won't). Pending approval by regulators, the transition will be completed in time for football season. Per the press release, "Caesars will oversee race and sports book operations and technology, expanding wagering options and access while preserving the identity, scale and atmosphere that have defined the SuperBook for decades." Westgate's SuperContest will remain in place for the 2026-27 NFL season.
One of the most nebulous press releases we've seen in some time emerged from the ether this morning. It concerns the putative Las Vegas Diamond Arena, a 21,212-seat venue intended for an NBA expansion team. It's full of all the indisputable reasons that this project, which would be located directly across the Strip from Mandalay Bay, is the perfect site to "deliver everything needed to define the future” of a long-term home for a Las Vegas pro basketball team. For example: immediate access to I-15 and I-215, visibility to 60,000 daily vehicles on I-15, proximity to Reid International (with over 55 million annual passengers), and 18,460 existing parking spaces nearby. That kind of thing. As for who might be behind Diamond Arena, whether or not whoever it is has a deal for the land in question, whether or not there's any funding in place or in the pipeline, what the parking situation might be like when both NBA and MLB teams are playing home games within a half-mile of each other, and when these little details might be forthcoming, interested parties can contact the Letizia (PR) Agency.
Hosted at Allegiant Stadium for the second year in a row, Wrestlemania attendance was down by nearly 15% from last year, according to the just-announced totals. WrestleMania 42 attracted 106,072 for the weekend, down from last year's 124,693 attendees. Observers doubt that the WWE will bring it back for a third consecutive year, though by most metrics, this year's event was a success for both the wrestling organization and Las Vegas.
Allegiant Stadium was named the 2026 U.S. Stadium of the Year at the 37th Annual Pollstar Awards last Wednesday in Hollywood. The venue was honored for its "exceptional programming, world-class guest experience, and significant contributions to the live-entertainment industry, hosting major artists and events." The award was peer-voted and competed against major venues, including SoFi Stadium (L.A.), Fenway Park (Boston), and MetLife Stadium (New Jersey).
A well-thought-out and well-written opinion piece on the Nevada Independent site is titled, "Vegas Isn't Greedy. It's Cruel." Here are a few choice quotes. "Vegas always took your money. That was never a secret. But the old version of the deal had a second half [comps, cheap buffets, great stories to take home] that made losing feel like a fair trade." "The old Strip made you feel like a high roller even when you weren't one. The new Strip makes sure you know exactly where you rank." "Vegas used to give you a story. The story brought you back, because the house always wins. But it used to have the decency to make you feel good about it." "The old Strip let you in on the joke. The new one makes you the punchline." The whole piece is worth a read; it takes only a couple of minutes. Of course, you can still do Vegas the right way; you just have to know how and where. That's where LVA comes in, but you've known that for a long time.
John Katsilometes, the Review-Journal's entertainment/gossip columnist, writes this morning that the Sphere climber we reported on yesterday was part of the new movie that will replace Wizard of Oz at the end of its run in December. The movie, titled From the Edge, is about extreme sports, including free diving, skiing, base jumping, and (now) Sphere-crawling. The most famous skyscraper free climber, Alex Honnold, actually lives in Las Vegas to take advantage of the year-round opportunities out at Red Rock, according to Kats. The climber hasn't been identified, but the helicopter with the huge camera on its struts that was assumed to be the cops was filming the climb for the movie. Kats believes we'll hear who the climber was in due time.
A new food truck park is getting ready to open downtown in the Arts District. The space, 7,000 square feet, is big enough to host 10 food trucks serving international cuisines. Interestingly, unlike most food truck parks, this space is indoors, a couple of blocks east of Las Vegas Blvd. near the corner of Wyoming and Commerce. Parking will be free (when no major event is taking place in the area) and the park is expected to open by June, after inspections and final signoff by the city.
The Powerball jackpot has just been accelerated by the potential addition of 53 million eligible new players. After years of negotiations, the Multistate Lottery Commission and its UK counterpart Allywn have opened up Powerball lottery sales to residents of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland starting sometime this summer. The international expansion, the first time a non-U.S. lottery will contribute to a U.S.-based jackpot, is expected to increase the prize money significantly, reaching the $1 billion grand-prize mark in two months rather than the typical three without a winner. The ticket price remains $2 for U.S. residents (£2 or $2.70 across the pond) and the odds of winning remain exactly the same. American winners can take a lump sum, while UK winners must take their prize as an annuity. The lower-tier prize structure will remain unique to each group and more than half the ticket cost will stay in the local jurisdictions to fund public programs.
Several Instagram posts and reels show a man free-climbing (scaling without ropes or gear) the exterior of Sphere last week. They also show a police helicopter hovering nearby with a big camera mounted on a front strut. (Were the cops filming the stunt to use as evidence?) Early speculation as to who the climber was mentioned free solo legend Alex Honnold, who successfully climbed to the top of Taipei 101, the 101-story 1,667-foot skyscraper in Taiwan in January, using only the building's metal structural elements for holds. But the Sphere climber was later identified, though not confirmed, as Maison Des Champs (also referred to as a "Pro-Life Spider-Man" activist known for similar stunts on skyscrapers). You can see good videos of the ascents here and here.
The free concerts that Fremont Street Experience hosts every summer are returning for a ninth year starting May 15, when country artists Lee Brice, Austin Williams ,and Grace Tyler will take the FSE stages in conjunction with the Academy of Country Music awards show at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 17. Also announced are Crossfade and Trapt on May 30, Fuel June 13, Finger Eleven June 27, George Birge July 4, Sleeping with Sirens July 11, Mayday Parade Aug. 8, Story of the Year Aug. 22, and Maggie Lindemann Oct. 10, all Saturdays. More shows will be revealed as they're booked.
Bellagio has introduced weekend late-night dining at two of its fancy restaurants overlooking the lake. From 10:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Lago now serves up food from a special late-night menu. If you have a hankering for hamachi, carpaccio, Caesar salad, puttanesca pizza, chocolate budino, and the like at 2 a.m., head to Lago. You can see the menu here; scroll down to the bottom for the late-night offerings (without prices, of course). On May 22, Yellowtail, the Japanese restaurant, will also open during the same late-night hours as Lago, serving crisp tofu, gyoza, rock shrimp, sushi rolls, a bento box, and desserts, according to the Review-Journal.
Another one bites the dust. In a two-sentence announcement, MGM wrote, "MGM Grand Buffet will close permanently after business on May 31, 2026. There are no immediate plans for the space at this time; however, any future venue details will be shared once confirmed." We wonder how many people have booked the MGM all-inclusive deal announced a couple of weeks ago for beyond May 31 that included both the Excalibur and MGM Grand buffets. Oh well, no great loss; we haven't been fans of this buffet since it opened in 1993. But it leaves only Excalibur, Main Street Station, Rampart, and South Point as (relatively) low-priced buffets in Las Vegas (and don't write in to tell us that we forgot Circus Circus; if you've been there recently, you'll know why it's not even up for consideration.)
For many years during March Madness, 8 News Now, the local CBS affiliate, has held a "restaurant bracket," pitting 64 Las Vegas eateries against one another in the same elimination format as the NCAA basketball tournaments. This year's cuisine was pizza. The Final Four pizzerias came down to Dom DeMarco's, which won the last pizza bracket in 2022, but was knocked out by Metro Pizza, Pizza Rock, and Napoli. Napoli emerged victorious over Metro with 53% of the vote to take the grand prize (publicity). Napoli arrived in Vegas in 2006 from Boston and has since expanded to four locations, with a fifth on the way to downtown. The huge menu features 10 lunch specials like a 10-inch pizza and soda ($9.99), 20 or so appetizers, a dozen salads, wings, burgers, wraps, plenty of pasta, 10 desserts, and pizzas from 10 to a giant 36 inches ($122.99). We've never tried Napoli, but we will.
Have you heard about these new hybrid performances? Called "live docu-concerts," they combine a live tribute concert with documentary-style narration, interviews, archival footage, and multimedia displays to chronicle a music artist's life and career. Recent iterations include The Simon & Garfunkel Story, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. – The Aretha Franklin Story, and The Life and Times of George Michael. A fourth docu-concert on Phil Collins, originally of Genesis and then a superstar solo artist, will make a stop on its 55-city North American tour at Resorts World on September 26. Collins was the drummer for Genesis and penned and sang such hits as "Invisible Touch," "Turn It On Again," "Mama," "Follow You Follow Me," and (our favorite) "Home by the Sea." In his solo career, he made the charts with "In the Air Tonight," "Easy Lover," "Against All Odds," and "One More Night." Should be an interesting multi-media show in Resorts World's newly renovated 4,850-seat theater. Tickets are on sale now.
The podcast Low Rollers by CasinoReports talked to Blair Rodman, author of our recent book All about Sports Betting. Host Eric Raskin and Blair discuss sports betting in the ‘90s and today, poker, casino tournaments, writing books, and more. It's a 38-minute podcast; Blair shows up right at minute five. Just click the white arrow and you're in.
Soul and R&B superstars Chris Brown and Usher are joining up for the "R&B Tour," in which they'll co-headline at stadiums throughout North America. The 33-date itinerary will stop in Las Vegas for two nights at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday Sept. 5 and Sunday Sept. 6. The tour will partner with Global Citizen to provide access to quality education for children around the world by donating $1 for every ticket sold to the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund. Brown is particularly hot these days; his last tour, which ended in October, was the highest-grossing ever by a solo Black American male artist, earning nearly $300 million and drawing two million fans to stadiums in North America and Europe. Presale tickets will be available on Tuesday and Wednesday, while the general on sale starts on Mon. April 27 at noon.
Magician Jen Kramer will celebrate her second milestone of the year when she performs her 1,000th show a week from tomorrow. The only female magician headlining her own show in Las Vegas, Kramer's show blends sleight-of-hand magic, storytelling, and audience interaction, with charm and energy that never quit, even after doing it a thousand times. Her first milestone was in February, when she transformed her fiancé into her husband in a wedding ceremony that also took place at the Westgate.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to hold a roundtable discussion in downtown Las Vegas today. The event will be held at the non-casino AC Hotel in Symphony Park, which opened in September at 330 South Grand Central Parkway. The visit is part of a tax-week event focusing on no tax on tips and overtime. The time hasn't been announced yet, but the president's visit is expected to cause traffic disruptions downtown in the early afternoon and flight restrictions starting at 3 p.m.
The West Wind Drive-In Theater in North Las Vegas will host its bi-annual Free Movie Night a week from tomorrow, April 23. Gates open at 6 p.m., with movies starting at 8 p.m. Admission is completely free for everyone. Parking is first-come first-served with limited capacity, so arriving at least an hour early is recommended. The theater will screen double features on its screens, including Zootopia 2, The Bad Guys 2, Wicked: For Good, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, KPop Demon Hunters, and Anaconda (2025 version). Before the movies, there will be free family activities like an obstacle course, bungee trampoline, balloon artists, movie characters, and music. The snack bar will offer a $2 special on nachos (full menu also available).
After yesterday's News item about Reid International ranking fourth least stressful out of the 20 largest airports in the U.S., this revelation makes that an even more impressive feat. According to Airports Council International, the primary global trade association for airport operators, Reid is the fifth busiest airport in the world for the number of aircraft landings and takeoffs; its 586,046 takeoffs and landings to and from 170 destinations in 2025 placed it behind Chicago's O'Hare, Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, Dallas Ft. Worth, and Denver. Shanghai at number eight was the busiest internationally. Atlanta ranked first for total passengers at 106.3 million, followed by Dubai at 96 million, and Vegas didn't place anywhere near the top with a mere 40-plus million last year. Total airline passengers worldwide were estimated to be just under 10 billion and the top 10 busiest airports for passengers represented 9% of the total.
Country superstar Kenny Chesney has canceled his two July 4th weekend shows at Sphere. The reason? He wants to spend more time with his family. Seriously. Refunds will be automatically processed, along with a promo code for ticketholders for a future Sphere date.
Chesney will perform at Sphere on 11 other dates in June and July. We say, we know plans change, but if he didn't want to perform over July 4th, why did he schedule two shows to begin with?
One of Las Vegas' most beloved French restaurants, Le Cirque, will close at Bellagio on August 23. Le Cirque opened when Bellagio did in 1998, so it's been here for nearly 28 years. It was also one of the most popular French restaurants in Manhattan, opening in 1974. That closed 2017, leaving the Bellagio Cirque as the last location for the brand. A new restaurant will open in its vacated space in mid-2027, though what kind has yet to be determined.
A study by Mozio, a global ground-transportation search and booking platform specializing in airport transfers and "last-mile" travel, found that Reid International is the fourth least stressful out of 20 major U.S. airports (determined by passenger counts). Mozio analyzed how frequently flights are delayed, how much it costs to park for a day, and how long it takes to reach the city center. Minneapolis-St. Paul International came in as least stressful, with a total score of 1.76 on a scale of 10. Phoenix Sky Harbor (2.28) and San Francisco International (2.98) also placed below Reid (3.16), which had 76.4% of flights departing in less than 15 minutes of the scheduled time, $36 daily parking rate, and nine minutes to the city center (actually, CityCenter on the Strip). The most stressful was Chicago O'Hare (8.42, 24%, $43, and one hour), then LaGuardia (7.5) and John F. Kennedy (7.19), both in New York.
Another grandiose plan for a resort centered around an arena for the incoming NBA basketball team was announced yesterday. This one joins a long list of proposals that we covered in a recent Question of the Day. "Starr Vegas" would be what the developers call an "ecosystem for year-round sports, entertainment, and luxury living" near the intersection of S. Las Vegas Blvd. and W. Starr Ave, roughly two miles south of South Point. The 63-acre site would host a kitchen sink full of attractions and amenities, including a 25,000-seat arena; a 50,000-seat soccer/concert stadium with retractable roof; a 1,000-seat rooftop dome (which looks to us like a venue for watch parties); a cultural and entertainment district complete with theater, comedy club, boxing museum, and Combat Sports Hall of Fame; and hotel, casino, sports book, retail, office, and residential components. The announcement also mentions a new proprietary ticketing system. The developers have long ties to ticketing, sports venues, and Las Vegas real estate and claim to have already secured $6 billion in funding for the project, which is budgeted at $10 billion. We'll see.
Here's a story that might wind up in The One That Got Away file. A winning ticket was sold for the Texas Lottery's November 14 drawing for a grand prize of $78 million. Winners have 180 days to claim their jackpots and this one has yet to be claimed. With exactly a month to go, Texas media outlets are issuing clarion calls for the winner to step forward before the ticket, worth approximately $44 million, expires on May 14.
A local player hit a jackpot for $1,689,909 Thursday on an Aristocrat Gaming slot, Dollar Storm, at The Resort at Summerlin. The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, won the grand prize on a $30 spin.
It appears that the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces will retain the team's core players, who together have won the league championship three out of the past four years. The Aces have reportedly signed superstar guard Jackie Young to a deal for the maximum regular salary of $1.19 million, making her the first player in WNBA history to earn more than $1 million over a single season. (Prior maximum salaries were much lower; the highest in 2025 was around $269,000). Point guard Chelsea Gray is reportedly finalizing a three-year multi-million dollar deal, while forward/center A'ja Wilson, widely considered the WNBA's GOAT, will soon sign a "supermax" deal for $1.4 million to return to the Aces. The regular season starts on Friday May 8.
The WWE will invade Las Vegas next weekend for Wrestlemania 42 and the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood is putting on a drink promotion to draw fans in their off hours. Starting Friday and ending Sunday, those of drinking age can join the $5 Drink Bar Crawl through the mall. Per the press release, "This self-guided tour takes visitors through participating bars and restaurants, each pouring a specialty drink for just five bucks. No wristbands, no cover, no catch. Just show up and drink up." Here are the participating venues and their $5 drinks: Buffalo Wild Wings, tall Coors Light; Carnegie Pizza, 24-ounce Truly Hard Seltzer; Flights tall Beer cans and hard seltzers; La Salsa Cantina, 16 ounce house margarita; Lobster ME, 16-ounce Bloody Mary; Nacho Daddy, house margarita; Pampas, 12-ounce spicy margarita; Rosa Mexicano, mini frozen margarita; Tacotarian, 12-ounce margarita.
Going into today’s final round of the Masters golf tournament, Rory McIlroy is a +175 favorite to win. Cameron Young is +250, Sam Burns is +625, and Scottie Schefler is +1000.
Jiri Prochazka and Carlos Ulberg are pick 'em in tonight’s UFC main event. In the other featured match, Azamat Murzakanov is -240 over Paulo Costa.